The main reason we went to the Inland Northwest was to run some races. It also became an excuse to experience a part of the country I hadn’t explored much. Either way, the first of the races was finally about to begin.
The Oregon Race
We walked through the dark to a park along the Umatilla River in Pendleton (map) for the first race in Mainly Marathon‘s Northwest Series. It was a cold morning — colder than anything predicted for the entire week by several degrees. Fortunately I threw-in a lightweight jacket before I left on the trip as a contingency. It was enough.
Hilly terrain surrounded Pendleton but the land along the river ran along a flat plain. Reasonable temperatures, low humidity, and level terrain made this a particularly fast course. We ran the out-and-backs so typical of a Mainly Marathons event, on a paved path atop a levee as the sun rose and the air warmed. I finished the first half marathon with a time of 1:53.
I’ve never attempted three half marathons in five days before so I ran fairly conservatively the first day, leaving some energy for the remaining two. I wanted to finish each race in under two hours so this was a good start. I ran a bit slower than my usual pace but I wasn’t running just one race, I was running three. So I had to regulate myself.
Afterwards we had the rest of the day to explore.
Exploring South and East
My plan was to drive east of Pendleton, adding Union and Wallowa Counties to my county counting list.
An Extreme Reservation
First up, just outside of town, I visited a previously referenced Twelve Mile Circle geo-oddity in person. Back in 2013 I called it the “Pendleton Split” in the article Extreme Reservations. Here the eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 84 separate by about 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) avoiding difficult terrain. This is quite unusual and the Pendleton Split represents perhaps the widest directional separation in the U.S. Interstate Highway System.
So of course I wanted to drive there and experience it in person. As a bonus, we drove the eastbound track that included a rest stop and an observation deck within the split, near the summit. I could see for miles on a clear morning, peering into the rolling hills.
Historic Arch Bridge
I love traveling through wide-open spaces. However, with the exception of abundant rugged scenery, there wasn’t a lot to see. We have to make due with what’s available in those situations. For example, I probably wouldn’t stop at something like the Upper Perry Arch Bridge (map) ordinarily, but it’s perfectly fine while driving towards remote La Grange, Oregon.
This bridge was the product of Conde McCullough, Oregon’s prolific bridge engineer from the first third of the 20th Century. It formed part of the old Oregon Trail Highway from the 1920’s until about 1960 when Interstate 84 made it obsolete. The structure began to decay afterwards, although it’s been restored in recent years and cars can drive across it like we did.
Plus it was a nice place to get off the highway for a moment and marvel at the architecture. I always appreciate a good bridge.
La Grande Cabin
Next we arrived on the outskirts of La Grande, the largest community in Union County, nestled scenically within the Grande Ronde Valley. The original Oregon Trail crossed here two centuries ago although people didn’t settle in town until the 1860’s.
A little pioneer cabin sits within Gangloff Park on the main route into town. Google Maps considered it a “landmark” and that’s all I needed to stop for a look (map). From what I gathered through cursory checking, it’s called Clemens’ Cabin and it was moved here from the Old Town area of La Grande. It’s small and pretty unremarkable, truth be told. But it’s interesting from an historical perspective and I’m glad the city preserved it.
Side A Brewing
I hadn’t eaten anything since the race in Pendleton so we stopped for lunch in La Grande. Naturally it involved a brew pub; this one called Side A Brewing within the quaint downtown area. I wondered what “Side A” meant — because I always wonder about such things — and it’s a firefighting term.
When firefighters arrive at a burning building they designate the front of the structure the “Alpha” side (e.g., Side A), and then rotate clockwise, assigning Bravo, Charlie, and Delta sides. This allows them to better coordinate an effective response. It made perfect sense for a brewpub that occupied a former firehouse.
Eastern Oregon Fire Museum
What made even more sense was that the Eastern Oregon Fire Museum and Learning Center occupied the other side of building (map). It was a separate entity (owned by the Union County Museum Society) but visitors could access it directly from the brewpub lobby.
I found information online saying the museum was “open by appointment” but I guess that also meant “open while the brewpub is open.” It included several antique firetrucks and some small exhibits too. I think this may have been my first colocated brewery / non-beer museum visit. It definitely enhanced our visit to La Grande.
Minam
My travel tolerances shifts in sparsely settled areas. For instance, normally I wouldn’t detour more than a handful of miles to capture a new county. In this case I added a solid 20 miles (32 km) on the odometer simply to touch Wallowa County and immediately return.
Counties are huge out here and it’s worth the hassle to fill a big empty space on my map (Wallowa is bigger than Delaware!). Plus, Wallowa is pretty obscurely-situated at Oregon’s far northeastern corner. No major cities exist out here and no Interstate highways run through it. What other opportunity might I ever have to be here? So I clipped the corner and called it good.
Route 82 descends sharply into a forested canyon where it then follows the Minam River for awhile, and finally crosses the county line near the Minam’s confluence with the Wallowa River (map). That’s where I turned around and headed back. I think I made it a solid couple hundred feet into Wallowa County.
Prodigal Son Brewing
Then we completed the loop and returned to Pendleton in time for dinner. We selected another brewpub, this time The Prodigal Son Brewery. Notice the neon on the sign. Lots of businesses in downtown Pendleton seemed to feature neon. It highlighted an enjoyable walk through the city when the sun set on our third day.
Leave a Reply