Sad news…We must cancel the drive due to the fires along the McKenzie River which was going to be the start of a  beautiful drive.  Lots of loss for the people living in those communities along the river and nearby.  Please keep them in your thoughts. 

The Covered Bridges Tour is unique this year. It combines the southern part of the West Cascades Scenic Byway with a few historic covered bridges mixed in. Starting east of Eugene we will follow the rolling McKenzie River and cross two covered bridges. Turning south we will drive a particular part of the byway called the Aufderheide Scenic Byway. It starts with hugging the rocky cliffs above the picturesque Cougar Reservoir. Then we will drop down into a forest grove that has some amazing undulating twisty roads. A fire hit this area two years ago but the return to life is remarkable! The lush canopy of the majestic Willamette National Forest then takes over and you will see the most natural forested road you have ever been on. This section is perfect for top-down driving. It reminds me of the Blue Ridge Parkway. But we will try to put some Nurburgring Nordschleife into it! Robert Aufderheide believed that the forest should serve multiple uses and this byway honors his achievements in forest management. When we arrive in Westfir we will cross the Office Covered Bridge and have our b.y.o. picnic lunches there. After lunch, the tour continues with four more covered bridges concluding at Lowell Covered Bridge Park. The Middle Fork of the Willamette River and its magnificent gorge will guide us back to civilization.

We will meet at 10:00 am at Lloyd Knox Park in Walterville OR. Take Hwy 126 East of Eugene to get there.  Input Lloyd Knox Park into google maps. It perfectly identifies the meeting spot over the Dam.

Achtung! Cell phone service is Non-Existent on this tour, and so are gas stations. Be sure your beloved BMW is in top condition before taking this drive; this would be a bad place to break down. Bathrooms are at the start and at lunch, about 2 hours apart. There is also one at the end of the drive.

PLEASE NOTE:

1. All drivers MUST be pre-registered and be a current BMWCCA member
2. Face Masks are required while outside of vehicles during the event. 
3. Drivers and passengers should stay with their cars and must practice social distancing protocols at all times.
4. All drivers and passengers MUST sign the electronic waiver prior to the event.
5. Registration is limited to 30 cars.

We will have a Drivers’ meeting at 10:15 AM to explain the route and safety rules. We will head out shortly thereafter.

Please remember to thank the volunteers that help to put these events on. They are working hard to make this a great event for all, meeting the challenges presented during this pandemic.

Let’s all have fun and be safe.

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN