Wallowa Lake Hotel

Sometimes we have a guest that has never stayed at a bed and breakfast before--we call that guest a "B&B virgin" for short.   Often, it's the husband who is reluctant to stay at a bed and breakfast.  His major concerns:

"The bathroom's down the hall and I have to share it with people I don't know."

"I have to talk at breakfast."

"There's too much lace and there are dolls or teddybears everywhere."

At the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast, each one of our rooms has its own attached, private bath.  There's never going down the hall to the bathroom and certainly no sharing!

Breakfast is served starting as early as 7:30 a.m. and as late as 9:00 a.m., so if you don't want to talk to anyone, you can choose a time convenient for you.

Lace?  We don't have any.  And no dolls or teddybears either (unless you count the rubber ducky in the bathtub).  In fact, we call jokingly ourselves a "no frills B&B" just for that reason.

Here's a recent guest comment from the wife of a former B&B virgin:

My husband's first B&B experience was indeed memorable!  He will not have a better guide to judge from.  The "cookie" was wonderful.  Such a smart couple you are.  Heather, you do understand you are THE COOKIE.  We so enjoyed the wonderful atmosphere, food, visit and thoughtful 'extras.'  Good luck and God Bless-- J&G, Idaho

It's so much fun to introduce guests to the bed and breakfast experience.  If you're looking for a romantic getaway Oregon style or just a nice place to stay, a bed and breakfast can be a great alternative to Joseph Oregon hotels or a Wallowa Lake hotel. 

Give us a call toll-free at 866-520-9769, or visit our website and learn more about what a bed and breakfast experience can be.

One of the things Bill & I enjoy is pleasing the dickens out of people who least expect it.  This often happens with the guests we call "drive-bys" or "walk-ins"--folks that hadn't seen our website so they didn't know what to expect, or didn't have advance reservations with us and just showed up on the Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast doorstep looking for lodging.

Sometimes they're looking for a Wallowa Lake hotel (there's the Lodge and it's often full in summer) or maybe they thought they'd just come out and stay in one of the Joseph Oregon hotels (there aren't any in this town).  One way or another, they arrive on our doorstep.

Earlier this week there was a knock on the door at 8 p.m.--a young couple looking for a room on their Eastern Oregon vacation.  No advance reservation--just passing through.  My, my, did we have fun with them!

Here's what they wrote in our guest journal:

I can honestly say I have never been welcomed more openly in my entire life.  Deciding to stop and knock on your door was such a great decision for us.  The accommodations are amazing but the hosts are even better.  We can't wait to recommend this place to our friends and relatives.  Signed S&E

Bill sends:

It's been below freezing for a week here now and Wallowa Lake is on the freeze.  Checked it out today and it looks a little thin to play on yet--and no official word--but the ice is starting to thicken rapidly.

Heather & I went to LaGrande for shopping today and stopped at our favorite little bowling alley bistro for lunch.  When we returned to Joseph Oregon, we decided to pop over to Wallowa Lake and check out the ice.  It was quite spectacular as Joseph was fogged in tight.  But as we broke over the edge of the terminal moraine, Wallowa Lake and the snow-covered mountains popped into view.

Our current bed and breakfast guests, H & D, spent the day hiking to the top of the east moraine next to Wallowa Lake.  They stopped first at the Wildflour Bakery in Joseph and picked up some scrumptious ham & cheese rolls.  Pop, the owner, gave them more ideas for other hikes too.  What a great place Joseph Oregon is--we don't need a hotel--we have concierge service at every business.

My Rotary Club of Wallowa County invites you to assist us in supporting the purchase of emergency medical equipment for Wallowa County.  This project is a partnership between the American Red Cross and the Rotary Club of Wallowa County, called “Wallowa County Project Heartbeat.”  This equipment, Automated External Defibrillators (also called “AED”) can be used by any trained layperson to assist victims of Sudden Cardiac Arrest.  These victims must receive medical attention within the first 3 to 5 minutes.  Having AEDs located throughout our rural county and people trained to use them is a critical need to bridge the time until medical personnel arrive.

The Rotary Club of Wallowa County is sponsoring a terrific raffle with many wonderful getaway trips for two to raise funds for Project Heartbeat.  Raffle tickets are $25 each.  You can contact me at the Bronze Antler Bed and Breakfast by calling (toll-free) 1-866-520-9769 to arrange a purchase.  The drawing will be February 15, 2009.  Deadline for ticket purchases is January 31, 2009.  Winner need not be present to win. 

Prizes will be awarded randomly.  A winning ticket will be used for only one prize.

Here's a description of the five getaways: 

1.  A Week's Stay for Two in Cabo San Lucas.  A full-week timeshare for up to four people during the desirable season of October 2009 at the luxurious Finisterra Club and Resort.  Airfare not included.  Value approximately $1,000.

2.  Hell's Canyon Jet Boat Trip.  A full day jet boat tour for two on the Snake River in Southeast Washington.  The tour is just under a 200-mile round trip into Hell's Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America.  Includes lodging for two in a jacuzzi suite overlooking the Snake River at the Quality Inn, Clarkston, WA.  Value approximately $560.

3.  New Year's Celebration in Reno.  Celebrate New Year's 2010 in fabulous Reno, NV.  Package for two includes round-trip deluxe bus transportation and lodging for 4 nights at a downtown hotel/casino.  Winner can select bus transportation from either the Portland/Salem areas or from Eastern oregon.  Included are trips to other casinos in the Reno area each day.  Value approximately $560.

