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oad reconsidered<br />
Around Oregon<br />
A national outdoor music stage is a more recent legacy. Britt Festival<br />
performances take place in the home of Peter Britt, an early photography<br />
pioneer. His estate lies within walking distance of where gold was first<br />
found. The banter of the latest Britt musician dances along Jacksonville’s<br />
sidewalks. “Going to the show?” This night, Tedeschi Trucks Band and its<br />
soul-country-funk fusion were on tap.<br />
The portal to this pastoral drive through the foothills of the Coast<br />
Range is a visual delight. Leaving Jacksonville, the highway twists and<br />
winds northbound toward the lush Applegate Valley, nourished by the<br />
Applegate River and its feeder streams.<br />
The same waters that slaked the thirst of miners and woodsmen now<br />
nourish a new natural bounty, the fruit of the vine. Pioneer vintners have<br />
transformed the valley. Dozens of vineyards and wine tasting rooms fill<br />
the landscape—Valley View, Cricket Hill, Cowhorn, Sanctuary One,<br />
Troon, Schmidt Vineyards, Serra and Wooldridge Creek, to name a few.<br />
G<br />
P <br />
G<br />
Oregon’s Highway 238, from<br />
Jacksonville to Grants Pass, is a<br />
drive through a land of colorful<br />
bounty and emerald hills. The<br />
region that once yielded rich<br />
yellow nuggets is still a magnet<br />
for modern adventurers.<br />
At milepost 25, dozens of paragliders drop in on Longsword Vineyards<br />
to celebrate after a breezy flight from a nearby mountaintop. Many<br />
of these fliers were training for the <strong>2012</strong> National Rat Race Paragliding<br />
Competition in the Applegate Valley, held just down the road at Fiasco<br />
Winery. Longsword winemaker, Matthew Sorenson, welcomes them at<br />
the landing zone. His family started winemaking here in 1999. Sorenson<br />
ditched the big-city lifestyle of Indianapolis for the chance to strike it rich<br />
in Southern Oregon. Longsword’s first vintage was 224 cases. The winery<br />
now produces 2,300 cases. “It’s the best place in the world to grow wine<br />
grapes,” Sorenson says.<br />
Near milepost 16, the Applegate River Ranch House peeks out onto<br />
the serene river of the same name. It’s just as suited for wedding party revelers<br />
as it is a serene romantic dinner for two. The Pioneer Bridge crosses<br />
the river there, a graceful span of steel against the natural surroundings.<br />
There are a few more interesting roadside treasures just a bit farther up<br />
the road. About milepost 11 sits a remnant of history—a small-scale train<br />
that hauled freight to market on an iron rail. The abandoned locomotive<br />
was a mechanical mule for loggers and is now a silent tribute to an era<br />
gone by. Next to it is a long-abandoned shack with the word “antiques”<br />
above the door.<br />
Oregon’s Highway 238, from Jacksonville to Grants Pass, is a<br />
drive through a land of colorful bounty and emerald hills. The<br />
region that once yielded rich yellow nuggets is still a magnet for<br />
modern adventurers.<br />
Things to do on Hwy 238<br />
Jacksonville to Grants Pass<br />
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G<br />
Grants Pass<br />
<br />
238<br />
5<br />
G PS<br />
R G P 6<br />
S <br />
<br />
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Beekman<br />
House in Jacksonville. Historic<br />
buildings solidify Jacksonville as<br />
a National Historic Landmark. The<br />
Applegate country store in the heart<br />
of the valley. Red Lilly Winery.<br />
<br />
238<br />
Central Point<br />
<br />
Jacksonville<br />
5<br />
Medford<br />
<strong>1859</strong> oregon's mAgAzine SEPT OCT <strong>2012</strong>
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