What is Wyoming? It’s a rectangular area of 96,988 sq mi. just north of Colorado.
What is Wyoming? It’s dusty pickup trucks, mostly 4x4s.
What is Wyoming? Three out of four radio stations are country western.
What is Wyoming? Radio stations give the riders scores from the Cheyenne rodeo.
What is Wyoming? Guys wear jeans even when it’s hot.
What is Wyoming? Ball caps are always in fashion.
What is Wyoming? Time is passed on the highways by counting pronghorns.
Waht is Wyoming? Where you can see a herd of Buffalo grazing along the road.
What is Wyoming? Tall mountains, geysers, historic towns and forts.
What is Wyoming? A modern city with the same name as a ghost.
What is Wyoming? A place where oil and gas is King right now.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Heading out in July 09
Well we are finally back on the road. Our departure was later than I anticipated due to doctor’s appointments and prescriptions but we headed east about 2PM. It was an uneventful trip over Santiam Pass and thru Bend. We stopped at the rest area in Brothers to take a break and feed the “girls”. While we were parked I walked around the truck checking things out and noticed some fresh oil spots first on the steps and then, upon further searching, elsewhere. I looked under the truck and noticed some drips there too. Not a good sign. I had just had the transmission flushed and synthetic ATF added. It was not necessarily a good idea. Synthetics are slicker true, but they are also thinner so they will leak out where conventional products won’t. Anyway, I didn’t know what exactly the problem was but I knew that I needed to get it looked at. Since we were heading for a visit to Malheur on our way east, and I am familiar with Burns I decided that we would stay an extra day and get it checked at Burns Ford Garage. The bottom line is it was a $7.95 front transmission seal and $400 later it was fixed. I’m not excited about having to fix it but glad it failed in a place we know.
Speaking of being in a familiar place, that is what the Malheur area is. We were saying to each other as we drove down Hwy 205 south from Burns, “this is like coming home”. We pulled in to one of the spots at the headquarters that is reserved for volunteers and as we stepped out of the truck, we remembered one of our LEAST favorite parts of the refuge, MOSQUITOES! They are awful this time of year and don’t diminish until after the first cold nights which is late August. So there were hundreds of the pesky devils to greet us as we got the trailer set up. When we got into the trailer for the night, we spent over an hour killing over 50 mosquitoes that had sneaked into the trailer. They are even bad in town this year. While I was sitting in the Ford dealer, I was talking with a local who said that he had chickens and they took care of the mosquitoes in his yard. Chickens can be a pain the in neck but after another night at Malheur, I was wondering where I could buy some.
While the truck was being worked on, I rented a car and went back to the refuge to pick R and we drove around visiting several people we had met during last year. It was a lot of fun.
Leaving Burns we headed east on 20 to the Idaho border where we drove north on Hwy 95. Just north of Council, Id we turned west and met our friend Bob who led us up into the mountains several miles. We pulled our trailer into a Forest Service Campground called Cold Springs. Its currently being upgraded with a new gravel road and parking spots and new tables. No hook-ups but very nice and quiet. Bob and his wife are spending the summer parked along a lake not far from there. They also have not hook-ups, but you wouldn’t know it. They have solar panels and a generator so they pretty much have everything they need. They have coffee in the morning cooked by their electric coffee maker. They watch a little TV at night if they want. And they have this magnificent view from their lawn chairs every day. Not a bad way to spend the summer.
This morning we left the campsite, drove back down the 4 miles of gravel to Hwy 95 and turned north. At New Meadows we took Hwy 55 up to McCall, Id. It is a very hip town on the banks of Payette Lake. We continued down 55 to Boise and I-84. Two hundred plus miles later we turned south on Hwy 30 at Pocatello and we are still on it ( or right next to it tonight) . We are parked in a less than ordinary RV park in Monticello, Id which is in the extreme southeast corner. This is hay country. Tall green grass-like fields stretch for miles and miles in all directions in this broad valley.
Tomorrow our destination is SW Wyoming, namely Kemmerer, WY (home of the first JC Penney), Fossil Butte NM, maybe Flaming Gorge, and a wildlife refuge that I saw on the map. We are checking out future spots to volunteer, so we will be looking for interesting places that we can use our interpretive skills.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Speaking of being in a familiar place, that is what the Malheur area is. We were saying to each other as we drove down Hwy 205 south from Burns, “this is like coming home”. We pulled in to one of the spots at the headquarters that is reserved for volunteers and as we stepped out of the truck, we remembered one of our LEAST favorite parts of the refuge, MOSQUITOES! They are awful this time of year and don’t diminish until after the first cold nights which is late August. So there were hundreds of the pesky devils to greet us as we got the trailer set up. When we got into the trailer for the night, we spent over an hour killing over 50 mosquitoes that had sneaked into the trailer. They are even bad in town this year. While I was sitting in the Ford dealer, I was talking with a local who said that he had chickens and they took care of the mosquitoes in his yard. Chickens can be a pain the in neck but after another night at Malheur, I was wondering where I could buy some.
