Northeastern Oregon

After leaving Hat Point and the breathtaking views of Hells Canyon and the Snake River we followed the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway to Joseph, Oregon. Joseph is a small town (pop. 1081) named after Chief Joseph, the leader of the Nez Pearce. The town was historically highly dependent on agriculture and timber as the major drivers of its economy. Tourism and three local bronze foundaries have replaced agriculture and timber.

Joseph is a gem. Despite its small size it has a number of fine restaurants, coffee shops and interesting retail stores. The town is the classic main street with no traffic lights and diagonal parking (no chain stores here!).

We stayed at a brand new hotel called the Jennings located in a turn of the century brick building that was formerly…you guessed it…the Jennings Hotel. A local artist by the name of Greg Hennes brought the hotel back to life through a Kickstarter funding campaign. Each room is unique – designed by a different artist or designer.

The Jennings also has an artist in-residency program and a cooking and crafts school. A very cool and fun place to stay. The second floor has a covered porch where you can sit and watch everything happening on Main Street or take in the Wallowa Mountains that lie just outside the town.

The Wallowa-Whitman NF offers an abundance of hiking, fishing, equestrian and camping opportunities. After leaving the Jennings we ventured into the Wallowa by journeying south some 20 miles into the Lostine Canyon. We camped along the banks of the Wild and Scenic Lostine River from where we could access a number of challenging hikes that provided us with the opportunity to climb high into the Wallowas for views of the Hurrincane Divide and wading in glacially formed lakes surrounded by granite cirques.

We left Lostine Canyon exhausted but happy!

We completed the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway with stops in Enterprise, Wallowa and La Grande before departing further north for the city of Pendleton. Pendleton is the home of Pendleton Woolen Mills and very much the classic cowboy town.

Our visit to Pendleton coincided with the 109th Pendleton Round-Up. The Round-Up takes place over a full week with many activities – parades, rodeo events, pageants, dances and concerts. Rodeo contestants come from all over to participate and the round-up includes a Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competition.

We extended our stay to watch the womens barrel racing event. These riders and their horses have no fear. The speed and power of the horses is amazing – particularly to the unitiated like us.

We are working our way west from Pendleton with the expectation (at least for now) that we make the Oregon coast about a week from now.

Be seeing you!