So who should I run into in downtown Eugene but Ken Kesey, the great Oregon novelist who wrote “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest?” Kesey passed away in 2001 and no, the late author’s presence wasn’t the ultimate prank from the Merry Prankster himself. But a bronze statue of Kesey, in the pose of a storyteller with his own grandchildren, was one of the many pleasant surprises I encountered on the streets of Oregon’s second largest city.
It’s easy, driving along in your car, to completely miss the Western experience that is Pendleton.
If you don’t visit during the Pendleton Round-Up, it’s easy to visit the museums, visitor centers and businesses and totally miss the old western vibe the community offers.
That is, if you don’t visit Hamley’s.
Many times when I visit a historic site, I go into it with an attitude that is almost like an academic. I have an interest in learning what happened at the place I am visiting, but rarely do I get an emotional reaction.
As I wandered around the dark Bumble Bee canning facility, I notice they had hats and other personal items from the people who used to work there, but don’t any longer. If you stand next to some of the old equipment, you can almost hear what it sounded like back in the 1970s when the plant was operating and it was Astoria’s largest employers.
A long-time Medford and Rogue River Valley business that not only grows pears and peaches, but is one of the largest United States mail order companies. Started in 1934 as a catalogue company, Harry & David now has stores around the U.S. and offers a tour of their facilities.
Experimentation: if there was one word that would describe the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport that would be it.
From trying to figure out how plate tectonics work, to seeing how you compare to the wingspan of an albatross, expect to learn volumes while you walk through the many exhibits – several of which change regularly.
But Bill Hanshumaker, who is responsible for many of the exhibits in the Visitor Center, says it is more than just a place to see an octopus and touch things in simulated tide pools.
A few headlands over from the Sea Lion Caves lies one of Oregon’s most photographed lighthouses, the Heceta Head Lighthouse.
Surrounded by a state campground to the north, and a state park to the south, the lighthouse can be seen from Highway 101, or up close and personal if you are willing to take a bit of a hike.
Length: 218.43 miles / 349.5 km
Time to Allow: Allow about 8 hours to tour this Byway.
Driving Directions
There are five ports of entry into the Byway:
La Grande from I-84, Elgin via OR Hwy. 204, Enterprise via OR Hwy. 3, Oxbow via Idaho Hwy.71, and Baker City from I-84. To encompass the entire route, this itinerary follows the Byway traveling from La Grande to Baker City, but driving the route from any starting point and in either direction is just as appealing.
Length: 218.43 miles / 349.5 km
Time to Allow: Allow about 8 hours to tour this Byway.
Driving Directions
There are five ports of entry into the Byway:
La Grande from I-84, Elgin via OR Hwy. 204, Enterprise via OR Hwy. 3, Oxbow via Idaho Hwy.71, and Baker City from I-84. To encompass the entire route, this itinerary follows the Byway traveling from La Grande to Baker City, but driving the route from any starting point and in either direction is just as appealing.
Herbert Hoover, 31st president of the United States, once said, "In no other land could a boy from a country village, without inheritance or influential friends look forward with unbounded hope." The country village he had in mind was probably West Branch, Iowa, where he was born in 1874 and lived until the age of 11. Or, it might have been Newberg, Oregon, where he lived from 1885 to 1889.
Their menu varies monthly to provide farm fresh produce from the French Prairie. But, one thing you can always count on is our delicious homemade soups, sandwiches, salads, and desserts. Stop in for a slice a pie made with fresh local fruit, a Tillamook ice cream cone or a fresh fruit milkshake. Their friendly staff always does their best to make you feel right at home.
