Note: This is the opportunity to begin friendships with those with whom you will be spending the week as you learn more about the program's content.

Arrive To: Registration and check-in begin at 4pm. We can typically accommodate some early arrivals.

Dinner: Welcome dinner. Food Service at Tilikum: We strive to present our guests with outstanding customer service and top-quality food. We make this possible by preparing our food from scratch, utilizing the freshest local ingredients and herbs picked fresh from our garden. We are happy to accommodate your special dietary needs with advance notice. Meals will include homemade bread, from scratch pastries and desserts, local & freshly roasted coffees along with a variety of menus.

Evening: Program orientation and introductions

Lodging: Tilikum Center for Retreats

Meals Included: Dinner

Introductory presentations of Covered Bridges and Lighthouses. Visit five covered bridges of the Willamette Valley

Note: Participants will discover how the climate and vegetation of the Willamette Valley and Coast Range led Oregonians to build more than 50 wooden covered bridges in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Inspect their construction and structure while walking over, under and around these unique structures.

Breakfast: In the Tilikum dining room.

Morning: History and Construction of Covered Bridges followed by a field trip to five covered bridges in the Willamette Valley.

Lunch: Picnic lunch at Stayton Covered Bridge Park

Afternoon: Continue covered bridge tour, return to Tilikum

Dinner: Provided by Tilikum's Food Service personnel.

Evening: History and Construction of Lighthouses. Film: "Oregon Coastal Bridges"

Lodging: Tilikum Center for Retreats

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Yaquina Head Lighthouse/Yaquina Bay Lighthouse/Alsea Bay Interpretive Center

Note: We head toward the Oregon Coast spotting another covered bridge, the artistic Alsea Bay and Newport bridges. Then we start our exploration of the Oregon lighthouses with opportunity to climb to the top of Yaquina Bay, re-live the life of early lighthouse keepers at Yaquina Head. Then relax at the quiet coastal town of Pacific City.

Breakfast: Enjoy breakfast in the Tilikum dining area.

Morning: Travel to Newport, OR. Visit Alsea Bay Bridge Interpretive Center in Waldport, OR.

Lunch: After a picnic lunch, we will visit Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, the oldest wooden structure in Newport. Yaquina Bay State Park is located in Newport at the north end of Yaquina Bay near its outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The bluff is forested with spruce and pine, but the real star is the historic lighthouse. The lighthouse -- later used as a Coast Guard Lifeboat Station -- has been restored and is open to the public.

Afternoon: Enjoy Yaquina Head Lighthouse and visitor's center. The tallest lighthouse on the Oregon coast at 93 feet tall. Participants will be given the opportunity to climb to the top to inspect the working fresnel lense. Migrating whales, sea lion calves and countless water fowl are often hightlights of time well spent. Travel to Pacific City and overnight hotel.

Dinner: Dinner at Pelican Pub & Brewery banquet room with oceanview -- perfect for a sunset dinner.

Evening: Film: "Coastal Lights." Overnight facility has beach access and all rooms have ocean view. Pacific City has been known for over a hundred years as a quaint fishing village and vacation destination located in a very unique and special geographical and geological area. Pacific City is located on the Oregon Coast between Tillamook and Lincoln City on the south end of beautiful "3 Capes Scenic Drive". We are off the beaten path on a short loop 3 miles from highway 101.

Lodging: Inn at Cape Kiwanda

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Cape Meares Lighthouse/Columbia Maritime Museum/Cape Disappointment interpretive center.

Note: Continue our journey north on the Pacific Coast. The Cape Meares lighthouse expands our understanding of lighthouse structure and gives expansive views of the coastline. The Maritime Museum in Astoria informs of life, transportation, commerce, and history of northern Oregon. Learn why Cape Disappointment was named during Lewis and Clark's travels.

Breakfast: Catered continental breakfast at hotel.

Morning: Travel the Oregon Coast. Visit Cape Meares Lighthouse.

Lunch: Lunch at Stephanie's Cabin in Astoria, OR

Afternoon: Visit Columbia Maritime Museum with a knowledgeable guide. The Columbia River Maritime Museum was founded in 1962, a preservation of the rich maritime heritage of the entire Columbia River region - a museum of national distinction. Today the Columbia River Maritime Museum's national reputation for the quality of its exhibits and the scope of its collections makes it one of the finest maritime museums in the nation. It is also the first museum in Oregon to meet national accreditation standards, and has been designated the official state maritime museum for Oregon. Visitors of all ages will experience what it is like to pilot a tugboat, participate in a Coast Guard rescue on the Columbia River Bar, and live in Astoria during the height of salmon fishing. Cape Disappointment is on the Washington side of the river with a nice interpretive center, and spectacular views of the mouth of the Columbia River, Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, and on clear days, "Terrible Tilly" lighthouse to the south.

Dinner: Dinner at Silver Salmon Bar and Grill in Astoria.

Evening: Free evening. Good opportunity to rest from busy travel day. Visit nearby Astoria, OR, or simply enjoy acitivities around the hotel with fellow participants.

Lodging: Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Portland Spirit lunch cruise on the Willamette River/Portland's Draw Bridges/St John's Bridge

Note: Viewing a city from the water allows a new perspective of Portland's downtown core. Sailing below the string of Willamette River bridges connecting east and west Portland will give you a greater appreciation for the engineers who designed and constructed these pieces of art.

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel. Start your day off with a unique breakfast experience at the Holiday Inn Express Start™ Breakfast Bar, featuring a delicious selection of fresh fruits, juices, cereals, breads/pastries, yogurts, and hardboiled eggs. They serve the world's best tasting cinnamon roll and Smart Roast™ coffee - a special blend of 100% Arabica beans especially roasted and blended for Holiday Inn Express® hotels.

Morning: Visit the Astoria Column, weather permitting. The Astoria Column was erected in 1926 at an elevation of 600 feet atop Coxcomb Hill, the location of the first permanent American Settlement west of the Rockies. It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1974, and was refurbished in 1995. This impressive Oregon Coast historical monument is the only one of its kind in the world! Travel to Portland.

Lunch: Lunch cruise on the Willamette River aboard the Portland Spirit. A 2 hour afternoon getaway. Includes plated lunch entree selected by each guest on board, bread, hot tea, iced tea, coffee, fountain soft drinks, service gratuity and piano music. Desserts, appetizers and other beverages from the full service bar are available for purchase.

Afternoon: Willamette River lunch cruise followed by a trip to Cathedral Park and the St. John's Bridge. The St. Johns Bridge is a steel suspension bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, USA, between the St. Johns neighborhood and the northwest industrial area around Linnton. It is the only suspension bridge in the Willamette Valley and one of three public highway suspension bridges in Oregon. The bridge has two 408 ft (124 m) tall Gothic towers, a 1,207 ft (368 m) center span and a total length of 2,067 ft (630 m). The adjacent park and neighborhood of Cathedral Park, Portland, Oregon are named after the Gothic Cathedral-like appearance of the bridge towers. It is the tallest bridge in Portland, with 400 ft (122 m) tall towers and a 205 ft (62 m) navigational clearance.

Dinner: In the Tilikum dining room.

Evening: Free evening, Movie: The World's Longest Bridge.

Lodging: Tilikum Center for Retreats

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: It is time to say good bye, but you will look at every bridge or lighthouse with greater appreciation.

Breakfast: Served in Tilikum's dining room.

Morning: Final class discussion and wrap up.

Lunch: Lunch onsite or "to-go" option available for travellers who need to depart early. Final check out time is 12 pm.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch