For a first ride of the season, it was no baby step, clocking in at around 375 miles, we were both a little saddle sore by the time we pulled back into the shop this evening. We did see some gorgeous scenery, got to ride a few new miles of single-track pavement, and spent a little time exploring Twickenham School, built in 1906.
I admit, I was a little concerned about taking Mike to Ashland, I mean, it’s a theatrical town and Mike is decidedly NOT theatrical. I figured it was useless to try and get him to see a play, so we’d just be exploring the area and of course checking out their Antique Stores. I’d have a good chance of Mike liking Ashland if they had a good selection of cool antique stores. Heck, if he found some cool vintage motorcycle toys for cheap, he’d practically be ready to move there!
We got into town very early, so spent a few hours just cruising around the neighborhoods above the city.
Plenty of neat old craftsman-style homes here have been updated and are now pretty darned fancy. I love that even though quite a bit of money has been thrown at these restorations, there’s still some artistic flair and whimsy showing that you wouldn’t find elsewhere.
Driving through a neighborhood, I saw one of those cheesy cement deer statues in someone’s front yard and thought it really clashed with the other landscaping – until it moved.
Live statuary
Nice rack on that fellow, and he’s definitely not missing any meals.
Next we drove through a development area that had roads and sidewalks constructed, but not much else. We were enjoying the view of the opposite hillside when I noticed a cat walking down the road in front of us. He turned around and gave us a look, and I realized “that is not a cat”. Actually, it was, just not a domesticated version.
Bobcat gives us his best cool, calculating stare.
Not often that you catch a bobcat in a residential area – and this guy was huge. He was completely unconcerned about the car, just kept slowly walking up the road and occasionally turning around to size us up. He finally walked into the treeline and was gone. I love unexpected sightings like this. It reminds me of how nature is just living its life right next to us, and I’m usually just too preoccupied or ignorant to notice.
After exhausting most of the back roads, we traveled in to town where I had Mike sample the Lithia water. He was not impressed. Fortunately, he WAS impressed with the town.
Ashland Springs Hotel - built in 1925, and originally named the Lithia Springs, I remember it as the Tudor-Styled Mark Anthony.
One of the B&B's downtown
The outdoor Elizabethan Stage - changed with added balconies since I'd visited last in the 1980's
Mike wasn't impressed until he saw all the plaques and realized they'd been putting on plays here since 1935.
As You Like It Antiques apparently means "as the owner likes it", since they never did open.
Amazing, gorgeous, and a little strange - only in Ashland would you see a multi-million-dollar home restoration with a theme of dragons and sunflowers.
Dilapidated down by the railroad tracks. At what point do you decide the shrubs win, and just stick a fence across the front stairs?
Hey look, they do have homes under $100k in Ashland!
As the sun sets on Ashland, we bid farewell to Chautauqua-inspired artistry, and head down the road to K-Falls
We had a great time exploring Ashland, Mike really loved it here. Hey, maybe next time I can actually get him to see a play!
After spending the night at the moderately sketchy America’s Best Value Inn near the north end of town, we got up for another early start. First we headed up into the hills, winding past an old grade school and up a decrepit asphalt single-lane road that terminated at the abandoned radio station. The view from here showed the entire valley, and gives me a better idea of why I can never really get a handle on Klamath Falls, the place looks like it’s made up of patches of different towns, sewn together by multiple connector roads and forced to work at different angles because of lakes and other waterways.
We kept on going up this road, which turns to gravel and eventually turns into a private drive to a big, expensive new home nestled in a small valley. On the way back down the hill we noticed some sort of building at the top of a rise with a little-used two-track branching off from the road we’re on. We parked the car and walked up to a small bluff to a burned out hulk of someone’s little slice of personal craziness. It looks as if someone decided this would be a great place to build a home, so they did. To heck with the fact that they didn’t have permits, property ownership, or building skills. Walls of various types of brick and stone are slapped together, not in a bond pattern, just stacked vertically with a piece of re-bar stuck in the middle. Old wood mingles with new in a burned out mess, you can just feel the insanity oozing from the place.
Wandering back down towards town, we had a great time looking for old houses. Klamath Falls definitely is a town that’s tried many times, and failed almost as often. There is beauty here, and good weather, lakes to fish and float, they have industry and a decent retail district, I just really don’t know why Bend got bigger.
