from the road ...

Cinnamon Rolls of 2026

by Steve Gerdemann, MVBC Ride Leader, images from Freepix

A couple of caveats:

When I editing this for 2026 I noticed several places were gone & others had changed their name & presumably ownership + menu. Bakeries come & go. The ownership may change & things can get better or worse.

It’s hard for me to make say with confidence that one cinnamon roll is really better than another. For example, Haitt is #1 because they are close, I have been there more often, the owners are really nice & they make great reasonably priced cinnamon rolls.

There are a lot of places to visit & some are further away than others. Consequently it is hard to go often enough & try enough of their offerings to make a definitive assessment. Many of these places I can only get to once or twice a year & consequently my assessment may be a bit cursory.

The top places on the list are all really great & offer different selectons. It’s hard to decide which is really better. It depends on what you want / like, how hungry you are & maybe how far you rode to get there.  I’m reminded of what a great conductor said when asked “what is your favorite Beethoven Symphony?” The answer – The last one I conducted.

Finally, there are places that offer really good pastries but not Cinamon rolls. I have listed those separately

The Cinnamon Roll Rankings: 

1.              Hiatt on Peterson – Only open Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Everything I have had there was great & reasonably priced. Around here Hiatt is the gold standard.

2.              Turner Bakery – this place rivals Hiatt. If only they weren’t so far away but then maybe after riding so far, I can justify eating more. Also open only on the weekends

3.              Randys - great cinnamon rolls & also coffeecake. Randys open during the week when Hiatt, Turner & Mennonite are not. Also Randy has really good coffeecake.

4.              Garry Frank’s Konditorei in Salem – lots of wonderful cakes, cookies, bars cinnamon rolls.

5.              The Lovin’ OveN in Stayton I’ve only been once. They had all kinds of temptations

6.              Camas Bakery near the Eugene Airport. I’ve only been once. They have a limited selection but what I had was worth the ride.

7.              Rustic 7 & Pizzeria used to be Jefferson Bakehouse - I have only been a few times since it changed hands. They do have cinnamon rolls & other pastries. 

8.              Bellfountain Country Store – during the season they have things from Hiatt. They also have wonderful Brownies at a very good price.

9.              Roots & Brew café in Jefferson It’s been a while since I’ve been there. When they have them the cinnamon roll are good but often they are sold out.

10.          Mandy’s in Albany Their cinnamon rolls are expensive & not worth riding to. However, their brownies are large & good. Most people should either share or take ½ home. Of course, I ate the whole thing.

11.          New Morning - It’s hard to justify many calories if I haven’t even gotten out of Corvallis. The cinnamon rolls aren’t bad. They do have plenty of frosting but they are nothing special. It is possible to get something as good or better elsewhere.

12.          New Morning in Dalles – do they have the same menu as the one in Corvallis? I need to check this out. If they do, then credit should be given for a long ride & they should be higher than the one in Corvallis.

13.          Mennonite Bakery – Standard fare. Only open Friday & Saturday.

14.          Ovenbird in Independence – their pastries are always a bit disappointing

15.          Shedd Store - they are a great deal & better than I remembered.

16.          Allen Brothers coffee in Albany - last time I was there the selection was pretty limited but it’s been a long time

17.          Brick & Mortar in Albany - it’s been a while since I’ve been there. It’s a bit expensive.

18.          Market of Choice – neither cheap nor exciting but convenient & if you are desperate.

19.          Panera – It’s been a long time since I’ve been there

20.          Skyduster - in Independence huge but not worth the calories. It is fun to sit outside & watch the airplanes

21.          Margin in Lebanon. Replacing (sad to say) Hazella. As of mid-January they have not opened. Margin says they will have some things from the Hazella bakery which had very nice pastries but maybe not cinnamon rolls. Perhaps a little more gourmet than some of the others but still reasonably priced. Hazella always seems a bit gourmet for Lebanon

22.          The Breadboard in Fall City – sadly the restaurant in Fall City is closed. However, they are still at the Saturday Market in Corvallis. At one time these were my favorite, but it’s been a while.

23.          LBCC Courtyard Café – the cookies are good & very occasionally they have cinnamon rolls. Recently I haven’t seen any cookies or cinnamon rolls. You can always to the coffee house for cheap muffins. The Santiam Café has wonderful & inexpensive pastries but the selection is limited.

