PDT

PDT/Pendleton

Pendleton is a big former WWII bomber training base. As big as it is it can be hard to spot. I find the best approach to to head for the VOR and then you are setup for downwind on 29. The Air National Guard is all the way at one end, the FBO in the middle, and the passenger terminal all the way at the other. Be prepared for a bit of walking.

Many of the Doolittle raiders trained at Pendelton before going to Florida to train for "30 Seconds over Tokyo". If you take the time to get to the far end of the National Guard base you will be rewarded with a B-25 Mitchell bomber on a pedestal and an outdoor memorial to the young men that flew them.

Otherwise there is little of interest on the airport. Take the time and call the nearby Indian Casino for their shuttle bus. Skip the casino, unless you are hungry, and have them take you to the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, one of the best historical museums on the West Coast. No dumbing down or pulling punches here, this is a museum for thinking adults. Allow several hours and you will hit information overload before you see it all. If you can leave this museum without outrage for the way the native peoples were treated then you have no heart.

If you still have time there are a few other items of interest in town. Pendleton is the home of the Pendleton Woolen Mills and the old factory still runs on the East end of town. Factory tours are M-F and the factory store is open all week. Also of note is the tour of the Pendleton Underground. I know many people that have taken the tour it gets nothing but raves. Be sure to book several days in advance as I have tried and failed to plan ahead and never managed to get on the tour.

PDT
Airnav - PDT
ODA - PDT

---