Day 1 – LaGrande
I think this is my longest day, 200 miles on I-84 and 240 miles of backroad post office hunting. It was planned to be a long drive picking up the six post offices and then just retracing the route back to La Grande. Got the first two, Elgin and Wallowa, but the third, Lostine, stumped me. I pulled up in front, it had a handicap ramp that zig-zagged to the door that was a faded postal blue and a flagpole with no flag, but there was no signage at all. It was definitely a post office in the past.
I thought I’d keep moving and figure it out on the way back. When I got to Enterprise, I spotted the post office, but there was absolutely zero parking out front. I circled the block, and when I got back there was an open spot, but it was for the handicapped. Maybe there will be one open on the way back.
The next town, Joeseph, was a mere 6 miles further along, but it is a touristy type town and parking was at a premium. There was nothing in front of the post office, but this time the block circling worked, and I got a spot right out front. The last one on the route was Imnaha, and it was 40 miles into the hinterlands. It was an easy find as long as you didn’t miss it while following where Google Maps was telling you it was. They were showing an extra 7 miles along a paved Forrest Service Road, then a half mile along a dirt Forrest Service Road.
When I got back to Enterprise, I had my choice of spots out front. When I got to Lostine and had cell service, I went to the postal website and found that there was a new post office practically around the corner from where the old one was.
