There is no shortage of postcard scenery in northeastern Oregon. I could have camped at a spot where this view would literally have been out the front door:
And I enjoyed the view for a few seconds, but quickly lost interest. I wanted to find something that wasn't such a tourist cliché. What sort of surprises could I find out here, if any?
There was a sagebrush and grass ridge that made for surprises and delights. Those are the words I use when I can pedal my bike uphill in something other than granny gear. It was proving to be a great ride. Near the high end we ran across this:
The mountains were OK, but what really grabbed me was the soft, gently uphill curves on that dirt road.
There wasn't much traffic on my dirt road. But there were more houses than expected. Perhaps this was an old mining town.
The locals weren't the kind of people you would probably want to talk to. They were stereotypical rural yahoos with debris all over their yard, and nasty signs at the end of their driveway threatening to shoot you if you set foot on their property.
They also had unleashed dogs that chased my bike. Fortunately I had anticipated loose dogs based on the cultural stererotype, so I had put my little dog in her milk crate on the rear rack.
Would there be any stores? Mining equipment? Churches? If there was a church, it would probably be a Christian Zionist church, built out of a mobile home.
Then I saw their church.
I wish I could see a stone building, or even a wall, being built. Maybe there are You Tube videos out there. Talk about fluttering my eyelashes. They completely surprised me.
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