Something about this entire event and how it was so carefully and tastefully integrated into the living being that is the Sisters community was inspiring. It felt real. It felt natural. And it felt Oregonian. And embracing a balance between what lies in the great outdoors and what Oregonians have worked hard to create is a great example that makes this state a very special place to be indeed.

Is it time for you to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday city life? Perhaps to unwind on a backcountry byway that will take you into a chapter of Oregon history?

I am a big fan of Oregon’s little roads; you know, the ones without numbers. Linn County has a few and sometimes these roadways let you set your clock back too – on a journey into unexpected bliss!

It feels like a Huck Finn sort-of -world at Shimanek Covered Bridge – a gorgeous beauty decked out in “Navajo Red” colored paint and it spans Thomas Creek.

Safety is important these days because traffic roars past at a shattering pace – a far cry from slower days of the past century. Still, there are other covered bridges that are off the beaten path and hint of bygone times. For example, Hannah Covered Bridge is picture-postcard perfect!

This stunning whitewashed covered bridge was built in 1936 and offers a bit of a Norman Rockwell kind of American moment. As you will see, there is plenty of water running under the Covered Bridges of Linn County, so don’t be surprised if you end up at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s  Roaring River Hatchery. This is a place that raises really whoppers – the kind with fins. Seventy percent of Oregon’s catchable hatchery trout are raised at Roaring River Hatchery.

Last winter, we showed viewers how that energy is put into action when we visited a classroom full of enthusiastic students at Banks Elementary School You see, Roaring River Hatchery donates 100,000 trout eggs to hundreds of Oregon classrooms where the youngsters raise the eggs into baby fish. It’s a successful and unique environmental education program called “Eggs to Fry.”

Not far from the Roaring River Hatchery, you’ll enjoy a chance to relax at Larwood Wayside – only site in the state where a river flows into a creek. It’s called Crabtree Creek and it is where you will find Larwood Covered Bridge and it was built seventy years ago.

Oregon has more (49 authentic) Covered Bridges than anywhere else in the country, so it is something all Oregonians should be proud of so folks should get out to see and enjoy them.

Oregon offers a treasure trove of interesting places and fun activities that can reveal much about our region’s past.

In fact, one Eastern Oregon town offers fascinating lessons in “pre-history,” that – with a bit of imagination and some handiwork – can transport you to a quite different Oregon. In Fossil, Oregon all you need are some simple tools, keen eyes and curiosity to learn more about the state – as you dig into Oregon’s past.

Eastern Oregon’s gigantic landscape holds on to memories – old homestead sites – where families once worked the land and carved out their livelihoods across the high desert. Time has passed most of them by and what often remains today are small reminders in a big country that are worth a pause to consider.

Fossil, Oregon is worth more than a pause! Especially if you enjoy history, like to get your hands dirty and really dig buried treasures!

It’s a much different slice of outdoor life for the visitors who stroll through the back gates at Fossil’s Wheeler High School – pass under the goal posts of the school’s football field and then take a step back in Oregon history. It’s the only public fossil dig area in Oregon that offers surprises with each handful of dirt and rock that you turn over.

Today, the fossils that you dig reveal a much different scene in this part of Eastern Oregon. In fact, 30 million years ago the region was more akin to today’s Oregon Coast Range Forest – a temperate rain forest with ancient firs and cedars and ferns and even prehistoric insects. All were covered and trapped by ancient mudflows born of volcanic eruptions that were a common geologic feature in this part of Oregon.

All of it adds up to a stark contrast to the high desert sage and juniper country that surrounds Fossil in the 21st century. Just down the street, the new Paleo Lands Institute will teach you much about the fossils that you collect.

Long before the settlers arrived in Oregon (even prior to when Spanish voyagers set foot along the Oregon coast), the area which is now known as Oregon has been home to many different Native American tribes for more than 10,000 years.

Each tribe has a unique perspective on their history on what is now Oregon, but to mark the 150th birthday of the state, I thought it would be important to commemorate the original Oregonians who first welcomed explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to the area. It was because of the kindness of the Cayuse, Walla Walla, and Umatilla people that Lewis and Clark survived the harsh winter of 1805-06, and were able to make it to the Pacific Ocean to complete their exploration of what was to become Oregon. This was a pivotal moment in the history of both Native American and Western cultures, and continues to shape the state to this day.

Located on the Umatilla Reservation outside of Pendleton, Tamástslikt Cultural Institute is definitely NOT a museum filled with static exhibits. It is a facility that is a central celebration of the vibrant and very much alive culture of the Cayuse, Walla Walla, and Umatilla nations. The dynamic, interactive, and ever-changing displays provide insights inside pre-Western contact culture, how members of the tribes live today in the present, and what their hopes are for who they will be in the future.

