Sixty years have passed, and Lyndall, a retired teacher and counselor, now shares her country property in the Grande Ronde Valley with two dogs, two cats, nine chickens and four horses – and with guests to her bed and breakfast inn. Now in its third year of business, Willow Creek Horse B & B is located near Summerville, a productive and scenic farming area north of La Grande, Oregon.

With horse facilities and ample parking for trailers, Lyndall invites her guests to bring their own horses and enjoy the easy access to trails into the mountains and quiet country roads. The restored historic home is beautifully furnished and filled with books. Friendly conversation about travels and life experiences is common around the breakfast table, where the meal often includes fresh produce from the La Grande Farmer’s Market.

“I’ve recently discovered how healthy I feel, and look, on a whole foods, plant-based diet,” said Lyndall. “So breakfast starts with fresh fruit and oatmeal with all the extras. If you want sausage, farm-fresh eggs and cinnamon rolls, we can do that, too.”

With grandchildren performing in theatrical and musical productions at both the historic Elgin Opera House and through Eastern Oregon University’s theater and music department, Lyndall says she will arrange for tickets for her guests and invites them to enjoy the high quality productions at both venues.

“I welcome my guests as friends, rather than customers,” said Lyndall, “and so far it’s working out well!”

Visit the website for photos and more information or
contact Lyndall, 541.534.4780 or lyndall.shick@gmail.com

For most trips, the Eagle Cap Excursion Train departs at 10 a.m. from the Elgin Depot and returns around 2 p.m. For those trips, lunch is served on the train.

Rides this late-summer and fall season include train robberies, a photo run to capture the autumn colors, a Wine & Cheese Train and Brews & Brats. See the trip descriptions for details and the schedule.

To reserve your seat and ensure your lunch is on the train, make your reservations by 4 p.m., the Friday afternoon prior to the trip you want to take. The train can often handle some last-minute walk-on passengers, subject to seat availability. Those waiting to purchase tickets at the depot Saturday morning should arrive at the depot by 9 a.m. and should be aware some trains sell out.

Ticket prices are:  youth, 3 to 16 = $35 / adults = $70 / seniors 60+ = $65. Lunch is prepared by Ten Depot Street of La Grande and included in the ticket price. For train tickets and details on the excursions go to www.eaglecaptrainrides.com. Or, if you prefer to talk with an agent or want lodging options, contact Alegre Travel, 1.800.323.7330 or travel@alegretravel.com.

The historic Joseph Branch, now known as the Wallowa Union Railroad, was rescued from salvage in 2003 when the Wallowa and Union county governments formed the Wallowa Union Rail Authority and purchased the highly scenic railroad connecting Elgin with the Wallowa Valley. Volunteers with the Friends of the Joseph Branch, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, operate the train and depot, host passengers, renovate the passenger cars and preserve the history of the railroad.

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The Cast Iron Chef Cook-off is a fun team competition celebrating open air cooking, community, and the local harvest. Ten teams of up to three people each will be assigned an open fire cook space at the Trail Center outdoor wagon encampment. All equipment and ingredients are supplied, and teams have three hours to produce a meal. Ingredients will be a mystery until the Master of Ceremonies reveals this information, but will feature locally grown foods. The judges are well known local culinary experts and will be judging on technique, taste, and appearance. The audience can also sample food and vote for a People’s Choice. One team will be proclaimed Cast Iron Chef Champions of 2015, an honor that comes with cash prizes. Additional prizes will be awarded for 2nd place and People’s Choice. Teams can find more information and register for the cook-off at trailtenders.org or by calling 541-523-1852.

There will be outdoor activities and games for the whole family during the event: a Wagon Master & Oxen relay race, a Buffalo Chip toss, and making homemade ice cream. Sit a spell with mountain man Joe Meek at the wagon encampment or venture inside the Center and enjoy the exhibits and documentary films.

