Day Two – Familiar Territory

Today we set out from Burns to Enterprise. Within minutes of leaving our hotel, we left the high desert and entered a beautiful alpine forest. We alternated the two terrains several times. We followed the Grande Ronde river and saw several fly fishermen.

We stopped in Ukiah for a late breakfast at a greasy spoon/bar – The Thicket.  Quaint little place.

We were held up for quite a while for road construction but these roads were beautiful and so much fun to ride.  There are many farms lining the way and this one was growing mint – it smelled incredible.

We began to see the stunning mountains of the Eagle Cap Wilderness that signal the towns of Enterprise and Joseph are just minutes away.

We arrived at the vista point entering Enterprise. Tom took this panoramic photo while I spied a deer grazing below us.

This area is Nez Perce territory and has a long and tragic history which is explained below.

After checking in at our hotel, we rode into Joseph, a town named for Chief Joseph. It houses multiple breweries and is known for its bronze foundry. Each August they host a Bronze, Blues and Brews Festival which Tom attends faithfully. Below are some pictures of the darling little town.

After an ice cream refreshment in Joseph, we rode out to Wallowa Lake. This is a beautiful alpine lake that was teaming with people on boats, kayaks, canoes and paddle boards. A vast difference from when Cathy had seen it in winter with its surrounding covered in snow.

Below is a picture of the Wallowa River at the point it flows into its namesake lake.

After some time taking in the lake, we headed back into Enterprise. Here is their city hall – a beautiful building.

We walked over to Terminal Gravity Brewery for dinner. It’s a unique venue that has patio table seating inside and out. You never know who you’ll be dining with. Tonight a group of twenty somethings sat with us and told us about their hiking adventure. They asked where we were from and we in turn asked about them. They were all nuclear scientists whose work was to make nuclear waste safe.  They called it viticulture which we thought meant the study of grape cultivation. Hmmm. Learn something new everyday.  

The beer was delicious and so was the food. The live music left a little to be desired so we finished up the meal and returned to our room.  We have a long day tomorrow so we’re hitting the sack early tonight. Montana, here we come!