Biking the Vineyards of the Willamette Valley

Bicycling aficionados as well as casual but determined riders were lured to the Eola Hills Winery in Rickreall, Oregon by the opportunity to ride in a premier cycling event. This established winery sponsors weekly Sunday rides in August that tour some of the many small local wineries. Our cycling team gathered in the early morning coolness to check our bicycles and gear and grab a few fruit snacks before heading north into the vineyards. We even made the Facebook page of the winery.

The flashy, colorful branded cycling shirts, fancy bicycles and bike lingo could have been intimidating to our casual riders, but the pros among us assured us it was all just about a good ride. We let the sprint starters lead off and blaze the road ahead of us, and they soon left us far behind. 150 people riding single file along the Pacific Highway West is quite a sight and gives cars on the road ample warning of the need to slow down, although most do not. This requires riders to maintain concentration in the presence of whizzing automobiles just a few feet from their shoulders.

After a series of slow rolling hills over the initial 13 miles, we veered off the main road into back country where acres of vineyards carpet the hills and valleys. Small, independent wineries are tucked atop picturesque hills, inauspicious in their frontage but fully stocked with their individual wine selections. Some of them buy juice from other growers and just make wine while others grow as well as produce the finished product.

Miles and miles of neatly planted grapevines line the hills like corduroy ribs, green and slightly puffy but neatly trimmed to ensure a maximum grape harvest. The blue sky of late summer grew gradually brighter as the day progressed and the temperature rose. We were so thankful for the scheduled stops with their refreshments! Unique names such as Left Coast Cellars, Haun of the Dauen Winery, St. Innocent Winery, Strangeland Vineyards






and Winery  made us wonder how these came to be called such. Each offered friendly opportunities to sample their products and of course buy, preferably cases, from their selections. The road crew, headed by the event coordinator Rich Washburn, always had fresh fruit, snack bars, cold water and Gatorade waiting at each stop. The sag wagon followed behind, ready to help with repairs or to transport people and bicycles that couldn't make the final push up Gillette Hill.

Olives grow amid the grapes

The prize at the end of the ride was a salmon BBQ with more sides than your plate could hold, plus glasses of any of the Eola Hills wines, followed by icy dishes of homemade sherbet, fresh caramel swirl ice cream and a large display of baked desserts. As the riders drifted in after the 42-50 mile routes, they lounged under white canopies and tapped their toes to the beat of a three piece jazz group. The lingering conversation among good friends kept us occupied until late afternoon when we finally packed up our bicycles and began to plan another ride into the vineyards of the Willamette Valley. Although a planned event such as the Wine Country Tour is great because there is food and entertainment, an independent journey through the area is another opportunity to enjoy the great Pacific Northwest scenery and its agricultural variety. Plan a drive or ride before harvest, taking a picnic lunch along as well as your camera. Look for the newly planted olive trees amid the grapes. It's a new agricultural venture being tested by Eola Hills. Think EVOO Oregon style. The excursion will put your urbanized life at ease to experience the open spaces of the wine country.