My brother, Dave, my wife, Amy and I rode the bikes over the mountain and to the coast for a family gathering on the 4th of July. For variety, I mapped out a route that kept us off all the freeways and took us across as many covered bridges as I could find between here and there.

I should mention that Amy took most of the best photographs here(and throughout this website). Amy always says the same thing about her cooking and her photography: “I have no idea what this will turn out like”. Invariably they both turn out outstanding. Any pictures that show me or were obviously taken from the sidecar are Amy’s work. I think they are pretty good-judge for yourself.

It was a beautiful day for a ride and we made good time around Mt.Hood.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at a little riverside park. A little over 100 years ago this was the site of a thriving frontier town with a store, a tavern and a mill. Now all that remains are the ruins of the millrace.

Having made our way to the Willamette Valley we found our covered bridges. Once common in Oregon, now only a few examples remain.

We caught a little four car ferry boat across the Willamette River