Ghost Towns of Eastern Oregon: Shaniko, Antelope, Friend and Clarno

     Our family headed east this week in search of a different type of ghost. Our goal this trip, to locate several ghost towns. So we loaded up the SUV and took off for Maupin, OR.

     In Maupin, we stayed at The Oasis, a series of cabins which were used for railroad construction in the early 1900's.

Here is one of the cabins

what our cabin looked like on the inside

   
     There wasn't much to the cabins: a tiny table, refrigerator, and a bitty little bathroom.  But the cabin was heated, and if you sat in just the right place, you could get wifi.

     The first ghost town we went searching for was Bakeoven. Along the way we found this tiny cemetery. 

Buzan Cemetery

 
    We continued east until we found Bakeoven. I must admit, we were slightly disappointed. There wasn't much to see at Bakeoven, just an old barn and a small building next to it.

Bakeoven

        From Bakeoven, we drove to Shaniko. Shaniko isn't exactly a ghost town, there is a sparse population of about 35 people. The town consists of both abandoned buildings and restored buildings. 

Shaniko School

I love this old truck parked out in a field

Shaniko Hotel

bank

various building in Shaniko

Paddy wagon

church

remains of a wagon

     Outside of Shaniko, along the road, we found a couple more interesting buildings.

House out in a field

looks like an old school house

old building next to the school house

The remains of a mattress within the building

    The next town we visited was Antelope. Antelope is another town that has a small population with many abandoned buildings. 

small building in Antelope

abandoned school. The rusting playground makes me ache

beautiful church in Antelope

Old firetruck parked by the school

     East of Antelope is a tiny ghost town called Clarno. Again, there wasn't much to the town. Just an old grange and an abandoned school that was on private property.

old bridge entering Clarno

Clarno Grange

Old Clarno school

     Near Maupin is the White River Falls State Park. It's a beautiful place with an amazing waterfall and an abandoned dam.

White River Falls

Remains of the dam

part of the old dam

      The final ghost town  we visited had the happy name of Friend, Oregon. Again, we drove a long distance to find only a few buildings. But this was the most "ghostish" of the ghost towns we found.

abandoned school in Friend

The school had an outhouse

abandoned building in Friend

Loved the windmill

abandoned store at Friend 

old building at Friend

old tractor near a barn in Friend.

     We had a wonderful time searching for ghost towns. Unfortunately, time ran out before our enthusiasm did. I can't wait to head east again in search of more!

March: The Lion inside me is roaring

March comes in like a lion...

I've had a rough few weeks. Let me rephrase that. I've fallen off the wagon, starting on Valentine's Day, and continued rolling down the hill at a horrendous rate. My conscience has nagged at me, chewing at my gut, telling me to get back on track. 

That is the reason for this blog. I knew that I would have moments of faltering. I have a history of quitting that goes back to the pathetic age of 8 when I started my first diet. Yes, I know, that says a lot about me. No 8-year-old should ever start a diet—eating healthy and moving around=yes—going on an extremely low calorie diet=never.

But I've learned a few things since then. And one of them is to stand up, starting now, stop walloping myself for messing up, and renew my goals. Once again I'm going to keep track of the foods I've eaten and I will continue to exercise. My bike is spiffed up, waiting for the next sunny day, and I still have plans to bike that 100 miler. 

So dear readers and fellow bikers, what do you do to stay motivated? I’d love to hear your ideas.

February: a month for impatience

     It's been a month and I've lost 11 lbs. I'm dancing the 10 lb weight loss dance. Of course, that means buying a new outfit. I know the next 10 lbs will be harder to lose, so I'm gritting my teeth, prepared to work even harder. This boot camp is really beating my bum, but I wake up feeling motivated and strong. Put a zombie before me, and I'd rip its head right off with my bare hands.
     Now, about my bike. It's all cleaned up and ready for a nice sunny day. I watch the weather reports with impatient longing. I can't wait to get out for a ride. This year I'm determined to face the dreaded hills. There are several interesting and beautiful rides that head up into the mountains west of McMinnville. I also found a couple forsaken cemeteries up there that are begging to be visited. Be prepared for some interesting posts. It's always the off-the-road cemeteries that have the most unusual gravestones. There are so many stories linked to those forgotten lives that are waiting to be rediscovered.

2 Week Check-in. Yes! I see success!

     So, for the last two weeks, I've had my big bum beaten at the gym. He-he, try saying that over and over again really fast. When I weighed in today, I was 8 lbs lighter. Hooowaah! 
     Now I can't take all the credit for my weight loss. Yes, I've been watching my calories. It's been a painful and sometimes pout-inducing experience. But a lot of the credit goes to a spiffy personal trainer from my gym. She and I worked out a little agreement. I work with her every week to edit her writing. In return, three times a week, she puts me through the most heart-pounding, exhausting, butt-kicking workout. And her little boot camps last an entire hour. Yes, there is no, "let's cool down for 20 minutes while you stretch" thing going on. It's a full hour of pure hell. 
     But I'm seeing differences. In these few short weeks, I've noticed my clothes fitting better. I feel stronger. My muscles no longer scream when I try to sit down and my lungs are improving. I haven't had an asthma attack in a week. 
    So, my next goal it to be 4 lbs lighter by the end of January. Let's see if I can do it!

