A4
Opinion
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, July 4, 2018
Remembering
independence
A
s we celebrate our
independence, it is
worth remembering that
freedom is not free.
A glance at international
headlines is a sobering
reminder that so many people
enjoy far fewer protections of
their liberty than we do in the
United States.
While sitting at a barbecue,
it can be easy to forget the
sacrifices of our forebears that
made possible life as we know
it.
If you’re enjoying your
freedom this Independence
Day, you should thank our
veterans for their part in
providing it and those in the
military for preserving it.
And our thanks should
extend beyond servicemembers.
Countless public servants —
police, firefighters, educators
and many others — work daily
to maintain our free society.
Without order and information,
our system would fall quicker
than if another military could
actually defeat ours.
It is also worth remembering
that our independence came
from, and comes from, our
unity.
When we overthrew
monarchic rule by one for
democratic rule by all, we did
so on a united front as united
states. Our independence was,
and is, collective.
In order to maintain our
independence as individuals in
a free society, we must remain
united.
We must work together
to overcome the obstacles
confronting us.
We must remain vigilant
against those who wish to see
our way of life diminished.
We must remember how we
got here and where we were
headed.
And we must do it together.
What makes this country
great is that it was built by the
people from the ground up —
to provide liberty and justice
for all.
Happy Independence Day.
Remember what that means.
And remember it is neither free
nor easy.
W HERE TO W RITE
GRANT COUNTY
• Grant County Courthouse — 201
S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City
97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541-
575-2248.
• Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon
City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax:
541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@centu-
rylink.net.
• Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville
97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541-
987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net
• John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day,
97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541-
575-1721. Email: cityjd@centurytel.net.
• Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long
Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax:
541-421-3075. Email: info@cityoflong-
creek.com.
• Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument
97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025.
Email: cityofmonument@centurytel.net.
• Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt.
Vernon 97865. Phone: 541-932-4688. Fax:
541-932-4222. Email: cmtv@ortelco.net.
• Prairie City — P.O. Box 370, Prairie
City 97869. Phone: 541-820-3605. Fax:
820-3566. Email: pchall@ortelco.net.
• Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca
97873. Phone and fax: 541-542-2161.
Email: senecaoregon@gmail.com.
SALEM
• Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State
Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378-
3111. Fax: 503-378-6827. Website: www.
governor.state.or.us/governor.html.
• Oregon Legislature — State Capitol,
Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180.
Website: www. leg.state.or.us (includes
Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised
Statutes).
• Oregon Legislative Information —
(For updates on bills, services, capitol or
messages for legislators) — 800-332-2313.
• Sen. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario – 900
Court St. NE, S-301, Salem 97301. Phone:
503-986-1730. Website: www.oregonlegis-
lature.gov/Bentz. Email: Sen.CliffBentz@
oregonlegislature.gov.
• Rep. Lynn Findley, R-Vale – 900 Court
St. NE, H-475, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-
986-1460. Website: www.oregonlegislature.
gov/findley. Email: Rep.LynnFindley@
oregonlegislature.gov.
F ROM THE P UBLISHER
Discovering new places,
seeking out backroads
By Christopher Rush
EO Media Group
Whenever I’ve had the pleasure of
moving to a new town, I’ve always
tried to be very receptive to the good
advice offered by folks who have
lived there for awhile and know the
ways and customs of their commu-
nity.
That is certainly true of my first
few weeks here in northeast Oregon.
I relocated here in May after
spending three years on the west (and
wetter) side of the state in Coos Bay-
North Bend. Prior to that, my 26-year
newspaper career has taken my fami-
ly to small cities like Bentonville, Ar-
kansas, Aberdeen, Washington, and
Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Although
dramatically different in climate,
culture and economic fortunes, each
of the communities in which I have
lived and worked shared something
in common: They are all fiercely
proud of their unique heritage and the
niche they occupy in the world.
I have discovered this to be true
here in northeast Oregon as well. In
the brief time I have been here, I’ve
had the opportunity to visit numer-
ous towns in the region: Pendleton,
Hermiston, Stanfield, Umatilla, Echo,
Milton-Freewater, Athena, Weston,
Tollgate, Elgin, Wallowa, Lostine,
Enterprise, Joseph, Pilot Rock, Uki-
ah, Long Creek, Mt. Vernon, John
Day and La Grande. I still have Ir-
rigon, Boardman, Helix, Heppner,
Lexington, Baker City and other
towns on my to-visit list.
