Wallowa Lake

We love it here at the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast when our guests take the opportunity to do what they'd really love to do.  Recently, we hosted a couple who arrived with their road bicycles and her yoga mat. 

Turns out he enjoys serious cycling in the morning before breakfast and she enjoys her time on the yoga mat.

We sent him off on a leg of the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway on the first morning--to the intersection of the Imnaha Highway and Forest Road 39.  It's 8.3 miles each way--not a tough distance--but there's that gradual uphill slope with the abrupt drop off to the intersection.  On the second morning he opted for the Hurricane Creek Road between Joseph and Enterprise.  Not a lot of traffic and some lovely farm & ranch scenery.

She, on the other hand, enjoyed the peace and quiet of the Mirror Lake Suite with the Wallowa Mountains view from the windows.

Their guestbook comments:

Dear Heather and Bill:

You have created such a special place within such a special place.  Joseph, the Wallowas and the sourrounding area are spectacular, and the Bronze Antler B&B is bliss.  What a divine sanctuary!  And this suite is sensational--I've never had a more stunning view than the mountains out the window while doing yoga.

Thank you for your kindness and hospitality, and for lovely vegan and non-vegan breakfasts!

If you're looking for that perfect Joseph Oregon vacation spot we'd be happy to help you find that place.  Give us a call!

Looking for a last minute romantic getaway Oregon style for a few days?  Come to Joseph Oregon!  We've had a cancellation here at the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast and the Chief Joseph Mountain Room is now available for Sunday through Tuesday nights this week (July 18-20, 2010).   Of our three guest rooms and the Mirror Lake Suite, I'm inclined to say that views of the Wallowa Mountains from this room are lovely.  Especially from bed over a cup of early morning Mulligan's organic coffee.

As a bonus, there's still some snow on the Wallowa Mountains here in late July this year, making them all the more attractive!

This is also the week leading into Chief Joseph Days Rodeo.  If you'd like to see all of Joseph's shops and boutiques and restaurants at their height of summer, getting ready for rodeo, then this is the time for you.  And you'll be gone before the big crowds start on Wednesday afternoon!

Give us a call toll-free at 866-520-9769 and Bill or I would be happy to book your reservation.  We'll even throw in a bottle of champagne for your spur-of-the-moment stay.  See you for your romantic getaway Oregon style!

It's nice to find things to do near Wallowa Lake when you're on vacation in Eastern Oregon.  With Highway 39 closed near the junction of Highways 39 and Oregon 86, you can still reach most of the Wallowa Mountain Loop Road (Highway 39) from the Joseph Oregon side.

Even the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast innkeepers get to enjoy the sights around here every now and then!  Bill & I recently drove out to Harl Butte off of Highway 39.  There's an historic fire lookout there.  When we arrived we were surprised to find not only the historic building but an individual manning the lookout as well.  From his vantage point he could see into the Imnaha River drainage, plus from his location you could see the fire lookout tower at Hat Point and across Hells Canyon into Idaho.

What impressed us most was the hand-stacked volcanic rock wall surround the lookout site (he told us a previous lookout had spent 10 summers erecting the wall).  Someone obviously had a lot of time on his hands in between watching for lightning strikes and monitoring fires in Northeastern Oregon and across Hells Canyon in Idaho!

Harl Butte is about 1 1/2 hours from Wallowa Lake.  When planning your Eastern Oregon vacation, consider adding it as an out-of-the-way place for vast beauty.  We keep maps here at our Eastern Oregon lodging to get you there and back again.  Hope to see you soon!

So here we are at the end of May 2010 and the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway is now unofficially open!  Checked with the Forest Service this week and, although there are parts of the road that are down to one lane because of snow, the road between Joseph and Hells Canyon is passable.  What a relief!

My contact at the Forest Service tells me that the road will be officially open once the snow is all melted and any rocks and debris are cleared from the road (which will be soon).   So, if you've wanted to know about Highway 39, or the Wallowa Mountain Loop Road, or the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway (all the same places)--the answer is yes!

This photo was taken in July 2009 at Hat Point and you get the idea of the abundance of wildflowers in the area.  It's a little early yet, but the flowers are coming soon too!

If you're looking for some Hells Canyon lodging along the way, our Eastern Oregon bed and breakfast is right along the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway.  We're not the most convenient to Hells Canyon Dam (about 2:45 hours from the dam), but we're about 2 hours from scenic Hat Point in Hells Canyon and less than 2 hours from the Hells Canyon Overlook.  Not much is convenient in the way of Hells Canyon lodging, but Joseph Oregon is a good jumping-off point!

