Display outside our room at the Central Hotel at Burns, Oregon
Before we leave Nampa, don't forget the Idaho Pizza Company and DK Donuts. A thumbs up for both.
Idaho Pizza has an outlet in Nampa and several in nearby Boise as well.
On to Burns, Ore., which we found is not a "straight shot" from Nampa. You either made a large loop to the north or a large loop to the south.
We chose the latter because there wes a National Wildlife Refuge along the way and several scenic lakes.
We edged out of Nampa, noting the large variety of crops its farmers specialize in, including alfafa, sugar beets, corn, carrot seed, apples, peaches and much more.
Alas, a number of large housing developments are eating away at the picturesque farms, and you see lone patches of corn beside a new strip mall.
It's a lonely journey much of the way on the southern approach to Burns. Hardly any farms or much human habitation in this arid, but interesting, section. For some parts of the journey, there were not even electrical wires strung by the road.
But there was a memorable "visitor center" at the Round Barn near the wildlife refuge that a family that has cattle farmed here since the mid-1800s runs. We were grateful as it was one of the few available bathrooms for miles.
The shop manager advised us not to miss the Diamond Craters that he said were created when a massive volcanic erupted in this area 300 million years ago (give or take a few years).
He said the Diamond Craters were not at the main blast to the south, but were a vent that exploded, leaving deep holes and blackened rock strewn for a long period.
Finally arriving at Highway 205, we were now on a direct route to Burns. Good thing, as Min and Mert were getting restless. They had seen enough buttes and scrubby sage for this day.
Burns is still a town of few inhabitants, but there is an old downtown along several principal streets.
If Burns has not prospered greater, it is not because of a lack of effort on the part of Forrest and Jen Keady and their three sons.
Our destination was the Central Hotel that the Keadys transformed from a bombed out former hotel to a charming boutique hotel with 12 rooms bearing Western names and themes.
This is one of those new-fangled hotels where there is no front desk clerk. You are emailed a code to the hotel front door and proceed on upstairs to your room. Alas, again for us oldsters, there is no elevator. But we made it and were delighted with what we found.
There are numerous photos of what the hotel looked like once and how the Keadys made the transformation. Each room as an interesting mix of old books, radios, TVs and other memorabilia from the bygone days.
Guests are invited to enjoy a rear area where there is a broad patio, upper deck, and wooden shelves to lounge against and place your drink and little plate of cheese and celery sticks. There's also a shipping container that was painted red, given some artwork, and outfitted with storage space and bathrooms for the gents and ladies. There's also a fire pit.
The front of the restored hotel includes one section for a salon and a spacious area for events that can spill out to the rear patio.
The Keadys, who returned to Burns after a sojourn away, did not stop with just the Central Hotel. They have placed their special touch on two other vintage Burns buildings that needed lots of TLC. In one restored building, they make their home on the second floor.
After a trip to the Dairy Queen (almost every town has one), we did get in some cards and I was the resounding winner of 10s.
On for a visit to Bend and then the next stop is Eugene, where we part company with Zef and Min for a week while we visit with our daughters and they stay in a couple of other neat places.