The Long Tom Country Trail- Part 2
A trip to the countryside. Ride your bicycle along peaceful country roads, or find dozens of reasons to get out of the car.
This trail is packed with so many treats; you will need a couple of days to see everything. If you’d rather not drive yourself, call Sunshine Limo for a limo party bus, luxury cars, or vintage convertibles to tour the trail. 541-344-5466. Be sure to check out the Campbell House City Inn and Dining Room in Eugene for overnight stays, 541-343-1119, and call professional photographer, Jamie Hooper at Digital Dreams, 541-952-0387, for pictures, prints and frames of your trip through the Long Tom Trail.
Along a forty-mile loop, road signs will lead you to stops along The Long Tom Country Trail. The tour offers an alpaca ranch where you can pet the animals and a fiber shop filled with woolly goodies, five wonderful wineries offering tastes of some of the best pinot gris and pinot noir in the state, a garden nursery that even houses Red Eagle Appaloosas, a beautiful 18 hold championship golf course, strawberry fields, peach orchards, a family sheep farm with blankets and paintings and photography, a wild mustang ranch, an antique barn, seasonal festivals at the grange hall, produce stands, vegetable gardens, artist sheds, a mini mushroom farm, pastries, a gallery of artistic metal furnishings, a cozy gourmet deli, and a unique restaurant in a restored church.
To find the treasures of the trail online, go to www.longtomcountrytrail.com and visit all the shops—buying your gifts for holiday shipments!
1.
Kitty Hawk Kigers
Traveling West on High Pass Road, turn right on Turnbow. Up and then down the hill, take a right on Ferguson. Two miles on the left you’ll come to Kitty Hawk Kigers—a wild mustang ranch. Mike, the owner, is a true cowboy who will greet you with enthusiasm and introduce you to the herd of wild mustangs he’s taken in. (You can even go for horseback ride, if you like!)
2.
Diamond Woods Golf Course
Take a right out of Kitty Hawk and soon you’ll stop at Territorial Road. Turn left and 2 miles up the road you’ll come to Diamond Woods Golf Course, a beautiful 18 hole championship course. Stay for lunch and enjoy their gourmet deli, the terrific views from the patios and a skybox art gallery.
3.
Benton Lane Winery
Take a left onto Territorial and within a couple of miles you come upon Benton-Lane Winery. Taste their award winning pinot noir, pinot gris and pinot blanc wines. Picnic on their patios and learn about their certified sustainable and salmon safe growing techniques.
4.
Steely Acres
Take a right out of Benton-Lane and trace back down Territorial to Ferguson. Left on Ferguson, drive approximately 5 miles to Highway 99. Turn left on 99 and right on Lingo Lane and left on Howard Lane. Travel to Adams Lane and look for the Steely Acres sign. Owners Jim and Stephanie Seuss will guide you through an amazing gallery of artistic steel furniture, mirrors, chairs, garden art and even a blueberry field. Be sure to taste some of Stephanie’s Puff’s Pastries!
5.
A Taste Gourmet
Take time for a great gourmet sandwich, wine, cheeses and delectable delicacies in this European style café. Trace back to highway 99, turn left and drive into Junction City, turning left on 6th Street. One block up is Holly. The deli is on your left.
6.
Anderson Glass Art
Back on 99 turn left. At the first light, High Pass Road, turn right, pass Lingo’s Antiques and cross Territorial Road again. One mile later turn left on Smith Road, following it down till it meets Hall Road. Take a right on Hall and follow it to Templeton where you’ll take a right. At 92791 Templeton, you will find a gorgeous 2,000 square foot glass art gallery with one-of-a-kind and limited edition kiln formed glass art pieces by award-winning artist, Avery Anderson.
7.
RainSong Vineyard
Only a mile up the road, toward Toliver Lane, you’ll come across lovely RainSong Vineyard. Open by appointment only, give a call before you go. They are one of the few who produce a methode champenoise sparkling wine!
8.
Decker Nursery
Only about 12 miles away. Head south on Templeton toward Toliver Lane. Templeton turns slightly left and becomes Goldson. Turn left on Highway 36 and right on Territorial. Drive left on Franklin Rd., right at Alvadore, and veer left staying on Alvadore, then keep right to stay on Alvadore. Drive behind the country store to the nursery. Ask about their appaloosa horses and linger in their wonderful gardens before heading home.