tlyman

Hi Dave - Live in PDX - at least until I can sock away enough to escape. Have driven most of Oregon Trail (that is driveable) west of John Day River and parts east of the river. Tim

Hi Dave - I'm not sure if the cable stand is a remnant of the ferry, or if it is a remnant of those baskets suspended from a cable (don't know what they're called). I'm not 100% sure, but it seems like the first time I saw the ford about 15 years ago, there was one of those basket things. You could make the ford in a sedan, but would probably get stuck on the east bank, it's all sand. I can't remember how steep the west bank is, or what the soil is like, but since nothing about it stands out, it's probably not very difficult. It sounds kind of silly, considering some of the more adventurous/reckless things I've done, but I really did get a thrill every time I crossed the ford. The store and school are both gone. The brick school disappeared about ten years ago, I think the farmer who owns the property must have demolished it. One year it was there, looking fine, the next year it was gone. Tim

I've crossed the McDonald ford a couple of times. In the fall, before the Oregon rains return, the water is only about 6 inches deep. On the west side, the crossing is about 150 feet or so north of the house at the end of the road. There's a short farm road along the river leading to it. It may be on private property, I'm not sure, it's not posted, and no one ever tried to stop me from crossing. On the east side there's an Oregon Trail marker near the ford. It's pretty easy to find from both sides.