Make Road Trips Memorable: Buy Ultra-Local

I often spend summers on the road, and one of my favorite aspects of travel is finding those offbeat places many people miss when they choose convenience and familiarity for their “pit stops” – think McDonald’s and Walmart – over the local mom-and-pop businesses.

I drive to and through Oregon quite a bit, so here are just a few hearty recommendations:

When I pass through La Grande, it would be easy to eat at a fast-food chain close to the freeway (I-84).

But instead, I take Exit 259 that winds into this pretty little town, and stop at Hought’s 24 Flavors. Their burgers are excellent and the lemon-meringue-pie ice cream (seen in the photo, with Hought's in the background) is out of this world.

They’re also such nice people, I make it a point to stop there every time I head that way.

The Oasis Café is one of the only businesses in the tiny, unincorporated town of Juntura, off Hwy. 20. Once a week, they make batches of thick, creamy fudge, maybe a half-dozen flavors. I just mailed some to my son in New York City – it rivals any big-city fudge, for sure.

Baker City and La Grande are where you’ll find the two locations of Bella, a sophisticated kitchen store full of beautiful housewares and gift items, gourmet foods, coffee and wine. I bought my everyday dishes there, imported from Portugal.

Those are just a few of my finds! I’ll be on the road again soon and will report on other spots that make my trips more fun.