Cindi's Blog
Title: Promise
Date: 04/30/08
If you have been reading any of the other blogs, I often pull from a really great book called ABOUT WALLOWA COUNTY. This is another entry from it that I think is interesting!
The settlement of Promise was twenty five miles north of the town of Wallowa. The first two homesteaders came in 1891 and were considering what to call this new area. There were other places called Garden of Eden and Paradise not too far away, so they decided their settlement would be the Promised Land. It was call this until the post office opened in 1896 and shortened it to Promise. Their population in 1900 was 181. The Post office later closed in 1944.
Title: Chief Joseph Royalty
Date: 04/11/08
You can always tell that it really is Spring when the Chief Joseph Days Royalty starts knocking on your door trying to sell the tickets to the Rodeo. Paige Bailey was the first girl that came to our door to offer tickets. Our neighbor says that the first one that comes down our road will be the one that wins Queen as she is willing to exhaust all avenues and try the parts of the County that aren't right on the beaten path. We will have to see if that holds true!
If you haven't purchased tickets yet, you can still get them by visiting the Chief Joseph Days website. The tickets will be on sale up until the event, but the girls use the ticket sales towards points that are then figured into who gets to wear the honor of Queen. Other grading points are riding and speaking.
I am not familiar with all of the girls, but I do know that Paige is the Granddaughter of David and Darlene Turner, and that family is deeply rooted to the start of Chief Joseph Days. Don't quote me on this, but I believe that it was Darlene's father that started Chief Joseph Days, so Paige would be his great grand daughter. Also, Darlene was a Court Member (queen, I think??), and her Mom, Aunts and other cousins have already come before her to wear the honors too.
We wish the girls luck, and hope they have a great summer representing our beautiful Wallowa County!
Title: Summer Fun Around The Corner!
Date: 04/02/08
While there is still a little bit of snow left at Wallowa Lake, summer is coming, which brings about several fun things to do while staying at Wallowa Lake!
One of my favorite things to do is ride the Tramway. This 15 minute gondola cart ride takes you to the top of Mount Howard and offers 2 miles of pretty easy hiking trails. You have a view that seems as if it goes forever with views of 3 different states on really clear days.
Eagle Cap Pack Stations is another one of our favorite places to stop by. They have little ponies that our kids love riding, but if you have more time, you could go on one of their day rides on very gentle horses. Feel more like hanging in the water? Then, maybe enjoy their parasailing. I have yet to try this, but have heard really great reports that it is quite fun! This company was awarded the Red Carpet Award by our local Chamber of Commerce for outstanding service. Stop in and see why!
Wallowa Lake Karts offers go carts and mini golf as well as a basketball hoop. I love riding the go carts and racing around the track trying to beat my nephews. I haven't yet, and haven't at the little mini golf either, but I keep trying!
Joe's Place also has a bumper boat area, mini golf, and the best pizza at Wallowa Lake! Hard ice cream, and an arcade, and our kids are in 7th heaven!
The Marina offers sweatshirts or clothing or trinkets to take home, and also offers boat rentals (small size). These are the people in the know on the best fishing, where to go, and what to use!
The Matterhorn has a fun shop full of all sorts of treasures, and has an old fashioned soda shop in the back that makes really good Rootbeer Floats!
Heidi's Gift Shop was also awarded the Red Carpet Service Award for outstanding Customer Service. She offers a wide variety of items from all over the world. There is a little bit of everything in this store, so you will have to take some time and go thru it yourself!
Several restaurants offer good food and good service. Glacier Grill has fantastic prime rib and sandwiches. Vali's offers fun atmosphere and to die for chocolate cake, plus a fixed menu every night, but a really great place to eat! Russell's has the best milkshake/fries/burger meal, and has for as many years as I can remember. The Lodge offers piano by Gail Swart during your dining pleasure, which is a nice touch to a nice meal.
Wherever you decide to spend your time, you will make wonderful memories while at Wallowa Lake! We hope we can be a part of making those memories by providing you with a clean and comfortable home! Until next time--Cindi
Title: Still snowing at Wallowa Lake
Date: 03/25/08
It still is snowing at Wallowa Lake--so for those of you that are seeing flowers popping up out of the ground, and perhaps blooming, we are still experiencing a really great winter!
