The mighty Columbia and beautiful Mt. Hood in the north send 99 on its way down throughout the heart of Oregon.  Just over the river , 99 split into two sections: 99W and 99E.  Although Interstate 5 has stolen much of the economic thunder in the northern part of the state, 99W and 99E still exist as state highways.  Avoid the superslab and experience a little of the flavor of the old road!  

    99E & 99W, rejoined again at aptly named Junction City and then headed south.  Unfortunately, 99 has then essentially been overlaid by I-5 from here to the California border, but there exist a couple of wonderful exceptions. Try to leave yourself extra time on your next trip, for 'Business 5' on many exits is old 99.   Avoid the usual mega-corporations at the off ramps, and head on in for a block or two!  Also be sure to see historic Graves Creek Bridge near Roseburg, and try to take the little offshoots through Rogue River and on to Siskiyou summit itself!   This is very pretty country, and be sure to gas up in Medford.  I've almost been stuck at Siskiyou Summit on I-5.  Depending on the time of year, rain and snow storms can develop quite suddenly!       

    Although I've driven I-5 through Oregon several times, I was previously woefully ignorant about the significance and history of many of the smaller towns that I passed at 75 MPH.  Therefore, I do not have many photos of Oregon.  I've had the chance to take 99W on a quick jaunt on my way down to a new job in Arizona, but I couldn't explore many of the off-ramps/dead-ends due to the fact I was towing a trailer. So I'll need your help.  Please drop me a line, and send me some of your favorite shots/postcards of old 99 in this beautiful state.

    I only have a couple pics of the Portland area.  But I think they're good ones!  One is a rare sighting of another branch in the maniacal Muffler Man family: The Lumberjack!  This guy was in good shape and resides in a Wells Fargo parking lot at the intersection of Denver & N. Interstate (old 99 West) Avenues.  On a map, this is right where N. Interstate curves off to the SE while Denver continues on south.  

    Another fine shot is of the Bomber Cafe a couple of miles south of Portland proper on the west side of Union Avenue (99E).  It looked primarily to be used as a vegetable stand area now.  That used to be a B-17 for you non-WW2 buffs!

    I've had the good fortune to come across a couple of antique city of Portland street maps.  One is a 1942 Standard Oil  map, and the other is a Richfield map dated 1961.  In that 19 years, these maps clearly show how 99W was re-routed as it crossed the Willamette river.  Check out the 1942 map (topmost image).  It clearly shows 99W coming down Interstate Ave., and then crossing the river and continuing south on Broadway to 6th Ave..  Then check out the 1961 map.  99W has been rerouted to cross the Willamette on the Harbor Drive? Steel Bridge and continue south along S.W. Harbor Drive.  During this time, 99E maintained its Union Avenue routing, which is still the route through this area today.

    Rogue River.  The very name conjures visions of fishing for trout, boating, camping and relaxing.  It was no different 50 years ago.  However, old 99 had a much more intimate relationship with the landscape of south-central Oregon than I-5 does today.  On I-5, you've passed a great fishing hole before you've even registered water.  Slow down, enjoy.  From the Grant's Pass and Rogue River area, check out the following:
    
    The town of Grant's Pass is still quite the bustling place.  U.S. 99/199 and I-5 converge here to carry travelers up and down the coast.  In many respects, it looks the same today as it did 58 years ago.  Compare this 1944 postcard of the Cave Man's bridge with the same bridge in June of 2002:

     There's still some nightlife left in Grant's Pass as well.  Wish I would have had time to check it out.

    Heading south out of Grant's Pass the next morning was a real treat.  Nowhere is the land prettier than the Rogue River valley.  Rolling hills, tall trees, and rushing water combined to make it difficult to continue my journey.  However, I did concentrate enough to find a great place to stay if you're going to explore this area.  The Weasku Inn!.  Great play on words, and the cabins and grounds looked exquisite.  Here's a pic of the sign and grounds so you can see for yourself!  Support these folks if you can.

    Just a little further on, when I came across the gorgeous Rogue River bridge, I knew I was still on the right track.  They just don't put this type of effort into highway roadwork anymore.  Check out this view from the bridge's deck...

    The Siskyous.  These lovely mountains in southern Oregon once posed quite the challenge to the early automobiles.  Treacherous curves and steep grades were the norm, not the exception.  Today's I-5 just blasted right through and left many wonderful stretches of 99 intact for us to explore today.  For example, I took the Oregon 66 exit, and turned off on  the twisty ( and I mean twisty) Old Siskyous Highway.  It ended up being a real treat.  At first, I was engulfed by trees and endless curves, but the road eventually opened up a little and I approached the old summit.  

    Along the way, I came across an intriguing bridge, the railing type unfamiliar to me.  It seemed vaguely familiar somehow, so I took a photo and continued on.  Imagine my surprise when I got home, and sure enough, I had a postcard of the same location!  Compare this old Pacific Highway postcard (no PM) of the 'Loop-the-Loop' with my June of 2002 pic of the same bridge!  The railings are different and the trees larger, but it's the same place!

    From the bridge, the summit's not far.  Under I-5, and a left turn, follow the unmarked (at least on my two maps) old highway to the original summit (see photo at left).  I got to the summit just as the sun was about to set.  You could see Mt. Shasta off to the south, and a beautiful view of the valleys and sunset off to the west.  I soaked up the solitude for a few minutes, but decided to head on before it got to dark.  
    
    Continuing on down towards California on this unmarked highway, I found the road to be in fine shape and no problem at all.  There were a couple of gravel-filled washouts, but they were easy to traverse.  Any car could do it.  I did come across one large rockslide (see photo) a mile or two beyond the summit, but the makeshift road was easily passable (note the deer by the concrete divider).  I would say that this whole area could easily be explored with the family sedan except perhaps right after a rain/snow shower.

    On we descended.  Eventually, the old highway rather rudely spit us out onto I-5.  At this point, we had no choice but to continue on into golden state of California!

or back north to Washington 99...