Enjoy the "partial" article below. Written shortly after Bill spent a night at our inn and I think he really liked it! He's been back and will be here again next month! If you are riding the Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway, we are happy to give you a reduced rate for your guest room! Other bicycle amenities include:
Complete basement lock up for your bike and gear
Air compressor for airing up your tires
Access to tools if needed
A huge delicious breakfast
Wine and dessert the evening of your arrival
Dinner recommendations to the best places in town to dine and the best part... it's all walkable easily from the inn!
So, park your bike, take a hot shower, enjoy a glass of Oregon wine, have dinner downtown and sleep like a baby at The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn!
Reserve at: www.thepfeiffercottageinn.com
A slow ride through the Willamette Valley
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
By Bill MacKenzie
The Hillsboro Argus
Special to The Argus
Warm cinnamon French toast drizzled with maple syrup, a sturdy frittata, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and steaming coffee spread out for breakfast.
That was what greeted me in the morning at a bed and breakfast in historic Albany, during a bicycle ride the length of the 132-mile Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway.
On New Year's Day I made a resolution to ride the bikeway, Oregon's first and only designated scenic bikeway, in the summer. In August I did it.
The bikeway's jump-off point is Champoeg State Heritage Area on the south bank of the scenic Willamette River, only a short distance from Hillsboro and where Oregon's first provisional government was formed in 1843.
Although the Willamette Valley is home to most of Oregon's residents, the bikeway is largely a rural journey. Most of the time I was completely alone on the road and rarely passed by motor vehicles.
The route is generally flat with moderate hills, well-suited for everybody from casual riders to serious, gung-ho cyclists. Though most of the bikeway is within a few miles of the roar and exhaust of Interstate 5, I barely knew it was there.
The scenery along the way was mostly farmhouses and agricultural fields, including undulating vineyards and vast fields of hops, some of which surely will find their way into Oregon's craft beers.
Wine came into the picture, too. I was running low on water when I came to Ankeny Vineyard on Riverside Road south of Salem. A hospitable server in the wine tasting room filled my Camelback with refreshingly cold water while I eyed their acclaimed Pinot Noir, Marechal Foch and Pinot Gris wines. Next time I think I'll take a longer break and have a glass.
On my first night, I stayed at The Pfeiffer Cottage Inn, a charming bed and breakfast in the historic area of Albany. In the evening, after a heaping plate of tasty pasta at Clemenza's restaurant in Albany, I relaxed and chatted into the warm evening on the Inn's front porch with the owner, Debbie Lusk, and other guests. I picked the Inn because I figured it would be better to start the next day off right with a hearty breakfast than with a cholesterol-laden meal at a fast food joint near the highway....
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