Day 10: Independence to Corvallis

June 29, 2022

Today I pedal to two covered bridges in the Coast Range hills on the west side of the Willamette valley. It's the hilliest day of the tour but it's multiple hills, not one giant mountain climb.

I started pedaling west on Monmouth Street to the town of Monmouth. All the way across Independence and into the connecting town of Monmouth. In downtown Monmouth I turned south and had a quick transition from college town to country roads.

Rolling hills start immediately outside Monmouth. They slow me down but give good views of the Coast Range to the west dominated by 4101 foot (1250 m) Marys Peak, the highest peak in the Coast Range.

First view of Marys Peak in the Coast Range.

Final view of Marys Peak before I go into the forested hills.

The rolling hills have an uphill trend. Each hilltop is higher than the next. Eventually I started to follow a stream upstream threading into a canyon.

I pedaled past many farms but comparatively few farm houses. Today I pedaled through several remote settlements such as Pedee that are close to becoming ghost towns.

The tractor probably hasn't moved since it broke down.

Ritner covered bridge is in a remote valley 50 feet away from the existing OR 223 bridge across Ritner creek. In 1975 this bridge was the last remaining covered bridge in service on an Oregon state highway. ODOT announced plans to replace the substandard covered bridge with a modern concrete bridge. There was a huge local outcry, leading to a ballot measure to save the covered bridge. The ballot measure won and the bridge was moved about 50 feet to its present location in 1976. It's now a county park, a very nice destination for a picnic.

Ritner Creek covered bridge. View from the new bridge.

Ritner Creek covered bridge. Built in 1926, moved 50 feet in 1976.

Ritner Creek covered bridge has picnic tables and attractive windows.

The hills were just beginning after Ritner creek. Still rolling hills with a pronounced uphill trend. Mostly in forest. No farms in the hills.

I expected OR 223 to have heavier traffic. It was quiet and pleasant most of the time.

Little Luckiamute river flows out of the Coast Range.

I took a long stop at the Wren store. Ordered a cheeseburger (only burger of the trip) and had a long conversation with the lady who runs the store while she made my lunch. She obviously likes talking to strangers. And she obviously has many cyclist customers. It was the only store between Monmouth and Philomath.

Kings Valley store is the only store on today's route.

Kings Valley is another almost ghost town.

Old homestead at a Benton County Forest Reserve park.

Traffic gets heavier as I approach US 20 and civilization. I stopped to look around at a Benton county forest reserve park that has miles of hiking trails. It also has a pioneer homestead and a big barn that has been modernized and is now a rental party space.

OR 223 follows Marys River for the last few miles before it connects to US 20. It's a major river by Coast Range standards.

I took a detour to see Harris Covered Bridge which is 2.5 miles off of OR 223, upstream along the Marys river. The final mile is unpaved. This bridge is in a very remote setting. Hardly any traffic across the bridge.

Harris Covered Bridge crosses Marys river but has no river view.

Looking out of Harris Covered Bridge. Photo on the Table of Contents page.

From Harris Covered Bridge it was mostly downhill to Philomath. First on the side road. Then on US 20 which has a usable shoulder but extremely heavy traffic. It was a shock after being on quiet roads all day. At least it was mostly downhill.

I braked a lot during the final descent to Corvallis. I could tell that something went wrong with the front rim. I stopped and discovered that the front rim is cracked. So I tried not to use the front brake for the remainder of the day.

In Philomath I saw a big red brick building and went to have a look. It's the former Philomath College building built in 1867. The sign explains the Latin origin of the name Philomath.

I pedaled back roads from Philomath to Corvallis. Traffic was very heavy. This area is densely populated. The back roads take me straight to Irish Bend covered bridge which is on the research farms of Oregon State University. For some reason this bridge has no name plate. The bridge is open to pedestrian traffic but not motor vehicle traffic.

Irish Bend covered bridge has no nameplate.

Irish Bend covered bridge was built in 1954 over Willamette Slough near Monroe. It was disassembled and moved to Corvallis in 1989. Too bad they didn't add windows when rebuilding it.

Irish Bend covered bridge on the Oregon State University research farm.

Irish Bend Covered Bridge crosses Oak Creek which is small most of the time.

From Irish Bend covered bridge I pedaled past a couple miles of research farms, then all the way across the Oregon State University on a bike path. It was a very low stress way and scenic way to get across a big town. I should have taken photos of the old university buildings.

Just west of downtown I stopped to look at Benton county courthouse. A sign says it's the oldest courthouse in Oregon that is still being used for its intended purpose.

Benton County Courthouse, built in 1888.

After the campus I only had to pedal a few blocks on city streets to get to tonight's home, Holiday Inn Express Corvallis On the River. The hotel has a short pedestrian path with river views, but no rooftop deck.

This is my second and final night close to the Willamette river. I'm glad I planned two overnights along the river. It would be a shame to do a 12 day tour of the Willamette valley and not experience the Willamette river.

Dinner was at McMenamin's Pub four blocks away. My wife and I ate lunch there in 2007 after I bought my bike from Corvallis Cyclery.

Today was very hilly but I never climbed above 750 feet elevation. The route is more interesting and satisfying than I expected. Remote farm settlements, scenic farms, Coast Range views, and 3 covered bridges.

The weather was very pleasant today. High of 77F (25C) with light wind. Cloudy and cool in the morning. Clouds started to dissipate at 11 AM.

It was a long day because of the hills and scenic stops. I left Independence at 9:30 AM and arrived in Corvallis at 6:30 PM. No worries because tomorrow will be a short and flat recovery day.

The cracked front rim is a matter of grave concern. I still have two days to go. I think the rim can survive 2 more days with the front brake disconnected. Riding 2 days with only a rear brake should not be a problem.

Distance: 50.7 mi. (81.1 km)
Average Speed: 9.0 (14.4 km/h)
Ascent/Descent: +2365/-2252 ft. (+721/-687 m)

Today's ride: 51 miles (82 km)
Total: 419 miles (674 km)

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Scott AndersonBe careful about that rim and brake situation. Maybe you should get a lift home?
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1 year ago

Wayne EstesThis was written after the tour finished. The front rim survived the tour with tire pressure at 30 psi and the front brake disconnected.
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1 year ago