Hot Lake Springs: 66172 Hwy. 203, LaGrande, midway between La Grande and Union in Oregon's northeast corner; www.davidmanuel.com or (541) 963-4685. Tours at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; adults $9, children $5. Visitors can see the lake, the grounds, the foundry and bronze sculptures, some of the restoration, collections of antique vehicles and other things.

Getting there: The nearest towns with commercial air service are Pendleton, about 50 miles away, and Boise, Idaho, 170 miles. La Grande has a half-dozen motels and hotels, with room rates under $100 this time of year.

Other attractions: Northeast Oregon's attractions include the Wallowa Mountains, known as the Oregon Alps, and Haines and Baker City, which started as mining boom towns and retain much of the old flavor. The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, five miles east of Baker City on Highway 86, is an excellent museum right on the old Oregon Trail; details at www.nps.gov/oreg/planyourvisit/site10.htm. You can still see the wagon tracks.

Baker City's Geiser Grand Hotel, once said to be the finest between Portland and Salt Lake City, has been brought back from near ruin with a multimillion-dollar restoration similar to the one underway at Hot Lake Springs; www.geisergrand.com or (888) 434-7374. Room rates $89-$209.

For horse-lovers, some ranchers in Wallowa County, especially near the town of Enterprise, still raise Appaloosa horses, known for their spotted coats. The breed was favored by the Nez Perce Indians when they dominated the area.

For more information: www.oregon.com/counties/union.cfm or www.visitbaker.com/maps/maps.shtml.