The Breitenbush Retreat and Conference Center is a worker-owned cooperative and intentional community on 154 acres of wildlife sanctuary in the Willamette National Forest of the Oregon Cascades.
Nestled in the ancient forest with a pristine river and abundant hot springs, Breitenbush is a place of timeless beauty where connection with the natural world is both vast and intimate, and where every season brings unique gifts.
The Historic Lodge with spacious decks has been a welcoming center for over 75 years. It is home to the dining room, library and the North Wing, a large event space where guests enjoy a wide variety of activities including concerts, dances, readings and workshops.
We get our cabin assignment and quickly get Clif initiated into the Confederation of Reformed and Presbyterian Soakers.
We move into our cabin, home for the next couple of days. Guests stay in simple, rustic cabins nestled beneath towering conifers, a short walk from the lodge. The cabins are kept cozy year round with heat from the Earth’s hot waters. Note that our cabin came with an outdoor refrigerator in which we kept our beer.
Soaking Time!
The abundant hot springs have long been a destination for those seeking healing, rejuvenation and community. The four tiled Spiral Tubs are aligned in the cardinal directions with increasing temperatures.
They are adjoined by the cedar tub cold plunge.
Ahhhh!
On to the Sauna!
The Sauna is a whimsical cedar cabin resting atop the bubbling waters.
Clif taking his treatments and eliminating all those free radicals.
No treatment is complete without a dip in the coooooold plunge!
Yep, that is ice floating on the top.
This is the power plant. While at Breitenbush you are “off the grid”. The power of the river and heat from the hot springs combined with simple living allow us to thrive in this sanctuary without significant dependence on fossil fuels. The small hydroelectric plant produces about 40 kilowatts, the amount of electricity typically used in three urban homes. Water from this this torii gate (keeps the fish from getting into the flume) is used to turn a pelsor wheel in the power house to generate the electricity.
And yet it supports a community of over 55 full time residents and up to 135 guests. There is no extravagant use of electricity at Breitenbush whether in lighting (all bulbs are compact fluorescents) or using hair dryers (not permitted). By sharing kitchens (and refrigerators), doing electricity audits and avoiding power hungry appliances like clothes dryers, the community is able to live within our energy boundaries.
The Breitenbush River is a tributary of the North Santiam River in western Oregon. It drains a rugged, forested area of the Cascade Range east of Salem and flows through the Breitenbush property. The River descends from several short forks in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness in the high Cascades of eastern Marion County. The South Fork Breitenbush River begins at creeks flowing from Bays Lake and Russell Lake within Jefferson Park at approximately elevation 6000 ft (1830 m) and flows WNW, joining with a number of other forks, variously unnamed depending on the map, or sometimes called North Fork of the South Fork of the South Fork, etc. The North Fork Breitenbush River begins at Breitenbush Lake (mostly on the Warm Springs Reservation) and joins with another fork which passes by Pyramid Lake. It flows WNW and connects with a half dozen other forks and creeks then turns WSW abeam Bald Butte. Several more creeks and Mink Creek and Rapidam Creek join before another fork. The North and South forks flow west, joining 0.25 miles (400 m) east of the small community of Breitenbush.
The combined stream flows generally WSW through the Williamette National Forest. It joins the North Santiam at Detroit. The lower 2 miles (3.2 km) of the river cut what is now an arm of Detroit Lake, formed by the Detroit Dam on the North Santiam. During the winter draw down of the reservoir, the original bed of the river is visible in its natural course.
Our meals are prepared in the Kitchen
and transported to the Lodge/Dining Room in a unique cart.
Bountiful vegetarian meals, mostly organic, are served buffet style three times daily. We honor requests for wheat, egg, and dairy free alternatives.
Once the food arrives, it is set out from us on this buffet. No fried chicken or catfish here.
After the Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner bells ring, line up, load up your plates and find a spot to eat up. It usually takes a couple of plates of Breitenbush cuisine to fill you up.
Clif even found some music in the Dinning Room that he liked. Next we checked out some of the buildings.
The uniquely beautiful Sanctuary and delightful Buddha’s Playhouse are open at all times for meditation, yoga and personal quiet time.
Here Clif is sharing some of his musical skills in the Sanctuary.
The Forest Shelter.
Next, we had a neat winter hike on the snow covered Breitenbush Gorge trail.
The hike involved some interesting water crossings.
Notice the missing rail.
It's just a wonder that I made it over without falling in.
Well, it's time for us to head out and leave, but the Hummer is covered with snow.
A lot of snow!
We get the snow chains on and head out.
My driving must have been pretty scarry!
So Clif took over the driving and showed me how to do it.
After 2 days of vegitarian fare, it was time for meat, so we stopped at the Cedars in Detroit for red meat, before heading on to Euguen.
