Washington County Quilt Barn Trail

What a glorious day of weather we had yesterday. It was 66°F and nice enough to be out without a jacket...more and more of a rarity these days. Mike went to some extra effort before we left to map out a route. The barn quilts, as listed on the website for the trail, seem to be listed in the order they were hung, and so one could do a lot of driving if they were driven in the order they appear on the map. Mike tried to get them in some order. There were a few listed that we couldn't find. Toward the end of the day, we happened upon an accident (or something) and the road to a few was blocked off. By then, our eyes were full, and so we headed for home. For as long as we've lived in the area, we were on roads we'd never seen before. Also, we happened on some new shortcuts to and from our place. Some of them were previously dirt roads, and they've now been paved. Very nice.

So...okay...where are the pictures, you ask? Well, here you go. I'll share any pertinent information as we go. This first image was taken from a road we've not traveled before. It was previously a gravel road, but was paved last summer. Now we've discovered a new shortcut into town. The vineyards are looking so beautiful right now. We live in Oregon wine country, and so there are lots of vineyards.

This first one is the Walta Farm, originally owned by Charles and Eula Mae Oberg Walta. They had no children, and the farm was sold to the Finegans in 1993. The barn is old and is a "drive though" style, so a team of horses could enter one end and exit from the other. The barn is not currently in use. Just looking at this, I'm thinking the foundation was added later. I don't see how a team of horses could have negotiated that drop on the far side.

In some cases, it was hard to get close to the barns because we were limited by where we could stop our car for a picture. I'll zoom in on some of them, so you can get a closer look.

I really prefer the older barns to the newer aluminum ones. This one is the Rohrer Farm. The original barn was built in 1930, but blew down and was rebuilt in the 1970's. This block is called "Chasing Geese." The design was chosen for the many geese in the area, and also to honor the six tribes of indigenous people who made their home very near to the site.

I love this next block. This is the Flatland Farm. I was shooting directly into the sun, and so my apologies for the sun flares on my camera lens. The owners chose to place this "Field Corn" block to represent the foundation of their new farming operation. It is the original design of Dan and Nancy Lewis and depicts the field corn grown on their farm.

This next one is from Plum Hill Vineyards & Winery. Originally, this was a dairy farm, but was transformed into a winery in 2007. The old barn was built in the early 1900's. A barn owl and several barn cats live there. The block is the "Double Wedding Ring." 

As we rounded a corner, we came across this huge solar array. We wondered if this is a cooperative effort. There are lots of large greenhouses in the area that would have to be kept warm in the winter. I tried finding some information about it, but came up dry. There was a sign on the fence indicating it was managed by an organization in known as SOLV.

Just down the road was this pretty barn. This is the Graf Farm. It was originally a dairy barn built in the 1920's. The farm is now a flower bulb farm. This block is called "Country Patriotic Star."

Just to the right of the barn, I spied these two trees sporting their fall foliage.

This next one is best seen from the busy highway. In order to get a picture, we had to take a side road where we could park and get out. This is the L Bar T Ranch. The barn was built in the 1920's and originally used to raise dairy cattle. Inside, it is now open with two lofts, but it is used for hay storage. For the past 25 years, it has been home to a herd of bison. This block is called the "Eight-Pointed Star," and chosen because it was one made by women who crossed the Oregon Trail.

I really like this next one. It is located at the Moore Family Homestead. The farm is relatively new, and the barn was built in the 1990's. It was originally used to run a garage door company, but now serves as the family barn. The block is called "Serene Sunset," and it is from a graphic design representing the beautiful sunsets seen to the west of the property.

Here's a closer view.

Looking to the east of the property is a beautiful view of Mt. Hood. 

This next one was taken at the Van Dyke Farm. This farm is managed by the third generation of Van Dyke's and was founded in 1908. In earlier times, this farm served the community as a post office, general store, telephone operator, and gas company. The block is a "Priscilla variation," copied from an heirloom quilt made and owned by the family.

Here's another barn I really liked. This one is the Nussbaumer Farm. The barn was built around 1900 and the farm has produced cattle and grain over the years. The quilt block is known as "Sunset."

This next one was taken at Sun Gold Farms. The farm has been in the family since 1940. It was a dairy operation dating back to the 1800's, but now produces fresh market vegetables, fruits, and nuts. The original barn was built in 1960 and remodeled in 2006. This block is called "Sunflower," and has been used as the farm logo.

So those are all the photos I have from our tour. I took this one last photo of the landscape as we headed for home.

The only sewing I did yesterday was to do the embroidery on the interior of this quilt block for the Dancing Chickens and Flying Pigs quilt. Next, I'll do the running stitch around the edge, and this will be finished.

We were planning to do our grocery shopping this morning, but then my friend Sue texted yesterday to see if she could stop by this morning. Wait...and postpone grocery shopping? Heck, yeah! So we'll do that tomorrow, and I'll have a visit with Sue this morning. We haven't seen one another for months. After that, I'll probably get a start on the Appalachian Memories quilt. Math will be involved. If you smell smoke, you'll know I'm putting on my thinking cap again.