Taste of Oregon’s Old West — EE YI YI YI YI YOW!
Zack Justesen greets a customer at “Taste of Oregon’s Old West.”
Horses were ridin’; beer was quafin’; bass were catchin’; bands were playin; the honey was sellin’ and the wine was flowin’.
Man what a day at Cottonwood Canyon State Park. One of our proudest. Saturday, Sept. 12, marked the parks first “Taste of Oregon’s Old West” event with some 40 vendors in attendance offering food and wares from all over the John Day River Territory,
Mac Stinchfield, editor of the Times Journal, listed the splendor as: “fruits and vegetables, honey and wine, jewelry, and crafts, wheat berries and lavender, hunting and biking packages, camping, horseback and John Day River experiences, rope baskets and leatherwork, wood carved model size planes, truck and equipment, craft beers and ‘hometown’ coffee, soil and water conservation information, pioneer living information, historical society information and local history information.
Tom Lapinski and the City of Wasco took folks for a ride.
Bob Clarke of Fossil and the Wheeler County Ramblers – Dan Robinson, Eugene Lehman and Seth Brewster – provided some boot-tapping entertainment throughout the day.
Temperatures were warm, no doubt, but many sought refuge from Sol’s rays in the misters strewn about.
Booths abounded throughout the day-use area with that incredible basalt canyon backdrop.
The Lean-To Cafe of Wasco and the Sage Mountain Diner of Grass Valley provided pork sliders and tacos during the event.
Chow Time – come and get it!
The John Day River Territory tourism cooperative and the Eastern Oregon Visitor Association did a terrific job organizing and marketing the event. We could not have asked for a finer TASTE! Our hats are off to them with special thanks to Janet Dodson and the tremendous team she put together to guide this event.!
A huge thank you to all the participating vendors:
1188 Brewing; Ordnance Brewing; Apricot Apiaries; Art Day Group; Bergin’s Organic Custom Seeds LLC; Carol MacKenzie;
Chic By Squeak; China Hollow Mine; Chinook Run Salmon; Condon Chamber of Commerce; Country Natural Beef;
David Hamilton Winery; Diamond Hitch/Stellar Cabin; Gilliam Co. Historical Society; Glenna Lange Photos;
Gorge WildCraft; Happy Day Ranch; Hometown Coffee Roasters; Jennifer the Painter; Justesen Ranches
Recreation; Kath’s Kreations & Kards; Lasso-Up Rope Baskets; Lean To Cafe & Goose Pit Tavern; Lilla Rose;
Michele Bishop; Moody Tollbridge Winery; Olex Preserve; Ordnance Brewing; Oregon Paleo Lands Institute; Oregon
State Parks Foundation; Party Masters; Red House Ranch; Ron Wilson Custom Leather; Sherman County Historical
Society; Townsend Guest House; Triad Woodshop; Wasco House B & B; Wheat Springs Bakery; Wilson Ranches Retreat; Treo Bike Tours
A huge shout out to K’lynn Kennedy-Lane and Carol MacKenzie for shooting great photos.
The staff at Cottonwood Canyon understands the great effort – travel, time and money – that was taken by so many to make this event possible. We sincerely thank you all and hope to continue the partnership in the future.
Host Jim Deaton shows how to hook some bass.
Does it get any better than this? See you at the TASTE next year, partners.
For more photos goto: www.facebook.com/OregonFolklifeNetwork
Don’t Forgot to Join Us This Saturday
The Taste of Oregon’s Old West is the don’t-miss event of the year for Eastern Oregon! Explore the scenic wonders, art and music of the John Day River Territory. Discover the flavors of our local chefs and farms. Learn about our unique tourist destinations. Experience our way of life with guided hikes, bass fishing, horseback rides, horseshoe competitions, live music and more!
For more information please click on the event poster.
Cottonwood Crossings Summer Institute – in the beginning
Arlington High School students Ryan Hahn and Andrew Frail work on a plant inventory with Oregon Parks Natural Resource Specialist Noel Baheller at Esau Canyon. The two earned free college credits at Eastern Oregon University in Biology while doing the project at Cottonwood Canyon State Park.
