Wallowas - Eastern Oregon - Days 1 & 2

Panorama of the Wallowas from the BnB

For spring break this year, instead of staying at home we decided to go somewhere. Tickets are always expensive and we really wanted to check out Eastern Oregon. I had heard about Rob Klavins' (from Oregon Wild) Bed 'n Breakfast in the Wallowas for a while and looked it up and made reservations for 3 nights for us to go away. 

View as we drove out of town to get to a hike.

What a brilliant plan, it turned out to be! 

It's about a 7.5 hour journey from Eugene and once you get off I5 and onto 84, driving through the Columbia Gorge, the drive is breathtaking! We had no idea how beautiful the gorge is! The steep rising rocks on both side of the river, the river meandering along, and because we were lucky, the mountain tops were blanketed in freshly fallen snow. It was our first time seeing snow still on the branches of the trees on the mountains. It looks so much prettier than the usual snow-capped peaks you see when you typically look at snow caps. 

We stopped at the one view point on this direction of I-84 and boy was it windy there! 

Viewpoint View

The Barking Mad Farm BnB is really cozy, inviting, and what a fantastic location! We settled in quickly and talked to Rob and Emily a bit, getting dinner suggestions. From the house, you look out at farms and see buffalo grazing and wild deer herd, against the backdrop of the magnificent Wallowas! Our window faced this view too. Waking up and having this beauty pour into your morning was a delight and immediately relaxing. 

Barking Mad Farm BnB

View from our room and our bed!

Rob and Emily mentioned that Terminal Gravity (a local Brewery that Rebecca had told Saurabh about, too) has really good buffalo burgers from the farm we were looking at. We miss our bison burgers from DC and we didn't need too many other dinner ideas to make up our mind. The burger was incredibly fresh tasting and definitely one of the better burgers we have had. The plan for the following two dinners was decided. We wouldn't get this back in Eugene...we were going to have it as many times as we could while we were there! :) 

Terminal Gravity

Breakfasts at Barking Mad were delicious. And while, I didn't take photos of all our breakfasts there, I did of the second breakfast. 

Polenta cakes with poached eggs (from their chicken) and avocado. Mmmmm

Our first hike there was near the Wallowa lake. Rob and Emily recommended stopping by a green gate along the lake, jumping the gate, and hiking up the moraine. There was snow/ice on the ground, but apart from the incline it was a fairly easy hike. The views of the lake and the Wallowas as we hiked up were spectacular and gave us a great reason to take a breath and stop. 

Woodpecker

Hiking up the moraine.

Partial view of the Wallowa Lake. One side is a bright blue...

...the other side is a darker blue! Storm approaching!

Getting to the top. The colour is still half and...

...and half.

Once at the top of the moraine, we could see the seven devils mountains on the other side, way in the distance. That where hells canyon is. We couldn't go there at this time of the year in our car. Too much snow and rough roads there. 

Photo-Hub

Seven Devils Mountains in the distance.

After the hike we went to Joseph, which we had driven through to get to the hike. We noticed the sculptures outside and wanted to check those out, even though it seemed like more of the art galleries wouldn't be open. 

Joseph

But, before the art, hot chocolate. We went into Arrowhead Chocolates planning on getting coffee, but Saurabh noticed that they have hot chocolate and had a feeling about it. Man, was he right! You can pick if you want your hot chocolate made with dark or milk chocolate, and of course we picked the dark. They melt chunks of chocolate in the melting machine thingy and take the chocolate out with a spoon. They add the chocolate to your cup, and then give you the "chocolate spoon" to lick clean. Aaaaah! 

Arrowhead Chocolates is in that building.

Chocolate-melting machine

Chocolate Spoon!

I got a small dollop of whipped cream on my hot chocolate. Everything was just perfect. We tried to go back the next day, but after our hike that day we got to Joseph just as it closed. But, no worries, we went back the last morning before we left for the Palouse area.

Hot Dark Chocolate, with a view!

