As the snowmelt pours off the Oregon mountains each spring it becomes prime time to find yourself on a river or two. We found ourselves on the Wallowa and Grande Ronde in June. The Wallowa was still ice cold and made for an eye opening early morning launch. It was a grey day with a few sprinkles, which didn’t warm us up either. Isn’t the eastern half of Oregon supposed to be dry and warm in June? Ah well. We were off and covering miles, down the Wallowa to the Grande Ronde.
With the river being high it took virtually no time to cover the first 15 miles of the trip and find ourselves in camp below Sheep Creek Rapids. The sky cleared up a bit for a quiet night around camp. The next morning the rain was back as we pushed on down the river.
With all the moisture this spring the mock orange and wildflowers were blooming and coloring up the hillsides.
Our next camp was just upstream of Bear Creek, which we spent an extra day in, and it offered a nice hike to an overview of the river, as well as one awesome fish (sorry, no picture).
Our last day on the river offered a bit of wildlife viewing.
We took an extra day to get home and got to see a nice part of the state, starting with an overnight to Anthony Lake. There were still a few snowbanks scattered around the lake.
We followed the Elkhorn and Blue Mountain Scenic Byways across the mountains until Ukiah. There’s lots of wide open spaces to enjoy along the way.
At Ukiah we took a detour for a soak at Ritter Hot Springs. It seemed like we stepped back into the land that time forgot.
After the soak we put some miles behind us and headed for home. I’m already missing the slower pace of eastern Oregon.
Wonderful review and photos!