While the truck was being worked on, I rented a car and went back to the refuge to pick R and we drove around visiting several people we had met during last year. It was a lot of fun.
Leaving Burns we headed east on 20 to the Idaho border where we drove north on Hwy 95. Just north of Council, Id we turned west and met our friend Bob who led us up into the mountains several miles. We pulled our trailer into a Forest Service Campground called Cold Springs. Its currently being upgraded with a new gravel road and parking spots and new tables. No hook-ups but very nice and quiet. Bob and his wife are spending the summer parked along a lake not far from there. They also have not hook-ups, but you wouldn’t know it. They have solar panels and a generator so they pretty much have everything they need. They have coffee in the morning cooked by their electric coffee maker. They watch a little TV at night if they want. And they have this magnificent view from their lawn chairs every day. Not a bad way to spend the summer.
This morning we left the campsite, drove back down the 4 miles of gravel to Hwy 95 and turned north. At New Meadows we took Hwy 55 up to McCall, Id. It is a very hip town on the banks of Payette Lake. We continued down 55 to Boise and I-84. Two hundred plus miles later we turned south on Hwy 30 at Pocatello and we are still on it ( or right next to it tonight) . We are parked in a less than ordinary RV park in Monticello, Id which is in the extreme southeast corner. This is hay country. Tall green grass-like fields stretch for miles and miles in all directions in this broad valley.
Tomorrow our destination is SW Wyoming, namely Kemmerer, WY (home of the first JC Penney), Fossil Butte NM, maybe Flaming Gorge, and a wildlife refuge that I saw on the map. We are checking out future spots to volunteer, so we will be looking for interesting places that we can use our interpretive skills.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Leaving the Oregon Coast
Monday 7/6/09.
Today is our last day at the Oregon Coast. We have been within a few miles of the ocean since the last couple of days of May and it time to head home. Time to rub the moss off our backs. Time to wash the salt spray off the trailer and truck. Time to return to our home base to take care of some mundane details (doctor and dentist appointments, vehicle servicing, clothes washing, etc.) to get us ready to head out on our next adventure that will keep us out of town until the middle of October.
As I reflect on the days past, I can only smile as I remember the good times and great views we have enjoyed. We have met some great people from all over. We even had a couple from SC that we met in Canyon de Chelly stop by to see us. Overall, the stay at Cape Blanco was excellent. The area is spectacular, the job was fun and easy, and the time went by too quickly. The campground at Cape Blanco State Park is one of the finest in the Oregon State Park system with maybe two demerits. The sewer dump is closed indefinitely due to ground water failure which is something that should be addressed. The other slight item is the wind. Being the near western-most point on the continental United States, makes it frequently subject to windy conditions. Bandon is windy, Blanco is WINDY. Our first two weeks there, however, were greeted with calm conditions. The ocean was like a huge lake, with hardly a wave. But the last weeks made up for it. We even closed the lighthouse to tours one day because the winds were 40 with gust to 55mph. Those conditions made it unsafe for folks to walk and open car doors, etc.
One of the things we really enjoyed about the state park campground were the abundance and variety of the flora and fauna. Lots of greenery and flowers everywhere. Rabbits and chickarees running to and fro. Birds flitting here and there filling the air with their songs. And the hummingbirds! (Allens, I think) We put up a feeder the day we arrived and we had a visitor within the first hour. From then on they put on an aerial show for us every day. As we travel around this summer, the hummingbird feeder will be one of the first things I put out when we arrive at out campsite each night.
Today is our last day at the Oregon Coast. We have been within a few miles of the ocean since the last couple of days of May and it time to head home. Time to rub the moss off our backs. Time to wash the salt spray off the trailer and truck. Time to return to our home base to take care of some mundane details (doctor and dentist appointments, vehicle servicing, clothes washing, etc.) to get us ready to head out on our next adventure that will keep us out of town until the middle of October.
