Jubilee Lake

Jubilee Lake, Umatilla National Forest, Oregon       © Diane B. Reed

We finally made it to Jubilee Lake in the Umatilla National Forest in the Blue Mountains of Oregon. Although it's not that far from home, we had never been there. Getting there involves a fair stretch of gravel road, but it's well worth the trip. The lake, which the Forest Service created by damming Mottet Creek in the late 1960s, is popular for swimming, fishing, and non-motorized boating including kayaking and canoeing. It's high up in the Blues at 4,824 feet so it's a popular spot in the heat of the summer.

© Diane B. Reed

There is a large campground at the lake and a number of picnic sites for day use. We had thought that it might be a nice place to camp for a weekend. But our day trip to the lake changed our mind. We were dismayed to see trash all over the place in the parking lot and in the picnic area. A walk along the lake trail became an exercise in dodging dog excrement. When we were trying to enjoy our picnic dinner at a picnic table a loose dog ran over, jumped on us and stole some of our food. So while the lake is a beautiful spot, we've taken it off our list of potential camping spots. We'd rather go over to Wallowa Lake State Park, a beautiful and well-managed campground.

Mottet Creek                © Diane B. Reed

Why do people think that its okay to throw trash all over the place? And why do some dog owners believe that the leash laws (including the one posted at Jubilee Lake) don't apply to them? And why do they think that they can just let their dogs defecate anywhere and they don't have to clean it up? And can't they understand that not everyone wants to have a strange dog jump on them and steal their food?

So enjoy these pictures, but keep in mind they don't show the garbage, loose dogs, or the excrement. It's a shame, because it's otherwise a beautiful spot.

Amber Waves of Grain

Wheat Harvest near Dixie, WA                                             © Diane B. Reed

"Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain . . ." I find myself singing these lines a lot at this time of the year. Wheat harvest is underway in eastern Washington. The combines are harvesting wheat in the hills of the Palouse, leaving a trail of dust and fields of stubble. Trucks are lined up to receive the bounty, and grain elevators are overflowing. If you pass the grain elevators on the Snake River you'll see cone-shaped mountains of wheat, ready to be loaded into the barges to go down the Columbia River and to the rest of the world.

collection of Fort Walla Walla Museum

Although the harvesting has changed over the years, dry wheat farming has been the biggest agricultural pursuit in the Walla Walla Valley and north through the Palouse since the 1860s. Technology has brought bigger and better combines, and the massive mule teams have long been retired. 

 Nowadays we're seeing more and more vineyards, an increasing number of  garbanzo bean fields but, without irrigation, the wheat fields will stay wheat fields. This year the Midwest drought has made crops from the Pacific Northwest even more important. We've been fortunate that despite a wet spring our weather has been otherwise normal this summer.

Grain elevators north of Walla Walla              © Diane B. Reed

Oh, and there's another phenomenon that occurs around the same time as the wheat harvest. I was having coffee with some friends here in W² recently and someone commented excitedly about a big cloud of black smoke they had seen on their way in to town. One of the long-time Walla Wallans at the table snickered under her breath. Natives and long-time residents know that burning fields is a common practice to remove stubble. When you've lived here for awhile you get used to it. It can appear to be pretty spectacular, but it's over remarkably quickly. 

© Diane B. Reed 

Between the wheat harvesting and the back-to-school ads in the newspaper, it's clear that summer has begun to tip into fall.  Happy harvest!

A Tourist in my own Valley

Castillo de Feliciana Vineyard and Winery. Photo taken by my sister Laurie on her iPad.

My fantastic sisters, who live in Massachusetts (one on the Cape and the other in the Pioneer Valley) recently came for a visit. Since they'd never been here before we decided to spend part of their visit hanging around the Walla Walla Valley. I highly recommend being a tourist right here at home. First on our agenda was browsing downtown Walla Walla, and lunch at The Green Spoon was delish. A Friday night concert with Joy Mills on the lawn at Three Rivers Winery was briefly interrupted by a storm, but the reward was great music and a double rainbow framing the Blues. The Sweet Onion Festival and the Farmers Market were also a big hit (each of them took home a small bag of WW Sweets).

My sisters Laurie and Martha meet Waitsburg's most famous resident Izzy

We took a short side trip to Waitsburg through the golden fields of wheat and sweeping vistas. Stopped by to see Izzy, who obligingly came over to visit with us (and plant a kiss on my sister Martha). Caught a bite at Coppei Coffee and visited the kitties and friendly folks at the Waitsburg Hardware & Mercantile.

Lavender frames the vineyard at Northstar Winery

We finished out the day touring the vineyards south of WW. Alas, we couldn't taste at all of them but ended our tour at one of our favorites, Castillo de Feliciana. Dinner at South Fork Grill provided a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Happy Birthday, Walla Walla!

Officers' Quarters (1858) from Fort Walla Walla still grace the old parade ground at the Veterans' Hospital.

© Diane B. Reed

Walla Walla is celebrating its 150th birthday, a celebration that began in 2009 and wraps up this year. Today, a special edition of Walla Walla Lifestyles came with the Walla Walla Union Bulletin. In the magazine is a Sesquicentennial insert which I wrote several articles for; I also assembled vintage illustrations and took some of the photographs for the piece.

Sesquicentennial marker dedicated on November 17, 

2009, located at the corner of E. Main Street 

and S. Second Avenue. © Diane B. Reed

     In the course of the project, I found myself appreciating the history of our remarkable town even more. It's hard for us to imagine how remote this area was at the time of its founding, and how much our history is based on Walla Walla as a supply hub for the inland Northwest and frontier outpost. It's also surprising that Walla Walla was larger than Seattle until the 1880s.
     There are still lots of Sesquicentennial activities in the offing, including special presentations at Fourth of July in the Park at Pioneer Park. Living History performers from Fort Walla Walla Museum will be attending; you can also catch them leading historical tours from the Farmers' Market this summer and performing at Fort Walla Walla Museum throughout the year.

Bronze sculpture of Peo-Peo-Mox-Mox by Roger McGee 

at W. Rose Street and Third Avenue. © Diane B. Reed

     I hope that folks will read the special insert, and purchase extra copies of the Sesquicentennial insert at Fourth of July in the Park or at Fort Walla Walla's gift shop. Other available items include a commemorative coin and posters.

Happy Birthday, Walla Walla!