shoe tree

As we were driving in towards Prineville from Mitchell we encountered the shoe tree! Makes you wonder what is u with these..... Easy look click and go on the side of the HWY

Just Bizarre! This tree is in the middle of nowhere, yet obviously popular!

A shoe tree is a true American oddity!If you have never seen one, they are usually large trees, often out by themselves, and they are covered in, well . . . shoes. Nobody seems to know just how these trees get picked for shoe trees, or just where or why the custom started. It is more prevalent in the western US, perhaps due to the wide open spaces.This shoe tree is located just a few miles east of the popular city of Bend. To get there, head east on Hwy 20, then take a left on Powell Butte Hwy. In a short while, turn right toward the town of Alfalfa on Alfalfa Market Road. Continue on into Alfalfa, a teeny town surrounded by (you guessed it) alfalfa fields. Continue straight east, and the road name will change to Willard Road. The road will bend right, and on the left you will soon see the shoe tree.If you continue along this road, it bends left and becomes Reservoir Road. It dead-ends into the Crooked River Hwy, Rte 27, and if you turn left, you can follow the lower Crooked River Gorge along a scenic drive into Prineville.At the shoe tree, there is enough room to park so you can get slightly off the main road, athough there is very little traffic. To enjoy the shoe tree the most, when you visit, bring along an old pair of shoes with you and toss 'em up into the branches :-)