Oregon Hills may not make the state’s seven wonders list. But if you want a nice Sunday drive and are not in a hurry, it’s a great way to ride a rollercoaster without paying theme park prices.

Perhaps then a six-lane highway will loop the city with fast food joints and motels at every intersection. Now there are mules and kestrels.

The Tucannon River valley bustles in summer. Swarms of swimmers, assemblages of anglers, herds of hikers. Come fall, however, I seem to have the place to myself.

I am en route to Heppner, then Ukiah, then home, a grand loop of the high, wide and lonely.

Hanford Reach is a unique area which combines free-flowing water, abundant wildlife and entombed nuclear reactors. 

The Grand Ronde Valley in the early morning is a sight for sore eyes.