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HomeAbout UsTravel TipsTrips Wallowa Lake 7/01
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Overview of the regionWe took I-84 east to Pendleton, home of the famous Pendleton Woolen Mills. Fabric selling for $20/yard in Salem costs $5/yard, so Diane added another box or two to her fabric collection. We then traveled northeast on Route 11 to Athena, then east on Route 204 to Elgin and Route 82. The scenery is wonderful and the traffic light - and we were traveling on July 4th! Route 82 follows the Wallowa River through the Wallowa Valley, ancestral home of the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce. OK - you're dying to know - the term "wallowa" is a
As you suspect, the overshadowing, snowcapped mountains on the south are called the Wallowa Mountains. This area is called the "Switzerland of Oregon" for its resemblance to the Swiss Alps. The road passes through the little town of Joseph at the eastern end of the valley, then turns south into the mountails, following the eastern shore of Wallowa Lake. This long, narrow lake seems to spill out of the only break in the ridge line. This ten miles is a road into paradise! Wallowa Lake State Park lies at the head of the lake - it's southern end. There's almost no transition from mountain to flat ground. The surrouding cliffs rise sharply all around the park. This is definitely the end of the road! We also found another spectacular welcome - a raucous afternoon thunderstorm! We'd seen the clouds gathering in the southeast as was approached Joseph. By the time we'd reached the town they were low and dark, obscuring the mountains at the far end of the lake. Halfway to the lake the storm broke - thunder, lightning, and wind-driven curtains of rain! Traffic leaving the park was bumper to bumper while only a few of us were heading to the park. Maybe the know something....! Return to topJosephWe checked into the park while rain hammered the truck. OK - on to plan B! It's 5:00 PM, we're hungry, and it's raining. No problem - back to town! We joined the the traffic heading toward Joseph, credit card in hand. We ended up at Magnoni's - they were the last restaurant we came to, and we didn't want to fight traffic and rain to drive through town again! Talk about serendipity! In addition to being a wonderful restaurant with great food, Mangoni's opened a door into Joseph's bronze industry. Farming to foundries - Joseph has undergone a major transformation in the past decade. The town was incorporated in 1877 and enjoyed success as a supply point for local miners and farmers. The "Joseph" link offers good pictures of the old and new town, and it has has both in abundance. New construction - streets, sidewalks, and small parks - make walking through Joseph a pleasure. Yet the old buildings still cast the spell of their past on visitors. Joseph has also become a thriving artist colony specalizing in bronze casting. It boasts seven bronze foundries, three of them public, more than half of all in Oregon! We had barely noticed the bronze statues along Main Street in our search for sustance, but we were about to get acquainted! A bright, perky lady greeted us at Magnoni's and led us to a table. Another young lady soon took our order, and Diane remarked that they looked like mother and daughter. Good guess - they were! Lee Manuel, who first greeted us, was the restaurant's owner and her daughter was serving that night. Lee stopped by our table several times to chat and explain a little of Joseph's history. When we left she invited us on a tour of the bronze studio and foundry located across the street. "What's a foundry?" I asked? "Come tomorrow and I'll show you!" she replied. OK - it fit our schedule so we decided to return the next morning. Lee's husband, David Manuel, is one of the famous bronze artists who calls Joseph home. He has a private gallery, studio, and foundry here. During the tourist season David and some of the other artists give public tours of their facilities. You get to see what bronze is all about and they get potential customers for their work. We found it a fair exchange. His museum and gallery were right across the street from the restaurant. Two life-size bronze statues stood in the grounds of the building (pictures), impressive in detail and expression. The tour began in the Nez Perce Crossing museum where Lee gave us a detailed introduction to the "lost wax" method of bronze casting. The best summary I've found on the web is the American Bronze site. Bronze statues come in various sizes, and each size begins with a wax original. There's no way to download one into a computer, click on, and select "Expand 100%"! Once the multistep casting process is finished, other artisians may apply various chemicals to "paint" the statutes as in the "Promised Land." It's an amazing process - and there are seven such facilities in Joseph alone! One tour stop was a visit to the Manuel's home and David's studio (picture). He showed us a bronze he was painting and discussed his current project, a statue of General Oliver Howard. Howard served the Union in the Civil War and lost his right arm in combat. Later he was given the responsibility of bringing Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce to their assigned reservation. The piece will be called "Christian Soldier" in honor of Howard's courage, honor, and sense of fairness for all people. They offered us a chance to purchase advanced copies, but as good as the price was, it was too rich for our taste. If you visit Joseph, have a meal at Magnoni's and take the tour. Hopefully Lee will run the tape that describes how she and David met. It's well-written, witty, delightfully open presentation of their Christian faith. We spent the rest of the day walking through Joseph, shopping for souveniers and wandering through the many galleries and other little shops. We found lunch at one of the several ice cream shops on Main Street. Dinner? Ah - dinner! Magnoni's only serves one entree, a different one every evening. This was Thursday, and every Thursday evening was prime rib, sooooo - we met Lee again at the restaurant and enjoyed a wonderful dinner! Now - back to camp and the Mount Howard Tramway! Return to top |