Will wonders never cease--the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast now has availability for the Oregon Mountain Cruise car show in Joseph Oregon--June 11-12, 2010. 

And we have no one on the waiting list.  The Chief Joseph Mountain Room can be yours--two night minimum.  Too bad the fellow that called a few days ago didn't want to be on a waiting list.  We'd be calling him tonight!

If you're still looking for the Wallowa Lake hotel or the Joseph Oregon hotels look no further.  The Bronze Antler B&B is two blocks walking distance to the Show and Shine on Main Street.

Give us a call or click on the links at right to make your reservation today!

We've noticed that sometimes our blog is found by people searching for "Things to do in Joseph Oregon" so we thought we'd write about things to see and do here.  The Chief Joseph Days Rodeo always takes place during the days leading up to the last full weekend in July and the last weekend.

Even if you're not a big rodeo fan, there's plenty to do in Joseph Oregon during rodeo week.  It's a gala time--all the shops, restaurants & galleries on Main Street Joseph Oregon are open and decorated for the event.  This year there'll even be a carnival set up (just not quite sure where yet).  And then there's the Chief Joseph Days parade on Saturday--lots of pageantry, horses, musical groups and a bit of humor. . .

On Tuesday afternoon, the bucking broncs will "stampede" (really, it's a controlled trot) down Main Street heading for the rodeo grounds.  Nightly rodeo performances will take place Wednesday through Saturday nights.  With tickets priced at $12 to $18 most anyone can attend and see one of the best small town outdoor rodeos in the Pacific Northwest.

If you're still planning your Eastern Oregon vacation for the summer, think about visiting Joseph Oregon during rodeo week.  We still have two rooms open at the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast over the weekend of rooms available during the week.

Madigan sends:

Okay, need to get back on my Observing Literacy project.  I observe what books people are reading here at the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast and tell you about it.  What a cush job for a bed & breakfast cat.

A few days ago we had these guests.  She said she's an author an' left us some of her books.  The Losses of Our Lives: The Sacred Gifts of Renewal in Everyday Loss by Dr. Nancy Copeland-Payton.  She was a pretty nice lady--got a neat website too--www.spiritlistening.com.  She and her husband went hiking or snowshoeing almost every day they were here.  I especially liked her laugh.

They were reading a few books too.  The ones I got to see were:

The Awakened Heart: Opening Yourself to the Love You Need by Gerald G. May, MD

Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need A Green Revolution and How It Can Renew America by Thomas L. Friedman (updated & expanded)

I promise promise promise to write more about the books our guests are reading!

It's funny how people start looking for Joseph Oregon hotels and wind up at the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast.  This week we've hosted two artists who are visiting Joseph Oregon regularly.  Denny Boone is currently working with the Valley Bronze Foundry on his bronze sculptures.   Denny and Mari have stayed in at least five different lodging accommodations in and around Joseph Oregon, and they've finally found their "home away from home" (so Mari says).

We'll see them again in a couple of months when Denny's bronzes reach their next stage of production that needs his hands on input.  We're hoping to see the finished bronze of this current work, "Rollin" (pictured at left).

Denny and Mari stayed in the Mirror Lake Suite.  Of all our rooms, this suite comes closest to a boutique hotel in terms of its amenities.   Needless to say they've reserved the same room for their return visit.  No Joseph Oregon hotels in this town, but the Mirror Lake Suite will definitely work!

We enjoy hosting artists here in our Joseph bed and breakfast.   It's fun to talk with them about their art and, for the bronze artists in particular, to see their work move from clay or wood to finished bronze sculptures.  See ya soon, Denny & Mari!

So, by now you're probably planning your Eastern Oregon vacation for the summer.  If you like to hike, then basing yourself from Joseph Oregon can be a good compromise if someone in your party likes the creature comforts.

Here's a 2008 video of a couple hiking into Ice Lake.  This hike is a long one-day hike (7.7 miles each way from the Wallowa Lake trailhead), but we've had some guests here at the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast that did the hike in one day and even took an hour at the top to read a book and enjoy the sunshine!


If you'd like more information for planning your hiking vacation, we suggest getting a copy of Fred Barstad's Hiking Oregon's Eagle Cap Wilderness as a good start.  Fred's trail descriptions, drawings and diagrams are very good.

And if you're looking for a place to stay in Joseph Oregon with plenty of creature comforts, we've plenty of room on our availability calendar for your summertime hiking adventures.  You can use the buttons at the right of the blog page to link to our calendar.  See you on the trail!

You just never know who will walk through the door when you own a bed and breakfast.  This week Joachim Becker, president of Zoho Music in New York, graced our little Hells Canyon lodging with his presence.

