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Alice Tallmadge, Correspondent, The Portland Oregonian - Feb. 2, 2002
Cow Creek Tribe of Umpqua Indians open a trucker’s spacious oasis, an efficient, state-of-the-art truck and travel center on Interstate 5, across from their Seven Feathers Hotel and Casino Resort.Drivers who pilot 18-wheelers through snow, rain and fog aren???t generally considered to be a decor sensitive lot, but even Martha Stewart would give a nod to this spacious oasis of trucker chic.
CANYONVILLE — Don Baglien, the man who oversaw the construction of the new Seven Feathers Truck and Travel Center near Canyonville, can’t hustle unnoticed through the spanking new facility. He keeps getting waylaid by appreciative truckers.
“You guys did a nice job here,” Kent Davis, a trucker based in Albany, told Baglien recently after waving him down. “I’ve been coming in here for years and years. It’s nicer now. It’s real comfortable.”
The six-acre, state-of-the-art travel center–which includes four diesel fuel islands, eight gasoline pumps, an RV diesel pump, a restaurant, video arcade, convenience store, deli and assorted trucker services–is owned and operated by the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, which also runs the Seven Feathers casino just across the interstate. The center replaces the former Fat Harvey’s restaurant and a mini-mart and gas station that for decades catered to truckers.
Although not technically finished–the 22,000-square-foot facility lacks an outer coat of paint, the older buildings haven’t all been demolished, and four more diesel lanes have yet to be built– the 24hour, seven-days-a-week center opened for business at the end of January. The tribe declined to say how much the new center cost.
Trucker chic
Drivers who pilot 18-wheelers through snow, rain and fog aren’t generally considered to be a decor sensitive lot, but even Martha Stewart would give a nod to this spacious oasis of trucker chic.
A water jet cut mosaic of the tribe’s seal–an eagle grasping a salmon in its talons–greets customers at the entry. Muted shades of olive green, sandy brown and dove gray repeat in the ceramic tiles, carpeting and walls throughout the center.
Drop lighting in the center’s 240-seat Creekside Restaurant is soft and intimate. A planked maple ceiling absorbs distracting sounds. Customers who sit at the pie and coffee bar eat off an arresting slab of black granite. A small section is cut lower for wheelchair access.
“Drivers love it,” Baglien said of the gleaming stone countertop. “No other place has anything like it.
The building’s plan was created by gLAS Architectural Group of Eugene. Czopek & Erdenberger of Portland designed the interior.
Efficiency is woven into the graceful decor. Servers fill drink orders and send meal orders to the kitchen via computer at two separate stations, saving time and footwork. Interior booths fitted with a telephone and phone jack turn the nooks into short-term mini-offices.
An overhead paging system ensures that customers receive important calls.
An array of amenities
Down the hall from the Creekside Restaurant is a laundry room and 11 shower stalls, each of which locks immediately after use and isn’t available again until it’s been cleaned. A trucker lounge and phone room are close by. The video arcade, just off the restaurant, is set up for interactive computer, games that allow customers to compete with other players in off-site locations.
Also under the same roof is an expanded mini-mart that offers tools and parts as well as locally made beef jerky, books-on-tape, video rentals, pet food and jugs of distilled water. A deli and ice cream bar features items from the restaurant menu, including the Cow Creeks’ signature huckleberry ice cream, to eat on the spot or in the rig.
The center also provides a shuttle service for drivers who want to visit the Seven Feathers casino across the way.
Parking, however, may be where the center plays its winning ace. Sixty-foot wide easements ensure easy access to the lot’s 100 hard-surface parking spaces and 20 gravel-surface spaces. Security personnel police the lot from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. The lot is free of light poles and other obstacles that can bedevil drivers trying to park.
“The way it’s set up, you can pull around and angle in,” said Danny Ashe, a Washington trucker. “It’s as safe as it can possibly be. And until everyone catches on, you can count on getting a parking space.
An overview
From his second-floor office, Baglien can see the diesel islands, the gas islands and the parking lot. The view allows him to spot problems and act before they become major nuisances.
Baglien applied for the center’s general manager job two years ago. With nine years of truck stop administration experience, he knew a good thing when he saw it. “During the interview they rolled out the blueprints. I said, ‘Oh, my. This is the job for me.”‘
The center doesn’t use any franchises. Every aspect of the operation, from security to the deli to delivery of fuel, is run by the Cow Creeks. Being under a single operating unit ensures accountability, Baglien said.
The center absorbed 45 staff from the site’s former operation and created 15 new jobs. Baglien said he’s gearing up for another round of hiring.
“I think it’s wonderful; it’s the best one on 1-5 now,” said Ashe, his eyes red and bleary from a long haul. “That’s why I’m here.”
