The Beautiful McKenzie Highway

Today was nothing but blue skies and sunshine.  We could have used that time to work in the yard but what the heck – the work will still be here tomorrow but the sunshine might not be. So we loaded up the car with the kids – but not the furkids this time – instead our travel companions of the day were my sister Laila, and her husband, Brian.  I apologize to those of you with slow internet connections.  Many pictures tonight, all ones I want to be sure go into my next memory book.  Sorry.

Our itinerary was just a drive up the beautiful McKenzie Highway, route 126 between Eugene and Sisters, OR.   We drove about 130 miles round trip and all we saw would be way too long for one post. 

Our first stop was Hendricks Bridge Wayside.  This is a county park, day use only.  There is a day use fee here but you can stop for 30 minutes without paying a fee.  We have an annual county parks pass so we’re good to go at any Lane County Park. 


This is a great park for picnics and is a popular place for taking out or launching drift boats and rafts.  The McKenzie River is a great river for trout and steelhead fishing and gets  a lot of use by rafters as well.  The river is VERY high right now and the fishing is good.


When the water goes down some, this is a great sandy beach and water play area for families.  Notice that house in the background?


It’s a beautiful view, no doubt, but I just am not sure I would want to live there!


Next stop was yet another fish hatchery, the McKenzie Fish Hatchery. There were only small fry in most of the tanks but the landscaping was beautiful and the flowers simply gorgeous. And it was a good walk.


It seems there are always nice picnic areas at fish hatcheries – have no idea why!












More roses all along the visitor’s center.


Laila confirmed what I suspected – this was a Mr. Lincoln, my favorite rose.


Russ threatened to throw Brian in the salmon holding tank but Brian knew what to do.


There were still some Rhodies in bloom and Brian found one that matched his Duck Colors.

Isn't he just precious?!?!

Russ found a great watering hole.

Unfortunately, I think that’s the spout where the fishies come out!!  They load up the tanker trucks with fish to be released into the streams and rivers.  There is good parking here for all but the largest of rigs.

Our next stop was lunch at Takoda's.  If you are traveling the McKenzie Hwy., this is THE BEST place to stop for a meal.  They serve great food and you can sit outside on their beautifully landscaped patio.

They recently opened a restaurant in Sisters, OR as well.  But do be careful of those plastic chairs on the rough aggregate patio.  Russ went to get up and those chairs do NOT scoot.  One leg got stuck, broke and folded under the chair, and Russ ended up on his keister with the chair seat still attached to his seat!  Luckily he wasn’t hurt but unfortunately, I didn’t have the camera handy.

Gonna have to wrap this up.  We still have the Tokatee Golf Course to visit with its gorgeous views of the snow-capped Three Sisters Mountains.  Then we went on to Sahalie Falls, Koosha Falls, and Paradise Campground.  If you are traveling this way, Paradise is in my opinion, one of the best campgrounds in the state.  But all that will wait for tomorrow.  Hope to see you back here.

Sisters

Sisters, Oregon that is.  We arrived and are nestled into our camping site at Sisters City Park…more on that in a minute.

Our day started early with both of us up and awake before 5:30A.  It still took us over an hour to finally get on the road but for us, that was still early.  The drive along the McKenzie River is always beautiful and today was no exception.  One of the sights we enjoy is the Goodpasture Covered Bridge.



We wanted to get to Takoda’s for breakfast and that is about an hour from our house.  It was a beautiful morning and we parked and gave the dogs a little exercise before we got breakfast.  There is lots of parking at Takoda’s and plenty of room to walk the dogs.


The weather was so nice that we enjoyed our breakfast outside on the patio.  Russ perused the menu while we listened to a gentle waterfall, the call of the birds, and the occasional roar of the 18 wheeler going by on the highway that’s just beyond the fence!  All in all, the ambiance of the pond and the flowers and that beautiful willow far outweighed any traffic noise.



There are about a dozen tables on the patio but only one other one was occupied this morning.  The breakfast did not disappoint and we enjoyed every bite.  It was a bit spendy but they do have smaller portions for a fair price if you are so inclined.  Russ was not so inclined!!



Harbicks Country Store is next door to Takoda’s and is owned by the same folks.  This store is a must see.  They have a little bit of everything, including deli fast food if you don’t want to wait for restaurant meal.

















There is something for everyone at Takoda’s and we found this selection of books that no camper should be without.  If you’re there Nellie, you can guess which ones we picked for you!


The Sisters City Park is at the east end of town with easy access off the highway.  They feature full hook up sites with both 30 and 50 amps available.  The cost to seniors (60 and over) is $30 for a 30 amp site and $34 for a 50 amp site.  It can seem a little crowded by evening but the sites are actually well spaced and don’t feel all that close.



There were quite a few empty sites on the side closer to the highway.
 
There are restrooms and showers in the park.  A bridge across Whychus Creek connects the campground with the day use area.  There is access to the creek but it can be a bit steep.  Right now the creek is flowing full and swift and that water is COLD.  The pups didn’t seem to mind!






And here we are.  The grassy area is the doggie area but it is not fenced.  Leashes are required but I did see a fella playing Frisbee with his dog earlier and no leash police appeared.  The highway is not too far away so caution is the word regarding leashes.

  
There is no internet provided by the park but I found a hot spot that works pretty well.  Hopefully I can get this uploaded and visit a few blogs while I’m at it.  If not, I’ll see ya on the flip side.