A TRIP TO THE CENTER OF OREGON AND BEYOND

 Sometime when we were living in Cottage Grove, from 2000 to 2006,  we made a trip to the center of Oregon.  We planned this trip after watching a TV program about a place called Post, which is a general store and post office located in the center of the state.   We spent a good part of a day driving to Prineville, then turned south onto Highway 380 and driving about 25 miles to Post.    When we arrived, there was a sign on the building informing us it was the center of Oregon.   We went into the store to look around and noticed some local ranchers sitting in the attached tavern enjoying a cold beer.   From Post we drove another 30 miles to the small community of Paulina, consisting of a store, a post office, a school, scattered houses and ranches in the Crooked River Valley.   

From there we made our way north into the Ochoco National Forest with a stop at the Rager Ranger Station (now permanently closed).   As evening was setting in we found a campground to spend the night at.  We had the entire place to ourselves with a small stream flowing nearby.   Looking at a map now it was the Sugar Creek Campground.  

The next morning we made our way east of Paulina driving through high dessert and valleys with scattered ranches.   The only people we saw were some young children riding horses along the road.  Eventually we made our way into the Malheur National Forest coming out at Bear Valley and onto Highway 395 where we turned north to John Day.   From John Day we started our return trip home after camping out again at a campground at Ochoco Pass on Highway 26.    We must have traveled 800 miles by the time we got home and now enjoy the memories of our travels.