As I walked through the Institute, I learned a lot about how the tribes in the area lived off of the land and continue to do so today as part of their heritage. What appeared to my eyes (just beyond the windows, out to the rolling hills of Eastern Oregon) to be a sterile, dry landscape is in fact a very giving and productive land to the Native Americans, and opened my mind to what it means to be sustainable. In fact, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla have led efforts in establishing salmon recovery efforts for the Columbia River and several of its tributaries in Eastern Oregon, ensuring the sustainability of future fish runs. The salmon, of course, is central to many Northwest people’s diets and culture, and through conservation efforts such as these, will be guaranteed to be around for future generations.

Tamástslikt also offers up an amazing art gallery with rotating Native artists which provides a showcase of the creative expression of local artists. From paintings to jewelry to multi-media art, Native culture is celebrated in various art forms, with exhibitions changing regularly. I’ve been to Tamástslikt a number of times, and at each visit, have found the art gallery to be one of the many highlights. Plan on spending at least an hour in this section alone!

Additionally, the Tamástslikt gift shop has many artistic items for sale, and can mean some great browsing. Many pieces are made by local craftspeople, and the staff behind the register know many as neighbors. You’ll also find the world-famous Pendleton blankets for sale, which are cherished gifts and still used for “give-aways” customary for tribal ceremonies. Limited edition Cayuse design blankets are sold only at the Museum Store at Tamástslikt, and can be a unique gift for someone special, or even for yourself.

The Tamástslikt Cultural Institute is just but one of several Native American cultural centers in the state. Remembering the contributions that the first Oregonians have made and continue to make is part of our Oregon 150 commemoration.

If you like treasure hunts, you’ll love this week’s “Grant’s Getaways” to one of the newest – oldest – sites that Oregon State Parks Department offers visitors across the state.

There’s simply nothing like what you’ll find “down by the old mill stream” at Thompson’s Mills State Heritage Area.

When Park Manager Doug Crispin tells the unique tale of Oregon history at one of the newest state park properties the 19th century comes to life. It is history that dates back more than 150 years to a time when leather belts wrapped wooden wheels to move augers and elevators that carried grain that gave life to the earliest settlers of the Willamette Valley.

It was a time when the Calapooia River produced hydro power that moved all manner of machinery at Thompson’s Mills near Shedd, Oregon. Crispin said that Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department was so impressed with the treasured landmark that they bought the mill, the cottage and the surrounding property a few years ago.

“Every time I walk through this mill and see the axe marks on these original timbers, it comes alive to me. I just marvel at the craftsmanship, the hard work and the ingenuity of our pioneer ancestors. Plus, the fact that it still stands today.”

Restoration efforts at the site continue and offer hands-on exhibits that show you how tons of grain was moved and then milled with giant limestone millstones. It’s a remarkable site with many hidden nooks and crannies according to Crispin, who added it is: …“the sort of place that demands exploration.”

It’s a wonderful step back into an earlier time and place that’s pretty much like it was – and that makes it all worth a visit.

If you’re a freethinking adventurer and roamer of roads, you are officially encouraged to take a road trip with a purpose: The Oregon 150 Challenge. Oregon’s Sesquicentennial celebration (going on right now) is a spectacular excuse to get out and explore your favorite nooks and investigate a new cranny or two, while taking advantage of special deals all over the state. Complete The Oregon 150 Challenge by visiting five of the thousands of notable, delicious, quirky and beautiful places in Oregon and you’ll be eligible to win a Grand Oregon Tour.

Start by making your dream list of places to visit at TravelOregon.com/Challenge.

Saturday morning greeted us with sunny, but cold weather, and we knew that this day was perfect for our trip. After a quick breakfast, we set toward our destination. By the time we arrived at the Astoria Column, the sun had hidden behind some clouds, but it was still clear and lovely out.

My boyfriend and I decided to split the sections of bricks in half and began our search. I was thrilled to find that not only had my grandma purchased a brick for me, she had also purchased one for herself!  Seeing her name, along with the year she graduated from Astoria High School (1942!) put a smile on my face for the rest of the day.

After posing with her brick, we still had more searching to do. We looked, and we looked, and we looked. I couldn’t find my brick anywhere! I suggested we ask for help in the Gift Shop, where an employee was able to look up my name and print me a detailed map with the location of my brick.

And, we found it…in the section I was in charge of searching. But, still, I was thrilled to find the wonderful gift my grandmother gave me so many years ago.  We weren’t able to climb the column on this visit, as it was closed for repairs, but I plan to visit my brick often and will surely climb the 164 steps soon!

Credit: OregonLive.com

I hear that train a comin’
It’s coming round the bend
If I’m a little lucky
There’s a steelhead at the end…

Well, that’s not exactly how the Johnny Cash song goes, but as I rode the Fish Train through the Wallowa River Canyon on a chilly March morning, I couldn’t help but think what Mr. Cash would have made of this fusion of angling and engines…and would he have fished flies or bait?

