2015 WEEKENDER

Western Oregon University – Monmouth, OR

DAY 1 (map)

Long: 74.4 Mi;  Mid: 49.4 Mi;  Short: 21.5 Mi 

 The Long, Mid and Short routes go to Buena Vista and use the county park on the river for the first stop.  The Long and Mid routes continue across the river on the Buena Vista Ferry and then travel to Jefferson.  In Jefferson, the Mid route turns and travels 2.6 miles towards lunch, before joining the long route 2 miles prior to lunch.  

 Those on the Long route continue backwards from what we’ve done before to Scio, crossing the Gilkey Covered Bridge before Scio and the Shimanek Covered Bridge after Scio.  The route then returns towards Jefferson, but before arriving in that city, turns north and travels to the community of Marion, and lunch at the Marion School.  Both routes then travel across I-5 and through the Ankeny Wildlife Refuge, before again crossing the Willamette River at Independence, and then to Monmouth. 

 The Short Route leaves Stop 1 and uses county roads to cross Highway 99W just north of Sarah Helmick State Park, and travels north on Helmick road to return to campus. 

  

DAY 2 (map)

 Long: 59/52.5 Mi;  Mid: 41.5 Mi;  Short: 21.1 Mi 

 This is mostly a repeat of the 2010 Day 2 route, except for the last portion of the route for the Long and Mid options.   

 The Long and Short options use the same route to the first stop at the City Park in Dallas.  The Long route then travels west and makes a hilly 7-mile loop with a 1.5 mile section of gravel.  Those who don’t want to ride the hills or gravel continue on a main road for 0.5 miles to join the main Long route after the hills and gravel.  The route travels back to the edge of Dallas and then uses the Kings Valley Highway to turn onto the Falls City Highway, traveling to Falls City for lunch.   

 The Mid route joins the long route just prior to the Falls City junction, and both the Long and Mid options have lunch in Falls City and then travel on a 1.3 mile gravel section before returning to the Kings Valley Highway, and then on Airlie road to Helmick Road.  Riders will travel south to Sarah Helmick State Park for a stop, the cross Hwy 99W and travel north, before again crossing Hwy 99W and traveling north on Helmick Rd to return to Monmouth. 

 The Short route leaves Stop 1, and then uses lightly traveled city streets to return to Orrs Corner Road (the road used to travel to Dallas from the start), and then on the bike path adjacent to Hwy 99W to return south to Monmouth.