The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, operated by the Bureau of Land Management, is located five miles east of Baker City, Oregon on Highway 86. Take Exit 302 from I-84. The Center is currently open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Admission for adults is $8.00; for seniors it’s $4.50; children 15 and under are admitted for free. Federal passes are accepted. Call (541) 523-1843 for updates on programs and events.

Visit oregontrail.blm.gov for more information about the Center or call (541)523-1843 for an update on programs and events. For information on other events in Baker County, Oregon, call (800)523.1235. The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s mission is to manage and conserve the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations under our mandate of multiple-use and sustained yield. In Fiscal Year 2014, the BLM generated $5.2 billion in receipts from public lands.

-BLM-

Grant McOmie, a popular Portland, Oregon, news man, visited Hells Canyon Scenic Byway country in August and put together a great segment on the Joseph Branch Railriders and the Eagle Cap Excursion Train for his Grant’s Getaways program on KGW TV. Watch this segment, then take the time to explore Oregon through his eyes. It will get you itching to see all corners of our magnificent state!

Also, see some amazing images of rafting and fishing on the Wallowa and Grande Ronde Rivers with Grant Richie, owner of the Minam Motel and Minam Raft Rentals.

Fall is a beautiful time to visit the byway. The weather is mild, colors are beginning to pop and it’s easy to find accommodations. See our links page for visitor information resources and pack your car for northeast Oregon!

At the encampment, located outdoors in a circle of replica covered wagons, historical re-enactors cook meals over open fires, and offer samples of the types of food pioneers ate on the trail. Dressed in clothing representative of the 1850s, and using tools and materials of the time, interpreters demonstrate a variety of trade skills, technology, and everyday activities used six or more generations back. Visitors can see blacksmithing, leather work, laundry and sewing, and black powder shooting. Interpreters will represent all ages and occupations typical of a wagon train.

Some of the activities are interactive, and some are especially planned for families and children – including pioneer era games, school, and dancing.

Many of the interpreters are staff and volunteers of the Interpretive Center, and special guests will bring additional skills. Sheryl Curtis brings her team of oxen and demonstrates the work of a teamster. Blacksmith Peter Clark forges iron using an outdoor setup that might have been seen at a frontier fur post or fort. Musician Hank Cramer joins the wagon train on Saturday, and presents the important role that music played in keeping up the spirits of pioneers as they trekked west.

The special exhibit “Cargo for a Continental Crossing” will be open in the Flagstaff Gallery.

The Trail Center is located five miles east of Baker City, Oregon, on Highway 86. Take Exit 302 from I-84. The Center is currently open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Admission for adults is $8.00; for seniors it’s $4.50; children 15 and under are admitted for free. Federal passes are accepted. Call (541) 523-1843 for updates on programs and events. For more information about the Trail Center visit: www.oregontrail.blm.gov

Early in August, Portland, Oregon, cycling enthusiast Jonathon Maus spent some time exploring northeast Oregon and the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway by bike. His resulting blogs on BikePortland.org will leave you yearning to park the car, hang up the keys and use just two-wheels to experience our beautiful corner of the state. Following is the prelude to his first two installments and links to the blogs. Thank you, Jonathon, for sharing your adventure!

Jonathon Maus, BikePortland.com Last week I spent five days taking a closer look at bicycling and bike tourism in Wallowa, Baker, and Union Counties as part of a partnership with Cycle Oregon. Starting in the small town of Halfway on Monday, I rode northeast to circumnavigate the Wallowa Mountains and Eagle Cap Wilderness. I camped, rode rocky dirt roads, did some bushwhacking, sampled singletrack on a mountain bike, rolled on an official State Scenic Bikeway, and met the people working to make this region a biking destination. All this week I’ll share stories and photos from the road.

First installment: Five Days In Eastern Oregon; Halfway and an adventure to Ollokot

Second Installment: Five Days in Eastern Oregon; Riding Rails and talking tourism in Joseph

more to come…

See more fantastic photos of the journey on flickr.

The presentation of original contemporary music is based on life along the Oregon Trail through words and song. The show incorporates narratives, multi media photo display, and songs inspired by diaries and memoirs of Oregon Trail pioneers who crossed the continent over 150 years ago.

