In and Out of Idaho to Hells Canyon

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

  

This is our last day in Oregon for we leave in the morning for Idaho or so we thought. 

Leaving Baker City we take a drive east toward the small town of Halfway, OR which is again one of those old towns with old buildings and houses and supposedly about halfway to Hells Canyon we guess (though we are not actually sure).  Hells Canyon is our objective for the day.

 Hells Canyon is North America’s deepest gorge  at 7,993 feet.  The byway is actually 218 miles long and takes you through 11 communities.  The Byway encircles the Wallowa Mountains and the route follows the contours of the land from river edge to mountaintop to valley floor.  We will travel but a small portion of this Byway today.

The road we take is Hells Canyon Scenic Byway which is two lane and winds through the hills and mountains with the Powder River running alongside for a while and valleys filled with fields of alfalfa, cattle and farm  houses and barns. This is in contrast to the dry grassy hills and mountains in which these valleys sit.  It is very, very dry here and fire danger is extreme.  

Arriving in Halfway we do our usual drive around to see what is here.  Not too much, but low and behold we do find a very nice quilt shop which of course I cannot resist.  They even have a coffee shop inside where Ron makes himself at home drinking coffee and perusing some free literature from the area while I shop.  I find some fabric for a backing on a wall hanging I have designed and also some Christmas fabric for a couple of Christmas projects I will do for gifts for the family.

Note the price of gas on the sign

Moving along further, we near the town of Oxbow where believe it or not we cross into Idaho and the Mountain Time Zone by crossing the river.  Here the river is the state border for the two states.  

Now this road becomes even more windy as it winds its way around the reservoir to the dam some 40 more miles away.   There is very little activity on the lake but the scenery is beautiful.  Further along the way is a nice campground with a boat launch where we see a few small RV’s and some people using tents.   

About this time we decide that we have had enough of this road, it is getting late and seeing the dam is no longer a priority in our day so we turn around and head back to Baker City once more in Oregon and the Pacific Time Zone until tomorrow.