A winter road trip east of the mountains

Morrow County, North-Central Oregon

A friend and I headed east for the three-day MLK weekend. Being mid-January it was cold. We slept in the back of a pickup truck. Temperatures were down to -10F. Spent a night on the John Day River at Cottonwood Canyon, a favorite stopover. Wandered back roads through the wheat lands of Sherman, Gilliam, and Morrow Counties. Not many folks out - very quiet and beautiful. Condon, Heppner, Pendleton are all fairly unchanged. Walla Walla, Milton Freewater, and Hermiston have grown - the first two from an influx of wineries and associated activities, the latter from growth in agriculture and an influx of migrants. We spent a night at Palouse Falls - amazing ice formations around the falls. Watched as a coyote defied gravity as he nonchalantly trotted along game trails half way up the icy basalt cliffs adjacent to the falls.

Our journey took us to Clarkston, on the Snake River, and down SR 3 through the Grand Ronde Canyon to Enterprise, Joseph, and Wallowa Lake. Joseph Canyon views were stunning and the Wallowas as enticing as ever. Deer, elk, coyotes, and bald eagles were numerous. Our road trip then swung west again, up and over Blue Mountain Summit and back into the Columbia Basin wheat lands. Spent a night at Crow Butte Park on the Columbia (slack water Lake Umatilla) before heading north through acres of Washington vineyards to Mabton and Toppenish. An Interstate 90 run took us over Snoqualmie Pass and on to Seattle where I met back up with my family and we headed home to Eugene. 1,415 miles in total. As always, good to get out.

Back roads of Umatilla County

Wind farm near Condon, Oregon - a sign of change in the wheat lands

Joseph Canyon, near Flora, Oregon - in the extreme NE corner of the state.