“Parlour” is a quartet that writes and performs acoustic Americana roots music and includes guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and vocals. Band members Linda Quon, Mark Quon, Mike Potter and Susan Bonacker perform throughout Oregon and have become well known for their harmonic talent, and weaving historic influences into captivating contemporary songs and lyrics.

At the Interpretive Center, the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the National Conservation Lands continues every day through August with presentations highlighting resources and history on public lands. If planning a weekend visit to see Parlour, visitors can also see demonstrations of flint knapping and fur trade skills. On Sunday August 30th, join a Leave No Trace mini-workshop, or see an outdoor program about horses with Norm, a former wild mustang adopted through the BLM Wild Horse and Burro program. The special exhibit “Cargo for a Continental Crossing” will be open in the Flagstaff Gallery.

The Trail Center is located five miles east of Baker City, Oregon on Highway 86. Take Exit 302 from I-84. The Center is currently open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Admission for adults is $8.00; for seniors it’s $4.50; children 15 and under are admitted for free. Federal passes are accepted. Call (541) 523-1843 for updates on programs and events. For more information about the Trail Center visit www.oregontrail.blm.gov.

People familiar with the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway know it is a prime route for cycling around that amazing mountain range known as The Wallowas! The two-lane band of pavement winds up and down, over and around, beside rivers, through forests and past sage brush, cows and all kinds of wildlife. Bicycles allow one to take in the scenery and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of Northeast Oregon.

Cycle Oregon, Oregon’s well-known organized annual bike ride, discovered the route many years ago and has returned several times to bring over 2,000 riders on a week-long supported ride from town-to-town along the byway. They will return in September 2015.

Each year, smaller organized groups and hundreds of individual bicycle riders make the trip from valley floor to high-mountain pass and back down to the farms and ranches and friendly towns in the Baker, Wallowa and Grande Ronde Valleys.

This scenic byway and The Wallowas are so beautiful, the mountain range was selected as one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon by Travel Oregon. And, to celebrate the 7 Wonders of Oregon, Travel Oregon asked seven of the best bike builders in the state to build one-of-a-kind bicycles, one for each of the Wonders. Breadwinner Cycles created a “29er” bike custom-made to handle the wide-open spaces of the Wallowas and outfitted with gear for the remoteness of Eastern Oregon.

Learn more about the 7 Bikes for 7 Wonders and how you can search for the “29er” bike at TravelOregon.com. Then, start searching, July 13! You just might find a custom built bike for your next journey on the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway!

Most of us live here largely because we like to spend time in the mountains; hiking, camping, skiing, fishing, hunting, biking – whatever our favorite recreational pursuits. Some say we take them for granted. I don’t think so. We’re just used to them always being there and you can only express their beauty so often, such as when the sunset is particularly colorful or the snow especially crisp against a blue sky.

That’s why it is fun to read the reports of someone who has newly discovered our corner of the state. Their fresh perspective on the things we hold so dear is reaffirming and gratifying.

Early in April, Travel Oregon and the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association arranged to have just such an intrepid soul pay us a visit. Cassandra LaConte, a California girl with a sense of adventure, a fantastic eye for great photos, and a pack of followers on Instagram, Twitter and her own blog (Diminsions to the Undefinable), started her visit in Joseph having driven south from Lewiston, Idaho; an amazing drive itself. She had a packed itinerary and appointments to meet with a number of us along her way, so we could each show her a few of our favorite things.

We are now having the privilege of reading her impressions while visiting the Wallowas and Hells Canyon Scenic Byway country. Please take the time to go to her blog and read along. It’s an adventure to share in and one that will make you want to follow her tracks. Please do! We think you will love it, too.

First report:  http://cassandraleconte.blogspot.com/2014/04/oregon.html

Second report:  http://cassandraleconte.blogspot.com/2014/04/oregon-day2.html

#Wallowas, #traveloregon, #easternoregon