North Central Oregon
Question: What is south of Biggs, north of Bend, and wild as the west was when it was won? If you said nothing, you'd have been wrong.
Answer: Oregon road trippers have collected adventures and anecdotes from Maupin to Condon and all points in between. Once known disparagingly as the land of the Bhagwan Rajneesh and Rolls Royces, now the spartan beauty of north central Oregon calls only to those who prefer their landscapes wide open - like the hearts of the people who live there.
Highlights of this area include the agricultural community of Condon, the wild Deschutes of Maupin/Imperial River Co., and the tremendous hospitality of Wilson Ranches Retreat - a working dude ranch and homey bed & breakfast. If you stop by the latter, be sure to ask Nancy & Phil about cow tipping ... and tell 'em Mike and Kyla sent you!
Photo (top) courtesy of Wilson Ranches Retreat.
Photo (above) courtesy of Imperial River Co.
For 50% off your lodging at Imperial River Co, click here.
Condon
When we went to Condon, Oregon, we did three rigorous things: sleep, eat and shop. We also drove to the 9-hole, local golf course but decided it was too much effort to drag out our clubs and play.
Such was the slow pace of that weekend and the ease of the company we shared in Condon. The Condon Hotel has a fantastic bar with a friendly keeper, who knows all the local news. Stay in the bar if you’re over 21. The restaurant is no big deal and you might be subjected to bad live music and an egregious lack of bread and ice cream. But the rooms are neat (read: cool, groovy) and recently updated. Across the street is the Country Flowers store, where you can find flowers of course, and also books, gifts, and all manner of other cool (read: neat, groovy) stuff, including ice cream.
Maupin/Imperial River Co.
Visitors to the Imperial River Company choose exactly how much adventure they want in their vacation, whether it’s a heart-pounding rafting trip down the Deschutes River or a lazy afternoon lying on the grass with a good book. Just two hours east of Portland or two hours north of Bend, the hotel, restaurant and rafting company is tucked away in the rugged Deschutes Canyon right on the river.
Owners Rob and Susie Miles purchased the inn seven years ago and under their direction, the property recently underwent an extensive remodel and expansion. Stay in one of their 25 individually decorated rooms - including the Flybox, complete with a large fishing mural, and Railroad, decorated with pictures of railway history.
Rafting adventures range from short, two-hour trips to three-day overnight voyages. The most popular is a six-hour river ride with a catered lunch. You can have a great time in the paddle-raft with one their knowledgeable guides leading the way. Source: www.magazine.oregonlakesandrivers.com.
Wilson Ranches Retreat
Pioneer hospitality and an Oregon horse ranch vacation near John Day Oregon await you at Wilson Ranches Retreat Bed & Breakfast. Immerse yourself in a peaceful ranch environment rich in history and love on a 9,000 acre working cattle and hay ranch in the beautiful Butte Creek Valley, three miles West of the small town of Fossil, Oregon.
Relax and rejuvenate in the pristine ranch style guest rooms. Stunning sunsets, brilliant star-studded nights and the diverse flora and fauna of Fossil, Oregon will captivate you.
Lifetime memories are created on scenic horseback rides, cattle drives, hiking and ranch tours in a geologically and historically rich area with a magnificent view of the Cascade Mountain Range.
Wilson Ranches Retreat is an exceptional place to headquarter your exploration of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, where you will discover the richest find of prehistoric fossils in the world. Wheeler County, Oregon is a spectacular destination for rafting and world-class bass fishing on the John Day River. Fossil, Oregon is truly an untouched part of Eastern Oregon history. Source: www.wilsonranchesretreat.com.
