August 22nd and 23rd ~ Baker City to Joseph, OR
We actually had a blue sky for a short time near Baker City
Upon leaving our Harvest Host winery near Baker City Wednesday morning, we once again traveled a ways on gravel roads before rejoining the highway.
Our route from Baker City to Joseph
No, Bessie, the grass is NOT greener on the other side of the fence
A lot of hay is grown here
Still traveling through hay and cattle country.
This portion of our trip was along the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway.
Hells Canyon Oregon Scenic Byway
We stopped in the small town of Richland for breakfast and found the locals friendly and helpful. They suggested that we take a small detour through the town of Halfway.
Spotted on a screen door in Richland
Don’t see these very often any more
We thought we were walking into a gallery attached to a church and found out that we had walked into someones private residence – OOPS. Lucky for us the owner was congenial and ended up inviting us to see some of his artwork and carvings.
Town of Halfway – Old church and gallery is now a private residence
The Hells Canyon Overlook was probably stunning without the smoke layer, but the views were very limited at the moment which was a let down.
Hells Canyon Overlook
Continuing on our journey, we decided to overnight next to the charming town of Joseph, OR.
Statue of Chief Joseph
About six miles out-of-town is a state RV park right on Wallowa Lake which was perfect for the evening.
Wallowa Lake
Dinner in town.
Busy place, good food
We found that the hardware store sells horse shoes and if cantaloupe get too ripe, they give them away.
Horse shoes for sale in the hardware store
We got two of them – they were not very good…
The next morning we returned into town to try to find Tim a T-shirt with “Joseph” on it. We managed to get two shirts, a hat and a trinket necklace with earrings for me.
Since our last name is Joseph, how could we resist.
GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am grateful that our inadvertently walking into someones home did not turn out badly.
COMING NEXT: More of NE Oregon and continuing into Idaho and Eastern Washington.
A Note From Abroad 
Great post
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Thank you
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No problem 😁 check out my blog when you get the chance 🙂
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I love following along with you on your trip. I love the back roads and small towns. Nothing like a hardware store in a little town. They always have some of the coolest things.
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We really prefer seeing rural America, although the culture of a big city is good for the occasional break. Both offer so much to see and experience. What an amazing country we have. We feel so fortunate to be able to explore and share one corner at a time. Thank you so much for commenting and following along.
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Oregon is such a cool state. So much to see and do.
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Darlene, I may be a bit prejudiced, having being born in Southern Oregon, but I do think it offers up some pretty awesome scenery and great variety. Still one of my favorites 😁
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Loved seeing the wigwam burner. I grew up in Roseburg, and there was one I could see from my bedroom window. It would be glowing a hot orange color at the top. Every once in awhile Sparks popped up out of the top. Thanks for stirring the memories.
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Jo, we had some in Medford where I’m from, but so rarely see them anymore. I love it when we run across something that triggers a memory.
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Great discovering! Enjoy the rest of the trip.
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Appreciate your good wishes!
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Awesome photos. I can’t wait til we get back to Oregon!
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It is a pretty special place 🌲🌲🌲
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How embarrassing but at the same time wonderful to run into congenial folks. Love the photos. I’ve not been to Oregon before though I’m not sure why, since I’ve been to Washington and Northern Cali, Idaho and all those other states around it. Oh well, Isn’t it a beautiful country we live in?
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Yes it is – and Oregon is especially nice.
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