So the last day of our vacation in Oregon was spent visiting the Whitman Mission and a winery in Walla Walla. The Wihitman Mission was built originally in thee 1830’s by Stuart and Narcissa Whitman, Presbyterian missionaries come West to convert the heathens (the native Cayuse). The mission eventually became a waypoint on the Oregon Trail with many a pioneer passing through on their way to points west, south and north. The Wihirtmans met a grisly end at the hands of the Cayuse after the tribe was dessimated by measles (the Cayuse felt that the epidemic was brought on by the Whitmans, which was partly true due to the Whitmans’ open door policy toward the pioneers). It’s a pretty site, with rolling hills and a pleasant walking path. We had a good time trying on bonnets in the gift shop and taking pictures from the hilltop memorial (if you stop and think about it, it’s kind of weird how we all frolic and play at these historical sites that were once the scenes of so much death and destruction). Anyway, after that we were somewhat parched, so we hit the Basel Cellars Winery. This huge hunting lodge was actually built as a private home, but the owner ended up getting divorced (or in the words of the hostess at the winery, a “marital chage”) and it was sold to the winery owners. The wines were quite nice – not as good as Napa and no Pinot Noirs or Zinfandels in the reds, just Cabernets and a Syrah. Still, we enjoyed sampling and taking photos of the grounds and the really amazing doors. And that was the official end of our vacation!