Riding the Rails in Joseph, Oregon

Last fall we had a family trip in Eastern Oregon.  The little town of Joseph is a hidden gem full of surprises, with some fun and unusual things to do. 

I think my favorite thing was the Railrider trip. An ingenious former bike shop owner, Kim Metlen, built these lightweight cars that you peddle on abandoned railroad tracks.  This route had us riding 6 miles to the Terminal Gravity Pub in the town of Enterprise, and then returning back to Joseph.

The scenery along the way was so beautiful, and peaceful!  We saw lots of cows, white tailed deer and open fields, plus a few abandoned railroad cars.

Our son Bryan, organized the trip, and it almost looks like he's sitting on an old horse and buggy.

The cars are lightweight enough for two people to lift them off the tracks so we enjoyed a beer, and split some yummy Nachos at the Terminal Gravity Pub.

You don't want to overdo the spirits since you have a 6 mile ride back, uphill with a 1.5 grade. 

This was so much fun!  I can't wait to do it again!

Ironically, as I was writing this post, a show on OPB, Oregon Field Guide,  http://www.opb.org/television/programs/ofg/segment/railriders/was airing a segment on the Railrider cars - talk about serendipity!

2015 opening season for this fun activity starts May 22nd, through Oct 4th, three rides daily F-M.