David Sipher's World: 2018 Fall Western Trip: Joseph, Oregon

Friday, 9/28: Parked at Five Peaks RV Park in Joseph, Oregon

Site 1, Five Peaks RV Park

We left Boise about 9:15 and arrived at Five Peaks about 12:30. While that's only three hours on the clock, the actual drive was a bit over four hours. That is because we entered the Pacific Time Zone today. Our clocks are now three hours earlier than back home.

Five Peaks is a really unique RV park. It is located in town, there are only 6 sites, and it's only a one block walk to Main Street in Joseph. Since we arrived so early today, we crashed for naps, and then about 4:00 took the 15 minute walk to downtown to find a local craft brewery, which we did. The Embers Brew House turned out to be a great stop. We sat on the outside deck and had one of their IPA's, which was very good. It was a nice crowd with a mix of locals and tourists. Then it was back to the camper to grill some burgers, and then sit around the campfire. Since the west is so dry, many campgrounds don't allow open wood fires, so we brought along our portable propane fire pit. It was wonderful.

Embers Brewhouse, Joseph, Oregon

Saturday, 9/29:

A chilly 47 degrees when we woke this morning, but it warmed to 70 by noon. We decided to take a walk down Joseph's main street. This town is such a treat. It obviously depends on tourism. The sidewalks are all paver stone and landscaped. The storefronts are decorated and immaculate. There many tiny shops and art galleries. The town is decorated with numerous sculptures There are no Big Box stores, not even a Dollar Store. While the 2010 census showed a population of only about 1,000, the town has the feel of Lake Placid, but nowhere as crowded. It will be interesting to see if Joseph can keep that small town feel in the future, especially after a travel article from the New York Times showcases the small rural town.

This just happens to be Alpenfest Weekend here, which is the equivalent of Oktoberfest back home. After lunch, we drove to the main festival area at nearby Lake Willowa. There was Bavarian-Swiss polka dancing, alphorn and accordion music, and even a a professional yodeler . German style beers were being served, but it was all local eastern Oregon produced. We had an excellent one from Terminal Gravity. There were many tent booths set up offering arts and crafts and clothing, along with German style food. We had a fun time, and ended up buying a couple souvenirs.

Later, for dinner we went to the second brewery in Town, East Fork Brewery. After dinner, it was dog walking, reading and TV. Too cold for sitting around the fire pit.

East Fork Brewing, Joseph, Oregon

Sunday, 9/30:

Wow, its the last day of September already. Its also our last day in Joseph. Our streak of sunny weather was forecast to end, and sure enough, it did. It was another chilly morning and overcast. In fact, it never warmed up over 60 today.

We found the local laundromat and got caught up on our laundry first thing this morning. By 10:30 main street parking was filling up and shoppers were about. We went to the nearby town of Enterprise to visit the well know Terminal Gravity Brewery. We sampled their "Friggin Fresh Hop IPA" and it was great. We ordered a plate of nachos for lunch. We ended up getting a growler of the IPA to take back to the camper. While there, a couple sat down next to us, and come to find out, they are camping at the same park we are. They are from Oregon and gave us tips about where to visit.

Terminal Gravity Brewing in Enterprise, Oregon

This area is so interesting. Joseph is located at the end of a beautiful farmland valley that leads to the base of the Wallowa Mountains. Just outside of town there are wheat, beef cattle, corn and alfalfa farms. We would definitely come back here again to spend a few days to explore more.