Baker City, Oregon

August 1 - 2, 2019:

I’m on the road at about 8 AM traveling from Pendleton, Oregon on route 84 to Baker City, Oregon. The road climbs steeply from the Wildhorse travel center to Deadman's Pass which affords a great view of the valley below.  This is all Indian reservation land of course, you can’t farm this land, that’s why they let the Indians keep it.

This was also the route of the Oregon Trail and I make a stop at Emigrant Spring State Park which was a popular camping spot on the Oregon Trail due to the availability of water.  There is a monument there that was dedicated by president Harding.

There is a nice little campground there today 

I also ride a few miles away to the town of Meacham where President Harding arrived by train and stayed and it is claimed that for that day it was the Nations Capital. The railroad still runs freight service through with some sort of maintenance yard and a small general store is about all that remains.

This old cabin was about the most interesting thing in town

A well known landmark for travelers in the area was a lone pine tree that could be seen for many miles.  It was cut down in 1843 by: "some inconsiderate immigrant axe" according to famous explorer John Fremont.

Thereafter it was the "lone pine stump"

I left the highway for an hour to visit the town of La Grande which has a very nice historic downtown.  It has a huge railroad depot, but it's all freight train traffic now.  The Liberty Theater is under restoration, it seems that all the towns with these old theaters are now saving them, it’s about time as so many were demolished in years past.

The Liberty Theater

Great sign on the Hideout Saloon

Beautiful restored building in town

The Granada Theater

La Grande Train Depot appears to still be used for freight
train crews and maintenance activity

Beautiful details on end of depot

I arrive at Baker City around noon time and head straight to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.  It is a BLM facility, a few miles outside of town where the Oregon Trail actually went through.  There is a short trail that you can take to see the wheel ruts, but actually they aren’t very exciting or convincing, kind of looks like any other back country road.  I was at another of these BLM centers at another location and it was set up in the same way with excellant life size dioramas depicting travel on the Oregon Trail.  They are the best interpretative centers, possibly better than the National Parks which seems odd to me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Historic_Oregon_Trail_Interpretive_Center

One of several such life size dioramas

You never read this in the history books

They really do an amazing job with these

It was all about expanding the empire

These Indians were rich with horses

How many horses did it take to pull a wheat combine ?

A group off reproduction wagons were set up, it looked so real 

Trail to the Oregon Trail wagon ruts

These are the wagon ruts' 

Another Oregon Trail monument nearby

On the way to the BLM Interpretive Center you pass what appears to be am old farm equipment junk yard that is more interesting to me than the trail ruts, but sadly not open to the public.

This was only a quarter of the collection

I had made a reservation at the Eldorado Inn, time for a big bed , a TV, a long shower and a beard trim.  After checking in I ride a mile to the historic downtown, park and go for a walk.  I’m tiring of carrying my heavy 35mm camera, decide to just use the iPhone. I’m finding that the iPhone is just the right focal length and is some times more reliable at capturing well balanced exposures in difficult light situations.  You can’t blow them up for large photos but its fine for the blog.

The indoor pool is torn apart

Baker City has a very nice downtown area, lots of good architecture, many restaurants and cafes and many nice shops.  This is another town on the route of    the Oregon Trail.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_City,_Oregon

The Geiser Grand Hotel lives up to the name

The fast flowing Powder River runs through town,
this was taken next the public library

The Eltrym Theater

Lots of fine stone work in Baker City 

The Baker City Hall

Lots of goof architecture 

Baker City was a mining town

Hamburger Building was really nice

Also the White House

The tallest building for many many miles

A man in front of the Main Event Sports Bar tells me that they have a very good music jam session on Thursday nights.  I return later to find he is correct, they are playing 60's and 70’s music mainly, stuff you don’t hear so often anymore and doing it well.  No one has a good voice but the guitar playing is good.  I initially don’t think they are very good, but after a couple of beers, they start sounding better and better, I don’t want to leave.  These guys have been doing this for a while, this is a regular Thursday event, they know these songs well and are having a great time playing them, it’s feels good.

The Main Event was interesting

The band was a little rough but sounded okay

I spend most of the next day getting an oil change, doing laundry, going to the library and then in the evening I try out another music venue.  I found time to visit the Baker Heritage Museum in mid afternoon  which is a typical county museum with a mix of everything but I really enjoyed the special exhibit on Wally Byam, the founder of the Airstream Trailer who spent his childhood in Baker City.  They also have a incredible mineral and fossil collection by two woman collectors.  Last but not least is a huge collection of movie stuff on the classic film, Paint Your Wagon, shot near Baker City.  The building itself has a history, it was built as a Natatorium, which I had never heard before.  A Natatorium is a indoor swimming pool that was a big deal when built, it was filled in during WWII for use in the war effort and never returned to its former use.

They refer to the museum as the Museum at the "Nat"

Painting by CCC artist H. Leonard Lopp

They had a huge exhibit on the movie Paint Your Wagon

Old photo of the Natatorium

One of the "rock hound" ladies

Wally Byam was quite a character

Wally also had design and promotional ability to match

He had many interesting quotes that I could agreed with

Old wheat threashing machines are cool

It’s Friday Night and I go to A.J's corner Brick Bar and Grill where a duo is playing who are very good.  The woman who does most of the vocals is in fact really talented, they are also doing mostly 60-70’s music and she has a great voice.

I need to pick up the pace now or alter my travel plan as I’m way behind where I should be and my time is running out.  I’m running all day, very little relaxation and still I can’t do all I want to, very frustrating, time is not on my side. 

Next stop is Boise, Idaho.