Each community usually hangs
its proverbial hat on something that
sets it apart. For instance, I now know
that watermelons play an important
part of Hermiston’s branding identity,
“Where life is sweet.”
Of course, everyone identifies
Pendleton with a bronc-riding —
“Let ’er Buck” — cowboy image, but
as Mayor John Turner pointed out to
me recently, the actual city seal hon-
ors the city’s woolen products heri-
tage with an image of a sheep.
I see that the hamlet of Athena
honors its nineteenth-century Scot-
tish settlers with the annual Caledo-
nian Games “to preserve and per-
petuate Scottish social manners and
customs.” The event is scheduled for
July 13-15 this year, by the way.
According to Wikipedia, Lostine,
in Wallowa County, was named after
a short-lived place by the same name
in Cherokee County, Kansas. Further
down the road, the tourist town of Jo-
seph, originally named Silver Lake
or Lake City, eventually adopted its
name for the legendary chief of the
Nez Perce people.
In Grant County, John Day takes
its name for a member of the famous
1811 Astor Expedition. A renowned
hunter and fur trapper, his name is
well remembered in the state as it is
attached to multiple river branches in
Oregon as well as the John Day Fos-
sil Beds National Monument.
But perhaps my favorite name
so far is the quaint hamlet of Echo,
“Where History Blooms.” It was
named by one of the town’s found-
ing fathers, J. H. Koontz, for his then
three-year-old daughter in 1880. Her
Victorian image, as an adult, still
adorns the city’s signage and market-
ing materials.
But beyond the cities and towns, it
is clear to me that the land of Eastern
Oregon is a special place. I’ve taken
the opportunity on weekends to steer
my four-wheel drive down some
unpaved and unmarked roads in the
beautiful Blue Mountains that sur-
round us. The views from a mountain
meadow at 4,000 feet in elevation can
be breathtaking.
Most recently, I discovered the
joy of taking the slow route from
Deadman Pass down Cabbage Hill
via the narrow and winding Poverty
Flat Road (now, there’s some inter-
esting names for you!). If you’re not
in a hurry and the weather is clear, I
highly recommend it.
Once down the mountain and
back onto the gently rolling plains of
golden wheat fields, the drive through
the Umatilla Indian Reservation is en-
lightening. The Confederated Tribes
are doing some extraordinary things
with their facilities and services. And
I truly believe I’m getting closer ev-
ery day to the correct pronunciation
of “Tamastslikt.”
It’s clear that we live in an incred-
ibly rich and diverse area and I can’t
wait to continue my education and
exploration here.
Here’s to a safe and happy Inde-
pendence Day holiday to everyone!
Christopher Rush is regional
publisher of the East Oregonian,
Hermiston Herald, Wallowa County
Chieftain and Blue Mountain Eagle
newspapers.
F ARMER ’ S F ATE
Up a creek with half a paddle
By Brianna Walker
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
USPS 226-340
Blue Mountain
EAGLE
Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper
Email: www.MyEagleNews.com
Phone: 541-575-0710
John Day, Oregon
MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
P UBLISHER
E DITOR & G ENERAL M ANAGER
R EPORTER
C OMMUNITY N EWS
S PORTS
M ARKETING R EP
O FFICE M ANAGER
O FFICE A SSISTANT
Chris Rush, crush@eomediagroup.com
Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com
Richard Hanners, rick@bmeagle.com
Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com
Angel Carpenter, angel@bmeagle.com
Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com
Lindsay Bullock, office@bmeagle.com
Alixandra Perkins, office@bmeagle.com
PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY BY EO Media Group
Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day
and additional mailing offices.
1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES
(including online access)
Grant County .....................................$40
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John Day, OR 97845-1187
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@MyEagleNews
Three-fourths of the Earth’s sur-
face is water, and only one-fourth
is land. Seems like a pretty strong
indication that we were intended to
spend triple the amount of time in a
boat than on a tractor. Everyone has
their vices, and it’s no secret that I’m
an aquaholic. I love water. No matter
what the problem, I think the solution
always involves water — whether it
is sweat, tears, the ocean, or a good
watermelon. If there is magic on this
planet, it’s in water and children. Not
to be confused with children in kay-
aks in water. But I’m getting ahead of
myself.
