Day 3: Joseph to Hells Canyon

Our next destination was Hells Canyon along the Snake River on the Oregon – Idaho border. We were hoping to drive through the Wallowa Mountains to get there, but the rangers in Joseph told us that the snow was lingering longer than usual on the high altitude roads, so we would have to drive around. So we headed back the way we came and then went south to La Grande and took the back roads to Halfway. This tiny western town was named so because it is located halfway between Cornucopia and Pine, in other words, halfway between nowhere and nowhere. We found some information about Cornucopia, a ghost town in the foothills of the Wallowas, and decided to go check it out.

The road to Cornucopia was unpaved, but in good shape. The name of the town eludes to the amount of gold found there. It was said that the area held the largest gold ore body in the Pacific Northwest, even possibly the United States. There was a bit more going on there than we expected. There were several small cabins and some old run-down larger structures, but the cabins seemed like they still got some use. We drove as far as we could until the road was covered in a winter’s worth of snow. The heavy mining activity was evidenced by heaping mounds of tailings along the shoulders of the creek. This was something we would see much more of on our trip in the coming days.

From there, we backtracked to Halfway and then headed northeast along the Snake River to Idaho. The highway hugged beautiful canyons as we approached the river. And then, in a tiny town called Oxbow, we unceremoniously crossed the Snake into Idaho. We knew this area to be one of the most remote places in the US. Only three roads even got close to the canyon and no other roads crossed the river. We saw only a handful of people on the 22 mile road to Hells Canyon Dam. We found a campground that appeared to just be some dirt tracks with a few flat areas for camping. They did have some nice toilets which I fully appreciated. There wasn’t any accessible water, though, so Evie and I set up camp while my husband drove back to get some water.

While he was gone I heard a truck come from another direction and stop below us. They turned up their music, it was Pink Floyd. I have to say it was a bit of a trip to be there with just Evie while hearing, hello, hello, hello? Is there anybody in there? With no other evidence of life around us whatsoever. It was like we were in a movie with a soundtrack. My husband returned and we made some dinner and read pamphlets about the Snake River dams to Evie before bedtime.  While she slept, we took our sleeping bags out and watched the sun set. The stars started to appear and I waited to see a spectacular show, but a haze moved in. I settled for a handful of shooting stars.

Day 4: Hells Canyon to Kimberly

The next morning we woke up to what sounded like turkeys. It was sprinkling rain. We had some oatmeal breakfast and then headed farther into the canyon toward the dam. We saw some turkeys on the road just after we left the campground which solved that mystery. The canyon was much more green than I expected, probably only because it was May. The walls of the canyon were tinted sage green, the color of lichen. They plunged into the depths of the river and we couldn’t fathom how you could get down into the canyon from the top. It seems impossible.

We reached the Hells Canyon Dam and drove across it, stopping to look over the edge as the water rushed to freedom. From here, the river regained some of its wildness and remoteness. We were now back in Oregon as we drove to the end of the road which terminates at a visitor center. It was closed and seemingly abandoned as there were no other cars or people. We walked down a little bit into the canyon, beads of mist gathered on our hair.

The chilly rain persuaded us to move along and hit the road again. We enjoyed one last drive back down through the canyon before we headed toward Baker City. Once there we stopped for a break and had lunch at the Lone Pine Café, where I had another incredible meal that has to be one of my favorites of all time. While we devoured our food we scoured the map to determine our route for the day. We planned a short side trip to the old mining town of Sumpter complete with saloon and abandoned dredge.

As we headed into the mountains from Sumpter, we encountered a snow storm again. We drove up over a pass through a forest of trees and then all of the sudden the road just flattened into straight nothingness. No trees or hills, just a few chilly cows. We were on some kind of plateau in the middle of nowhere. Eventually we reached the tiny town of Long Creek where we stopped for some gas and food. We walked into the one store in town and got some looks. I have a feeling this town does not have a booming tourist business.

Eventually things started looking normal again and the snow let up only to be replaced with pouring rain. The wind was howling too as we winded along the John Day river.  We found a tiny campground on BLM land outside of Kimberly and set up camp in the rain and wind. My husband set up the tent and then Evie and I took shelter and set up the inside. Our new tent was standing up well to the wind so far. Once we got everything set up and ate a cold supper, the rain stopped and the sky cleared to reveal the top of the mountain directly across the river from us.

 

 

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