Joachim was on his way to Portland and decided to see a little of our fantastic Eastern Oregon countryside on his way.  I wish we could've gotten him the spectacular view of Hells Canyon from Hat Point but the road is still snowed in.  Just a good excuse for another visit to our Hells Canyon lodging in the summer or fall when the road is open.

Zoho Music is about to release a tribute compilation of music written by Oklahoma-born songwriter, singer and guitarist JJ Cale.  Watch for "Tribute to JJ Cale, Volume 1: The Vocal Sessions" on June 10, 2010.  Joachim was kind enough to leave an advance copy with us and with our other guests.  The liner notes are clear, concise, and reveal a lot about JJ Cale as well as all the wonderful musicians appearing on this release.

We wished Joachim well on his drive to Portland, then loaded the CD for kitchen cleaning duty.  With a variety of artists contributing to this CD from Swamp Cabbage to The Persuasions to Greg Skaff & Jimmy Hall among others, it's just the ticket for a voyage through classic American roots music!  Thank you, Joachim!

Good beer?  Bad beer?  Is it just the taste or are there other things you should be looking for?  Terminal Gravity Brewing is putting on a beer tasting workshop.   Tuesday, April 27th, 5:15 p.m. in the pub.  If you work at Terminal Gravity it's free.  All the rest of us pay $15 each.  If you want more information, call Steve or Shelley at TG at (541) 426-0158.

Many of us grew up with only one beer.  Growing up in the Tri-Cities, mine was Olympia (mainly because of the labels--four dots.  Need I say more?)

The workshop allows you to "learn sensory evaluation techniques and common off flavors of beer."  They don't want you wearing perfumes, or smoking, or eating or drinking before the workshop.  Might interfere.

We like to find things for our guests to do that are unusual.  We found out about this one when we stopped in for dinner this week.  Won't find it on the Terminal Gravity website.  This workshop is certainly one of them.  We still have a couple of rooms at the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast.  Yea, we know it's the middle of the week.  And you'll have to drive yourself.  No taxis in Wallowa County.  But Joseph Oregon isn't far from Enterprise.  And we'll fix you a nice breakfast in the morning.

We've something new to offer to your romantic getaway Oregon style--Arrowhead Chocolates.   Don't try looking for their website or a Facebook page just yet (they don't have either), but the chocolates are extraordinary.

Erica's making artisinal truffles and other delectables up on Alder Slope, the high ground between Enterprise and Joseph Oregon.  Dark chocolate?  Milk chocolate?  She's got both and developing new flavors regularly.  Dipped caramel or ginger pieces, hazelnut clusters, mocha truffles. . .the list is ever growing.

Just recently we hosted guests at the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast that requested specialty chocolates.  He'd been fishing all day.  He wanted to give his wife really, really good milk chocolates as part of his thank you.  At prices over $20/pound these chocolates aren't inexpensive, but she was very appreciative. 

If you're planning your romantic getaway Oregon style and want to add a little extra, talk to us about Arrowhead Chocolates.  We'll be happy to have them in your guest room and awaiting your check in.  And Erica will thank you too!

This morning I served breakfast for two.  Our guests are taking an early Spring Eastern Oregon vacation and enjoying the slower pace at this time of year.  Over their vegetarian breakfast (today consisting of cream sherry soaked orange slices sprinkled with unsweeted dried coconut, local farm-raised eggs, sauteed apples & onions, tomatoes marinated in balsamic vinegar, and Morningstar Farms breakfast patties), we talked about ginger. 

Turns out she loves ginger and he enjoys it too.  So, I pulled out my favorite products from The Ginger People.  She hadn't heard of this company before and was enthused to know they make such a variety of ginger products.  I have a feeling the Ginger Juice and Ginger Syrup will probably be on the breakfast table tomorrow with the whole wheat waffles.

I sent them off to hike along the Imnaha River well below the snow line still very obvious here in the Wallowa Mountains.  They have a few Ginger Chews from The Ginger People in their pockets.  These particular chews are the Hot Coffee variety.  I typically don't leave these chews out for the guests because they are an acquired taste, but it's fun to share them with guests that enjoy both ginger and coffee! 

We love delighting our guests with a little of the unusual.  If an Eastern Oregon bed and breakfast is part of your travel plans this year, our Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast might supply a little of the unusual for you!

The Wallowa Valley Festival of Arts takes place every year during the first weekend of June.  It's a juried fine art show and brings in artists from all over, especially the Pacific Northwest art community.   It's also the kickoff event for a great summer in Joseph Oregon and Wallowa County!