Other places they may not have cinnamon rolls:

1.              Dizzy Hen in Philomath They don’t have cinnamon rolls. Everything I’ve has there was really good & not expensive. They often have a limited Selection & if you arrive too late maybe nothing. Scones are a little crumbly at the Dizzy but you can't beat the croissant type pastries.

2.              Timber Town in Philomath.  the cookies & coffee cake are really good as is the coffee.

3.              Bodhi places in Corvallis (1st and down 2nd avenues) and in Albany. I’ve only been once. I was favorably impressed with what I had but need to go a few more times to form a more considered opinion.

4.              Brew Coffee & Tap House in Independence. They have really good cookies. The cakes, cheesecake & brownies look really decadent but they are also decadently expensive. The brownie I had was good but cost more & wasn’t as good as the ones I’ve had @ Mandy’s which aren’t cheap but cost less than here.

5.              LBCC in Albany. There are 3 possibilities @ LBCC

a.       The Outdoor Café – The often have cookies. I have tried all 3 and they are good but a bit dry. Occasionally they have cinnamon rolls.

b.      The Coffee House – they have storebought but cheap muffins, danish & cupcakes that look good. As with the Café not everything is always available.

c.       Santiam Café You never know what you will find. I have gotten really great parties @ great prices but sometime things cost more and disappoint. They tend to be a bit more or the grommet side rather than gourmand. They also have limited hours M-Th 11 to 12:30.

d.      Culinary Arts Occasionally Culinary Arts has sold sweet & savory things. I was there on Tuesday March 5^th & had a cheesecake + a savory scone. The cheesecake was inexpensive & as good as any I have ever had. The scone was, perhaps, even better it certainly rivaled if not exceeded any savory item I have had @ Hiatt! If I hear about them doing this again, I will offer a ride, weather permitting, from Osborn.

6.              Good Grounds in Adair Village. The last time I was there they had pretty limited choices - sweet bread from, no doubt, the best bakery in Texas & Muffins (from COSCO?). I could get a similar muffin at LBCC for < ½ the price.

7.              Brim Coffee in Albany They have pastries. Last time I was there I had a scone. It was better than I expected. A rather low bar as I don’t like scones.  I need to do more research.

8.              Margin in Albany I haven’t been in quite a while. What I remember is a limited selection.

9.              Sippery in Monmouth - sometimes has coffeecake cake. 

10.          Wild Yeast - Downtown Corvallis. They appear to me to be more about bread than pastries. There were a few things but no cinnamon rolls. I had a scone which was decent but it was a scone which means a bit dry.

11.          Kim’s Café in Tangent. Their cinnamon rolls aren’t worth bothering with but they are new. Maybe they will get something better. This would be a great & convenient stop on many routes especially if that had interesting pastries. I haven’t had the sandwiches & soups.

Further afield

Bette’s Place in Hood River large & good on par with the first 3 but larger & more expensive

Beckie’s Wow bigger than the Skyduster but this one is worth the calories! Better than Bette’s

McKenzie Pass closed for the season

From the Oregon Department of Transportation

BEND — With winter approaching, ODOT crews closed the east side of McKenzie Pass, OR 242, on Thursday, Nov. 6, marking the start of the full seasonal closure. The west side of the pass closed earlier on Oct. 14.

New this year, the east-side gate has been moved one mile closer to Sisters to provide a safer turnaround area for drivers.

McKenzie Pass is a scenic, secondary highway that closes each year as winter weather approaches. Due to weather, cost, and logistics, ODOT does not maintain the route through the winter, focusing instead on keeping main highways plowed, open, and safe. During the closure, vehicles are prohibited beyond the gates.  

The annual seasonal closure is a highway closure, not a closure of public lands. Non-vehicle recreational users, such as skiers, snowshoers, and pedestrians going beyond the closed gates do so at their own risk. The U.S. Forest Service has published guidelines for recreating in a National Forest. Recreationalists choosing to visit the area should follow the USFS guidelines and consider the potential risks.