Although some older homes have been restored, most are simply being lived in. Mike said it well, “it’s like the original owners moved in, grew older and their homes grew old with them, became decrepit, and the shell of the house is still standing, sort of reflecting the life of the owner.”
There’s one Victorian beauty on the once-tony Riverside drive that is nearly abandoned. The owner of Little House Antiques said the Goeller Mansion has a reputation for bringing unhappiness to the owners . This site has some interior views taken a few years ago, peeking through the windows, it appears most of what you see in the photos is still there. For a history of the home and its owners, I’ve compiled some information here.
Goeller House
Goeller Carriage House
Beautiful woodwork and original stained glass live precariously in their abandoned state
Next to the Goeller Mansion is what seems to have been called the Baldwin House, and is now housing the Klamath Crisis Center.
Baldwin Home
This whimsical turreted wonder still has a neat frontage, but construction of two rear towers (probably housing an elevator) really messes with its original roofline. The current use of the house is extremely appropriate, given a famous former owner, Maude Baldwin, drowned herself out of desperation and depression. I have a bit more information on the home here.
Massive brick house with original attached greenhouse
Continuing on through the rest of the town, we enjoyed another hour of gawking and making the locals nervous as we stopped and clicked away at old places.
Our first antique store stop was at the quaint and beautiful Little House Antiques, an old brick house right across the road from the lake, the owner Joan Maricle is a very neat lady and her large collection of furniture and other bits are definitely worth the trip.
We also discovered what I believe to be the world’s ugliest BMW
Check out that bitchen' seat.
Speaking of Beemers, our next stop was Airhead Motors and a nice chat with Howard Jones who’s dad was one of the founders of the uber-awesome Collier Museum.
Down the road from moto-goodness is one of the coolest antique stores I’ve seen in a long time. Housed in (and spilling out of) a vintage heavy machinery repair shop, the Antique Warehouse is a guy-friendly place that on initial inspection seems to be a massive jumble but on closer view shows some very savvy categorization. I definitely recommend spending some time here.
A veritable plethora of vintage trinkets
At top left, barbed wire and bits, bottom left ladies clothing, bottom center lampshades, top center wooden boxes, to the right you'll find books mopeds etc. etc...
Looking for union suits in their original box?
Or maybe your own personal fan club?
Or how about an instant beer can collection (with Ebay potential!)?
Cameras to document everything.
A few tools to choose from.
Player piano rolls to keep you entertained.
And some padlocks to keep it all safe.
Like I said, this place has everything.
I breathed a sigh of relief as we left Antique Warehouse only $5 lighter in the wallet, and Mike carrying a very rusty British bike tank.
The rest of the antique stores in town are of the more fluffy “artique and collectible” variety. Although cute and worthy if you like tea towels and scented candles, finding motorcycle memorabilia in these spots would be nearly as tough as finding it at your local WalMart.
Closing in on evening, we decided it was time to head towards home. And crazy thing is, we still need to come back here and visit their great selection of museums sometime. Seems like no matter how much time we take exploring a place, we still need more.
Maud Baldwin
‘You will find me in the lake’ By By BILL MILLER for the Mail Tribune
February 13, 2011
They found her exactly where she said she would be, floating face down under the Link River Bridge.
Never married, 47 years old and daughter of an Oregon state senator, Maud Evangeline Baldwin had finally given up.
Born in summer 1878, “Vinnie,” as her family called her, was her father’s princess, the only girl in a family of five. He lavished his attention on her and made sure she had everything she needed or desired.
Wallace Baldwin, her uncle, was said to be the first non-Indian to settle in Klamath County, arriving in 1852.
Four years later, Wallace moved to Jackson County, settling with his sister Harriet on a homestead near Talent.
His letters home to Missouri made Southern Oregon seem so exciting they enticed his younger half-brother, George, Maud’s father, to come west in 1872.
Only 16 years old, George took a room in Ashland and began studying tinsmithing at the Academy, the forerunner of today’s Southern Oregon University.
He married, moved to Klamath Falls, opened a tin shop and began his climb to success by building up one of the largest retail hardware businesses in Southern Oregon.
In 1906, he built the city’s first four-story brick building, selling hardware on the lower floors and renting out rooms on the uppers.