4.  Wallowa County Vacation.  Two nights/three days for two at the famous Wallowa Lake Lodge on beautiful Wallowa Lake near Joseph, Oregon.  Some meals are included.  Value approximately $360.

5.  Retreat to Imnaha, Oregon.  One night/two days for two at the Imnaha River Inn Bed&Breakfast.  This unique bed and breakfast inn near Joseph, Oregon features a handcragted log and wood interior with open beam ceilings in the Living Room.  Luxury with a taste of the rugged outdoors.  Value approximately $300.

My husband, Bill, and I just returned from a meeting of the Oregon Bed and Breakfast Guild board of directors.  I'm currently serving as the state treasurer; Bill is a "retired" board member and came along for the ride.

So, what do innkeepers do when they travel?  Stay at other B&Bs of course!  To the casual observer it may be a little surprising that we think of our B&B as "home" too, but most innkeepers also live in their bed and breakfasts--not the same as a hotel with staff.  Many beautiful (and unusual) homes have been converted into bed&breakfast lodging--preserving the building for others to enjoy.

We started off from Joseph, Oregon, with a 5-hour drive to Hood River.  The scenery across Eastern Oregon and into the Columbia Gorge is incredible this time of year--autumn hues of golds, oranges and yellows mixed with the strong green of pines and other conifers.

Hood River is such a fun town, regardless of the weather.  We stayed with VJ and Boba Jovanovic, owners of the Villa Columbia B&B.  VJ&Boba are from Yugoslavia but have lived in the United States for many years.  VJ is a builder--which is evident in their careful restoration and renovation of their 1911 classic Arts&Crafts home on Oak Street (the main drag through town).  Bill and I thoroughly agreed that we'd love to pick up their house and transport it back to Joseph as the "Bronze Antler Bed&Breakfast Annex" but it's just not going to happen.

The next morning we picked up our Board President, Mary Pellegrini, at her home, the Old Parkdale Inn, about 15 minutes south of Hood River in the middle of fruit orchards at the base of Mt. Hood.  She'd just finished up the breakfast dishes, walked the dog, and turned her inn over to a dear friend that would clean the guest room and close up the house in her absence.

And now for the long drive to the Crater Lake area.  We cut down through the center of Oregon, stopping for lunch at the Black Bear Diner in Madras.  I thought the food was pretty good--apparently some readers of Chowhound do too).  The decor is quaint, the service was excellent, and it appeared from some of the plates passing our table that one will not go hungry in a Black Bear Diner.

The Prospect Historical Hotel-Motel & Dinner House is located southwest of Crater Lake National Park.  Since it was early enough in the day, we decided to detour through the park and see Crater Lake.  We had hoped to see some lovely fall colors, but instead were greeted with a small snowstorm (and here it is early November).  Fortunately, our Tahoe is equipped to handle the snow and normal driving in Eastern Oregon allows for plenty of snow-driving practice!

Wallowa Lake in Northeast Oregon is beautiful, but Crater Lake can be spectacular.  We were disappointed that the lake never once came into view.  A fog bank shrouded the lake completely and we almost missed the turn to the southern rim visitor center.  We felt particularly bad, however, for two vehicles we came across--with Alabama and Florida license plates.  The drivers looked a little overwhelmed by the road conditions (we did see each later on the road at lower altitude).

Leaving the lake, we arrived 30 minutes later at the "closest bed and breakfast to Crater Lake" and the warm welcome from Karen & Fred Wickman, owners of the Prospect Hotel.  This hotel was built in the late 1800s and has played host to a variety of celebrities over the years, including Theodore Roosevelt, Jack London, and Zane Grey.  All four innkeepers driving in were housed on the second floor.  Needless to say we accomplished our business, plus had the opportunity to let our hair down with Fred & Karen and the spouses/significant others who accompanied us.

Two days later we were on the road again, this time back to Parkdale via Milwaukie.  Innkeepers can't resist the draw of Bob's Red Mill factory store.  It's a wonderful place to stock up on large volume, high-quality products for the pantry.  A few hundreds of dollars later we were back on the Interstate, heading to Parkdale.

Mary's bed and breakfast, the Old Parkdale Inn, is a bit south of Hood River on the way to Mt. Hood Meadows ski area.  She renovated her kitchen and dining area this summer.  Bill's bound and determined to redo our kitchen at the Bronze Antler after seeing hers.  We watched the election results, toasted democracy, and went to bed.

Rather than drive straight home, Bill & I detoured into Washington.  Guests of ours from Goldendale had recommended we stop at the Greek cloister north of town on the way to Toppenish.  Approaching darkness, we found the bakery of St. John the Forerunner Orthodox Monastery.  Greek pastries, spanakopitas and other food items are prepared by the nuns from scratch and sold in their shop to support the monastery's work.  Bill declared the baklava delicious.  We left with handmade incense and lovely Greek table linens for Christmas, and with the knowledge that we can order pastries from their website!

After such a good snack, we decided to overnight in Toppenish, a small town remaking itself as the City of Murals.  Checking into a local motel (yes, innkeepers do stay in motels), we followed the desk manager's dinner recommendation to Zillah, where we dined at El Porton.  I can't say enought about the Sopa de Mariscos, and Bill thoroughly enjoyed a selection of 3 different enchiladas.  What was more amazing was that people kept coming in constantly throughout our dinner.  A very popular place with the locals.

The following morning we returned to Joseph, Oregon, via the Interstate.  Not an eventful trip other than the beautiful fall colors and a little bit of snow on Deadman's Pass.  Winter is coming!

And home-again, home-again to our Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast.  Madigan (our cat) waiting to rail us for leaving her to guard the house, and a great sleep in our own bed.