The tiny town of Gates, Oregon (pop. 495), where my mother and father had been living for the last 15 years, is about 35 miles east of Salem on Highway 22. Improvements have been made to the highway in the last few years, and it’s quite a pretty drive. Gates and the neighboring town of Mill City are on the way to Detroit Lake and Bend. A couple of restaurants are worth mentioning, and reviews are posted separately.
My dad has always enjoyed a drive. Getting there is better than the destination itself as far as he’s concerned. We thought he’d enjoy a drive to Detroit Lake for lunch.
On days like this one, I wonder why I don’t like the Pacific Northwest. The greenery is amazing. On this drive through the Willamette National Forest, we see many waterfalls and creeks that flow into the Santiam River. The sun shines through tall evergreens of many varieties. Then I notice the moss clinging to the bark of every tree and remember—it’s this green because the rainfall can reach up to 150 inches a year.
On this drive to Detroit Lake, watch for the waterfalls, particularly just east of Niagara Park. We stopped for lunch at The Cedars restaurant. Quite a disappointment. I had a hamburger that was quite unremarkable. Service was fine and the small gift shop gave me the opportunity to buy gifts to take home to the kids from their wide selection of candy sticks.
Turning left out of the Cedars restaurant parking lot, a narrow road ends at Detroit Flats. A perfect place for a picnic lunch at the water’s edge, it would have been a better choice for a meal!