Three years later, he moved the hardware store out, made some changes, and reopened the building as the Baldwin Hotel, the first hotel in town with running water and electricity.
The hotel and her father’s political career marked the beginning of Maud Baldwin’s downward spiral.
George Baldwin’s political success mirrored his business career. He moved from city councilor to county treasurer and county judge, and ultimately served two terms as a state senator.
Maud was expected to be there for her father, appearing at all social and political functions and helping however she could with her father’s career. It was a duty she didn’t enjoy.
There were exceptions. Maud attended Oregon State Normal School in Monmouth, beginning in 1894, and in 1905 studied at the California College of Photography in Palo Alto, Calif.
She had taken up photography as an amateur in 1898 and over the next 15 years opened a succession of studios, eventually becoming a successful professional.
Family pressures began to intrude even more in her life and, by 1915, Maud was trapped in the needs of her father’s career and stuck managing day-to-day operations at the hotel.
Tragedy piled on tragedy. The hardware store went bankrupt. She fell in love with one of the cooks in the hotel’s kitchen, but her father refused to let her marry. And then came 1920.
George Baldwin’s wife suffered a stroke that left her an invalid, needing Maud’s constant care. No sooner had Maud begun that tedious chore than her father died and she was left to run the hotel all alone.
The pressures grew to be too much. In May 1926, she gave up.
“I am going insane and cannot stand it,” she wrote. “You will find me in the lake.”
She walked a few hundred feet from the hotel into Lake Euwana and kept her promise.
Writer Bill Miller lives in Shady Cove. Reach him at newsmiller@yahoo.com.
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Klamath Crisis Center (from Simple Solutions website)
When Marta Carpenter learned that Klamath Falls was one of only five Oregon counties that did not have a shelter for abused women (and yet it ranked third highest in the number of reported domestic violence crimes) she decided to do something about it by donating a home. At the time, Marta owned the historic Baldwin house, which was built in 1900 on the banks of the Link River in downtown Klamath Falls. When she had purchased the 8,000 square-foot mansion, it was painted six different colors, was completely boarded up, and had a leaky roof. After she bought it, she replaced all the windows with energy-efficient frames and glass, installed a new roof, and completely re-sided the house. Although this exterior work was completed, the house required interior renovations estimated at $1 million to complete.
To fund the interior work, the dedicated staff of the Klamath Crisis Center turned to the community for help. The City of Klamath Falls received a $600,000 grant for the renovation project from Regional Strategies Economic Development, and local groups initiated a fund-raising campaign. Simplexity Health Business Associates themselves donated $55,000 in 1998. When the work was finished, the four-story home, which was first renamed the Harbor House, included fifteen domicile rooms, several areas for individual and group counseling, a community room, and a huge kitchen. The original terraced gardens were also rejuvenated and are now irrigated with Klamath Lake algae water for fruits and vegetables accessible to all residents.
As part of our Simple Solutions outreach program, we provide monthly financial support to the Klamath Crisis Center.
The Goeller house is a George Barber – designed house in Klamath Falls, Oregon built by John Goeller around 1905. It is from the cottage catalog number 2, design 56
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John Fred Goeller
| Birth: | Jan. 22, 1860 Tuscarawas County Ohio, USA |
| Death: | Apr. 14, 1935 Klamath Falls Klamath County Oregon, USA |
 John Fred Goeller followed his carpenter trade in Ohio and Nehama County Kansas, came west, with his wife Alice and son Harry, in 1890 and contined his trade in Santa Rosa and Alameda, California until 1891 when he purchased a half interest in the A.M. Peterman planing mill in Linkville. In 1896 he became the sole -storyowner and later erected his own two-story mill in the same locality. This he operated with his son Harry, under the name of J. Fred Goeller and Son, until his retirement in 1926. He belonged to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge. An automobile accident in front of his home on Riverside Drive resulted in his death on April 14, 1935. |
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John Fred Goeller married Alice Zua Sawyer September 1, 1887 in Harden City, Finney County, Kansas. Their son Harry was born in Kansas, and three more children were born to them in Klamath Falls, Fred L. Goeller, born July 1888 in Kansas, Hazel M. (Orem) born Sept 1894 in Oregon, and Barbara F. (Sowers) born Nov. 1894 in Oregon.
The Goellers built a house at 234 Riverside, they moved into a house next door while they built the big house.
