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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (March 24, 2017)
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 3 FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 2017 Business / Agriculture Oxbow’s reopened inn in full swing BY SUNNY WERNER Sunny@TheBakerCountyPress.com Amy Lord grew up on Pine Creek in the 70s. As those who have spent their childhoods playing around the rivers, creeks and mountains tend to find, those areas are sorely missed when life and work opportunities lead to lives in other, more populous areas. Returning as often as possible wasn’t enough and, when the opportu- nity to purchase the Hell’s Canyon Inn in Oxbow suddenly presented itself in early 2016, Lord and her husband Rick made the life-changing decision to buy. The Inn had been through many hands over the years, but the lo- cal people who eat there regularly have remained consistent. It was, in fact, one of these local residents whose words encouraged the Lords to open the restaurant earlier than they had planned. There was much to be accomplished before re- opening, and neither of the pair had any prior restau- rant experience. From designing menus to ordering the correct amount of food, from hir- ing staff to cooking and serving, neither Rick’s background as a hardwood floor installer nor Amy’s as a hospice worker had given the pair any idea of how to run a restaurant. However, when an elderly lady pulled up to the front of the restaurant in early May and, finding Amy working outside, asked her if the restaurant would be open on Moth- er’s Day because, “I have eaten here for Mother’s Day for 40 years, through all the ups, downs, storms and floods!” Lord decided then and there that they would open in time for the big day. Since Mother’s Day 2016, the restaurant has been open as often as the weather would allow. During the winter of 16/17 the heavy snows pre- vented opening at all for several days, but otherwise the doors have been open. The daily hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Tuesdays, although Lord plans for a seven-day-a- week operation soon. Keeping the doors open has been made easier by the fact that almost all the staff lives in Oxbow. Lord explains that the friends and family who work at the Inn are a close- knit team, and regularly step up to help each other in all aspects of their work. “We’ve already out- grown this building,” explained Winton. “I have a tenth of the staff, I have a tenth of the machines I need to keep going forward with what we need to do. I need another five CNC ma- chines and I have no place Friday, March 17, 2017 — Eastern Oregon Prices trended generally steady in a limited test compared to week ago prices. Most demand lays with the retail/stable hay. According to some pro- ducers, horse owners prefer lower sugar, higher pro- teinhay. Many producers are sold out for the year. Tons Price Range Wtd Avg No new sales confirmed. Last week: Alfalfa — Large Square Good 30 130.00-130.00 130.00 Alfalfa / Orchard Mix — Small Square Premium 3 175.00-175.00 175.00 USDA Market News Service—AMS.USDA.gov — Cattle Market Report — Wednesday, March 15, 2017 Vale, Oregon Cattle sold through the auction: 1638 Sunny Werner / The Baker County Press L-R: Chynna, Amy, Chase, Candace, Shannon, Rick, Brandy and Caleb. “We are all here for each other,” she says, “and my goal is for each and every one of us to learn all aspects of running the operation so we never have a gap in coverage.” Also included in the daily work schedule for all team members are taking- care-of-Grandma duties, and playing with the Hell’s Canyon Inn’s youngest and, arguably, most adored member, two-year-old Chase Lord, raised by Amy and Rick since his birth. “Grandma” is the grand- mother of Amy Lord’s best friend, another staff member. Grandma has cancer, and is surrounded by loving family as she closes out her days. Little Chase spends most of his time close to Grand- ma, with one or other of the team in attendance and frequent breaks to come supervise the activities at the Inn. “This whole adventure is a family affair,” Lord explained. “We have extensive family in the Tacoma area, and this gives us the opportunity to give the younger adults the chance to get away from the city, learn a new trade, and work together as a big team.” What is evident upon entering the Inn is the fact that the staff is happy. Their investment of their time and efforts is clearly rewarded by knowing that they are a part of a joint effort. Their excitement is pal- pable, and they are encour- aged to extend themselves. All of them discuss their ideas with the Lords, and are encouraged to try new ways of doing their work. The Lords plan to continue expansion and continue to provide jobs and training to more of their younger relatives as well as helping out the local community. Their in- terest in providing support and help to all with whom they come in contact is evidenced by Amy’s recent assistance to 17 year- old Karry Davis, about whom this paper reported recently. Karry worked at the Inn last summer, and is little Chase’s favorite babysitter. Karry had the opportuni- ty to compete in Baltimore, for The Voice, but the costs were out of reach. The Lords provided ad- vertising, ran a fundraiser, and eventually Amy flew with Karry to Baltimore as Karry’s mother was too ill to accompany her. That kindness is what draws the family closer, and is teaching the more junior members how to be part of a community. The Lords have plans to expand, and make the Inn a real destination point. Amy has rescued two miniature donkeys and has