Oregon's Best Kept Secret PDF Print E-mail
Thursday, 15 April 2004 00:00
We had a really long day, so I am giving it to you in two parts; part one today, part two tomorrow. We decided to take The Rogue River Highway, aka Hwy 99 southward to do some exploring. As the sky was overcast, the mercury was only rising to 13C (56F) and the weatherman was calling for rain, we didn't set out until after 10:30 AM but we enjoyed the winding road as it followed the path of the river. Despite the spring thaw, the river appears to be several feet below its normal level, which was evident by the boat launches that were well above the waterline. The Rogue River Highway led us to Grant's Pass, a tidy town with a population of about 23,000, where it becomes Hwy 199.
 
As we continued our southbound trek, we came across the most enchanting place we have ever seen, The Burl Gallery in Kerbyville. Harvey Shinerock, the owner and founder of this wondrous place took the time to speak with us at great length about his little piece of heaven. He called himself a "dropout" of sorts, originally from San Diego, he and his family moved here almost 30 years ago so he could work with his hands and he has never looked back. The Burl Gallery has a number of craftsmen/artists working here creating unique one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture, woodcarvings, water fountains and wall hangings... all artwork. Budding or established craftsman can purchase pieces of wood, rough or partly finished to create their own design and Harvey tells us his wood is shipped all over the country. There are a number of tree houses on the property along with delightful gardens. I swear I could almost see the wood fairies playing in them!
 
They experienced a fire here nine years ago and Harvey and his wife have been living in makeshift quarters until their house (also an amazing work of art) is completed. I cannot begin to describe this miraculous place and I cannot do it justice with words alone. You need to experience it yourself! The artists that create here are so incredibly gifted and the atmosphere is magical. There is also a pottery studio on site and a native arts and crafts shop. Before we knew it , we had spent over an hour and a half here completely mesmerized and our day had only started.