(John was the son of Johann Michael Goeller born Germany settled in Ohio in 1852. There he married Anna Barbar Wucherer on April 16, 1857. They had five sons and a daughter.)
Family links:
Spouse:
Alice Zua Sawyer Goeller (1868 – 1954)*
Children:
Harry E Goeller (1888 – 1974)*
Hazel Maude Goeller Orem (1894 – 1990)*
*Point here for explanation
Note: bur Apr 17, 1935 see: Alice Burial:
Linkville Pioneer Cemetery
Klamath Falls
Klamath County
Oregon, USA
Plot: 10-2-2 IOOFCreated by: jeanie sawyer
Record added: Jul 15, 2008
Find A Grave Memorial# 28303342
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Currently owned by Tamara Kay (Beach) (Caillouette) Taylor, who purchased the house sometime around 1995 with her then-current husband Conrad Caillouette. Their submission request for the National Historic register has quite a bit of information about the original owner, it can be viewed here.
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Beach-Taylor
Posted: Sunday, November 25, 2001 12:00 am
Tamara Kaye Beach (formerly Caillouette) and Charles Ray Taylor exchanged wedding vows Oct. 13, 2001, at the bride’s home in the historic Goeller Mansion in Klamath Falls.
Phil Studenberg performed the double-ring ceremony. The bride was attended by Tawnie Taylor, daughter of the groom. The groom was attended by Cody Taylor, his son.
During the ceremony, the bride was accompanied down the aisle by Clint Taylor, son of the groom. Honored guests were Adelaide Brown of Ashland, the groom’s grandmother; and Leona Hawkins of Coos Bay, the bride’s grandmother.
The bride, daughter of Alice Virginia Beach of Oregon City and step-daughter of Robert Burback, is a 1978 graduate of West Linn Senior High School. She attended Clackamas Community College and Hawaii Business College. She is employed as executive administrator of Winema Inn.
The groom, son of Sandra C. Rapp of Ashland and step-son of Chester Rapp, is a 1973 graduate of Ashland High School. He attended Southern Oregon State College and Pacific University. He is employed as vice-president of business resources at Jeld-Wen.
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December 14, 2001
Goeller Mansion open house Sunday
Charlie and Tamara Taylor will open the doors to their Victorian Goeller Mansion located at 234 Riverside for their fifth annual open house from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Cookies and cider will be served.
The house is included on the National Historic register. Fred Goeller started construction of the house in 1900. He owned a sawmill in the area that now includes Veterans Park. Construction was finished in 1905.
The Taylors started restoration in 1995, adding electricity, plumbing, heating and new roofing.
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Historic home open to visitors
Posted: Thursday, December 12, 2002 12:00 am
Visitors to the Goeller historic home open house this Sunday will enjoy holiday sweets and music and step back in time to earlier Christmases.
The public is invited to come from 5 to 9 p.m. to the cream-colored gingerbread house at 234 Riverside Drive.
Owner Tamara Taylor has decorated rooms with themes in the lovingly restored Queen Anne/Eastlake-style home, built by planing mill owner Fred Goeller between 1900 and 1905. The home is opened to the public once a year as required of houses on the National Historic Register.
In the parlor are Santas, more Santas, and the family Christmas tree. The dining room features angels sparkling in candlelight, and the library has a brigade of nutcrackers marching on a shelf around the room. Antiques donated by the Goeller family and purchased by Taylor recreate an earlier era throughout the home.
A work in progress since 1995, the restoration took some major steps this year, one of which is all new wiring. French doors now open from the dining room onto a deck. Insulation was blown into the walls, a first in the home’s lifetime, and Taylor, her husband, Charles, and his two teen sons now have a real kitchen, completed just two months ago.
Taylor is encouraging visitors to bring a donation of a can or two of food which will be given to the Klamath/Lake Counties Food Bank.
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May 2008 - Listed for sale through John L. Scott in May 2008 for $949k, pulled from market 11/09 after reduction of price to $748k a few months prior.
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2008 House left vacant: Charles Taylor and Tamara Taylor Moved to Florida sometime in 2008. It appears the owners held an auction as there are some items still inside the house with price tags on them. Some pieces of furniture sold to Little House Antiques (they still have one table) http://littlehouseantiques.homestead.com/
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Death – 2010: Charles Ray Taylor, “Charlie,” age 54, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 12, 2010.
