Eastern Oregon

We are living in Pendleton Oregon most famous for a big rodeo called the Round up.  Problem is the Round UP is for only one week of the year and that week is in September.  For the rest of the year not much happens in Pendleton.  It is very much a western town in fact as I'm writing this in a local coffee shop a men just walked past with real spurs on his cowboy boots.  I haven't seen any horses tied up outside of bars but really wouldn't be too surprised if I did.  Several of the shops downtown sell western gear including boots, hats, and saddles.  There are several small cafe's within walking distance of our house. One of them hosts events such as open mike and blue grass jam both of which left to be desired. One night they had a beer tasting from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, OR which was pretty cool.  There is an outdoor ice skating rink here but the session closed on February 3rd. 

So the thing to do here is to take day trips to the mountains and towns. On one such trip we drove to Walla Walla Washington about an hour away.  Walla Walla is known for its many wineries and has been called the next Napa Valley. The people in the town claim their town is so great they named it twice but really the name is Indian for many waters as there are several rivers that run through the area. 

On another weekend trip we took a hike to Hat Rock which is off the Lewis and Clark trail.  Its basically a big rock that looks like a hat in the middle of the desert.

We decided to invest in a pair of snow shoes and we tried them out in the Andies Prairie just outside of Tollgate, OR.  The trail was in the woods on slightly marked trails.  I got nervous we lost the trail one time. 

This weekend we went to Mount Emily Snow Park just past Meacham. There was fresh snow on the ground, so much so that we had to park off the exit and walk into the park.   We went with a group called the InterMountain Alpine Club which is based out of Washington state and leads groups of outdoor adventures.  It was nice to go with someone experienced and familiar with the area.  We got to hike some off the path and into the woods without stress. We hiked a little over 5 miles which burns about 1200 calories.  We had a big dinner that night!

At the end of the trail we found the snow plow!

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