LOOKS LIKE COWBOY COUNTRY

It appears that we hit this part of Oregon at exactly the right time. We are having wonderful weather, sunny and cool with a definite touch of fall.

Tomorrow we are planning a long day of sightseeing, traveling one of the many "Oregon Scenic Byways" in the area. The one we have chosen heads up into the nearby mountains to visit some of the gold rush ghost towns and a couple of lakes; I hope we will get high enough for good fall color.



I took the first photo, of the barns, as we drove the last leg of our trip to Dayville on Sunday. The entire drive was SO beautiful, it was very difficult to chose which photos to include here!

We have had an unsettling vibration when driving the Jeep recently, and decided we had to have it checked out before our explorations in the remote areas we plan visit, so arrived early in Baker City on Tuesday. After a phone call to arrange an appointment with a mechanic, we took off for the Oregon Trail.

Yes, the real OREGON TRAIL, the one you learned about in history classes. Baker City was on the route, and traces of the "ruts" are still visible in the hills here. This marker (it says "Oregon Trail") and others like it were put in place by the BLM to make sure the remnants of the trail don't completely disappear; much of it has been paved over, or plowed under.

Over 300,000 people used the trail, taking anywhere from 4 to 6 months to travel from Missouri to Oregon City (very near to where we stayed in Canby earlier this summer). A wonderfully interesting visitor center describes the trail and the trip - very graphically.

One in every 10 people who set out on the trail died, and at some points, graves lined the trail. Imagine how depressing - and scary - it would be to travel those stretches, wondering if YOU or another of your loved ones, would be next.

This replica of a typical wagon sits on the actual trail; in this photo you can see the intrepretive center at the top of the hill. A long switchback trail leads from the center to the wagon, and the diary entries I had read in the intrepretive center replayed in my head as we hiked down the trail.

Wow - I felt SO grateful... for maps. Credit cards. A refrigerator. Water that comes out of a tap. Electricity. Clean clothes. Grocery stores. Mechanics!

Speaking of mechanics, Odel took Jules into the shop this morning. Turns out our front left tire has "cupping"; the mechanic suggested we take Jules to a tire shop to have the tires balanced and rotated, which Odel did. Problem solved.

I had to share this one last photo with you. I took it on the grounds of the Fish House Inn and RV Park, where we stayed in Dayville. The property is actually more like a small farm, and this cat was sitting in the sun in the open barn as we walked past in the morning. Such a tranquil rural scene.