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Got up this morning and watched the cats watching the deer who were completely disinterested in looking at anything but food. 
Decided we were too antsy to just do what we “should be” doing, and so we grabbed the backpacks and headed south on 97 to Lava Butte. We’d driven to the top about a million years ago, but neither one of us could really remember what the heck it looked like up there, so it was definitely time for a refresher course. Sure, we could drive, but where’s the challenge in that? So we hiked up from the parking lot, and it was beautiful. Just a bit of a breeze, perfect clear skies, awesome views.
Looking across the crater towards the Three Sisters
Lava Butte Lookout
We had a vague plan to hike the lava trails, head in to Benham Falls, then maybe back to Bend and check out the Des Chutes Museum, but instead decided to head up to Paulina and hike around the lake.
First Mike drove us up to the top of the caldera for a beautiful panorama of the entire area. Even though the gravel road is quite washboarded, it’s totally worth the drive.
Looking down into Newberry crater and Paulina Lake
Miles of cinder cones as far as the eye can see
Incredibly massive lava flow has such beautiful swirls and whorls it looks like a giant Van Gogh painting.
Back down the mountain, we got parked and stuck our trusty NW Forest pass in the window and headed off down the trail.
I think we made a great choice, but I don’t recommend doing it on an empty stomach, I hadn’t packed for an all-day hike, so by the time we were halfway around the lake I was starving! Okay, it’s not like my body doesn’t have any reserves to work on, but still, I was pretty shaky. Good thing it was such an interesting hike with varied terrain and beautiful views.
Rustic depression-era Oddfellows Cabins were nearly destroyed by the Forest Service in the 1980's.
Built by volunteers from the Bend Oddfellows club in the 1930's, these will hopefully be restored and ready to rent soon.
Some views look more like a rugged coastline than lakefront.
Double crested Cormorant pair hang out looking for fish
Natural Bonsai cling to sharp and shiny black obsidian.
Looking across the water to the peak we'd been on just a few hours before.
One section raises above and behind a rockslide, for a broader vantage point.
Back at the boat dock, 7 1/2 moderately tough hiking miles later, I'm tired and really ready for some dinner!
There are some low-lying areas of the trail that were surprisingly mucky considering the lake was low and it’s been weeks since we’ve seen any rain. I can imagine this trail could be a real muddy mess early in the season.
Another issue here are the flies and in spring/early summer, the mosquitoes. Walking through the swampy sections would raise clouds of blackflies, nothing bit us, but it’s still a bit yukky and doesn’t lend itself to dawdling along the path in these sections. For this reason, I’d definitely recommend waiting until late in the season to hike this trail.
Being a weekday it was amazingly quiet and peaceful here, we only met 5 other hikers the entire time, and saw a couple of small fishing boats with trolling motors when we first arrived, then a solitary kayaker quietly paddling along the shoreline as the shadows lengthened and the winds calmed down later in the afternoon.
A very pretty hike, but next time I’m eating lunch before we head out!
Our Sunday hike went a little more epic than I was ready for, the last few miles were quite the slog for me, but I did it, and I’ve got the painful feet to prove it!
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We started at Green Lakes Trail (from the Green Lakes Trailhead off of Cascade Lakes Highway a few miles past the ski area), which follows Falls Creek to Green Lakes and continues to the pass between the South Sister and Broken Top above Green Lakes. We followed the regular Green Lakes trail on the way up http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=1106121, then took the Broken Top/Fall Creek trail for the return leg.
The first few miles were beautiful, but had to be viewed at a fast walking pace to keep ahead of the masses of mosquitoes. Thank goodness for DEET, we kept the blood loss to a minimum. After awhile we noticed we could stop without being swarmed, and we resumed a more leisurely pace.
Although there are log bridges on a few stream crossings, we had to ford plenty using rocks and logs and hoping I didn’t lose my footing and make a big splash (never have to worry about Mike, who is part mountain goat!). This is definitely not a trail for young kids or people with balance issues. I guess if you’re not into hopping tippy rocks, bring a set of water shoes and some good hiking poles and be ready to get your feet and legs wet!
We were amazed to see so much snow still dotting the landscape and even blocking the trail in a few spots.
