Wildlife and refuge from the hustle and bustle on Sauvie Island

PORTLAND — Turns out that this city of fine art and fine dining also is a little bit country.

Just 20 minutes northwest of downtown Portland is Sauvie Island, a bucolic treasure with a state of Oregon wildlife refuge that features huge numbers of migrating waterfowl — plus picturesque family farms and sandy beaches.

There's even a "clothing optional" beach — Collins Beach — along the Columbia River edge of the island. All this is accessible by TriMet Bus No. 17 from Portland.

Lewis and Clark camped by the island in November 1805 but didn't give Sauvie rave reviews in their journals. Mostly, the explorers complained of being kept awake by the sounds of wild swans, geese and ducks. Today it is that very cacophony that delights birders, hikers, cyclists, canoe paddlers and photographers as they explore the 12,000-acre Sauvie Island Wildlife Area spreading across the northern half of the Manhattan-size island. More than 500,000 visitors toured the wildlife preserve last year.

"Wild in the City," a guide to Portland's natural areas, calls Sauvie's wildlife scenes "astounding." "A birdwatcher on a single day might show counts of 21 bald eagles, a flock of 1,000 snow geese, 250 sandhill cranes, 800 Canada geese and 700 pintail ducks," according to the authors. January through March is best for sighting bald eagles. September through March is the time for viewing waterfowl and sandhill cranes. Spring and summer are the seasons for songbirds.

Summer and fall are prime times for visitors — for "getting lost" inside the island's annual Corn Maze, for buying Sauvie's fresh fruits and vegetables, and for hayrides through the Pumpkin Patch near the Sauvie Island Bridge.

Any time is good for cyclists who can pedal the 10 miles or so of roads that loop the island. Sauvie (pop. 1,200) is a favorite playground for bikers because of its Frisbee-flat terrain, light traffic and mostly smooth pavement. Many cyclists hang their bicycles on the TriMet buses that serve the island. Fare each way is $1.25, bike included.

Some essentials: Pack a picnic lunch. There are no restaurants aboard Sauvie.

There is only one bed-and-breakfast inn on the island. The Portland area offers many more lodging choices. Buy a permit if you are planning to park a vehicle anywhere in the Sauvie Island Wildlife Area. Permits are available at Sam's Cracker Barrel Grocery by the TriMet bus stop, under the Sauvie Island Bridge. Fees are $3.50 for the vehicle for one day; $11 for a year.

Plan on some hiking for close-up wildlife views. And please stay on designated trails to protect the habitat. Portable bathrooms provide the only toilet facilities for visitors in the wildlife area.

The island's top attraction is a farm (and farmers market) called the Pumpkin Patch, just up Northwest Gillihan Road from the bridge. Bob and Kari Egger have operated the 600-acre farm since Bob's parents, Chris and Chris Egger, retired in 1991. Their business features a range of produce, an animal barn and pumpkin gathering in the fall.

And then there's the Corn Maze. Craig Easterly plants a hybrid field corn that grows almost 15 feet high and laces it with a web of pathways to challenge your best sense of direction. Attendants are posted inside the maze to assist baffled visitors. The maze is scheduled to open Aug. 3 this season.

Wes and Beverley Westlund built their Sauvie Island home overlooking the Columbia River — then a few years later converted the ground floor into a bed-and-breakfast. Now Westlund's River's Edge B&B is the island's only overnight-lodging establishment.

One of Sauvie's most unusual attractions is the Blue Heron Herbary on Northwest Reeder Road. Mike and Penny Hanselman and their daughter, Heather, are the owners of a cluster of gardens planted with more than 300 kinds of herbs and 50 varieties of lavender.

The herbary gift shop features herbal vinegars, jellies, honey and bath and beauty products. There also are herbal sachets containing "love potions."

"Guaranteed," says Mike Hanselman. "I have stories."

Maybe Lewis and Clark arrived a little too early.

Stanton H. Patty, a Vancouver, Wash., writer, is the retired assistant travel editor of The Seattle Times.