Road Trip - Day 7 - West to Oregon

The plan for this day was to end up near Pendleton, Oregon because I wanted to go on a tour of the Pendleton Woolen Mill on Monday morning, This was another early morning with no dawdling around camp. No rain or snow, no moths or mosquitos (see earlier posts), but it was cold and we had places to go. Before we left Yellowstone we checked on a couple of sites that we hadn't seen during the previous two days.DSC_4988 Boiling mud at Artists' PaintpotsDSC_5003 There are no photos, but we were struck by the crass commercialization of  the town of West Yellowstone, just outside the West entrance to the Yellowstone. It made us very appreciative of the Rockefeller Parkway, that preserves 24,000 acres connecting Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone. Some of this land was purchased by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. to prevent commercialization and ensure preservation of the Yellowstone Basin ecosystem. It is now administered by the National Park System.Continental Divide, Idaho DSC_5014 Once on the road we didn't stop very much so many of my photos are from the highway. I was continually amazed by the huge pivot systems up to 1/4 mile long which means they are irrigating circles of 1/2 mile in diameter. map booksWe were entertained by following our map books. We started out with California and Nevada. I think we picked up Idaho somewhere on the way. Later we found Montana and Wyoming in a used bookstore in Jackson, WY. Eventually we found Oregon in a bookstore in Pendleton. We found these books to be a way to keep the travel interesting even in the broad stretches of "nothing" in the high desert landscapes. There are always geological formations, land features, mines or mountain-tops with names and the books offer much more detail as far as land ownership and dirt roads than regular road maps. The books came in particularly useful when we wanted to camp along the way and find roads into Forest Service land. (Yes, I also have an iPhone and I use it, but there is not always service and sometimes it's just easier to see the whole thing on one page.)DSC_5017On Day 2 we got interested in the fact that our route followed the California Trail used by the pioneers in the 1800's. Now we were following the Oregon Trail. These map books also indicated these trails and all the interpretive centers along the way.DSC_5018  We stopped at Glenn's Ferry and spent about an hour at their historical center.Three Island Crossing at Glenn's Ferry, IDThis is called Three Island Crossing (those larger trees are on islands in the middle of the river) and is where the covered wagons crossed the Snake River. The river was much different before it was dammed and the crossings were dangerous.

While traveling in Idaho I discovered this very cool  Auto Tour Route Interpretive Guide of the Oregon Trail as it follows the Snake River in Idaho. This guide includes info about the trail, the events that occurred at specific sites along it, and excerpts from pioneer diaries. I'm not much of  a history buff but this was a fun way to learn more about this part of our history and it is much more meaningful when you are seeing the landscape--rivers, mountains, deserts in much the same way that those pioneers saw them, but of course with much different perspective. I highly recommend traveling with the map book open on the lap while reading the info on the iPhone.DSC_5023 We made it to Oregon by late afternoon.DSC_5027Wide open spaces.DSC_5020

DSC_5024Oregon Trail Marker

There is a what looked like a very cool interpretive center near Baker City, Oregon but we were there too late in the day. This marker indicates...Oregon Trail …the remnants of the actual trail.

Even without the aid of the Oregon map book (which we didn't buy until the next day) we found a place to spend the night. We think this was Forest Service land, but maybe not.DSC_5037 Dan received Father's Day greetings from the kids.DSC_5042 We wondered a short distance from camp and enjoyed the greenery of the forest after driving through the desert. This area is part of the Blue Mountain Range which was a formidable obstacle for the pioneers. Columbine But it was close to dark when we stopped so once again we didn't linger over dinner. I don't even remember what it was--I think we were using up what was left…crackers, peanut butter, cheese, yogurt, carrots. We needed to get on the road fairly early to make sure we got to Pendleton in time for the 9:00 mill tour.DSC_5048 

Next up: A day of travel that includes wool and sheep.