The Green Lakes are aptly named, glowing a soft deep pine color and surrounded by alpine meadows and cradled by the slopes of Broken Top. After hanging out and watching an osprey belly flop into the water for his lunch, we continued hiking on the return loop.
The views and wildflowers are incredible on the top section of this trail, in some places the flowers are so tall you have to lift your hands above your waist to keep from batting them as you walk by. The slopes drop steeply away and there’s tons of spots to see miles of steep slopes and softly rolling hills. Elk Lake is visible below, but the lodge is hidden by a bend in the shoreline.
By the time you make it back down the hillside, you’re surrounded by old growth for another mile or so, then the trail winds through some interesting lava formations and then peters out for the final uninspired mile or more through lodgepole and dust. By this point, Mike was carrying my backpack and I kept thinking that if we could just make it out of the wilderness area at least they could use a motorized vehicle to drag my fat butt out of there when I collapsed. Amazingly, we began to hear traffic, which was music to my ears, then soon we spotted beautiful, gorgeous pavement and CARS!!! I’d made it, the longest hike I’d ever done, and I was still standing (sort of). Yea! Celebration starts at Izzy’s, bring your appetite.
Although everything you read online about this trail says it’s crowded by hoards of visitors on August weekends, we found it to be very quiet, meeting just a few people on the trail. Probably one reason it was less busy this year is that there’s still a ton of snow melt and the stream crossings are more difficult than the average family would be willing to deal with.
It really is beautiful, and the rewards were well worth the pain of a long hike and a few mosquito bites.
Since Mike’s on the walking disabled list, we decided to do some hiking this weekend. I’d been looking through my paltry hiking book collection and come up with a few options, one of them was Ramona Falls near ZigZag. It’s about a 7 mile round-trip hike, with some elevation gain on the way in, making the way back easier, sounds perfect to me!
We did the loop counter-clockwise, starting on the PCT section that allows horses, this is the “less pretty” route, and I figured since I’d be huffing and puffing I wouldn’t really be enjoying much anyway, so we’d take the trail that follows the creek on the way back. I think this worked out really well, and would probably recommend it, especially since your entrance to the falls, and your first view of them from this direction is simply stunning.
A really neat way to spend the morning, and we were very happy to have gotten up early as we encountered way too many hikers on our return journey. Getting there at noon would give you a much more crowded experience than arriving at 7am.
Saturday evening we got out the map to see what looked interesting on the loop back home. Mike’s motto is to never backtrack, so whatever we did, we’d at least cover different terrain than our ride in yesterday. My only goal was to spend time walking around Union and seeing their Hotel. After checking out some information online, we decided to check out Weston (near Athena – the birthplace of Hodaka motorcycles!) which was another pioneer town with a brick-faced downtown.
Dropping down towards Weston on Hwy 11
Weston is another cute little town with more past than present. I spent a bunch of time trying to dig up info, and compiled it here. A note to any historic society in small towns across the country – if you want people to come look at your historic downtown area, have a downloadable map of the area available on your Chamber of Commerce website. It would honestly take someone with a tiny bit of skill maybe a couple hours to make and it would really generate so much more interest in your town!
Anyway, off my bully pulpit and back on the bike! Weston is indeed worth a stop, with plenty of neat old buildings in the quiet downtown, and some older homes interspersed with new in the outlying areas.
I love the grass peeking out from the roof, and colored the same as the building
Cafe is closed. I think this is the worst thing about the economy, little places like this don't stand a chance.
Memorial Hall
Isham Saling House - This really should be a museum!
After wandering through the Sunday-quiet town and gawking at all the cool old houses, we headed down the road and towards Union
Near Tollgate on Hwy 204
More high water outside Union
I’d been wanting to spend some time wandering around Union, ever since we stopped here for lunch with our riding buddies a few years back.
As we pulled into town, Mike suddenly veered off the Main street and onto a side road, stopping in front of a yard sale. Uh oh. Well, how bad could it be, we’re on bikes, it’s not like he’s going to buy something big, right? Nope, but he did spot this stylin’ helmet, and once we found out it would fit in his side bag, he worked the owner down to five bucks and he was the proud owner of this 1970′s monstrosity.
The ultimate buddy helmet - you'd really have to want to ride to wear this!