Because the road is not maintained in winter, conditions can be hazardous. There are no services or cell coverage, and weather can change rapidly. As snow melts in spring, recreational users may encounter fallen trees, rockslides and damaged pavement.

McKenzie Pass became a seasonal scenic highway in 1962 with the completion of the Clear Lake-Belknap Springs section of Oregon 126. Even during its time as the main route between the Willamette Valley and Central Oregon, the narrow, twisting roadway and high elevation (5,325 feet) made the highway too difficult to maintain and keep clear during the winter months.

To see what routes are open over the mountains and to view current road and weather conditions visit TripCheck.com or call 511.

More information on McKenzie Pass, OR 242, can be found on our website. 

Adventure Cycling offers "new," flexible drop-in rides

Adventure Cycling Association has long a history of  long bike tours: The Bikecentennial ride was a ride across the country that took place in 1976 with more than 4,000 riders. Following this successful ride, Adventure Cycling started creating additional long-distance routes for cyclists. Part of Bikecentennial ride included drop-in rides where people could join in for a portion of the larger group ride.

To celebrate their 50th anniversary, Adventure Cycling has returned to the idea of Drop-In Rides and modernized it with the help of technology. This year, they are offering three featured Drop-In Rides. These rides are a way to join in the fun at your own pace and on your own timeline. The three routes are along the TransAmerica Trail, which is the original coast-to-coast adventure, the Great Divide MTB Route from Banff to the Mexican border and the newest gravel epic, the Golden Gravel Trail, from the Oregon Coast to the Mississippi River. 

There are some special features, including riding with Ryan Van Duzer on the GDMTB, following Lael Wilcox as she sets the FTK on the Golden Gravel Trail. There are ways to win prizes, get discounts and meet other riders along the routes. See Adventure Cycling to register and for more information. 

Adventure Cycling Vancouver Crossing Loop route a closer to home option

The MVBC touring committee is always looking for great routes close to home and this year, there is some discussion of trying Adventure Cycling bikepacking route, Vancouver Crossing Loop. The Touring Committee is exploring the idea of June or September for this tour. If you would be interested in riding this route and helping to make it happen, please contact the touring committee. 

All of the MVBC tours can only happen with the help of our volunteer members who help coordinate the logistics to make these great experiences happen!

BICYCLE MAINTENANCE CORNER

To Wax or Not to Wax, that is the Question

by Dan Barrett, MVBC member (dan.barrett@msn.com)

This isn’t an article on your grooming options, although I suppose if I thought about it long enough, I could form an opinion on that subject as well. No, this is about chain lubrication options. A chain looks pretty simple but it is quite elegant in its simplicity. At around 97% efficiency, other than a direct drive such as on a unicycle, a chain is the most effective mechanical method of transmitting power from your legs to your rear wheel. However, that high efficiency starts to degrade if not properly lubricated, and of course poor lubrication leads to the accelerated wear on expensive drive train components as well.

Over my years of riding I have tried multiple options. As a kid it was “Lube? What lube?”. But even then, I had a sense that my chain wasn’t supposed to be making so much noise and eventually started dribbling on used motor oil. That helped. As an adult, I began using various commercial chain lubrication products. One of the first ones I tried said to only reapply it when your chain started to make noise. However, to me that noise

sounded like a chain in distress and as a mechanical engineer (by temperament and training) I just couldn’t abide it. After trying multiple other products, I eventually settled on a lube that left a black chainring “tattoo” on my right calf which took a week of scrubbing in the shower to get rid of. Something that tenacious must be a good lubrication, right? Only problem is that it also seemed to attract a lot of dirt and grime, making the drivetrain difficult to keep clean.

A few months ago I ran across something on chain waxing. It sounded intriguing and the more research I did the more interested I became. I found lots of positive feedback out there from racers as well as recreational riders. Well, I must have done something to get off Santa’s naughty list because Mrs. Claus made sure that I got a chain waxing kit for Christmas.

It’s a simple operation. The most time-consuming part is making sure your chain is squeaky clean before waxing. Then submerge the chain into the heated bowl of molten wax, swish it around a bit, let the chain get up to the temperature of the molten wax (75 degrees C) and then ha

ng it up above the bowl to drip dry. Note that the wax being used is not your standard candle wax but a specially formulated wax for lubrication purposes.