This year's dates: Friday-Sunday, June 4-6, 2010.
Location:  Joseph Oregon Community Center

The entry season for artists is currently underway and the Wallowa Valley Festival of Arts directors committee is posting about the artists on the Festival's page on Facebook. 

This event is the Eastern Oregon premier fine art festival.  It starts with a fun wine & hors d'oeuvres Artists Reception on Friday night.  It's the public opportunity to meet many of the exhibiting artists, the judge and Featured Artist, the top award winners, and first public viewing of the art entered in the show.

An "En Plein Air" event where the public can watch artists working in various locations throughout Wallowa County is still in the planning stages but will be announced soon (and here on this blog too).

On Saturday night, June 5th, a Quick Draw event will be held somewhere in Joseph Oregon (location to be determined at this point).  It's a lot of fun to watch the artists work on the spot.  

All the art entered in the Festival is available for sale plus there's a silent auction throughout the weekend that closes on Sunday afternoon.

The Festival of Arts is walking distance (2 blocks) from the Bronze Antler Bed and Breakfast.  We have plenty of room available for the weekend.  Give us a call soonest or click the link at right and reserve your room before they're all taken!

What a night for a Pub Talk!  Last night, the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network hosted one of their trade-marked Pub Talk programs at Mutinty Brewing Company in Joseph, OR.  The theme was "Marketing from the Ground Up" and three of us local businesses were invited to present about some aspects of our marketing.

Paul Arentsen of Winding Waters River Expeditions talked about how his company uses Picasa to post pictures from his river trips and to encourage clients to share pictures and experiences from their trips among themselves.  Winding Waters also keeps two blogs:  a very important Fishing Report and another "fun" one called The Gearboat Chronicles, written by one of the river guides, with a good dose of tongue-in-cheek humor.

Kari Gjerdingen, owner of Mutiny Brewing Company, talked about her use of Facebook and Twitter for her restaurant.  She makes a point of posting the restaurant's specials on a regular basis--good for us when we want to send our guests there for a lunch or dinner.  Of course, we all wanted to know when the beer will be available.  The new forecast:  about the middle of April 2010. 

And of course I talked about blogging for our business here at the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast.  I pulled a few statistics about our blog--it's amazing how many people want to know whether or not Highway 39 is open through Hells Canyon, or what's going on for Chief Joseph Days Rodeo!

One of the things I found so interesting too is how well the three businesses fit together.  For example, if you're planning a visit to Joseph Oregon or an Eastern Oregon vacation, you're going to need a place to stay, somewhere to eat, and something to do.  Between our three businesses, we've got you covered!

If you're thinking about taking Highway 39, keep thinking. . .this road connects the Oxbow and Brownlee Dam in Hells Canyon to Enterprise and Joseph Oregon.  Some people know it as the Wallowa Mountain Loop Road.  Or Forest Road 39.  Or the road from Joseph OR to Halfway OR.  Or even the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway. 

Anyway you look at it, this road is seasonal and typically doesn't open until sometime in May or even June.  It all depends on the snow and how soon it melts.

Put this note on your to do list under Joseph Oregon Vacation or Eastern Oregon Vacation: 

Call the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Service Visitor Center at 541-426-4978 (ext 0) 
Bookmark this page:  http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/w-w/conditions/index.shtml
These are the folks responsible for the road opening and closure and will have the most current official information.

In the meantime, we're happy to help you plan your Hells Canyon to Joseph Oregon trip.  Just hang on a little longer before taking Highway 39 unless you've got your snowmobile!

Now here's something that could've happened on someone's Joseph Oregon vacation--spending a Saturday in August at the Bronze, Blues & Brews Festival.  I bumped into this short YouTube video prepared by the Wallowa County Chieftain newspaper about the last Bronze, Blues & Brews Festival in 2008.

The next Bronze, Blues & Brews Festival is scheduled for Saturday, August 14, 2010.  Same location:  Joseph City Park.  You'll find more information at the festival website.

If you're looking for lodging, there's still room at the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast.  And we're conveniently located only one block away from the Bronze, Blues & Brews Festival.  Advantages include:

• Don't have to drive to the event.
• Closest lodging to Joseph City Park.
• No waiting in line for the "blue room" port-a-potties.
• Easily change into warmer clothes as the sun goes down and the bands heat up.
• A quick trip home after spending all day dancing and enjoying the festival.
• Breakfast waiting for you the next morning.

Call us toll-free at 866-520-9769 or local at 541-432-0230.  There's only one room left and we'd love to book it for you and your Joseph Oregon vacation!