As I reflect on the days past, I can only smile as I remember the good times and great views we have enjoyed. We have met some great people from all over. We even had a couple from SC that we met in Canyon de Chelly stop by to see us. Overall, the stay at Cape Blanco was excellent. The area is spectacular, the job was fun and easy, and the time went by too quickly. The campground at Cape Blanco State Park is one of the finest in the Oregon State Park system with maybe two demerits. The sewer dump is closed indefinitely due to ground water failure which is something that should be addressed. The other slight item is the wind. Being the near western-most point on the continental United States, makes it frequently subject to windy conditions. Bandon is windy, Blanco is WINDY. Our first two weeks there, however, were greeted with calm conditions. The ocean was like a huge lake, with hardly a wave. But the last weeks made up for it. We even closed the lighthouse to tours one day because the winds were 40 with gust to 55mph. Those conditions made it unsafe for folks to walk and open car doors, etc.
One of the things we really enjoyed about the state park campground were the abundance and variety of the flora and fauna. Lots of greenery and flowers everywhere. Rabbits and chickarees running to and fro. Birds flitting here and there filling the air with their songs. And the hummingbirds! (Allens, I think) We put up a feeder the day we arrived and we had a visitor within the first hour. From then on they put on an aerial show for us every day. As we travel around this summer, the hummingbird feeder will be one of the first things I put out when we arrive at out campsite each night.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Photos of the e
The pictures you see here were taken on 4/20/09 obviously from the air. As you can see the land sticks out into the ocean rather far. There is a controversy between Cape Blanco and Cape Alava in Washington as to which one is the westernmost point of the continental United States. It depends on the high and low tides and where they measure, etc. So to be safe, let's say it is the western-most point of Oregon.
The country here is beautiful, lots of flora and fauna to watch and enjoy. The lighthouse was built in 1870 and looks really good for 139 years on such an exposed place.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Cape Blanco Day One
Yesterday was another new beginning. We arrived at Cape Blanco State Park about 11:00. There was one spot left in the Volunteer RV camp area so we took it. It is a very nice long site with lots of trees, bushes, and flowers. We only got partially set up before we had to leave to go to our orientation/training for our volunteer stint at Cape Blanco. After the extensive training we received at Petrified Forest, this was a breeze. After filling out the necessary forms and viewing the Power Point presentation we were ready to go to the actual lighthouse itself. It is not open to the public on Mondays so we were the only ones around. Greg, the ranger showed us all the areas and told us stories and then he did the presentation as we are supposed to do it for our visitors. The program is a lot more structured and brief than anything we did at either Malheur or Petrified Forest. It is what they want us to present and with the increased numbers of visitors and tight area in the lighthouse, it makes sense.
Tomorrow, Wed is our first day (or should I say, half day) on the job. It should be interesting because we aren’t quite “up to speed” yet on all the facts. Our work schedule is ½ days on Wed, Thurs, & Fri. Sat off 9:45-4:00 on Sunday and Mon & Tuesday off. Very doable, I would say. We got a library card from the Port Orford Library so we can rent videos, get books, check emails, etc when we come into town, because there’s no WiFi at the park and cell coverage is spotty.
Tomorrow, Wed is our first day (or should I say, half day) on the job. It should be interesting because we aren’t quite “up to speed” yet on all the facts. Our work schedule is ½ days on Wed, Thurs, & Fri. Sat off 9:45-4:00 on Sunday and Mon & Tuesday off. Very doable, I would say. We got a library card from the Port Orford Library so we can rent videos, get books, check emails, etc when we come into town, because there’s no WiFi at the park and cell coverage is spotty.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Canyonlands
Today we went on an adventure to the north. We decided to check out Canyonlands National Park. If you look on the map you will notice that it covers a lot of territory and most of it is without roads. It is a VAST area of canyons, arroyos, needles, mushroom rocks, and indescribable beauty. But I am getting ahead of myself.
We started our trip by heading north on good old Hwy 191. US Route 191 traverses the
country from north to south, through diverse country. It would be fun to someday drive the entire length. From our campsite it was only about 15 miles to Monticello, UT which is a small town of a couple of thousand. Stopping at the visitors center was a good idea because the friendly folks there were both fun to talk to and informative. They steered us to a great road that went straight west from the visitor center and went up and NE over the mountains through the Manta-LaSal National Forest. After a very pleasant 25 mile drive, we came to Hwy 211 and turned west. The canyon walls came up around us as the road curved this way and that. Soon we found Newspaper Rock State 
Park. This park is basically a rest area that has a large overhung rock panel that is filled with petroglyphs. A fence protects the art but allows you to get within 20 feet of the carvings. Many of the figures were new to us in subject and style which was fun to see. We saw several figures that resembled bison, also several of the people were mounted on horses which put the drawings later in time than those in the Petrified Forest area.