The morning had arrived bright
and sunny. Snacks and drinks were
carefully packed into bags, while we
donned hats, life jackets, water shoes
and loaded up eight kayaks — ready
for adventure. For years I had wanted
to kayak this particular stretch of river
— and today was the day!
My excitement was tempered
only by a distant memory of floating
down a river on innertubes during
my teen years. It also had started as a
sunny day. It ended near midnight—
hungry, cold, and covered in stinging
nettle scratches. We had torn nails,
lost sandals, and my vehicle had been
vandalized while it sat waiting for our
return. Even the police were out look-
ing for us.
This was a different river, with
a different group of people, and we
were on kayaks instead of innertubes,
but I still couldn’t shake the feeling
that this may be another learning trip.
“This is awesome!” my 9-year-old
and his friend shouted to each other
as they maneuvered through the first
set of small rapids. We all seemed
to agree, even the 11-week-old pup-
py that balanced precariously off the
front of a kayak.
After an hour,
the swift rapids gave
way to a gentle cur-
rent. The scenery
was gorgeous, so no
one seemed to mind
the leisurely pace.
Brianna
After another few
Walker
hours, however, the
river got deeper and even more idle
— which also meant harder paddling.
My 2-year old, sitting in front of me,
found this slow pace boring, and the
end was nowhere in sight. As the
blazing sun moved slowly across the
sky, the other kids (while not exactly
complaining), began letting us know
of aching backs and blistered hands
and empty stomachs. I have to admit
the underside of me felt pretty un-
comfortable as well.
My 2-year old was getting tired,
and his life jacket was irritating his
chin. “Look at the fisherman,” I
would say, trying to distract him. He
glanced toward the shore, but within
moments was pulling at his jacket
again. “Oh! Look at the splash that
big fish made!” I pointed toward rip-
ples in the river. I kept trying to in-
terest him in our surroundings, but he
wasn’t interested. He had found a new
pastime. “Helping” me paddle — first
with his arms, and then his legs. Pad-
dling a kayak is exercise on a good
day, but rowing while a 2-year-old is
wrapped around your paddle is quite
the “oar-deal.” Obviously, he’s not
a believer in the “paddle solo, sleep
tandem” rule. I kept trying to paddle,
and he kept trying to help — until I
got the bright idea to split my oar so
each of us could row.
Thrilled to have his very own
oar, he began paddling on the left.
Surprisingly, not only was the oar
entertaining him, but he was doing a
pretty decent job of propelling that
side of the kayak. At first, I watched
him like a hawk, to make sure he
didn’t drop it in the ever-deepening
river. Minutes passed, and we had
picked up a nice rhythm together
and soon had resumed our position
in the front of our group. Before
long, I was lost in conversation with
the other mom in our group.
“Oops, Mommy!”
I glanced down to see a fleeting
glimpse of white as the oar vanished
in the murky river. Multiple diving at-
tempts brought up nothing but large
sticks. It was a painful moment when
we finally admitted defeat — and it
didn’t take long to realize that half the
paddle makes twice the paddler.
We did eventually make it to our
destination, but it wasn’t quick. The
only quick thing that happens with
half an oar is exchanging your po-
sition in the lead, for one in the far
back.
I think my 2-year-old must have
known we were in a predicament be-
cause he seemed pretty content to
play with sticks the rest of the after-
noon. As the river lazily threaded its
way through the hills, the trees and
the fishermen, I had to work twice
as hard to keep up, which gave me
much time to think about my ac-
tions. I decided it is more prudent
to take a conservative course of ac-
tion, even if it means a baby cries,
than it is to engage in risky behav-
ior that you may regret later when it
is both the baby and your muscles
crying — or, as my husband said,
“Better safe with one oar than sorry
with a half.”
When we finally pulled our kay-
aks out of the water — tired, hungry
and sore — I tossed my half-paddle
into the back of the pickup and de-
cided there really is merit to the say-
ing: Love many, trust a few ... but
always paddle your own canoe!
Brianna Walker occasionally
writes about the Farmer’s Fate for
the Blue Mountain Eagle.