I was driving to the lake yesterday and was enjoying the mountains as I was headed up that way. They are so full of snow right now and you can really see the definition of all of the peaks and valleys and the snow drift that is at the very top of the tips of the mountains. It really was a very beautiful drive and made me fall in love with our mountains all over again, if that is possible.
We have a few places left for the Spring Break Holiday, so if you have a spare couple of days, we hope you can come up and stay with us! One of our most popular homes is the Black Bear Cottage which sits upon 165 feet of Wallowa River frontage and offers queen log beds and a propane fireplace. It really is a cute little place! So, if you can sneak away, call us! We are offering this home for $100 a night! We look forward to visiting with you--Cindi and Crew.
Title: Spring Break
Date: 03/12/08
Spring Break is almost upon us, but you would not know it from the amount of snow that is still up at Wallowa Lake! Everything is accessible, but you won't need your flip flops quite yet!
We still have openings on Spring Break, so load up the family and come and enjoy our winter wonderland! Most of the businesses are still closed up at the resort side of Wallowa Lake, but you will find restaurants, shopping, hiking, skiing, and sledding still available in other parts of the County!
We hope to see you! Cindi & Crew
Title: Snowmobiling out in the North Country
Date: 02/20/08
We spent the weekend snowmobiling out "North" last weekend with my parents and had an absolutely fantastic weekend! We left on Sunday morning and spent the night in a cabin and then came home on Monday. The weather was incredible, company was fantastic, and the snow was pure perfection!
While the cabin was a little primitive compared to what you would stay at while staying with us here at Wallowa Lake Vacation Rentals, it provided us with shelter, cooking facilities, and the opportunity to spend two days with our family. I don't know if we could have improved upon the weekend, other than perhaps another day??
Check out the photo gallery if you would like to see some of the fun we had out there.
In the meantime, we hope you are enjoying the last bit of winter, and preparing for Spring! All the best--Cindi
Title: Girls Weekend
Date: 02/13/08
I had the opportunity to spend a night up at Wallowa Lake last weekend with some of my best girlfriends that I have known for basically my whole life. What a fantastic weekend we had laughing about the days of high school, discussing our current lives which are wrapped around kids, family, jobs, etc., and where we were headed for in the future with politics, kids growing up, jobs, etc. I think we truly touched on about everything on the spectrum of life, and it occurred to me how truly lucky I am to have these girlfriends in my life.
We stayed at the Ruby Peak Haven home and really got a full appreciation for what a great winter we have had so far! The trip up to the house was easily done in a 4x4 vehicle, and as we climbed up the mountain to the house, we were impressed with the quantity of snow. There has to be 3-4 feet of snow up there! We keep the road and driveway plowed so we always have access to the house, and where the snow has been piled for containment, it is probably 6 feet tall! The trees have a heavy layer of snow on them, and the roof has probably 2 feet of snow on it as well. It truly is a winter wonderland up there!
Our day was spent mostly playing games, eating, enjoying a few cocktails, watching a movie, going for walks, taking pictures, and a quick snowball fight before the ones that started the fight dashed into the house for their protection. The Ruby Peak Haven house fit our needs perfectly! There was plenty of room for all of us to stretch out, but also plenty of sleeping area as well. Each of us had our own bed, and plenty of space to do our own thing.
On the drive home from Wallowa Lake, I thought about how truly fortunate I am. I live in Wallowa County, have a great husband, 2 children that I adore, great family and friends and a job that I truly enjoy. I am blessed. It really was a fantastic weekend!
I hope that you are enjoying this quieter time of the year, and that you are doing things that bring joy to your life. Until next time, Cindi
Title: Cold but Clear!
Date: 01/25/08
Boy, it has sure been cold here that last week, but what does extra extra (EXTRA!) cold weather bring about??? Beautiful, clear, crisp mornings with frozen fog on the trees which make for some really fantastic pictures!
If the sight of frost on the horses hairs each morning doesn't make you think that it is DANG cold, then maybe it is the ice starting to form over the lake. It won't be long until Wallowa Lake is frozen and you will start to see people ice skating and geese and ducks walking on top of the ice instead of swimming in the lake.
While the weather is on the cold side, we still have numerous homes and cabins available. We offer private homes at the resort side of Wallowa Lake, as well as private homes on the shores of Wallowa Lake. Give us a call, and let one of our staff help you find your perfect home!
