1. Ed and I piled into the Camry and blasted down to La Grande, OR and then headed north and east and then, just beyond Minam, turned south and went further east to Joseph. As the crow flies between La Grande and Joseph, it's about 43 miles, but as the Camry drives on Highway 82, it's about 71 miles.
It's a fascinating drive with mountains overlooking cattle grazing land and rivers and scattered small towns. Ed and I, at one point, sat still for about twenty minutes on Rt. 82 as a large herd of cattle crossed the highway.
We eased into Joseph and went directly to the great Stein Distillery, were greeted at the door by the warm home made bread smell of spirits being distilled. The distillery's owner welcomed us to the tasting counter and after tasting rum, bourbon, rye whiskey, and cordials, Ed bought a couple bottles of cordials and I purchased a bottle of rum, bourbon, a rhubarb cordial, rye whiskey, and a couple of cocktail glasses.
2. Ed and I left Highway 82 at Elgin and drove north and west on Highway 204 over the Blue Mountain Summit and through Tollgate on our way back to the Wildhorse Resort. Last April when we made this drive, we traveled through a snow storm, but today we only had to contend with intermittent rain and some fog.
It's a beautiful loop from Wildhorse to Joseph via La Grande and from Joseph back to Wildhorse via Tollgate and Weston.
Ed and I immensely enjoyed this outing.
3. So, for our October trip to Wildhorse this year, Terry T., Ed, Jake, Lars, Mike S. and I converged on the resort and, as we do every time we get together at Wildhorse (usually in April and October) tonight we had dinner at the resort's Plateau Steakhouse.
It was, as always, an exquisite dinner. I started with a dry martini. Soon my garden salad arrived and then I dug into a 16 oz New York Striploin with sides of roasted Brussels sprouts and sautéed mushrooms. I went all out and ordered a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon with my dinner and, then, I enjoyed a pour of Cointreau to finish my meal -- along with a complimentary chocolate truffle.
It's a very special occasion for me to eat at a fine dining establishment like The Plateau and I cherished every sip of my cocktail, dinner wine, and after dinner drink as well as every bite of food.
I spent a little bit of time on the gaming floor after dinner, but I was much more interested in returning to my room and hitting the hay early after a full and fulfilling day of travel, superb dining, and a great time with my lifelong friends.
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