29 Sunday Sep 2019
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Another abandoned ranch. Without a plan, this seems to be a theme for this trip. In this fast world, it is calming to see items made by hand slowly. I slowly look at how things were cobbled together. Yet I imagine that the Riddles may have found pleasure in our easy to purchase manufactured world. They had a hard life.
A short walk west of the Riddle buildings.
21 Saturday Sep 2019
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This is big country. Driving Hwy 140 you can see vast distances. By Sage Hen summit I could see the Steens to the north and the Pine Forest Range to the south with fresh snow on the top. It is a wonderful middle of nowhere type of place. In the valley of Guano Lake there were miles of grass land.
The area labeled Guano Lake on maps.
20 Friday Sep 2019
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I came to the Lava Beds National Monument to see the caves and found so much more. The area is full of surprises, contradictions, and irony with a complicated history of war mixed in.
The geology of the lava tube caves was interesting but unexpectly it didn’t grab my interest. I felt an uneasyness as I ventured into the dark caves. And with my headlamp and a large flashlight both on, I couldn’t light up the cave to see the details of the rock. So I stopped visiting the caves and ventured out to see other sights I had heard about.
This tree is living in about two feet of rock over a cave. And it looks healthy!
17 Tuesday Sep 2019
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Driving south from Seattle to the Lava Beds NM gives one plenty of time to think about how to solve the world’s problems. I didn’t do that, I just zoned-out and drove. Smiling as I enjoyed the scenery. I had forgotten how pleasant the drive is between Biggs and Madras on Highway 97. Not much traffic and high plateau farming and ranching. At the north end are huge un-worldly wind turbines. Looking at them reminded me of all the marvelous things engineers have figured out. After a night spent at the Haystack Reservoir East Shore Campground I continued driving south. It was a rainy day, raining the entire way from Madras to Klamath Fall with low clouds. No scenery and lots of traffic. Ugh. The dogs and I needed to take a break and do something other than driving so we stopped at the Collier Memorial Logging Museum. What a pleasant surprise.
05 Wednesday Jun 2019
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After a month at the City of Rocks and Castle Rocks, Idaho, it was time to hit the pavement and get home to Seattle.
Birds of Prey
I’ve never had a bad night camping in the many years I’ve been camping. The odds caught up with me; with my stay on the Snake River near the Swan Fall hydro power plant. It was a Sunday night; it should be a quite night – correct? I was tired of driving. I-84 throught Idaho was busy, boring, and hot; so I simply picked a camp site that look adaquate. I settled for camp site #1, which was very close to #2, #3, and #4 and a vaulted toilet. Not a good site, but it being Sunday night, I was sure it would be quiet.
Overlook view. My camp site was towards the top of the photo at the bend in the 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.
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.
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.
16 Monday Oct 2017
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Everything about the area screamed that I was not in Seattle.
This time of year the geese are heading south. Flocks would leave at sunset and sunrise each day I was at Antelope Reservoir. I must have taken over hundred photos of the sunrises and sunsets. Below is my favorite.
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.
The large leaf is about 2 inches long
14 Saturday Oct 2017
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Today would be a lazy day. A day to let the roads dry out.
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.
searching for the middle of nowhere 