Last Sunday (July 12th), we left for a week long vacation. We drove 360 miles (about 7 hours including a couple short stops along the way to take breaks) to the Eagle Cap Wilderness in Eastern Oregon. It was a very beautiful drive through the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway; however, we did pass some places with depressing names such as Starvation Creek, Poverty Flat Rd., and Dead Man Pass :). We rented a cabin in Wallowa Lake Resort in Joseph (Oregon's Little Switzerland). Our cabin was right next to the Wallowa River. It was so neat to hear the water rushing by constantly. That first evening, we went fishing at Wallowa Lake. Wallowa Lake was formed by a glacier. It is 5 miles long and 1 mile wide and approximately 300 ft. deep. The panaromic view there is absolutely gorgeous...captivating to say the least.
7-13-09: We drove through the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest to the Hells Canyon Overlook. Wow...what a spectacular view! Hells Canyon is the deepest gorge in North America and is the border between Oregon and Idaho. Along the way, we stopped to fish in the Imnaha River. In the evening, we went hiking on the West Fork Wallowa River Trail (starting at the Wallowa Lake Trailhead) to BC Creek Waterfall. Fantastic fall...quite rewarding!
7-14-09: In the morning, our boys practiced fishing (casting) in the Wallowa River behind our cabin. We then rented two row boats for 5 hours relaxing and fishing in the Wallowa Lake. My 7 year old son caught a Kokanee salmon. When we got back to our cabin, a buck was lying in front of our cabin's door. The deer around there were extremely friendly. They mingled with people and would not hesitate to eat from our hands. After dinner, we went back to the Wallowa Lake to do more fishing and enjoy the beautiful sunset. Each of our sons caught a rainbow trout. We enjoyed eating (cooked) fresh fish tremendously :).
7-15-09: We visited the Wallowa Mountain Visitor Center in Enterprise (Wallowa County's largest city). We then drove into the Eagle Cap Wilderness to Two Pan Trailhead in Lostine. We hiked on the East Fork Lostine River Trail until where the bridge was out. On the drive out, we witnessed the forest fire up in the mountain and talked to some firemen who said that the fire was caused by lightning. In the evening, we did some more fishing at Wallowa Lake. Each boy got a rainbow trout again.
7-16-09: We walked around downtown Joseph. We ran into some friends who happened to be camping at the Wallowa Lake State Park. Then we hiked along the West Fork Wallowa River Trail to explore a different area (than BC Fall). In the evening, we walked to the various gift shops in our resort area...enjoying ice cream cones and buying some souvenirs and candies.
7-17-09: We hiked up the Falls Trail to about 5,700 ft. elevation. Breathtaking view of the Wallowa mountains but dangerous & strenuous trail (especially for young kids). We took an important break at the waterfall :). My husband baptized our daughter and our youngest son. I thanked the Lord for such a precious moment! They expressed the desire to follow Christ and be obedient to God for the rest of their lives. We then rented two paddle boats at the Wallowa Lake. We had a blast racing (my daughter and I were in one boat, my husband and my sons were in the other) and laughing.
When we were at our cabin, we played frisbee and bouncy balls (having so much fun trying to prevent them from falling into the river :)). We also relaxed and played Kuuduk card game.
7-18-09: We had to say good-bye to the Eagle Cap Wilderness. By the way, the Eagle Cap Wilderness is the largest wilderness area in Oregon with a total of 349,987 acres, 53 alpine lakes, and 534 miles of trails in the Wallowa Mountains. The native people of the Wallowa country are the Nez Perce. Wallowa County is famous for bronze foundries. On our way home, we stopped by Multnomah Falls. It is the second-tallest year-round waterfall in the nation. The water of the Falls drops 620 feet from its origin on Larch Mountain.
A week of wilderness wowed us with God's wonders beyond words! What a wonderful & memorable vacation we had! We are so blessed and grateful for this opportunity. I'll post pictures later when I get a chance.
Am all anxious to go there now. Wow, you really had a great time. Must have been a special blessing for Eric to baptize two of his children. Wow, tears of joy here. love you all.
This is a place for me to relax a bit, recount my blessings, reflect on God's Word, record my thoughts, reassure others of God's love, receive others' insights, recall precious memories, relate what the Lord has done in my life & my family, rejoice at God's goodness & faithfulness, relish writing, recycle my poems, and refresh myself.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - Your trip