A Journey Through Time in Oregon

By Linda Tancs

Aptly named, Oregon’s Journey Through Time Scenic Byway captures the state’s heritage in the woods, in the mines, on the ranches and on the railroad. The 286-mile trek begins at Biggs (along the Columbia River) and reaches to the John Day River (the longest free-flowing river in Oregon) and the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and its geologic past before ending at Baker City. The region sports, among other things, ghost towns. Shaniko, for example, was the wool shipping center of the world in the 1880s. Besides weathered structures of a historic hotel, a jail and a schoolhouse, you’ll find a vibrant community that sponsors a vintage music festival, a bluegrass jamboree and historic Shaniko Days. A bit less spirited is the abandoned town of Whitney, once a busy center for area logging, mining and cattle operations. From there you’ll reach Sumpter, where an original narrow gauge steam train runs from Memorial Day through September.

*************

Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045. 

Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer.