Bridges Of Willamette Valley Backroads In Oregon More Norman Rockwell Than Robert Kincaid

Sometimes it’s strange how real life follows fiction.

In “The Bridges of Madison County,” Robert Kincaid is an imaginary photographer who lives in the Pacific Northwest. He drives his Chevy pickup to Iowa to take pictures of covered bridges for National Geographic.

I, on the other hand, am a true-to-life photojournalist who was born in Iowa, and I’m chauffeuring my Nissan north to shoot covered bridges for a newspaper article. Since Kincaid and I have so much in common, I fully expect our experiences will be similar.

Kincaid’s objectives lay clustered in a single county. Mine, however, spread throughout western Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Accessing them takes me on a leisurely alternative to Interstate 5.

A half-hour from Portland, I exit the freeway in Woodburn. Clearing a gantlet of banks, burger joints and traffic-light backups, I finally enter farming country. Only the bulging Cascade Mountains tell me it’s not Iowa.

In the novel, Kincaid stops at a farmhouse to ask directions to one of the bridges. Francesca, a bored housewife, accompanies him to the site. The pair fall in lust, and what follows ranks an R-rating.

The closest thing I find to a convenient farmhouse is the Egg Cup Inn, a roadside bed-and-breakfast. A raven-haired woman named Lolita answers the door. Unlike the fictional Francesca whose husband is conveniently gone, Lolita’s spouse, Elmer, stands beside her.

“How do I find Gallon House Bridge?” I ask.

“Follow the arrows,” she says pointing to a nearby sign.

A mile or so later, I reach the 84-foot-long span across Abiqua Creek. The stark-white bridge features solid sides with a foot-high ventilation gap beneath its shingled roof. Wooden planks form a one-lane-wide floor.

Built in 1916, Gallon House is Oregon’s oldest covered bridge open to traffic. Locals say the name came from a nearby establishment that sold whiskey for 10 cents a gallon to residents of then-dry Silverton.

I shoot a roll, then drive into town. Silverton’s brick buildings and awnings would fit anywhere in mid-America. Men dress in overalls. Boys wear ball caps with bills facing frontward. Only the girls sport earrings - and only in their ears. It feels like a Western version of a Norman Rockwell masterpiece.

Silverton calls itself the “City of the Falls,” exploiting its proximity to Silver Falls State Park. I follow the highway south. Fifteen miles later, I enter the 8,700-acre reserve, which features 10 major waterfalls. The cataracts are here for the same reason the bridges are covered: In western Oregon, it rains a lot.

Oregonians constructed bridges from Douglas fir, an abundant and convenient building material. In the days before creosote and chemically treated timbers, wet and freezing weather took a toll. Roofing a span provided a convenient way to double its life.

I continue toward Jordan Bridge. For almost 40 years, it crossed a creek near its namesake. Due for replacement, engineers dismantled the structure, later reassembling it in Stayton. I drive through town but cannot find the bridge.

“Burned down,” says Mary at the Chamber of Commerce. “We draped Christmas lights on it, and during a wind storm the wires flung back and forth. They must have shorted. A spark ignited the bridge’s dry underside.”

In the 1920s, Oregon had perhaps 450 covered bridges. New wooden spans were added during World War II because of steel shortages. Covered bridge construction tapered through the 1960s, with the last new one completed in 1981.

Five covered bridges remain in the area surrounding tiny Scio. For information, I stop at the Depot Museum, which occupies a former train station. An old caboose sits out front, flanked by a larger-than-life wooden conductor.

“The statue was sculpted from a log by an Oregon chain saw artist,” says museum volunteer Dell Holland.

Holland, who has lived all of her 90 years in the Scio area, takes me on a tour of the facility. Its treasures include clothing, dishes, tools, scrapbooks, pictures and diaries. Descendants of early settlers donated most items.

As I leave, she hands me a brochure that outlines a circuit of local bridges. I drive first to Gilkey, whose open sides expose the thick beams that form trusses. They cross in a lattice.

Until 1960, a covered railway bridge stood beside the highway span. It was torn down and replaced with steel. A gaggle of teens dives from rails to creek.

I continue to Hoffman Bridge, shoot more photos, then drive on to Larwood Bridge. It sits near a friendly park with picnic tables and swimming hole. Two young fishermen dangle lines in the water.

At Hannah Bridge, I find the area rife with warnings: No Trespassing. The photo I want requires straddling my tripod over a “Keep Out” sign. As I line up the shot, Sheriff Deputy Joe Gore arrives. Before I can look up Johnny Cochran’s number, Gore tells me not to worry.

“City kids used to swim here,” he says. “Problem was, they sprayed the bridge with their graffiti. Every time we repainted it, they’d come back and do it again. So, now the area is closed.”