It takes a special-kind-of kid to endure cheat grass in their socks and dust in their pancakes.
But by the great dust devils of Cottonwood, we had eight of them this year. And they rocked this 8,000-acre canyon land of sage and basalt with some extraordinary park projects.
Arlington High School Student Anakin Welp and Instructor Jeremy Lurgio set up a shot in a video journalism story on invasive species.
High school students from Arlington, Condon, La Grande and Boise camped out for five days here in late June and undertook projects in archeology, botany, writing and photography.
“The camp was a really great experience to have because a lot of people don’t have these opportunities; it opens doors for people,” said 17-year-old Andrea Galvin of Arlington “And it is a great intellectual and emotional experience to be away from phones and technology.”
CCSI teachers and students rafted 11 miles of the John Day River to take in flora, fauna and amazing geological formations in the basalt river canyon. Splash fights, swimming and feats of paddling strength were also part of the program.
This was the inaugural year for a five-day outdoor school at Cottonwood which featured high school students and teachers earning free college credits via Eastern Oregon University and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Professionals.
Gilliam County Judge Steve Shafer lit a fire under CCSI Students on opening day, letting them know that he was depending on them to bring their best work to the table. Students did abide.
“Both Shannon (Duerdon-Thompson), and I were so pleased with the students involvement and finished projects,” said Arlington High School Teacher Lori McGuire “It was so neat to see it finally come off in such a great way. The river day was perfect and the kids couldn’t stop talking about the entire experience…”
Shawn Steinmetz with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indians delved into the meaning of Water Salmon, Deer Roots, Huckleberries and Water and how that vision steers restoration projects.
Lori McGuire was instrumental to the institute’s success, able to muster 6 students from the local area to complete the college coursework. She was on the ground floor in designing the program and cannot be thanked enough for her dedication.
Teacher Shannon Duerdon-Thompson doles out the sausage one morning while Andrew Frail and Ryan Haun anticipate the breakfast.
Parks Archeologist Nancy Nelson led groups on discovery and interpretation of stacked-rock features within the park. In addition, Nelson took special care to point out best ethics when coming into contact with historic or prehistoric artifacts.
Condon’s David Re was always the first to be up and at ’em at camp, bringing his best in both studies of archeology and plants. Re was also strong on paddles when it came to his trip down the river.
“I really enjoyed being at this institute it was a great way to get outdoors and learn; sitting in the classroom can get really old and boring and this did not. I am definitely interested in coming back next year,” said 9th -grader Rachael Keniry.
Leah Harbaugh and Rachel Keniry had some interesting hair growth after the Chili Cook off. Mustaches might have been a prize won during the contest. The two students focused on a brochure that helps explain what CCSI is all about. They also worked on public service messages on stacked-rock features.
Oregon Parks Natural Resource Specialist Noel Bacheller spearheaded a plant inventory in Esau Canyon via beltline transects. Students were able to track native and invasive species through this process and then make comparisons to previous inventories to see if there were any trends. Unfortunately, it appeared that non-native grasses were increasing. But the number of native forbs had also bumped up.
Volunteer Hosts Jim and Dana Harnish tally scores at the chili cook off held on Thursday night. Word has it that there will be a dutch oven cook off at camp in 2016.
Cottonwood Crossings also brought in a couple of ringers. I mean, inside the shoe, metal-to-metal ringers.
Art Rzasa, an English teacher from Montana who has completed outdoor education programs for more than two decades, brought his magic to the table in writing skills. In addition he sought and got the talented Jeremy Lurgio, whose skills in photography and video journalism were bar none.
Jeremy Lurgio and Art Rzasa shoot the breeze after the sun went behind the canyon walls. These two powerhouses were task driven and helped students create professional videos, posters and writing that knocked the socks off viewers at final presentation held on Friday.
The two focused in on both botany and archeology, creating “Not Wanted” posters for invasive species, an “Oregon Field Guide” feeling journalism piece on doing plant inventories, and then two features with students Anakin Welp and Andrea Galvin. Welp narrated a piece on the native American Pictographs and its nearby recent graffiti. And Galvin looked to the stacked rock and its message from the past to deliver a riveting poem.
