One of the best parts of road tripping is that while you enjoy the journey, you can stop to learn about what’s around you. Instead of just flying over the heartland and looking at the farms that grow food for the world, you can stop, talk to farmers and ranchers and decide what your family needs to do to eat healthier.
Where to Stay
Find family-friendly accommodations in Enterprise, Oregon from traditional hotels to private vacation rentals through Stay22.com:
After waking up at the Best Western in Enterprise, we were lucky enough to join a agritour of a local grass fed beef ranch. Agritours combine the tour guide and planning of an expert just like any other tour with local agricultural stops. Our tour was just a morning of the three-day tour Source Tours usually offers, and it was very family friendly. We toured Cory Carman & Dave Flynn’s ranch to learn about raising grass-fed beef, rangeland ecology and Carman family tradition of stewarding their ranch. Lunch was included, with grass fed burgers from the Carman Ranch and homemade fixings and dessert by Jenny Hawkins Hogrefe, owner of Source Tours.
We spent the afternoon browsing stores in Joseph, Oregon and driving a few of the small towns in the area, including Lostine. In Joseph, one of our family’s favorite stores was Mad Mary, has an old-fashioned soda fountain with diner food for a fun lunch or ice cream. Be sure to stop at M. Crow & Company in Lostine, the general store has been open since 1907 and the merchandise is fun to browse. You can also stop here to stock up on camping or outdoor necessities. We also found a lot of great geocaching in the area, and want to return for a long weekend just to geocache and enjoy the lake.
On any road trip, taking time to add something to your regular life can be the part of your trip you remember always. Whether it’s something simple like roadside stands or something more dedicated and in-depth like a Source Tour, you can teach the concept of enjoying the trip, not just focusing on the destination.