After my chain cooled it was a bit stiff from the solidified wax but it was easy to work all the links loose before reinstalling the chain on my bike. For the first 20 or so revolutions the freshly waxed chain threw off small bits of excess wax but they were easily wiped off. After that the chain ran clean and quiet and shifting was sm

ooth. Unfortunately, I am still not able to test it out under “real world” Oregon winter conditions. Due to a bit of a surgical procedure I had a few weeks ago I am off my bike for another couple months. However, after 20 minutes of spinning by hand and multiple shifts through all the possible gear combinations I think I am going to be pleased.

If anyone else has tried or is currently using waxed chains, I would like to hear your feedback (dan.barrett@msn.com). Or, if you want to try it yourself, I can loan you my hot waxing setup.

The Oregon Timber Trail enjoys a cameo in Unseen

from The Oregon Timber Trail Alliance

Earlier this year, we were incredibly proud to have supported Operation Freedom to Roam, a project championed by Chad Bown, Love Is King Founder and President. Operation Freedom to Roam centered on a bikepacking expedition along a 200-mile section of the Oregon Timber Trail. Undertaken by five military veterans, it highlighted voices too long left out of the conservation narrative and carried a broader message grounded in equitable access to public lands.

To document the expedition, Chad recorded its sights and sounds—from the beginning when the team of veterans first outfitted their bikes and started pedaling to the many challenges they faced along the trail enroute to completing their ride. Out of their experience came a new film, Unseen. 

The trailer of Unseen was presented to attendees of this year’s Oregon Outdoor Recreation Summit where it received an enthusiastic response. None of us can wait until it’s ready for the big screen. For those interested to watch the documentary film alongside us, we’ll be sure to provide you with details as it nears release! 

Dirty Freehub continues to evolve, education, create community

Dirty Freehub, an organization based in Central Oregon known for cultivating and sharing gravel routes continues to follow their missions and provide education to riders. MVBC's newsletter has previously highlighted their podcast and information on dealing with dogs while riding and interacting with heavy equipment in the forests. You can sign up for upcoming live and webinar events, as well as view their past webinars on their events page. Their most recent offering was, "Evolve Your Riding - A guide for older gravel cyclists." 

In the OSU forest ... 

Kicking off the Recreation Planning Process!

from the Oregon State University Research Forests Newsletter

We’re excited to share an important next step for the McDonald-Dunn recreation and engagement program

One of the commitments outlined in the new McDonald-Dunn Forest Management Plan is to develop a complementary visitor use plan that will guide recreation and engagement programming on the forest. 

Recreation in the McDonald–Dunn Forest has long been a valued and cherished part of our community, shaped by multiple planning efforts over the decades. Building on this strong foundation, the upcoming Visitor Use Management Plan will bring this past work together into one cohesive document while also inviting your input to help envision the next several decades of recreation.

What is the plan hoping to achieve?

This Visitor Use Management Plan (VUMP) will provide strategic and operational guidance for managing recreation and visitor use on McDonald-Dunn Forest. It will outline goals, policies, and best practices to balance visitor enjoyment with resource protection and other forest objectives. This plan will ensure that future recreation decisions and planning efforts are made transparently, equitably, and in alignment with broader Research Forest goals and values.

How Can You Participate?

• Online Survey: Share your ideas, hopes, concerns, and priorities. 

• Focus Groups: Community members will be invited to apply to provide input on trail planning. More information will be announced in February 2026.

OSU research forest trail issue report form

from the Oregon State University Research Forests Newsletter

Thank you to everyone who have been using our trail & road issue report form to notify us of down trees. Our staff rely on your reporting to help us identify and address forest hazards!  And thank you for your patience after a storm as we tackle and address a large number of down trees.

Mustangs in the Mac: Training wild horses on the forest trails

from the Oregon State University Research Forests Newsletter

Among the hills and trails of McDonald Forest, horse trainer Rachael Macdonald has found the perfect setting to prepare young mustangs for life beyond the range. The forest’s mix of dense terrain and bustling activity, such as hikers, dogs, cyclists, creates a safe yet stimulating environment where formerly wild horses can build confidence, calm, and resilience. Learn more about Rachael and her fascinating work training mustangs! (Read the full article here).