Students and teachers were split into teams to do the cooking and the dishes.
“I’ve never seen kids that are more interested in what they are doing or adults who are more willing to help them,” Rzasa said. “I hope the institute will continue to grow and serve more teachers and students in North Central Oregon.”
Sherman County Teacher Carrie Danchok chats with Jeremy Lurgio and Anakin Welp behind the windbreak in group camp. Wind kept the first few days lively. We only crippled one sun shade though:)
While the program had a strong year, it is definitely still in the development process and much work is yet to be done in developing a sustainable program.
Rafting on Wednesday was truly a highlight of the week. Students even located something a little too big and splashing in a back channel. Unsure of what they saw, they simply named it “Jonny” the great river monster of the John Day.
But the effort to give students from rural communities in the John Day River Basin will remain strong. “Students in parks doing projects is a natural,” said Park Manager Tom Peterson. “Who better than the next generation to come and study these beautiful resources and create the layers of interpretation or understanding of them? We need stewards. And they will be the ones to pass this on to their kids.”
Andrew Frail felt the heat as he worked on his plant inventory in Esau Canyon. Students went through a lot of bottled water and sports drinks during the week.
The Oregon Parks Foundation is currently working to raise funds for an experience center that would serve as a classroom as well as interpretive center. If the money can be put together, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has agreed to build 5 cabins and a shower facility to complete a small campus for continuing outdoor education. Those facilities would also be open the public when not in use by school programs. This year, Cottonwood Canyon has held outdoor programs for schools in Condon, Moro, Grass Valley and Arlington, and we hope to improve upon that in years to come. Those who are interested in donating to the experience center should email Oreg John Hoffnagle at John.Hoffnagle@OregonStateParksFoundation.org
Arlington Teacher Lori McGuire takes a short break atop Division of State Lands property to peruse the ridgeline for Medusa Head and Goat Grass.
Huge support for CCSI has come from Parks via Director Lisa Sumption and Deputy Director MG Devereux, Department of Environmental Quality’s Randy Jones who undertook the Memorandum of Understanding with Eastern Oregon University, OPRD District Manager Chris Parkins, Nancy Nelson, Noel Bacheller, John Hoffnaggle and Tim Wood with the Oregon Parks Foundation, Park Rangers David Spangler and Ryan Bell, Volunteer Hosts David and Heather Cross and Jim and Dana Harnish.
Archeologist Nancy Nelson had her first chance to spy the canyon walls from the river at Cottonwood in hopes of finding locations that might make sense for later surveys.
Art Rzasa and Department of Environmental Quality’s Randy Jones, who undertook and completed the memorandum of understanding with EOU, went above and beyond to see this program through, never wavering in their dedication. And a huge shout out to my wife, Peggy! She brought the organizational skills to purchase groceries for a week for 24 people and designed the menus and even found prizes, such as Tums and Red Hots for the chili cook-off!
Parks Natural Resource Specialist Noel Bacheller points out an invasive species to nearby students Liam Duerden and David Re during a field trip to a wind swept ridge above the John Day River.
“I loved this institute, it was super fun and I enjoyed all of the great company. I also really liked how we didn’t have cell service because it definitely changed the experience in a good way,” said Leah Harbaugh.
For more information about the school, contact Tom Peterson at tom.v.Peterson@Oregon.gov.
And that’s a wrap. Our first school in the books, and we can’t wait ’til next year. See you then! Here is our group photo -good folk one and all. Participants are from right to left back row, Jeremy Lurgio, Art Rzasa, Liam Duerden, David Re, Randy Jones, Andrew Frail, Lori McGuire, Anakin Welp, Nancy Nelson. Front row, right to left, Chris Parkins, Shannon Duerden-Thompson, Julie Keniry, Andrea Galvin, Rachael Keniry, Leah Harbaugh, Tom Peterson, Ryan Hahn.
Teacher Carrie Danchok caught this quintessential photo of an evening at Cottonwood, warm with the sun’s sweet pink fingers stretching out in a last chance to touch the land before night’s veil captures the canyon.
