• Boardman is a great jumping-off point for visitors to eastern Oregon. This little town has grown quite literally from a "wayside" stop in 1962 to a bustling industrial and recreational destination. With the mighty Columbia River at its back door, the Boardman area offers a wide variety of water-related sports and activities, as well as a beautiful marina. This portion of the river is famous for the fighting Walleye bass. The local shop owners can offer tips for catching them! Information about the area can be found at the Boardman Chamber of Commerce. (541) 481-3014; www.boardmanchamber.com. Start the journey by following the return route of Lewis & Clark, and travel northeast on OR Hwy. 730 to Irrigon. Stop by the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge, where the auto tour route offers wildlife viewing platforms, interpretive information, and landscapes that were viewed by Lewis & Clark 200 years ago. The Irrigon Marine Park and McNary Dam Overlook also offer glimpses into the activities of the Expedition at these locations.
Dancers, Photo by Tim Hall
• Salmon are an integral part of the lives of the Native Americans of this area. Learn about the salmon recovery program from spawning, to the ocean and back, at the Pacific Salmon Visitor Center, located at McNary Dam. Umatilla was a major shipping port for goods and livestock down the Columbia River. Originally known as Umatilla Landing, it provided a more "socially acceptable" lifestyle for its citizens, than did the wild town of nearby Pendleton!
• Turn right onto Hwy. 207 toward Hermiston, the watermelon capitol of the world. For a real treat, stop at a roadside stand and wrangle up some of that delicious fruit. The Maxwell Siding Railroad Display includes several restored railroad cars, and the very unique 1910 Cooke rotary snowplow. Hermiston is home to the Umatilla County Fair & Farm-City Pro Rodeo held every August, celebrating the agriculture of this region. Yes, you DO smell french fries & potato chips, cooking at one of the nation’s largest french fry plants. To learn more, take an agricultural tour, offered through the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce (541-567-6151).
• From Hermiston, pick up the route of early pioneers and the Oregon Trail on Hwy. 395 south. Stop at Fort Henrietta and at the Echo Museum, housed in an 1890s bank building, to learn about the lives of those hearty souls who first came west on the Oregon Trail and then returned to farm and run livestock in the Echo area.
* Books and Brochures: Lewis & Clark on the Columbia River brochure; Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose; The Oregon Trail Itinerary Planner or Transforming the West brochure; Off the Beaten Freeway—Oregon’s Scenic Byways brochure.
• Pass a variety of agricultural pursuits on Hwy. 207 to Lexington, from the traditional grain crops to the newest poplar tree farms. Picture early twentieth-century threshing machines, pulled by teams of 40 mules, slowly climbing these rolling hills and harvesting the grain. Today's equipment makes the task much faster. Take a short side trip up Hwy. 74 toward Ione to see Wells Spring, a pioneer campsite that displays the state's most dramatic Oregon Trail wagon ruts (541-676-5524).
Grain Fields, Photo by Jeffrey L. Torretta
• Wear green in Heppner—this is the heart of Irish country! With a 20-foot shamrock smack in the middle of town, it is hard to miss the community's Irish heritage, made even more evident during the annual St. Patrick’s Day ÔWee Bit o’ Ireland’ celebration. This is where rural is for real! Self-sufficient Heppner gives an impression of true Americana, as familiar as a Norman Rockwell painting and as comfortable as Grandma’s kitchen. Step back in time at the Morrow County Museum, where artifacts recreate the lives and activities of the settlers. Before dinner, swing by the Morrow County Courthouse, which was built in 1902 of beautiful blue basalt stone.
• Visit the outdoor exhibit about the flood that nearly devastated the entire town in 1903. Many of the town’s inhabitants had relatives lost in that great tragedy. If your interest lies in historic homes, take a Volkswalk tour of Heppner’s beautiful historic houses. Shopping in Heppner includes a variety of offerings from lattes to antiques. When the Main Street sidewalks were recently reconstructed, artifacts including old coins and gun shells from famous shoot-outs were discovered. www.heppner.net/chamber
Side Trip to My Favorite Ghost Town...Hardman
About 25 miles southeast of Heppner rests the little ghost town of Hardman. Walk down the deserted street and let your imagination take you to a time when the community was filled with life. Stand in front of the old dance hall and listen quietly. On the whisper of the wind, is that a honky-tonk piano playing “I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen?” It’s easy to imagine a shy young man, crisp white shirt, red kerchief around his neck, asking the girl with long, curled hair to dance. Tomorrow the ghosts will all return to work the fields and move the sheep, but tonight they dance!
