Wandering Wasco County 09/15/07

[Jerry]

Wandering Wasco County
September 15, 2007

It was a great morning in Central Oregon; the sun was shining, the temperature was comfortable and we had a whole day to play on the backroads of Wasco County. Evelyn and I drove in from Yakima and met with Rich & Jan who had driven over from Aloha. We met at McDonalds Restaurant in The Dalles and had breakfast at a quiet table located on the grounds outside the building. It was Rich's birthday the day before and Jan arranged to have a cupcake with a candle and we sang Happy Birthday for the old boy before we left on the tour. Poor guy had to go through the rest of day with that sound in his head.



We left The Dalles by following the Columbia River eastward until our road climbed into orchard country on the breaks of the gorge. The road meandered through forests of scrub oak passing old farmhouses until it broke into the wheat fields above the canyon. We followed several roads as they twisted and turned throughout the ridges and valleys in the historic Oregon county.



We saw several old homesteads and one-room schoolhouses that were in excellent condition considering some were near the century mark. That part of the county doesn't get much rainfall so wood structures last a long time.



A couple of roads showed on our maps that led down the cliffs to the Deschutes River so we gave one a try. It was a dusty son-of-a-gun. We drove through holes of deep powder dust that billowed and lingered for what seemed like forever, as there was not a breath of wind to disperse it. As we neared the top of the canyon we finally got a glimpse of the Deschutes, way, way down in the canyon. It would be a long, steep drop to the river. We had just broken over the rim when we passed some 4x4 pickup trucks parked in wide spots of the road, one with a flatbed trailer attached. That was our first clue. Within a couple hundred yards we came to a barbed wire gate across the road at which point the road went to pot. Our conclusion was that the pickups and trailer carried ATV's on which fishermen rode to the river. Our rigs would not have made the trip so we turned around for more Wasco County sightseeing.



We drove a few more gravel farm roads and finally a narrow gravel road that ran along Kaser Ridge on the cliffs above
Celilo and the Columbia River. The view of the gorge was fantastic! The road tied into the freeway near the Deschutes River State Recreation Area at Moody, a really neat park.



It was nearing lunchtime, two-o-clock, so we drove toward The Dalles on the road above the river. As we drove Jan
received a message on her cell phone from some new members who were in The Dalles looking for us. We stopped for
lunch at Cousins Restaurant and met up with J.C., Anna and son Josh from Tualatin. They had been busy that morning,
but figured better late than never and we were happy they joined us. Lunch was great and we enjoyed chatting with
old and new friends.



After lunch we drove back to the same general area as earlier in the day to finish off some roads on Summit Ridge. We
passed several more abandoned wood structures and it was always a pleasure to get a glimpse of the past as we stopped for a closer look. Unfortunately we found one of our main roads had been closed, completely plowed under, not a trace except for a sign reading "Road Closed". What road? So we were forced to make a big detour. We sure did see a lot of farm roads?and more dust.



The last leg of our tour was via paved roads that took us into the town of Dufur, south of The Dalles. It was after
five-o-clock and time to end the tour. We said our goodbyes on Dufur's main street where Evelyn and I drove north to
Yakima and Rich & Jan led J.C., Anna and Josh over Forest Service roads on their way to Portland's metropolitan area



Thanks to everyone for coming, we surely did appreciate your company.

Jerry & Ev

[Steve]

Sounds like to had a great trip with fun people and nice weather.

Thanks for sharing.

Steve