I head to nearby Shimanek Bridge, last on the route. All the others I’ve seen were white. Shimanek is photo-friendly red, just like the one Kincaid photographed with Francesca in tow. Dedicated in 1966, it’s the area’s youngest. It is, however, at least the fourth one built on the site.

While Shimanek was replaced in kind, most of Oregon’s covered bridges were supplanted with concrete or steel spans. Built for horse-drawn buggies, few of the roofed structures could accommodate heavy, two-way motor traffic.

I continue south to Sweet Home, a larger community that even boasts a few traffic lights. Located in the Cascade foothills, it began as a timber town, and its East Linn Museum chronicles a rich history. The curator directs me to the town’s covered span.

Weddle Bridge, which once stood near Scio, now resides in a grassy city park. Ducks swim under in placid water that reflects the bridge’s exposed white beams. Visitors stroll under its spacious roof and gaze through open sides. Traffic no longer crosses.

Over the years, Oregon’s covered bridges served many peripheral purposes. Bootleggers stashed moonshine under eaves. Robbers hid, waiting for victims. With notices and advertisements posted inside, many spans functioned as community bulletin boards. They even hosted political rallies, dances and church gatherings. Weddle Bridge is still available for a good party.

“We rent the bridge out for weddings, anniversaries, reunions and other functions,” says Glenda at the Chamber of Commerce. “We even had an antique car exhibition under its roof.”

Through the efforts of towns like Sweet Home, Oregon has 52 covered bridges remaining. Only Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Vermont claim more.

I detour to Cascadia to photograph Short Bridge, then head south to shoot a few more. My alternate route ends in Eugene, where I rejoin the interstate.

On the long drive home, I compare my experiences with Kincaid’s in Madison County. It’s said that good fiction follows reality, but something about the best-selling novel seems bogus.

Then it hits me. Suddenly, I realize why The Bridges of Madison County feels so contrived.

Real men don’t ask for directions.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: If you go The Route: The covered-bridge route from Woodburn to Springfield stretches about 170 miles, and it can easily take most of the day to cover. The route is well marked. Woodburn to Silverton: Follow Interstate 5 to Woodburn, about 35 miles south of Portland. Exit onto Oregon 214 and follow it southeast toward Silverton. For Gallon House Bridge, turn west on Hobart Road (a mile or so north of Silverton). Travel about 1/2-mile, then turn north on Gallon House Road to the bridge. Silverton to Scio: Continue on Oregon 214 from Silverton through Silver Falls State Park (there is a $3 day-use fee if you stop). At a well-marked junction about 11 miles past the park, turn south onto the Cascade Highway and drive through Sublimity and Stayton. The road passes under the North Santiam Highway (Oregon 22) and leaves Stayton as the Stayton-Scio Road. In Scio, turn south onto Main Street. The Depot Museum lies one block east on First Avenue. Circuit to the five covered bridges: Go west on First Avenue, which soon becomes Robinson Drive. Turn south on Gore Road and follow it across Gilkey Bridge. Go south on Gilkey Road to Crabtree, head northeast on Hungry Hill Drive to Hoffman Bridge. Continue to Oregon 226 and go south. Turn east at Fish Hatchery Drive and follow it about 8 miles to Larwood Bridge. Continue northwest on Larwood Drive to Richardson Gap Road. Follow that north to Oregon 226 and turn east. At Camp Morrison Road, head south to Hannah Bridge. Make a U-turn and return west on Oregon 226. At Shimanek Bridge Drive, branch northwest to Richardson Gap Road and cross Shimanek Bridge. Follow Richardson Gap Road back to Oregon 226, then head west to return to Scio. Scio to Sweet Home: From Scio, go south on Oregon 226 to U.S. 20, then southeast through Lebanon to Sweet Home. Weddle Bridge sits in Sankey Park, a few blocks south of Main Street. Short Bridge lies on High Deck Road, west of Cascadia, 13 miles east of Sweet Home on U.S. 20. Sweet Home to Springfield/Eugene: From Sweet Home, take Oregon 228 southwest to Crawfordsville Bridge, which lies beside the highway just west of Crawfordsville. Backtrack east 1/2-mile, then head south on Brush Creek Road, which later becomes Marcola Road and leads to Springfield. For two more covered spans, check out Earnest and Wendling Bridges located off Paschelke Road north of Marcola. When to go: The roads are paved and open year-round. Summer provides the driest weather. Spring brings blooming fields. Autumn harvests yield roadside fruit and vegetable stands. In winter, travelers can appreciate why the bridges are covered. Additional information: The following chambers of commerce can provide local information: Woodburn (503) 982-8221, Silverton (503) 873-5615, Stayton/Sublimity (503) 769-3464, Scio (503) 394-3342, and Sweet Home (503) 367-6186.