Royal Navy Devon in Oregon Desert?
 

Anyone know how a Royal Navy Devon has ended up at the Eagle Crater Lake Inn, Chemult, Oregon?

It is literally right alongside Highway 97. I’m pretty sure that it was a Devon but I was driving past on the other side of the road in heavy traffic and only got a glimpse of it.
Google Maps, Bing Maps, etc. don't show it yet so it can't have been there long.

TWH,

Your post intrigued me and I did some searching. I did not find anything definitive, but I did find this interesting comment in a review of the Eagle Crater Lake Inn:
While reading the reviews it became clear that a lot of customers were not happy with their accommodations. I particularly liked this comment:

It's actually Sea Heron XR442... Curious that it should end up in the corner of a foreign field...

https://aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDos...?Serial=108331

It's visible on Google Maps (but not on Streetview) at the location described on Aerovisuals, on the opposite side of US 97 from Chiloquin State Airport.

Maybe its owners have moved motels....

Recall all but one of the then surviving Sea Herons were at Lee-on-Solent when I went to the display there in 1978, thoroughly enjoyed that. The missing one was based at Yeovilton or Culdrose, some Navy unit or Bigwig named FONAC was its keeper as I recall...

Can't speak for the particulars of that hotel or any aircraft nearby (it's been many years since I was there), but I can vouch for Crater Lake being a particularly scenic destination and worth a visit...
Although if memory serves, the road and traffic getting there was pretty nasty.

We drove right past there on our 2017 USA road trip,we had landed at SFO in late afternoon - managed to grab our hire car (Sportage) early and spent the night at a hotel nr Fairfield,ca, - early start next day for our short drive up to near Madras,Or (493 miles).
We had some lovely food and gorgeous Huckleberry Cider (never saw any of that again :( ) in what was then a sports bar near our fairfield hotel,that cider zonked me out nicely for a good sleep :)

Aerialvisuals has got most of the details correct but not all, as there seems to have been some confusion about the aircraft having gone to Albany, NY but it was only ever shipped to Oregon.

XR442/G-HRON was stored at Staverton, UK Departed to Albany OR by sea 20/01/2006. Later stored at a private residence at Kizer Ave NE, Albany OR where it was noted until 04/2019 when it was moved to the present location outside a restaurant on Highway 97 opposite the airfield at Chiloquin. The reason it isn't visible on streetview at the current location, is that the latest view is dated 06/2018

Just looked on Google. That is no way to treat a lady.

IIRC, Flag Officer Naval Air Command.

That's it. XM296. Recall it had a green cheatline rather than blue, confirmed by an AB pic. My dusty old log says I saw it at Biggin Hill in 1983...

It then went to the US as N82D and XR442/G-HRON was used as spares to keep it airworthy with the Albany Aero Club. That's now in Bolivia... or was...

Unfortunately not a good ending for N82D, damaged during an emergency landing 01 Nov 2014 at Santa Cruz, Bolivia while en route from Opa Locka to Cochabamba. Was still noted abandoned at the airfield August 2021 although when seen in 2015 looked in good condition.

https://www.airhistory.net/photo/399071/N82D

That's a shame, the report I saw seemed to suggest it was on the road to recovery. Not visible on Google maps tho I don't know how old the current image is.

What's happened to the Jersey Heron? Is it still unairworthy?

Last I heard they were crowd-funding to restore it for static display on the island.

That's correct, the Jersey aircraft [XR441/G-AORG] is only going to be restored for static display [if they get enough funding]

There are now no airworthy DH.114 Herons left anywhere in the World.

Remember 'ORG arriving overhead Duxford a few years ago, such a beautiful purring noise...

It is hardly the desert, which is a bit further east, but more forested and wet.

Flown in ORG delightful. The one in Oregon was ORH her sister in Jersey Airlines before sale to the navy in 1961

What was it like to fly/fly in the Devon ? Noisy, or serene ?

I flew in the Air Atlantique one at Coventry in 2003, on a local pleasure flight. It was pleasant enough, as I recall it. One example, G-OPLC, still flies regularly between Ireland the UK, by the way.