Heading for Little Switzerland, Wallowa mountains

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We continued our journey east from John Day to Wallowa mountains known as Little Switzerland 160 miles away.

From John Day to Baker City 80 miles then La Grande 44 miles heading to Wallowa 36 miles.
We set off at 10.00 arrived 4pm with a stop at Baker City for lunch.
There is lots of history along this route connected with the great gold rush, the timber industry and the immigrants that helped shape this areas history.
At John Day we visited Kam Wah Chung state museum and amazing historic time capsule capturing the lives of the Chinese community and their input into the gold rush.
Two Chinese men unrelated became the main stays of the Chinese community. One was a Chinese doctor practising Chinese medicine the other an entrepreneur.
Together they set up a community centre for the wellbeing of the Chinese community. One selling all they needed including imports from China they other practising and healing the community.
The doctor died and the entrepreneur broke his hip in 1947 and needed to go to Portland for treatment . He shut up shop expecting to return, he didn't. He died in 1952 never returned to his store and home.
The Chinese community were allowed to live in the swamp area an undesirable area of the town. No one went there and the majority of the Chinese had moved on. His store remained untouched for 20 years until they decided to build a park on the area.
Someone from the town decided to have a look and they found a perfectly preserved time capsule of these two man's lives.
The store has the largest collection of ancient Chinese medicines in the world. They found a chest full of uncashed cheques the doctor failed to cash in.
The entrepreneur had stakes in gold mines, he had bootlegged whisky 63 bottles worth 10,000 dollars in today money. This is just the tip of his wealth.
The really sad part was his letters from his family in China asking him to return which he never did. He did sent gold dust and money home to wife and children who he never saw again.
Driving through to Baker City which is known as "Queen City of the mines", we passed a now deserted logging town of Whitney. Established in 1901 until 1947 150 people lived here logging and running cattle operations, until the railway from Sumpter stopped coming.

Baker City is another time capsule . The mains street looking exactly as it was built in all its historic splendour and grandeur.

The drive through to La Grande was easy and uneventful.
From here we headed up onto our next scenic byway Hells Canyon scenic byway.
The scenery becoming more amazing, driving through pine clad gorges with the Wallowa River running through.

We stopped at Wallowa River RV park $45 for the night fill hook up and about the going rate. The Wallowa river ran directly infront of our camp spot.
Ready for a rest after the drive and looking forward to a weekend in Little Switzerland.

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