plans for other rescue animals, and wants to eventually open a B & B and cabins nearby. The rescue animals will probably be part of the at- traction, along with guided horseback trail rides, book- ing of river trips (which can now be done while visiting the Inn), and other locally-sourced activities. Lord became interested in mini-donkeys when she was driving a young person to his family in Louisiana last year. The young man has autism and was not able to fly alone, so Lord volunteered to drive. Lord took a young cousin along for the trip, and stopped with the two teens in Utah for a break. There was a petting zoo with miniature donkeys, and the youngsters were enraptured for several hours. Consequently, when news came of a pair of mini-donkeys who were in need of rescuing, Lord de- cided they needed to come to Oxbow. Their care will become part of the regular team duties, and the young women who work at the Inn are excited about their arrival. The current main focus for the family is raising funds to fight a legal battle to keep Chase safely in the home he has always known. The Lords are gearing up to face several thousands in legal fees, and are running another raffle in hopes of raising enough to pay them. As loyal 12th Men, the Lords have season tickets to the Seahawks. For the grand prize for this raffle they are offer- ing their tickets to a home game, plus a stay at a nearby Seattle hotel and meals, along with a river rafting trip and other as- sorted prizes. Hell’s Canyon Inn also has outdoor seating avail- able during good weather, a full bar, and a fairly wide range of menu choices. Their sauces are made on site, and their food is sourced locally. They plan to include a store selling locally made, artisanal items in the near future. “We have had people from all over the world stop by here,” says Lord, “And we have the oppor- tunity to continue to build this into a place people can come visit and find out about all the activities and great spots in our beautiful area.” to put them.” Winton explained that the online retail never stopped as they acquired the building, but increased. They have been in business since they took possession of the building. Winton went to Baker High School and explained that he chose to operate in Baker where he has family in Keating and readily available labor force. He also chose the ware- house for its location near the freeway. “I moved back here be- cause with the online set, I could live anywhere,” ex- plained Winton. “And this is a nice place to resettle and start figuring out what I want to do and things progressed. I was looking to do this and ended up Subscribe today! See page 9 for details. Steer Calves 300-400# Bulk 136.00-159.00 Top 163.00 400-500# Bulk 148.00-176.00 Top 178.00 500-600# Bulk 141.00-165.00 Top 167.00 Heifer Calves 300-400# Bulk 139.00-165.00 Top 167.00 400-500# Bulk 129.00-159.00 Top 159.50 500-600# Bulk 123.00-142.00 Top 143.50 600-700# 700-800# 800-900# 900-1,000# getting ahold of the owner of this building and pick- ing it up cheap and, yeah, so here we are.” Winton explained that he employs fifteen people and he needs to add 24 to meet production goals. To meet what he wants to do next year, he will need to hire a couple hun- dred more. Yearling Steers Bulk 127.00-147.50 Top 148.00 Bulk 118.00-133.25 Top 134.50 Bulk 116.00-126.00 Top 126.80 Bulk 108.00-119.00 Top 119.75 Yearling Heifers 600-700# Bulk 116.00-128.50 Top 129.00 700-800# Bulk 111.00-121.00 Top 122.00 800-900# Bulk 105.00-117.00 Top 118.00 900-1,000# Bulk N/A Top N/A Thin Shelly Cows 46.00-57.00 Butcher Cows 59.00-67.00 Butcher Bulls 55.00-72.00 Pairs Young 1350.00-1590.00 Hfretts 87.00-105.00 Stock Cows Young - 985.00-1300.00 ProducersLivestock.com 541-473-3136 — Log Price Report — Prices are based on the majority of saw mills in Northeastern Oregon and Central Idaho. The prices listed below are a composite prices of various saw- mills willing to visit with me about this topic. Ponderosa Pine—small diameter class 8-11 inches diameter class $250 per mbf. Only one sawmill was willing to buy small diameter pine at this time. Ponderosa Pine—medium diameter class 12-17 inches diameter class $300 to $350 per mbf Ponderosa Pine-large diameter class 18 plus inches diameter class $380 to $410 per mbf The Pine prices are still approximately $40 per mbf below average lumber/log market due to 2017 fire salvage Doug Fir & Western Larch—$380 to $420 per mbf. Normal prices typically ranged between $425 to $475 per mbf. White Fir-$300 per mbf. Normal prices typically ranged between $340 to $360 per mbf. Engelmann Spruce—$350 at one Idaho sawmill, other sawmills including with White fir prices. In general, the log prices still impacted from 2015 fire season and fire salvage that resulted. Sawmills are starting to get log yard inventory in line with sawmill production needs. With a new Administra- tion as of 1/20/2017, a more normal economic envi- ronment should result and hopefully a more healthy housing situation will result in a better climate for Northeast Oregon Sawmill and private forest land- owners. Firearms manufacturer CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 — Weekly Hay Report — Courtesy of Arvid Andersen, Andersen Forestry Consulting — Precious Metals Report — Price per ounce, USD Gold: $1,245.50 Silver: $17.54 Platinum: $970.00 Palladium: $784.83 Bloomberg.com — Ag Commodities — Corn: $361.25/bu/USD Wheat: $425.00/bu/USD Soybeans: $1001.00/bu/USD Oats: $254.00 bu/USD Rough Rice: $9.76/cwt/USD Canola: $503.50 CAD/mwt Live Cattle: $111.05//lb./USD Feeder Cattle: $131.50/lb./USD Lean Hogs: $76.33/lb./USD Bloomberg.com