Bridges, Water, and Waysides

After the morning's Route Talk, we hit the road for a 48-mile journey in the sun to Corvallis. Along the way, Deb took this lovely shot. 

Before long, we were rolling by a roadside fruit stand. With a whole gang of new pals to buy berries for, how could I resist these alluring beauties? And, bonus, I would demonstrate the usefulness of carrying a pannier even when there's a sag wagon!

I dropped the fruit loot with Brad and off we went. It's a good thing the tour company had determined where we should go, because there can be a lot of options.

Frankly, I think a winery with my name on it and a town called Sweet Home are pretty convincing pointers. On the way to Sweet Home, we came across the Larwood Wayside.

The wayside, of course, featured a quaint covered bridge.

Which, apparently, is a favorite spot for this local and his pups. 

He stopped to chat with us and share a few of his favorite bike routes in the area. Gotta love Oregon, everyone here rides a bike. As we left the little wayside, we found this self-addressed birthday greeting, which I adopted, since my birthday is just around the corner.

Sweet Home turned out to be pretty much of a non-entity. But further on down the road, Scio promised sophistication, claiming the same title as another town we'd visited earlier.

True to its word, Scio delivered some of the more maintained and classic bridges we encountered.

More importantly, though, Scio delivered tasty treats and a tidy bathroom (not necessarily partaken of in that order). 

To power us for the last leg of the day, Deb and I figured we'd better take Brad up on his offer for a scoop of mint chip ice cream at the Covered Bridge Coffee House. Nothing like a little milkfat to send you on your way.