Approaching the Idaho border, you have two choices: to follow I-84, heading east via Ontario (pop. 10,985), the largest of many mid-sized farming and ranching communities in the surrounding area; or to continue along the more atmospheric older roads. The official Oregon Trail Auto Route (US-20/26) bends to the south along the Snake River, passing one last Oregon town, Nyssa, before crossing into the Land of Famous Potatoes. Nyssa calls itself the “Thunderegg Capital of the World” because of the many geodes found there, but it’s primarily a shipping point for the tons of spuds, onions, and sugar beets grown nearby—the different crops are even labeled along the highway for your edification. While Nyssa doesn’t have a lot else to offer, it does have a very large riverfront sugar beet refinery, and the more enjoyable Sugar Bowl, a bowling alley off US-20/26 on the north edge of town.
