The High Road: Oregon 211

Jeffrey Butts

With the early days of autumn upon us, Stephanie and I made one more road trip into the Willamette Valley. We loaded into the 911 with a slightly different route in mind this time around. Typically we head due south from our Beaverton home. Today we motored off to the east. We took the freeway through Portland and exited at Wood Village. Our strategy was to hook-up with Highway 26 and head up to Sandy, and then south from there into the valley. This portion of the road is pretty much open country and infamous for its T-bone traffic accidents on the outskirts of town. Believe me, we were watching closely.

For us, Sandy is one of those "drive-through" cities. I apologize in advance to any members of the local Chamber of Commerce whom I may have offended, but all I want to do in Sandy is to drive out. Located far enough outside of Portland to be inconvenient as a bedroom community, it retains much of the flavor it must have had forty years ago. It is a blockage on an otherwise clear run from the city to the mountain. About halfway through town there is a turn-off to the south for Highway 211. This two- lane improved highway motors on down the valley all the way to the pioneer town of Molalla where it then turns west to Woodburn. If you want to continue down the valley, take the turn-off onto Highway 213 towards Mt. Angel and Salem, our state capital.

What we really wanted to see on this trip was more trees making the turn to fall colors but we had come about two weeks too late. Only a few of the older ones had retained their rainbow burst. However, the weather stayed nice just long enough for us to finally catch one more cloudless ride. It was about 45 degrees, but the sun was shining.

So, back to the travelogue. Shortly after you leave town you will pass the Sandy Ridge School on the right. It is a wonderful old red building and still in great shape. This part of the highway is reportedly the final encampment of Oregon Trail wagons bound for the valley from the east. From this point several trails branched out to final destinations such as Oregon City and Champoeg. At this point we are still coming out of the foothills that surround Mt Hood and the road has plenty of dips and turns as it winds its way through the forest and farmland. The road finally dumps out just east of the Clackamas River in the small community of Eagle Creek. At the road junction, Highway 211 joins Highway 224 and continues south to the Clackamas River community of Estacada. Be careful with this turn, as it is also dangerous.

The highway now takes on the character of so many of the mid-Willamette Valley roads with long straightaways and corners rarely requiring anything lower than 50 MPH, even in a family cruiser. Estacada itself is a decent sized town. Older buildings are abundant with several nice churches (although not quite as picturesque as Mt Angel or Silverton). The Estacada Elementary School is particularly attractive with its brick construction. You will find the school on the bluff just east of the highway. Back down the hill and onto Highway 211 again, the road quickly branches off to the right. At this point the road climbs again on one last hill. Traffic this day was light and the sounds of the Porsche engine accelerating bounced off the hills. Once over the top the road drops down again to Molalla. There are several scenic side trips, but at this point we were enjoying the crisp air and the music on the drive.

I stopped several times to snap photos of interesting sites. One I saw but did not stop for was in Molalla itself. Over the top of what must have been an eight-foot fence, I could see the top of an old interstate bus. I looked to be fifties vintage and was squirreled away between the fence and an older out building. There were a few berry vines creeping along the top. About 15 minutes before we reached Woodburn I spotted a collection of cars out of the corner of my eye. The lot was a commercial business of some kind, exactly what I cannot recollect. What attracted my attention was the unibody of a Bugeye Sprite sitting atop a pick-up truck. There were other cars in the yard, a BUB Spridget (big ugly bumper) with a blue tarp across the top, an early 90's Corvette, and other assorted mechanical bits and pieces. The Sprite sat there, primed for paint and without a dent. Surely it is a project for some brave soul.

This was a good afternoon ride. Counting the photo stops it only took us about three hours for the round trip. When we got back home we rinsed the car off and covered it up. Then it was inside for a cup of hot chocolate and a rented video in front of the fire. Ain't life grand?