New Year, New Beginning

Yes, I'm back! It's January and it's hideously cold outside right now. The chances of me crawling on my bike are below 0%. I'm not a sucker for self-punishment. But it is the beginning of the year, and I'm full-blown resolutionist. I can't help it, that's just my nature.
    So, here's my deal. I worked out hard in 2012. I went to the gym at least 3 times a week, I rode my bike a ton, and I gained 20 lbs. That sucks!
     That means one thing. Something I absolutely hate, but have to do. I have to control those darn calories. So I did the rational thing and bawled my head off, then found a calorie counting website to keep track of my food. So the Big Bummed Girl is now officially at Sparkpeople. My goals this year are to lose 50+ lbs and to bike a century. I'll post weekly here to let you know how it's going, and as soon as that weather is a bit warmer, I'll be back on my bike.
     If anyone is interested, here is my Sparkpage: My Spark Page

A Ghost Sighting at the Cemetery: Performance of Hamlet at the Lone Fir Cemetery

     I had a wonderful opportunity to watch Hamlet put on by the Portland Actor's Ensemble. The play was performed in the center of Portland's Lone Fir Cemetery. I know, I know! It's impossible to pick a more appropriate place. Needless to say, I was in heaven. If you can imagine heaven being an eerie, pioneer cemetery.

     If you ever have a chance to visit the Lone Fir Cemetery, I highly recommend going. It's amazing and creepy. Here is an example of amazing: 

Macleay Mausoleum

And here is an example of creepy:

grave of James B. and Elizabeth Stephens

Wait. Let's get a close-up of that so you can really see the creepiness. I hope you don't have nightmares tonight.

As for the play itself. It was well-acted and entertaining. The play was performed in a flat grassy area surrounded by tiki torches and spotlights. 

 

The audience members arranged themselves on the slight slopes surrounding the area. People with sand chairs were supposed to sit behind those who sat on blankets. But, as you can see by this picture, they didn't listen to instructions as well as they should. 

Yes, that was where I was sitting on a blanket. I had to crane my neck to see around the chairs, but it was still worth it.

The play started out with the ghost of King Hamlet walking around the audience. Wow, did that set the right mood for the play. He was such an ominous ghost. And I loved the modern military uniform.

 

the ghost of King Hamlet walks

And here is Hamlet. Some of you may have already heard this, but Hamlet was my first literary crush. In the 6th grade, he was my ultimate hero. I still get mushy inside over his character.

Poor Hamlet. Such a tragic hero.

For those who were hearing impaired, there were interpreters that spoke with sign language nearby.

sign language interpreter

Since the play started at 7 pm, it soon grew dark. That was when the torches and spotlights were handy.

the troupe of actors for a play within a play

During a fifteen minute interlude, I rushed through the cemetery, taking lots of pictures.

what an appropriate marker for the surname Dragonhorn.

Yes, that is a teddy bear. How could I not think of Edgar!

This is just plain beautiful

 

this looks like the perfect setting for a scary story

another beautiful building

     I'd like to take the time to thank my friend, Heidi, for inviting me to join her for this marvelous adventure. I owe her big time. Thanks Heidi, you rock!

  If anyone is interested. The Portland Actor's Ensemble is playing a final encore performance of Hamlet on July 21, 2012 at 7:00 pm. But it won't be at the Lone Fir Cemetery.  For more information, check out their website : http://www.portlandactors.com/

Haunted Places: Ebenezer Chapel of Dayton, OR

Ebenezer Chapel, located next to the Odell Cemetery

The Myth

Ebenezer Chapel is supposed to be one of the most haunted places in Oregon. According to local legend, the Preacher Ebenezer, who founded the Ebenezer Chapel, was a polygamist cult leader with seven wives. In a violent rampage, he murdered his thirteen children (aged 9 mo-13 years) then burned their bodies in the chapel’s fireplace.

 The remains of the corpses were buried in the cemetery attached to the Chapel.In recent years, a man was supposedly hit by a car next to the cemetery and was abandoned there to die.

 For years the chapel has been haunted by glowing lights, voices, and scratching sounds in the walls. 

The facts

As romantic and chilling as the above story sounds, I have found no historical data to back the legend. According to historical documents, the  chapel was built in 1860’s. It was rebuilt in 1926 using the original fireplace and much of the building's materials.

There was no proof of a preacher named Ebenezer. No one is sure how the chapel got its name. There was a man named John Odell who had thirteen children. Like most families from the time period, some of them died, and some lived to have their own families.

The Odell cemetery has 48 people buried there, eighteen don’t have headstones.

side view of the chapel

Inside the Chapel

a large hole in the fireplace wall

Inside view of the chapel

Yes, I brought Edgar

.

Oldest Headstone in the Odell Cemetery. It belongs to Samuel Angel who died in 1856. What an appropriate last name.

Civil War Veteran, William J Carpenter

I loved this cross

Most of the headstones are broken off, leaning against the trees. Everything is covered in ivy.

Willard Coovert  1855-1882. I loved the rose on the headstone.

The day was beautiful and I got my first sunburn for the year. It was wonderful to get out with my friend, Adrienne, for another bike ride. In total we biked about 15 miles. Expect my rides to get longer to prepare for the Cycle the Lakes ride of 100 miles!