Taste of the Old West–September 12th
Yahoo! We’re so excited we’re posting early.
Cottonwood Canyon has lassoed itself a heapin’ helpin’ of Eastern Oregon hospitality. So plan to saddle up, partner. A family festival, “Taste of Oregon’s Old West,” will be held Sept. 12 at Cottonwood Can
yon State Park in Gilliam and Sherman counties, Oregon’s newest state park.
“Taste of Oregon’s Old West” will showcase the locally grown food and beverages, recreation, specialty lodging and dining, culture, and landscape of the John Day River Territory of Oregon.
Visitors will have a chance to taste the flavors of the region including honey and wheat snacks, natural beef, microbrews, wine, and fruit. There will also be homestead skills and demonstrations, and information on recreational opportunities such as ranch and cabin stays, agriculture tours, rafting, hunting outfitters, and more.
Regional art and music will be highlighted, as well as horseback rides along the John Day River and a guided hike.
Admission is free; there may be a small fee with some activities.
Established in 2013, the 8,000-acre state park is the second largest in Oregon. Formerly a ranch, it features rugged, steep and scenic canyons carved by the winding John Day River.
Cottonwood Canyon State Park is located on County Road 206, about 16 miles southeast of Wasco, and 25 miles northwest of Condon.
For more information about “Taste of Oregon’s Old West,” visit http://www.johndayriverterritory.com.
A Little Cold. . .
But a great way to start the year. Thank you to all 38 folks who came out for the Second Annual Cottonwood First Day Hike. Although the weather was cold the sun was out and the wind was still making for a perfect day to watch the Bighorn and follow the ice flows downriver. We are hoping to offer two hikes next year–so mark your calender for 2016!
Thank you to First Day Hiker Stephanie LaRiviere-Miller for the great pictures. And making up for the forgotten Ranger Camera.
It Is First Day Hike Again
A Cottonwood Canyon Thanksgiving
So the last time around I roped a host into writing a blog post. I figured this was such great idea I would continue to pass off my work to others. We had our first Thanksgiving feast out here at Cottonwood with many friends and family. Below is a report of some good friends experience. I have taken for granted the limited email, no TV and limited cell coverage out here. I forgot what a change it can make in an experience. So come on out, unplug and enjoy! For more on a little digital detox this is a great article I read recently.
A Cottonwood Canyon Thanksgiving
Kristi, Ben and family
This year, our little family decided to try something different. We received an offer from our friends to celebrate Thanksgiving out at Cottonwood Canyon State Park so we packed up the car Wednesday and headed out.
From the Portland metro area it is only a little over a two hour drive. It was beautifully scenic. First the drive through the Columbia River gorge to our old stomping ground of Hood River, Oregon where we ate lunch. Then on to Cottonwood where we drove up and over rolling hills planted with winter wheat and wind turbines. My BPA tour guide (aka, husband) provided interesting information into the landscape and the inner-workings of how the turbines create electricity from wind. Unfortunately, I was unable to get any pictures due to the sleeping children in the back of our car.
Upon arrival we unpacked and went exploring. The rustic landscape and quiet felt as though we had stepped back in time and felt awe at the people who had homesteaded here. I have only been to eastern Oregon once prior to this trip but I found a new appreciation for this area. The landscape was beautiful and I could see the appeal of the area.
This was the view from the private residence:
On Turkey day the remainder of our group arrived. Exploring, feasting, and game playing commenced.
Being accustomed to watching football, calling family, reading the newspaper, and being able to get instant information made me wonder how this weekend and holiday would unfold without modern technology. We found it was relaxing and less stressful. It also allowed us to connect with family and friends without so many distractions. The kids (18 months and 3 ½ years old) loved running around and playing by the river and in the dirt. It forced them to be creative with their play and not rely on their toys for entertainment. I felt that being here for Thanksgiving accentuated and allowed us to focus on what was most important in life.
Before leaving on Friday, we took a little hike with the kids. It was the perfect way to end the holiday. We will definitely be coming back to fish in the John Day River at Cottonwood Canyon come the sunny summer days.
