Benton County is a great place to go motorcycling because of all the back roads leading in many directions. One road in particular is a very short ride, but it also has all the elements to make it a good ride, including mountains, curves, and a touch of history.
Starting north of Corvallis, turn left off of Highway 99, onto Lewisburg Avenue. As the Coast Range looms in the distance, you pass farm homes and rolling countryside. Then there is a fork in the road, a right turn will shoot you onto Sulphur Springs Road, heading towards the mountains.
Almost as soon as you turn onto Sulphur Springs Road, the road in front of you starts curving and climbing. Sweeping corners, left, right, left, right as you gain elevation, with a constant tree cover above you. The temperature drops a few degrees as you climb, but during summer months it is not enough to require a wardrobe change. Then the top. The Lewisburg Saddle as it is called. The speed limit up here is only 25, as hikers and equestrians are constantly crossing the road. Then it is time to head down.
The downhill side is just as curvy as the uphill side, but quite a bit shorter. Just before the Dead End sign is a right hand turn, Soap Creek Road. This road, although not really curvy, is narrow and lined with forest. Sometimes there are spots that don’t see the sunlight and can remain slick in cooler weather.
While rolling along Soap Creek Road, suddenly there is a one room school house on the right. The Soap Creek School was built for Soap Creek, a close knit community of mill workers, farmers and lumber workers. The current building was finished just in time for the 1932-33 school year and was originally painted white.
Currently the Soap Creek School is only open once a year for an open house. However, it is available for events such as weddings and they have an annual yard sale inside the building. All proceeds from the yard sale go to the Soap Creek Schoolhouse Foundation. However, the best time to go there is when nobody else is around. The peace and serenity of being in this hidden valley is a great break from the harsh reality that waits on the other side of the mountain.
One thing to be warned of though, parking in the Soap Creek School lot is all on gravel. Kickstands have a way of finding their way through the gravel, sinking and pulling your bike along with them.
For the trip back home, you have the choice of heading back the way you came, or going farther along Soap Creek Road. If you take this second option, the road will continue on a fairly flat terrain, with some pretty good curves, until it dumps you back out onto Highway 99 for the five mile journey back to Corvallis.
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