Eugene, Oregon
July 5, 2021
It was difficult to leave Bend this morning. I had a great time there and plan to go back soon.
Today I began my return to the Oregon coast. My plan was to get to Eugene and get a hotel for the night so I can rest up for the next seven weeks of travel. Goal accomplished. In between Bend and Eugene on State Route 126 is a town named Nimrod -- knowing that fact, determined the route I would take this afternoon.
A quiet Deschutes River in Bend this morning around 11 am.
Adios Three Sisters.
Route 126 goes through the forest.
If I hadn't already made my hotel reservation in Eugene, I would have stayed in Paradise. Next time.
Something about this sign made me smile.
This is the McKenzie River which Route 126 follows. The could have cited the power lines someplace else, don't you think?
By walking over the bridge, I came to this inn with such a descriptive name. See, if you cross the bridge you will find a place to stay!! 😃
I really do love that metaphor -- "I've never been across the bridge." It is a challenge to me everyday to go someplace I might not have thought about going previously. Odds are you'll find something that makes you smile.
Bummed -- closed on Monday.
Hold on here -- Rainbow? That doesn't show up on any of my maps or my list or Oregon town names. Perhaps I chose to "cross that bridge?" I did and I was glad I did!
I love covered bridges!
No kidding? There is a place called Rainbow, Oregon! Here's the Wikipedia entry in its entirity:
Rainbow is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States. It lies off Oregon Route 126, northeast of Eugene. Rainbow's elevation is 1,211 feet. A post office was established on July 1, 1924, and closed August 31, 1937. The post office got its name from the rainbow trout that swim in the McKenzie River.
Buddy was pretty stoked by our find!
Sadly parts of the area reminded me of Happy Camp. From news reports:
The Holiday Farm Fire started Labor Day 2020 scorched more than 173,000 acres (270 square miles) in the McKenzie River Valley. More than 400 homes lost in towns such as Blue River, Vida and Rainbow.
I saw a number of RVs and tents where houses used to be. A few houses had been rebuilt but a number of lots had for sale signs in front of them. It is paradise in the forest with the McKenzie River in your backyard and then it is a nightmare. Sad.
In spite of the damage, the area was filled with folks on vacation -- the draw apparently being the river. It was nice and cool when I walked down by it.
Love this!
US Basketball Academy??
I was tempted by the golf course but it was getting on toward 3 pm and while not 109 degrees like last week, the 92 degrees felt like more than I wanted to deal with. I had an air conditioned hotel room waiting for me in Eugene. Plus, I had to get to Nimrod!
From Wikipedia:
Nimrod is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States, on the McKenzie River. It is located along Oregon Route 126, between Vida and Blue River, 35 miles east of Eugene, in the Willamette National Forest. As of 2003, its population was roughly 190. Nimrod is the site of a former ferry that crossed the McKenzie. Nimrod is served by the Vida post office, zip code 97488.
The earliest reference to Nimrod in the locality was the Nimrod Inn, opened in the early 1900s by Alfred Parkhurst. Some historians think that the inn was named for the biblical character Nimrod, whose name was synonymous with "mighty hunter", in recognition of the excellent fishing on the McKenzie River. The community also may have been named after a fishing lure, to recognize the prowess of a local hunter or fisherman, or for one of Lane County's earliest settlers, Nimrod O'Kelley, who settled in the area in 1847 Nimrod is one of the few locations in Oregon not listed in Oregon Geographic Names, because a source for the name's origin has not been verified.
Because of the community's unusual name, now generally associated with the derogatory usage "fool" or "idiot", (perhaps due to Bugs Bunny using the term to refer to Elmer Fudd, when, in fact, he just meant "hunter", as associated with the biblical Nimrod), the main sign marking the location is a popular spot for photos, and is bolted to discourage theft.
The McKenzie River:
And another covered bridge!
McKenzie River.
Hotel sign in Leaburg.
I was too tired to walk across the road.
I suspect this town was named for my grandfather, Walter James Fox.
The SUV wins the sticker of the day award -- zoom in and you will see a Hilton Head Island (HHI) oval.
