>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

With gas prices hovering around the $4.20 a gallon mark, more people will be tempted to vacation close to home this summer. We say when life hands you a lemon, make lemonade. And fortunately, we already live in a vacation wonderland that others drive hundreds of miles to see and experience.

The options here are outstanding. There is Hells Canyon, which is deeper vertically than even the Grand Canyon. Our region boasts Oregon’s largest wilderness area, the Eagle Caps. There are excellent parks galore, from Catherine Creek to Minam to the unparalleled beauty of Wallowa Lake and its one-of-a-kind glacial moraine.

There are train rides up scenic river canyons, golf outings at excellent links courses and gondola rides to mountain vistas. There is excellent shopping and browsing opportunities for those who want to find that special present.

Think about how much fun you could have vacationing locally if you spent just 80 percent of what you would, say, driving to Yellowstone National Park or the Black Hills. Stay at a local motel or bread and breakfast. Hire a local outfitter. Run a river. Fish. Hike. Ride a horse. Explore with a camera
Try to see Northeast Oregon as if you were visiting here from many hundreds if not thousands of miles away. Look at the region from a fresh outsiders’ perspective. You might fall in love all over again.