Oakridge Now Has a Brewpub!


Back when Oakridge was primarily a down-on-its-luck Oregon timber town with no more mills and no jobs to speak of, a few lonely visionaries saw the town's potential as a recreation center. With its 300+ miles of singletrack trails leading down from the ridges and out along its web of river valleys, Oakridge was a dream for adventurous mountain bikers who craved thrills in the mostly old-growth forests there. There was one major problem with that vision - there was no place to go at night and hang out with other athletes of the outback.

Well, now there is.

This was a major stumbling block for those of us who wanted to promote Oakridge as a town based on a burgeoning new IT economy based wherever its participants felt at home. If your favorite off-work activity is cycling, hiking, skiing, kayking, or fly-fishing - and you can do your work from anywhere in the world - Oakridge could hold its own with Bend, Crested Butte, or even Moab, if only it had a few of the key amenities enjoyed by those pioneers of the
new economy. Attracting other visionaries who could sustain themselves until their recreation-oriented businesses could catch on took a number of years, but now the key piece of the amenity puzzle has dropped into place. It has everything we dreamed of when we wished for it 10+ years ago.

The Brewers Union Local 180 is:

Off Hwy 58, with a sidewalk cafe' to take advantage of the glorious sunny days. On a quiet street, away from disruptive traffic.

An unpretentious, friendly pub where hand-crafted local ales are sold.

Live music by professionals and amateurs. "Etoufee'", a Eugene-area favorite, is based in the Oakridge area and will play there occasionally. Gary Battles is another Eugenean who has relocated to Oakridge and plays regularly at the pub.. There are others.

As far as I can discern, there is no "Country Music" of the Nashville variety played here, thankfully.

Good, wholesome food is served, as well as good coffee.

Witty conversation is possible with the people who own and operate the Brewers Union 180. This was a hard-to-
find treat in the oldstyle Oakridge drinking establishments like the Corner Bar and Timber Jim's. ("Did you get your elk this year?")

Families are welcome. Smokers are not.

Come and see what's up in Oakridge these days. New homes are being built to take in the sunny mountain views.

(Property values are the most reasonable in Lane County.) Cottage industries are thriving.
And the human-powered recreation industry has come of age.

Come on up and enjoy a day of skiing, riding the trails or the traffic-free paved forest roads, or just for a look around. Stop by the Brewers Union when you're ready to
unwind before going back to your motel or out to your campsite up Salmon Creek.

For a preview of why I'm so excited about this, visit: http://www.brewersunion.com/

Read Brewpublic's more professional review: http://brewpublic.com/?s=brewers+union+local+180&x=18&y=11

The Key to Living in Oakridge

If you want to live in a quiet, beautiful recreation haven like Oakridge, you need "walk-away income" - a way to create a stream of income that continues to flow into your bank account, year after year, with few demands on your time.

It's crazy to spend most of our waking hours working to create someone else's retirement asset, when we could easily be building one of our own!

As the American Dream economy begins to crumble under the weight of debt, endless wars, and outsourced quality jobs, more and more of us will have a need for a Plan B income source. If your job gets eliminated, what will you have to fall back on?

I imagine a lot of realtors, mortgage brokers, car salesmen, and stock brokers are scrambling to find a new source of income. As this recession deepens, with more jobs being cut in an environment of dizzily rising prices for food and gasoline, it might be wise to find a fall-back source of income for your family, don't you think?

Here is the best way I've found to create the walk-away income that can let us live in beautiful sports meccas like Oakridge - or anyplace we desire in this world: http://drinkact.com/healthywealth (This should be of special interest to bikeshop owners, health club operators, convenience stores, espresso kiosks, and other businesses that have retail traffic.)

Here's a final parting thought for any retail business-owner or health professional: How would you like to be the first in your area to have an exciting, healthy, new "Instant Gratification" product that can continue to pay you profits, even though you may never see that customer again? Sell the product once - at a retail profit - and continue to receive commissions off that customer's purchases and their referrals' purchases for years to come. That's what we have here: http://drinkact.com/healthywealth

Good Place to Spend a Recession

I've been away from Oakridge for a while and I miss it sometimes. In view of the recession we have developing, Oakridge would be a good place to hunker down and wait it out, while doing a lot of outdoor recreation and gardening.

I went over to Oakridge this Fall to pay my respects to the Father of the Oakridge Fat Tire Festival, Dave Linsdell. He went on to his reward on September 30th, I believe. A great guy.

Didn't get to look around much, but it was hot and beautiful. Wish I had time to do some riding up there, but I didn't.

I'll be back, though!