A little history...

This view is looking down from the park
overlook to the area where Fort Hoskins once stood.

As we were leaving the overlook, I spotted this wild
strawberry blossom. It is about the diameter of a quarter.
I was very impressed to see such a beautiful flower only a
couple of days after the first snow of the season dusted our area.

On a sunny Saturday, following Thanksgiving, we took Mom for a ride out the King's Valley Highway. This is a two lane country road that stretches from the Willamina-Salem highway near Dallas to the little village of Wren, OR.

King's Valley is named for the King family, who homesteaded there in 1846. On a historical marker in the Hoskins Overlook Park there is a quotation from a letter written by one of the Kings. It says words to the effect that "you can raise as many cattle as you want and it won't cost you a cent, because the grass is green even through the winter."

There is a park in the valley called Fort Hoskins Historic County Park. We drove up a very steep drive at the park entrance and were rewarded with a panoramic view of the valley, with the Luckiamute river running through it. The overlook is above the site of an Army Fort, which was established in 1856 to protect and oversee the Indian reservation in the valley.

There are no longer any buildings of the fort, but there is a lovely path and walking tour, complete with historical markers. The path was, alas, closed on the day we visited, but it would make a good destination for a picnic in warmer weather.

On our way to King's Valley, we had passed one of Oregon's famous covered bridges. On our way back to town, we stopped to investigate the bridge. Below are some photos we took there.

Ritner Creek Bridge, built 1926

The Ritner Creek bridge was built in 1926 at a cost of

$6,963.78. It was moved to its current location in 1975-76 at a cost of $26,031!

Looking out one of the "windows" of the bridge
there is a gorgeous view of the river below.

The bridge itself has apparently been made
into a kind of park, complete with picnic tables.

Can you imagine driving across this beautiful
bridge in your brand new 1926 Model T Ford?

Following our visit to King's Valley, we headed back to Dallas. Dallas is situated in the middle of the thriving Willamette Valley wine country. We had found an ad, before our tour, for Illahe Vineyards and Winery. Ordinarily, this winery is not open to the public, but on this particular weekend, they were open for wine tasting. Not only that, but they were also serving locally made breads and cheeses. Yum!

We had an opportunity to taste some of the best Oregon Pinot Noir it has been my pleasure to enjoy. In addition, there was an assortment of breads from the "Bread Board" bakery in Falls City, a few miles to the west and some cheeses made by Willamette Valley Cheese Factory in Perrydale, a few miles north. Perhaps, the best offering, though, was a salmon cheesecake made by the owner's wife. We left our email address, on the promise that the recipe will be forwarded to us.

We had an opportunity to chat with the owner of the vineyards and winery. He is retired from Chemeketa Community College in Salem, where he was an administrator and taught in the department of oenology. When he learned that we have been part of a wine club in Clackamas, he made sure we were identified as "volunteers." It seems Illahe has a wine club of its own. Members get involved in the wine making process and receive wine in return. We will definitely look into that option!

When we returned home, we all (Jill and Mom and I) agreed that it was a day long to be remembered. We look forward to more opportunities to explore our new home county.