May

Nancy and I went for a trip to visit some spots in Oregon that we had not seen.  Our first stop was Pendleton, home of the Pendleton Round Up, the biggest rodeo in the northwest.  It is a cowboy town and proud of it.  We toured Hambly's, a premier  saddle and leather wear store, plus the Pendleton Woolen Mills while the mill was running full speed.  It was amazing how fast they can make a blanket!  Our rambling included some must-see cafes that hadn't changed their menu for several decades, but are a fixture for the locals and curious visitors. We also enjoyed a tour of the wineries in the Walla Walla Valley.

Ambling down highway 395 to Long Creek, we headed east on 402 to the towns, villages, out posts, general stores of Monument and Kimbery. After a turn south on highway 19, we stopped at the John Day Fossil Beds (nice video tour).  


The final stop of the day was at the Prairie City Hotel .  Our former neighbors in Oregon City are the owners.  It was quaint and comfortable.  

View of the Strawberry Mountains  1/4 mile east of Prairie City

Retracing our tracks under stormy skies, we pointed the car east on highway 26 toward the Painted Hills.  We were pleasantly surprised to see partly cloudy skies as we entered the National Monument.  I was very grateful the weather cooperated so I could take lots of pictures.  It is a truly magnificent place!  We will be visiting this area again.

 

We spent the night in Bend before zipping down highway 97 to Klamath Falls for quick visit with Katie, Matt and Nora.  We meandered back to Milwaukie to see some other sites in our beautiful state.