Eastern Oregon

The drive from Portland to Eastern Oregon is not as far as you think. We made it from the office to Pendelton in three and a half hours. It's a pretty amazing drive once you get out into the Gorge area, the wind surfing capital of the west. Then once you get over the cascades you drop down into the desert mountains of Eastern Oregon. Pendelton is not the prettiest town when you come off I-84, but it has a great old downtown area where you can imagine cowboys pulling up on their horses and moseying into a saloon. In fact, that is not too much of stretch during the Pendelton Round Up, Oregon's biggest rodeo, which will be celebrating its centennial Sept. 15-18, 2010.

I am sure Pendelton has some nice hotels and B&Bs, but I have not stayed in one yet. Last time I was there I stayed at the Best Western and this time I was at the Red Lion. They are both perfectly fine, but there was not much local flavor. We had dinner at Hamley Steak House, which is a great space in an old building in historic Pendelton. The Hamley saddle and western wear shop has been open for over 100 years, but the restaurant is relatively new. It is very well decorated in the old west style, right down to the pictures of naked women you might see in an old bordello. The food was pretty good, we all stuck to the steaks which seemed to be the specialty and the prices and service were also good.

If you have an extra few hours to spend in Pendelton I would recommend doing the underground tour. You can hear all about how gentlemen would head into a reputable bar on the left side of the street and take the underground tunnel over to the brothel on the right side of the street. The Rainbow Cafe is a great place to get a drink or a hearty breakfast, you may also spot a real cowboy.

Hamley Steak House
8 SE Court
Pendleton, OR 97801
541-278-1100

Monday–Thursday Open 11am – 9pm
Friday and Saturday Open 11am-9:30p
Sunday Open 11am – 8pm

Rainbow Cafe
209 S Main St.
Pendleton, OR
541-276-4120