I just returned from an Oregon scouting trip where Eugene, Salem, Portland and many of the small towns and rural byways of the Willamette Valley were on my itinerary. I’ve been to so many places in the United States that it’s rare for me to experience entirely fresh scenery. But somehow this wide swath of Western Oregon never made it to the top of my bucket list until now.
The Willamette River flows south to north. I think of it as a mirror image to California’s Central Valley and the Sacramento River, similar in width and length, but flowing in the opposite direction. Topologically the region is bounded by the majestic Cascades to the east, and the more subdued Coast Range to the west. Both have the tendency to trap the moisture laden Westerlies coming off the Pacific Ocean. At this time of year that means cold rain in the valley and snow on the mountains.
I enjoyed seeing the mix of agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Miles and miles of hazelnut trees, Christmas tree plantations, ornamental nursery growers, seed farms, blueberries in abundance, and hop vines on tall lines. Conspicuously absent were sheep and beef and dairy and pork.
This is not the dry Northern Plains, so there are no amber fields of grain. There are no rows of corn either, so those ubiquitous grain towers that sprout up and punctuate the Midwest skyline are completely missing…
