The Oregon Trail

This morning I woke up in Boise! But this was not our ultimate destination. We had a long drive ahead of us to get to the remote town of Joseph in Wallowa County in Eastern Oregon. The actual driving time was about 4 hours, but we made several stops, the main one being to the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, just outside of Baker City, Oregon.

The museum had both original and reproductions of the waggons used in the mass caravans that traveled on the Oregon Trail in the late 1800s. Lots of pictures were taken and we were able to climb up and sit in the reproductions. We also spent a bit of time in the very interesting displays inside. You can also walk (we drove!) from the main building way down to the plain and see a section of the actual trail where the waggon rugs are still visible. (See first Extra photo, middle row left and right).

Sadly, our visit was way too short - I could have easily spent 2-3 hours there. But we still had a long way to go for our journey.
We came off the main highway and the last part of our journey was on narrow mountain roads - beautiful but a little past my comfort level! We made a quick stop in Lostine for an obligatory photo opportunity at the Blue Banana Coffee Shop! (See second Extra photo).

Eventually we made it to the town of Joseph and what a beautiful place it is, wide open plains with plenty of cattle and grain fields, but against the backdrop of the magestic Wallowa Mountains (known as the ‘Alps of Oregon’). We are staying with our friend John, who has lived there his whole life (4th generation!). The second Extra photo, middle right, shows our view for the next few days! Joseph sits at the southern end of Wallowa Lake, a long glacial lake edged and dammed by moraine ridges on 3 sides. We stopped there briefly and enjoyed the sunset before heading into town for dinner. I’m excited to be here!