Mount Angel got its start as Roy, Oregon back in 1850. Thirty years later, Reverend Adelhelm Odermatt arrived with a group of Benedictine monks from Engelberg, Switzerland. Together, they established an abbey, a church and a school and were soon joined by a group of settlers from Bavaria. When a post office was established, they took the name “Mount Angel” which is the English translation of the town Engleberg. This sleepy little town of about 4,000 people grows a hundredfold each fall as tourists from around the world arrive for their annual Oktoberfest celebration. Mount Angel built their glockenspiel in 2006 and it is apparently the largest in the United States. It was a joy to watch when it came to life and on a quiet Sunday afternoon, I was the only one there to see it. There are some great old buildings and some beautiful cast iron signs and signposts around town which I have to believe came from the local Windischar's General Blacksmith Shop. I especially enjoyed the beer at the Benedictine Monastery’s wonderfully named St. Michael Taproom and will have to visit the monastery itself on my next visit. I definitely enjoyed wandering the streets of this little Bavarian town in the heart of the Willamette Valley and would absolutely recommend a stop to anyone passing through the area.. And if you’re there in September, you’ll be in for a real treat as their Oktoberfest looks like a heck of a good time. I hope you enjoy these photos from quaint and picturesque Mount Angel Oregon, the Willamette Valley’s Little Bavaria. Prost!
Hello Everyone!
It’s been a beautiful week of spring weather here in north-central Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The days have been warm and sunny and the evenings cool and pleasant. It’s the kind of weather where I don’t really want to do anything but sit outside and read my book and enjoy the day. Thankfully the days are long so there seems to be time for that and to keep exploring. Oregon is such a pleasant and relaxed state, making it a wonderful place to enjoy such fine spring weather. Cherries and strawberries are coming back into season which makes me happy and flowers are blooming like crazy everywhere I look. I’ve spent the week chasing waterfalls, exploring small towns, finally making it to the end of the Oregon Trail and exploring the state’s capital city of Salem. My camera has been busy and I’ve really been enjoying my week so let me get right into it.
After finishing up this post last week I went out to have a look around downtown Lebanon. It’s a quaint and quiet little town but it didn’t have much to offer. I stopped into a little bar called Sam’s Place for a beer and then called it an early night.
On Thursday I took off first thing and headed out to see the Hoffman covered bridge out near Scio. This was a great, fully functional bridge with a 10 ton weight limit still in daily use. It was quiet enough out there when I visited to take a few photos on the bridge, which was pretty cool. From there I made my way into Albany for the day. Albany is a cute little city of about 56,000 people situated on the Willamette River and founded back in 1848.
Hello Everyone,
Spring has definitely sprung here in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon. Flowers are blooming, pollen is flying and minor league baseball is just getting started. The weather has been amazing and it’s nice to be here. I’ve had a very pleasant week on the road here in the Beaver State as I made my way from Bend through the Cascade Mountains and up into the Willamette Valley. It’s been a week of mountains, lakes, waterfalls, covered bridges and adorable little towns – all things that make me happy. The days are getting longer and my spirits are high. Let me tell you all about what I’ve been getting up to lately.
After I left you last week, it was already pretty late in the day. I wandered through downtown Bend and then down to Monkless Brewery, a Belgian-style taphouse situated right along the Deschutes River. It was a sunny afternoon and the view out over the river was amazing. The bartender was friendly and the beers were excellent. I’m a big fan of Belgian beer and consider it the best beer in the world, which is only an opinion but one I’m not alone in. Many Belgian-style beers just don’t live up to the expectation set by labeling it as such, but Monkless was a real exception and it quickly became one of my favorite breweries in the region. I had a couple of beers there and then wandered down by the river for a while to soak up the last of the sunshine. I stopped into the River Pigs Saloon for one last quick beer after the sun went down before calling it a night.
I hit the road on Thursday morning and headed south towards Klamath Falls. I passed through a couple of small towns on my drive, but one made me stop and get closer look. Crescent is the sister city of the nearby company logging town of Gilchrist .