The Fish Train is the brainchild of the late Chuck Fleser, the proprietor of the Minam Motel & Market, and is operated in conjunction with the Wallowa Union Railroad that runs the popular Eagle Cap Excursion Train in more clement months. The Fish Train gives anglers seeking steelhead (an ocean going form of rainbow trout that can reach sizes of up to 12 pounds in these parts) access to sections of the Wallowa River that would otherwise be out of reach for all but the hardiest hikers. It also gives anyone who enjoys the outdoors a great excuse to visit lovely Northeastern Oregon in what has traditionally been a quiet season.

Twenty-odd passengers—most in waders, some simply along for the ride—ambled onto the Fish Train at 7 a.m., significantly more cheerful than the Manhattan-bound commuters I remember from my Connecticut youth. After all, our only “job” is to catch fish. The train includes a Pullman passenger car, retrofitted with tables, chairs and a makeshift kitchen; a freight car, which holds the cooler for take-home fish; and the engine.

As the train pulled away from the Minam Motel, our guide laid out the ground rules: “There are six good fishing holes along the seven-and-a-half miles we travel. When you want to fish, let me know, and the engineer will stop,” he says. “When you want to be picked up, wave your hands over your head; don’t just wave, or we’ll wave back and keep going!” He tells us we can keep up to three hatchery fish, which are marked by a clipped adipose fin. And if we’re fishing at the end of the line near Kimmel, we have to be on the train by 3:30, “‘cause that’s when the train is heading home.”  

A few inches of snow had fallen the previous evening, giving the canyon a frosty iridescence as we rolled north. In the summer, many rafters float this lovely stretch of the Wallowa to savor the scenery, take a swim and otherwise enjoy the unspoiled canyon (this section of the Wallowa was designated a “Wild and Scenic River” in 1996, and is the primary gateway to longer floats on the Grande Ronde). Once we were a few miles down the tracks, I got off the train with my buddy Geoff to fish the “43” hole, which was recommended for fly fishers. I went upstream. Geoff went down. We agreed we’d reconnect at lunchtime.

Winter steelhead fishing has its inherent challenges, not the least of which is cold. Cold air that freezes the line in the guides of your rod, and cold water that relieves you of feeling below your waist. The Fish Train goes to great lengths to cancel cold from the equation. After fishing the “43” hole with no success, I scrambled up the banks of the river to walk the tracks. A few minutes later, I heard the whistle, flagged the engine, and was soon sitting in a warm car, sipping hot coffee, watching my fellow fishers make their casts…and congratulating myself on the good judgment to jump aboard. Hot coffee gave way to a lunch of hot beef stew. Then the sun poked out as the Fish Train made its last run down the canyon, and I was back out on the river.

At a pool around the bend from Kimmel, my line tightened, then tore from the reel. A few minutes later I had a small native steelhead on the bank. As I eased it back into the Wallowa, the whistle blew.

The Fish Train would soon be heading out. And though I figured another fish or two might be lurking in the lower reaches of the pool, I didn’t want to be left behind.

AND WHAT’S MORE…
THE FISH TRAIN runs on Saturdays and Sundays in February and March. Full-day fishing trips, including a hot lunch, are $65 for adults and $15 for children under 14. Half-day trips (without lunch) are $30 for adults and $10 for kids. (Note: You must provide your own equipment.)

Reservations should be made through the Minam Motel & Market (541.437.4475 or 877.888.8130; www.MinamMotel.com). The motel also offers lodging packages, with rooms beginning at $68 for double occupancy. More lodging is available at the nearby Stampede Inn (541.437.2441, www.StampedeInn.com).
Prices subject to change.

EAGLE CAP EXCURSION TRAIN
The same train also offers a number of non-fishing
excursions throughout the year.
800.323.7330, www.EagleCapTrain.com

RESTAURANTS
We enjoyed one of the best steaks in recent memory at Ten Depot Street (541.963.8766) in La Grande. Also in La Grande, we stopped for a wholesome brunch at Foley Station (541.963.7473).

FLY SHOPPING
We visited Four Seasons Fly Shoppe (541.963.8420, www.4SeasonsFly.com)
in La Grande to buy flies. The Minam Motel & Market has a decent selection of tackle for anglers using conventional gear.

Editor’s Note: Chris Santella is a freelance writer and marketing consultant based in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker, Travel & Leisure, and Fly Rod & Reel, among other publications. He is also the author of Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die.

The fun begins Friday. A very strong cold front will charge through Oregon that evening, bringing heavy snow and very strong winds to the mountains. At this point, I expect a bona fide blizzard… with at least 12 inches of new snow from Friday evening through midday Saturday. In the best case scenario, there could be up to 2 feet of new snow by midday Sunday. And the snow level will be low enough such that heavy snow will fall at all ski areas regardless of elevation.

If this storm delivers what I expect, then there may be enough snow to get some of the lifts turning at the ski areas by late this weekend or early next week.

Keep thinking snow,

Drew