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Wandering

21 Friday Sep 2018

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I left on this trip with no clear itinerary. I had identified more things to do and see than I had time for. I would watch the weather and make decisions as I went. My only rule was that I would stay south of I-90. That rule would keep me somewhat focused and stop me from chasing shiny objects when the world’s wonders were close; they just might take a bit of effort to uncover. I left Georgetown Lake and moseyed on to the Maiden Rock (west side) fishing access spot and set up camp.

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Leaving whimsy at Georgetown Lake

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Bygones

20 Thursday Sep 2018

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I have a hard time accepting that towns die and are abandoned. People pour their hopes and dreams into their homes with families and friends. They marry, have children, and live their lives. Then the town slowly dies and they walk way leaving everything. On this trip I’m visiting some of these remnants of the past in mining towns. I can’t explain to myself what intrigues me about the abandoned towns. But I go and walk the old streets and see what remains. Many times it is only stone foundations that remain and a hollow in the ground, a little reminder of the people who lived their lives at the place.

I went to Georgetown Lake to camp and explore the area.  Northeast of the lake is the abandoned town of Southern Cross.

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Southern Cross. Corrugated metal siding.

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Remembering When

19 Wednesday Sep 2018

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This trip is to Montana. I had planned to take this trip a year ago, but with significant forest fires last year in Montana I went to the Owyhees instead. This year I visit Montana!

The first day was spent driving. Not really vacation time – it was driving time. I stopped for the night at Rose Lake Sportsman Access in Idaho. A simple quiet place to spend the night.

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Rose Lake

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Lonely Road

18 Wednesday Oct 2017

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Today I started driving home.  I decided to take the backroads – the blue route.  The road was scenic and remote; in places slow and twisty.  The road north of Burns had a rhythm; twisty-turny up hill, pine forest, a summit sign, twisty-turny down hill, then valley grasslands; repeat.  It took me 7 hours to drive it.  I’m guessing I saw a total of forty cars the entire day, except for the short stretch on Highway 26 and at Burns.  An enjoyable road.

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Silver City

17 Tuesday Oct 2017

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I had been wanting to go to Silver City for years, ever since I had seen the TV show Northwest Backroads on it. I think that show was about eight years ago. When the snows came on Saturday, I was wondering if I might not make it in this trip. But I decided to hang around and let the roads dry out for a couple of days. Today: Silver City or Bust.

I took the road from Jordan Valley. It is a gravel road freeway all the way to the DeLamar mine that is now closed. After that the road is a single lane windy, twisty, road that I drove at 5 to 20 mph.  I was glad I had waited two days for the roads to dry.  There was still a bit of compacted snow on the road in a few locations.  Following are photos from the drive.

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I always pause to wonder about the life of the people that lived in abandoned houses.  To let a home crumble to ruins strikes me as sad.

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Rock Hounding

15 Sunday Oct 2017

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I am not an avid rock hounder and have little experience in rock hounding. And I don’t know much about rocks. But I love geology and I like the concept of rock hounding. Today I visited a place south of Succor Creek State Park to look for fossils. I had been to this place before with a geologist, someone who gave me a clue of what to do. I had a chisel and hammer with me ready to split open the rocks looking for leaf fossils. Success.

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The large leaf is about 2 inches long

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Lazy Day

14 Saturday Oct 2017

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Today would be a lazy day. A day to let the roads dry out.

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Rocket and I went on a walk along the road follows the shoreline. I reflected on our public lands. I was camping for free, with a million dollar view; our public lands are a national treasure. We have something very special in the US.