Pumpkin patches, covered bridges, and signs of struggle
Silverton, Ore. – Today was a day that gives real meaning to the term “road trip.”
We barely left the car as we made our way from the coast into the heart of Willamette Valley, and we arrived just in time to tour covered bridge country before watching the sun set at the Oregon Garden in historic Silverton.
Time moves slowly here. So do the people. Not once did we hear a car honk its horn or feel hurried when caught behind a camper on these narrow and winding two-lane roads. Directions are given with nods of the cap and references to such prominent signage as “the two-story house on the hill.”
These directions work.
Having clocked in six years on the outskirts of a town of 2,000 in central Minnesota, I’m accustomed to this slower way of life. What I could not get over was the diversity – of land (dense forest, open prairie, majestic waterfalls, Christmas tree farms), of livestock (cows, horses, goats, llamas), and, rather inexplicably, of roadside food stops (Thai, Mexican, even sushi bars). Oregon is known for its extremes.
From one town to the next, as we sputtered along these old country roads, was evidence of real, hard living. Barns crumbling from once great heights. Houses bursting with cobwebs and clutter. Farmers scraping a living on their rickety tractors, pausing only to nod at strangers as they pass. (We didn’t stop to take photos of the decrepit. In our hurry, it seemed too unflinching and brash.)
This is the landscape of poverty. I wonder to what extent this kind of landscape will shift as we travel the different regions of America.
Posted by Elizabeth Armstrong Moore on Tuesday, September 19th, 2006 | Email This PostThis entry was posted on Tuesday, September 19th, 2006 at 11:06 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
2 Responses to “Pumpkin patches, covered bridges, and signs of struggle”
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September 21st, 2006 at 10:28 am
This blog is superb. It’s beautiful. Thanks to you both.
I’m not sure if you’re planning to keep using different presentation styles or if you’re experimenting and looking for something to settle on, but I like it when there’s audio. So in this piece I think you should have read the words you wrote below as the pic went by.
Which of you’s the photographer anyway? These photos are amazing.
September 22nd, 2006 at 1:47 pm
the photos are wonderful. and the little things, like the pace of the slideshow, and the thumbnails that pop as you glide the cursor over the numbers are good uses of Web 2.0.
as for the comments you make about scenes of poverty like this across america, i think you will be shocked at how common this scene has become across the heartland. there is a disease eating us from within, and we all should know what it is if we are honest with ourselves, but in the midst of that, you guys still see beauty and authenticity. and again, this type of raw and unfiltered humanity warrants the type of nostalgia and pride your piece evokes. nice work twins.