I live in Northeastern Oregon in a small town called Cove (pop 602......yep very small) which is located in the Grande Ronde Valley. The Grande Ronde Valley is
about 20 miles wide from West to East and 38 miles long from North to South. This valley is surrounded on all four sides by mountains. The valley floor is
relatively flat and may have been a lake bottom at some time in the past. The elevation at the small airport in the South central part of the valley is 2,795
feet. On the East side of the valley (where Cove is located) is Mount Fanny which rises above Cove (which is nestled on the foothills) to an elevation of 7,500
feet. Across the valley from Cove is the largest city in our county (Union County) named La Grande (pop 11,890) which is on the foothills of Table Mountain at
the mouth of the canyon where the Grande Ronde River enters the valley.
Nearly all of the valley is agricultural with mostly farming and ranching as the main industry. Crops raised are various types of grasses (for lawns etc), wheat and other cereal crops, canola, mint, potatoes (for seed), garbonzo beans, sugar beets, sunflowers and alfalfa for hay.
In the area of Cove there are numerous cherry orchards which are for commercial (and private...heehee) picking.
I was born in the city of La Grande and have lived here in this valley all my life (except for the two years I spent in the US Army when I was drafted). Interestingly my mother was born in the Northern part of the valley near a place called Pumkin Ridge. My father was born in the mountians about 25 miles above La Grande in a small place called Starky (my grandmother was the postmaster at starky where she also owned and operated the Starky store and trading post.....my grandfather farmed land on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, where my father and his brothers and sisters attended the Indian school at Mission.
I really like living in a small rural town, where the pace of life is slower and you know almost everyone. Our kids attended the Cove school from 1st thru 12 grade. All of our kids have left home and are now living their own lives. After graduating from college (at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande....where I met my wife of 37 years) with a BS of science degree I was drafted (thanks Richard Nixon!!!). After returning home I went back to college to earn a Masters in Biochemistry.
But life has funny twists and instead of persuing a career in science, I somehow ended up working on the farm, then opening up my own auto repair business (where I still am.....in the city of Cove).
This is a picture of Cove from Mnt Fanny looking down and Southwesterly:
Here is one looking towards Cove from Mount Harris (North of Cove) looking South toward Cove....Cove is just below the smaller cloud on the center right side of the picture in the far distance (this is taken from the road that goes up on Mount Harris):
Nearly all of the valley is agricultural with mostly farming and ranching as the main industry. Crops raised are various types of grasses (for lawns etc), wheat and other cereal crops, canola, mint, potatoes (for seed), garbonzo beans, sugar beets, sunflowers and alfalfa for hay.
In the area of Cove there are numerous cherry orchards which are for commercial (and private...heehee) picking.
I was born in the city of La Grande and have lived here in this valley all my life (except for the two years I spent in the US Army when I was drafted). Interestingly my mother was born in the Northern part of the valley near a place called Pumkin Ridge. My father was born in the mountians about 25 miles above La Grande in a small place called Starky (my grandmother was the postmaster at starky where she also owned and operated the Starky store and trading post.....my grandfather farmed land on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, where my father and his brothers and sisters attended the Indian school at Mission.
I really like living in a small rural town, where the pace of life is slower and you know almost everyone. Our kids attended the Cove school from 1st thru 12 grade. All of our kids have left home and are now living their own lives. After graduating from college (at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande....where I met my wife of 37 years) with a BS of science degree I was drafted (thanks Richard Nixon!!!). After returning home I went back to college to earn a Masters in Biochemistry.
But life has funny twists and instead of persuing a career in science, I somehow ended up working on the farm, then opening up my own auto repair business (where I still am.....in the city of Cove).
This is a picture of Cove from Mnt Fanny looking down and Southwesterly:
Here is one looking towards Cove from Mount Harris (North of Cove) looking South toward Cove....Cove is just below the smaller cloud on the center right side of the picture in the far distance (this is taken from the road that goes up on Mount Harris):
Last edited by: Jaborwok 06/28/07 16:30:57.
Edited 3 times.
Comments
Posted: 08/10/07 06:07:16
Posted: 04/14/08 15:01:19
Posted: 06/18/08 20:55:02
Something I noticed, you wrote this up, and put in your photos to match, on my birthday last year.
Why do you call yourself Jaborwok? Just curious.
*waves to your wife and the ladies here*