Hello from Pleasanton, California! I too look at the hills and envision the populations of Hayward, Oakland, et al. swarming over into our little valley in the event of disaster. So we have a “ten-year plan” to purchase and stock a “vacation home” in NE Oregon. I have been looking long-distance at the Wallowa Valley. Do you have any particular objection to planning on freshwater lakes as a fallback source of water? (I am thinking of Wallowa Lake.) Just wondering what may have pushed you to choose the Grande Ronde valley over the Wallowa.
You may wish to link to the below: a fantastic collection of 3-D aerial topographic maps. They can really help to visualize a region, and complement “flat” topo maps. This is a very nice tool for folks like myself who do not own topo map software. See: http://130.166.124.2/panoramas1.htm
Best, – D.M.
JWR Replies: I’ll have details on both the Grande Ronde Valley and the Wallowa Valley sometime in the next two weeks.