CindiTitle: Hell's Canyon and the Snake River
Date: 01/09/08
If you have read previous blogs, you know that I love the book ABOUT WALLOWA COUNTY, by Ellie Belew, because it truly covers every inch of our nice little County! Here is another entry from her book....Enjoy!
Hells Canyon sits on the eastern edge of Wallowa County and drops from Hat Point to the Snake River almost 6000 feet below! Hells Canyon is the deepest river carved gorge in the lower 48 states, and is at the heart of this very rugged country!
The elevation difference provides the opportunity for diverse plan life and various wildlife communitities. Summer temps at night may reach 30 degrees, to more than 100 degrees closer to the Snake River.
From the late 1800's to the early 1900's, this land was used for camps for sheep and cattle grazings, and a few homesteads on the benchs along the Snake River. Some mining has been attempted, but cattle grazing continues today in a small portion of the wilderness.
The Hells Canyon National Rec Area, straddles the Snake River and covers Idaho and Oregon. The Hells Canyon Wilderness comprises nearly 215,000 acres within the HCNRA.
Title: Twas almost the night before Christmas
Date: 12/23/07
T'was almost the night before Christmas, and all thru our house, not a creature is asleep yet!
The kids are so excited for Christmas, and Santa, that they are having a hard time settling into bed. I am surprised, though, that they aren't wiped out, because we spent the whole day in the woods today and supposedly fresh air knocks people out....maybe that is the over 18 years of age crowd?
Today was the first day that we took our snowmobiles out to Sled Springs area and ran them around. It was so unbelievably beautiful out there, so very quiet, and did I mention beautiful? There is something so awe inspiring about being in the woods in the snow.....it is so quiet that you swear you can hear the flakes hit the ground. Today, there were such huge flakes that they quickly covered our pickup, and our impromptu picnic. Huge, fat, fluffy flakes that just fell heavily on the earth....it was a magical experience!
Sometimes we take our snowmobiles and go out to Salt Creek Summit because that is where the best snow is, the groomed trails, and the warming shack, but it is also where all of the people go, and today, our family just needed some quiet family time before Christmas, New Years, and tax prep time comes around.
We rode around for a couple of hours, covering ground that is my husbands old stomping ground for elk, and also the ground that he introduced me to this year for my first elk hunt. It sure looks different with about 2 feet of snow covering it!
A great day was definitely had by all!
Until next time, we hope that you and yours have a great Christmas and a safe New Years! Cindi and Crew
| Events |
|---|
| Sagebrush Scramble Quilt Shop Hop |
| 06/02/08 |
| During the SAGEBRUSH SCRAMBLE quilt shop “hop” quilters will tumble through eleven quilt shops throughout eastern Oregon, including three in Wallowa County. Held June 2-7, 2008, the grand prize of $1,100 in gift certificates will be awarded to one lucky “hopper.” Other goodies include prizes, drawings, refreshments, and most importantly, awesome fabrics! For more information and to pick up a passport contact Cattle Country Quilts in Joseph, www.CattleCountryQuilts.com, or call 541-432-6669. Date: June 2-7, 2008 |
| Courthouse Concert Series |
| 06/05/08 |
| Free concerts all summer at the Courthouse Gazebo in Enterprise, 5:30-7:00pm. Bring your picnic dinner and enjoy the music. Visit our website for more details.Date: Every Thursday 5:30 - 7:00 starting in June - August, 2008 |
| Wallowa Valley Festival of Arts--26th Annual |
| 06/06/08 |
| Juried fine art show with display and sale of original art in a variety of media: painting, drawing, photography sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, fiber. Artists from anywhere may participate. Date: June 6-8, 2008 |
| Flora Days |
| 06/07/08 |
| Demonstrations of old time skills and activities (weaving, spinning, wood cookstove use and more); entertainment by cowboy poets, old time musicians, story tellers; plow bee with horses and mules; tours of the school, walking tours of the town, wagon tours of the town; dutch oven lunch and pie social available too. Come Join the fun! Date: June 7, 2008 |
| Oregon Mountain Car Cruise |
| 06/13/08 |
| Two hundred cars on main street Joseph. Dance to 50-60's music at the community center at 9:00pm. Pre registration required. Date: June 13 & 14, 2008 |
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