The town has an interesting history, and it was so neat to see the old hotel up and running as a B&B. I’d tried to get a room here (great prices!), but they were completely booked, so we had to settle with wandering around and talking to the informative and humorous owner.
http://thehistoricunionhotel.com/
Furniture and Undertaking. I can see how these go together, sort of.
I'm wondering what prompted this sign facing the creek. Did they really have trouble with wayward horses and radical bikers floating the river?
Union High School's imposing front entrance
Many of the buildings have an odd asian flair to them
After wandering around town for a few hours, it was getting late, and time to head for home.
Well, I thought it was time to head for home, Mike found another antique store in North Powder, it was closed, but a quick phone call to the owner brought her down from her house behind the shop, and we had a great time wandering through her stuff and talking about various fun places we’d seen on our travels.
North Powder Antiques
Dry goods and water towers
The rest of the ride home was beautiful and quiet. We stopped at our favorite restaurant in John Day for a late lunch (awesome salads!) and got on the bikes for the last leg of the trip.
John Day River near flood stage
It was amazing to ride through Picture Gorge with the river so high.
This is what it usually looks like (photo from the same bend in the road, slightly different angle)
Highway 26, with little traffic on a Sunday afternoon is about the best way to finish a weekend-long ride.
So, I’m sure every Oregonian has spent at least one weekend of their lives at the Pendleton Roundup, it’s just part of growing up in the Beaver state (or Duck state, depending on what side of the Civil War you’re on).
Waaaay back in the 1990′s, we stopped here with Don and Tammy Hoxie on an Eastern Oregon Road trip, hung out downtown and did the Cozy Girls tour.
Nearly 20 years later, I thought it might be time for a revisit, especially now that we’re more interested in history and have a longer attention span (but shorter memory!).
Adding to the attraction would be a stop in Heppner to visit the museum which is never open when we’re riding through – not that they’re never open, we just ride through at weird times!
Heppner had a major defining moment in their history back in 1903 a flood raced through town on a lazy Sunday evening, decimating all the low lying areas and killing 247 people. The cemetery on the hill pays mute witness to this event, with many stones showing the same date of death, June 14, 1903.
I was looking forward to seeing the museum’s photos history of this event, along with everything else showing the history of the area.
The ride through Fossil to Heppner is one of my favorites in Oregon. From spring-swollen rivers to wide-open dry wheat fields, it climbs into heavily forested mountains and then dips back down to steep twisty canyons, then follows straight sections through windswept and lonesome plateaus. Really some of the most varied landscape and riding I’ve experienced. But shhhhhh, don’t tell everyone, or it’ll get all crowded and nasty!
We arrived in town about a half hour before the museum was set to open, so we searched around for a restaurant with salads. The gal at the gas station said “the bowling alley has great food!”, uh, oooookay. We rode around a bit more and didn’t find anything else promising, so to the bowling alley we went. The decor doesn’t inspire dining confidence:
Mikey likes the "custom" upholstry
But if you don’t sit in the ripped areas and are careful about leaning back too far on the loose backrest, you’ll be treated to a great meal by a friendly staff. Proves again that looks aren’t everything!
The museum looks tiny from the outside, sharing half a municipal building with the library, but inside you find rooms heading off in three different directions, and multitudes of well documented and well-presented neat old stuff!
Can you spot the USPO letters in this pic?
Mike's biggest nightmare - finding a cool vintage motorcycle toy in a Museum instead of an Antique Store!
Second half of the museum - includes all the farm implements and old cars and trucks
After a short stop for a photo op in front of the beautiful Heppner Court House, we were back on the road towards Pendleton
Court House in Heppner
Grasslands and swooping rock formations on the Heppner Highway
We actually rode through a few sprinkles near Vinson, but by Pendleton it had cleared up and was a beautiful evening.
Walking around Pendleton, we found plenty of neat old buildings to gawk at. Unfortunately, it looks like many of them were renovated about 10 years ago, but have deteriorated since, with no money for good upkeep. There’s such a variety of building styles here, it really makes the neighborhoods fun to walk through. Stucco next to Victorian next to brick homestead next to Tudor. Who needs a rodeo when there’s old buildings to see!
Pendleton First Methodist Episcopal Church
Carnegie-Funded Arts Center Building
Amazing what a comma can do for meaning. But maybe they meant what they said?
It started getting too dark to take pictures, so we headed back to the room for a good night’s sleep
Moonrise over Knight's Inn