 

Road Trip - Day 4 - More of the Grand Tetons

DSC_4359 It was cool in the mornings at Grand Teton National Park, but the main reason to suit-up was to keep the mosquitoes off. They were awful--not very conducive to hanging around camp in the morning. That was not our plan anyway -- too many places to see, too little time. As soon as Dan had his coffee we were ready to go.DSC_4360 Look who came to the campground for breakfast.DSC_4366 Hiking near String LakeOur first hike for the second day in Grand Teton NP was around String Lake. DSC_4394 Yellow-bellied marmot.Avalanche chuteAt several places there was evidence of avalanches that took out all the trees in their paths and... avalanche chute …obliterated the trail in some places. DSC_4410DSC_4422 Crossing the river at Jenny Lake we saw our first moose.DSC_4428 This is another moose we saw in a meadow along the road on the way to our second stop of the day. Lunch stop, "Solid 10 for style and effort"

We drove to trailheads at Lupine Meadows...DSC_0463…where we had lunch. You can't tell from the photo but it was very windy here. Dan sprinted to chase down a plastic bag that blew quite a distance across the parking area.  One of the visitors later stopped at our truck and told him that he and his passengers gave him a "perfect 10 for style and execution".DSC_4443 We were near the south end of the park and decided to backtrack a short way down the valley to see the National Museum of Wildlife Art. That will be a blog post by itself.DSC_4472 Back in the park we went for another hike, this time to Taggert Lake.DSC_4475 There are magnificent views though out the park.IMG_0062 

Signal Mtn trailAs the sun was going down we drove to the top of Signal Mountain. More spectacular views, but also an unbelievable number of mosquitoes.Signal Mtn trail from Signal Mtn.Late evening view from Signal Mountain.

Once again we got back to camp after dark, so we cooked our meal (spaghetti) and went to bed.

Road Trip - Day 2- Craters of the Moon

NOTE: As I was writing this I realized that I am back-tracking over yesterday's post. Oh well. Just like the book that I read on the trip--jumping around from generation to generation. On Day 2 we awoke at the rest stop to trucks rumbling out and millions (it seemed) of moths folded up in the truck. We shooed out as many as we could and packed up. As we followed the California Trail east we pulled off at the CA Trail Interpretive Center about 10 miles west of Elko. This looks like a brand new facility and is probably worth a stop on another trip, but it was closed at that hour.

At the town of Wells, NV (population about 1300) we turned north towards Twin Falls, ID and there we saw a marker for a CA Trail historical site. It showed a view of the route of the pioneers--dry, desolate, rough terrain, sagebrush. The town wasn't much. There were many abandoned old brick buildings but there was one in use and it showed a sign for the Wells Society for the Preservation of Western Heritage. Their CA Trail Museum was open. We were shown around by a young woman who grew up in Wells and told us that most of those abandoned brick buildings were in use until 2008 when the town was devastated by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake. DSC_4192 - Version 3DSC_4192 - Version 2DSC_4193

Now we catch up to the photos of lunch and "Welcome to Idaho" in the previous post. Driving past Twin Falls to Shoshone and beyond we were awed by the green landscape. I am used to California's huge agricultural landscape but there was something different about this. Maybe because of the miles of wheat with huge pivot irrigation systems. DSC_4202Unfortunately I didn't take many photos and although this photo shows the huge pivot it doesn't give the feel of the landscape. Deep, deep green over rolling hills to the distant horizon. We read later that this area is fed from aquifers that are a result of the volcanic landscape north of us. And of course there is the Snake River and the dams up the river, including the 15-mile long Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park which was dammed in 1911 for irrigation in Idaho.

But Idaho isn't all green landscape. We stopped at Craters of the Moon National Monument. DSC_0420There was a short trail to the top of Inferno Cone.DSC_4215Can you tell it was windy? So windy that Dan's sunglasses blew off and he had to chase them down the slope. We gave up on wearing hats.DSC_4218This is the view from the top of Inferno Cone. The Visitor's Center is just right of center. Notice the plume of smoke on the horizon at the left. That continued to grow and drift across the whole landscape through the afternoon.DSC_0437 This is on the trail around Broken Top, a cinder cone. Still windy.IMG_9929There are caves to explore. This is the path to three caves.DSC_0446 Getting out of the wind to the quiet of the cave was a relief. This is Indian Tunnel, a cave with areas in which the roof has collapsed.IMG_9936Most of the time it's too dark in a cave for photos. The beauty of this area is in texture, color, and shape. (Hey, weavers, substitute  structure for shape and we're describing cloth.)DSC_0451      DSC_4233DSC_4234DSC_4235DSC_4254 Craters was not our primary destination so after seeing what we wanted to see (and being tired of the wind) we got back on the road. The evening was spent driving through more beautiful ag land in Idaho, following the Snake River. DSC_0454At dusk we found an almost empty campground along the Snake River. After a meal of beans and popcorn we went to bed. No moths. No wind. Perfect.

Next installment: Grand Tetons.