After that deliciosity, we walked around looking at the sculptures, peering into closed galleries. The art work was different, interesting, and beautiful. We were impressed. We didn't expect it to be this good. After Thomas, we have become a tad snooty about art, and we found ourselves wishing that the galleries were open so we could have gone in and seen the work more closely. 

Chief Joseph

'Garden Walk'

Some old, almost abandoned buildings in Joseph. The building in front, however, is being re-purposed to be the Prairie Mountain Folk School for Traditional Craft

Later that evening we found out that Valley Bronze Gallery in Joseph had done the bronze sculpting work for the World War II Memorial in DC!!! This is the second connection we have found in Oregon to DC! It warms our heart and thrills us so much! (The first one being in Bandon, OR when we saw the Washed Ashore {which we had seen at the Zoo in DC for the first time} main headquarters). 

Valley Bronze Gallery - It was closed our entire time there.

We got back to the BnB early that evening. While Saurabh finished up his grading, I showered and went for a walk by the farms. I walked along the road and had maybe 2 cars pass by in the 40ish minutes that I was out. I did see an own! A Great Horned Owl, as Rob identified it.  

Walk Views

Walk Views

Empty Road!

Horse stable along my walk

Great Horned Owl

That night, we had dinner again at Terminal Gravity (duh!). But, Rob and Emily joined us and there was live music while we were there too. A fun evening! 

"Botswana - The Last Sanctuary" at the NG Museum

I love going to the travel event at the NG museum. They are usually interesting, the food is always delicious, and drinks are flowing. All of this at the whopping cost of $0. I am so going to miss events like this in Eugene, and really, in any other place we live in, in times to come.  

Saurabh was travelling during this event, so Kristina and I did our monthly June date at this event. Unlike the Switzerland event we went to in April, this was excellent. We got there a few minutes early and went into the champagne reception. The cheese sticks, which I remembered from the Swiss event were just as yummy and we were able to enjoy 2-3 glasses of champagne before we headed to the auditorium for the main event.

Second glass, and loving it!

So, um, yeah, I leaned on that rod and it fell. We were headed to the Grosvenor Auditorium after the Champagne Reception. A couple had a good laugh at my expense.

Once everyone was seated, they had Batswana dancers enter from the doors and dance down the aisles to the stage, where they continued to perform. They were excellent! The rest of the event proceeded in typical fashion, with people from National Geographic and Bataswana delegates speaking about the country. I have been enamoured by the Okavango Delta for a while now, so it was fun to hear more about it. During this event, they introduced Dereck and Beverly Joubert, who were there! I was so excited. I first came across their work when a few years ago the NG museum did a Lions and Leopards exhibit, and all the photos and stories in that exhibit with theirs. Their story is amazing, and they do great work. 

Waiting for the main event to start

The Batswana Dancers coming in

Batswana Dancers

Okavango Delta

After the event, we filed back into the reception area, for more drinks and food. We ate, drank, talked, stood in line to take photos against a green screen, so it looked like we were near some wild animal. The Batswana dancers performed again, on the stage there, and I spotted the Jouberts again. I had 4-5 drinks in me at this point, and with inhibition tossed away, I was able to approach them, talk to them and IT WAS AMAZING!! I have never been able to do something like this. They are the nicest people, and talked to me at length, while I, likely, completely behaved like a fan girl (and had basically abandoned Kristina for the duration. Terrible!).

Reception Area

They had this deliciously flavoured lemonade, but I can't remember what fruit it was. Fail!

Green Screen Photo. Oh! Look! SPLASH! 

Batswana Dancers Performing at the Reception

I asked if I could take a photo with them, and they agreed. But, not only did they let me take the one photo, when I checked it, Dereck said, let's take another one! AAAAAH! <3 font="">

With Beverly and Dereck Joubert!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say, it was an excellent excellent evening! And I was on such a high when we left. 

This might be my last event at the NG museum before we leave, and talk about ending with a bang! :) 

DC. DC. DC. Always surprising, Always amazing!!