Cedar Creek Grist Mill

I drove out to the Cedar Creek Grist Mill today during a heavy downpour. I was prepared with coveralls and rubber boots however I got lucky and the rain let up as I arrived. If you haven’t heard of this place it is a wonderful spot for photography. My objective was to capture the quintessential fall shot of the mill in all its glory. It looks like I was foiled again. I have looked at others who have shot this area near the end of October and had great success with the foliage. As my luck would have it the trees were already bare and way past their prime in terms of color. I suppose any time of year is worth the short trip up through Woodland Washington and 8 miles up river through the Lewis river watershed. Just take I-5 exit #21 Woodland and immediately turn right crossing the Lewis River then turn left onto Hayes rd which will become Cedar Creek Rd. Follow this upstream for about 7 ½ miles,  a brown sign marked for the mill will guide you the final few tenths of a mile. This historic landmark is open all year for tours and also makes a great spot for a picnic. Enjoy..

Covered Bridges Of Cottage Grove

 

Well I guess not all photo ventures can be fulfilling. Looking for fall color in Oregon, Laurie and I set out for cottage grove to experience and photograph old bridges along the covered bridge tour route. To say we were disappointed would be an understatement. Heading south from the Portland towards Eugene the clouds began to thicken to the point that the sky became a drab shade of cement. We came to our first of seven bridges and noticed that you don't actually drive through these bridges at all, in fact there all just sitting next to modern day asphalt roads which takes away the historical feel right away. Some of the bridges were somewhat dilapidated and covered with graffiti. I would have thought that these bridges would fall under some historical jurisdiction and would require that they be kept up. The nicest one we saw was the Dorena Bridge that you see above. As for the fall color all we saw were ugly yellows browns and mostly just dead non inspiring foliage. Unfortunately I can't say that we would recommend this trip. Very anti climatic and uninspiring.