It's not too early to think about what to do in Joseph, OR in August 2010.  The 14th Annual Bronze, Brews & Blues Festival will take place on Saturday, August 14th at the Joseph City Park. 
As we have every year that the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast has been open, we're helping sponsor this year's festival.  Professional media photographer Dean Davis of Dean Davis Photography in Spokane, WA, will once again emcee this year's festival.  Dean and his wife have stayed with us every year since 2001! 

If you still need lodging for the event, we have one room left at our Joseph bed and breakfast.  Don't bother looking for the Joseph Oregon hotels (there aren't any), but staying in the Sawtooth Mountain Room would be as good as staying in any Joseph Oregon hotels.  And our bed and breakfast is walking distance (that's one block) to the Joseph City Park, site of the Bronze, Blues & Brews Festival.  It doesn't get more convenient than this!

Give us a call toll-free at 866-520-9769 or click on the links at right to book your room for the Bronze Blues and Brews Festival today!

Thinking about planning your wedding in Joseph Oregon?  We recently hosted a couple that were doing just that--planning their wedding.  They came with the idea that they wanted to be married here in Wallowa County during March, but that was about as far as they'd planned.

They hoped to be married near Wallowa Lake on top of Mt Howard.  A lot of people hold their weddings up there at 8,000' with the glorious Eagle Cap Wilderness in the background.  A lot of people do during the summer, that is.  Everyone rides up on the Wallowa Lake Tramway to the top of Mount Howard.  The Wallowa Mountains form a fabulous backdrop for such a wonderful event.

Since she skis and he snowboards, they had visions of swooshing in to their wedding location with their immediate families waiting for them.  What they didn't plan on was the fact that the Wallowa Lake Tramway doesn't open until Memorial Day Weekend.  This time of year the tram is closed and it's VERY cold up there on the top of Mount Howard!

Enter the innkeeper who knows a bit about wedding locations in Wallowa County.   Since they were planning a small wedding with just immediate family they didn't need a large place, and they wanted to be outdoors.  And in March--when the weather in Northeastern Oregon could be a sunny 65 degrees or snowing in the mid-20s.

We discussed various possibilities:  Salt Creek Summit snow-park, shores of Wallowa Lake near the Wallowa Lake Lodge (the only Wallowa Lake hotel, but mainly closed in the winter and early Spring). . .

"How about a barn wedding?"  You can be outdoors or indoors (depending on the weather).  You can drive to the wedding location (you're not dependent on the Wallowa Lake Tramway to get you there).  You'll be close to support facilities (like heat, changing areas and bathrooms).

So, we sent them off to look at our favorite barn wedding venue about 10 minutes away from our Wallowa Lake lodging out on Prairie Creek.  Nancy and Don allow couples access to their lovely barn in exchange for donations to the nonprofit organizations they support.  Our betrothed couple returned later that day, flush with excitement over their wedding location.  Nancy and Don were very gracious and showed them both the barn and the granary, a smaller building with doors that open out onto the Wallowa Mountains view.  Perfect!

And to top it off, Don will officiate at their wedding!

If you're looking for a wedding location near Wallowa Lake or Joseph Oregon, be sure to consult with the local innkeepers.  Our couple arrived with a concept and left with a plan.  We'll be seeing them again in March when they arrive a day early to check on last minute details.  And if you'd like to talk with Nancy or Don about their barn, give us a call here at the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast and we'll be happy to put you in touch with them.

We just love setting the scene for couples to reconnect.  These days with so much input coming from all directions, it's nice to step away with the one you love and just be yourselves. 

Another romantic getaway Oregon style recently occurred here at our Joseph bed and breakfast.   Our guests this time live only about two hours away, so a 2-day trip to Joseph Oregon was not a major investment of time and money, nor did they endure hours upon hours in the car to arrive at a picture perfect gorgeous place--Wallowa County with the Wallowa Mountains as the scenic backdrop.

Here's what they wrote in the Mirror Lake Suite's room journal:

"Bill & Heather,
Thank you so much for giving us probably the most relaxing and enjoyable weekend we have had in a very long time.  Not only did you take care of all our needs, you treated us like extended family!  The room was even more wonderful than we expected and every time we entered the bathroom it was like a little adventure.  I am sure we will be back in the future."

I guess they're referring to the steam shower, or maybe the pipeless jetted tub, or perhaps even the Neorest toilet/bidet with its remote control.  Who knows?  Regardless, they enjoyed their stay here with us and we certainly enjoyed facilitating their together time.

If you're thinking about a reconnecting weekend or stealing a couple of days midweek from your busy schedule, give us a call toll-free at 866-520-9769 and we can help figure out which of our guestrooms would be best for you.  We're also happy to make dinner reservations, order flowers, chill a bottle of cider or champagne, or whatever else you'd like to set the scene for a relaxing romantic getaway Oregon style!