After Newspaper Rock SP it was more turns and twists, more scenic vistas, mo
re stops for Kodak moments. After about 25 more miles we came to Canyonlands National Park, or at least one arm of it. About 2 miles past the entrance gate is the visitor center where we got some information, bought some postcards and had our packed picnic lunch. Food always tastes best when eaten outside and in scenic locations. While at the VC, I met the ranger who is in charge of interpretation and volunteer activities. We chatted about the volunteer opportunities that the park offers. I left with her card so that I can send her an email to get on her mailing list.
After lunch it was time to explore the area. How can I describe this place? You just have to go there and experience it for yourself. My photos will never do it justice. One can stand at a lookout, or climb atop a rock and gaze in all directions and see incredible beauty in every direction and then drive a mile or two and do it again. The opportunities for outdoor adventure are amazing. It surely made me wish I was young again so that I could hike more, ride more, get a jeep, etc. If I lived in this area, I would have a jeep. Utah is criss-crossed with four wheel drive roads going to some awesome sounding places. Even CNP has jeep roads that cross it. Evidently they are rated based on the Moab difficulty scale of 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, all the way up to 5. A “5” can have some nearly vertical portions. Hmmmm, can’t wait to do one of those. The one that we saw had a difficulty scale of 3.5 which is substantial, I think. I talked to a guide from “Moab Adventures” who told me about the road and the grading system. He had just come off the road with a jacked up fairly beat up Ford Excursion and had stopped to turn the front hubs back to free-wheeling.
We started our trip by heading north on good old Hwy 191. US Route 191 traverses the
country from north to south, through diverse country. It would be fun to someday drive the entire length. From our campsite it was only about 15 miles to Monticello, UT which is a small town of a couple of thousand. Stopping at the visitors center was a good idea because the friendly folks there were both fun to talk to and informative. They steered us to a great road that went straight west from the visitor center and went up and NE over the mountains through the Manta-LaSal National Forest. After a very pleasant 25 mile drive, we came to Hwy 211 and turned west. The canyon walls came up around us as the road curved this way and that. Soon we found Newspaper Rock State 
Park. This park is basically a rest area that has a large overhung rock panel that is filled with petroglyphs. A fence protects the art but allows you to get within 20 feet of the carvings. Many of the figures were new to us in subject and style which was fun to see. We saw several figures that resembled bison, also several of the people were mounted on horses which put the drawings later in time than those in the Petrified Forest area.After Newspaper Rock SP it was more turns and twists, more scenic vistas, mo
re stops for Kodak moments. After about 25 more miles we came to Canyonlands National Park, or at least one arm of it. About 2 miles past the entrance gate is the visitor center where we got some information, bought some postcards and had our packed picnic lunch. Food always tastes best when eaten outside and in scenic locations. While at the VC, I met the ranger who is in charge of interpretation and volunteer activities. We chatted about the volunteer opportunities that the park offers. I left with her card so that I can send her an email to get on her mailing list.After lunch it was time to explore the area. How can I describe this place? You just have to go there and experience it for yourself. My photos will never do it justice. One can stand at a lookout, or climb atop a rock and gaze in all directions and see incredible beauty in every direction and then drive a mile or two and do it again. The opportunities for outdoor adventure are amazing. It surely made me wish I was young again so that I could hike more, ride more, get a jeep, etc. If I lived in this area, I would have a jeep. Utah is criss-crossed with four wheel drive roads going to some awesome sounding places. Even CNP has jeep roads that cross it. Evidently they are rated based on the Moab difficulty scale of 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, all the way up to 5. A “5” can have some nearly vertical portions. Hmmmm, can’t wait to do one of those. The one that we saw had a difficulty scale of 3.5 which is substantial, I think. I talked to a guide from “Moab Adventures” who told me about the road and the grading system. He had just come off the road with a jacked up fairly beat up Ford Excursion and had stopped to turn the front hubs back to free-wheeling.
Hovenweep
After leaving Mesa Verde, we headed basically west, through Cortez, CO and then over to Hovenweep National Monument. Another wonderful spot. It was occupied during the same time period as the other dwellings in the area, ie. Mesa Verde, Aztec, 
but the inhabitants were Puebloans who were masons who built some marvelous towers and built them on boulders on the edge of an isolated canyon. The built them well because they still stand today. There is a small but nice campground there that can accommodate large rigs but the
re are no hookups. A two mile round-trip trail allows you to get fairly close to several of the structures. It is a “must visit” place when you are in the four corners area. The night sky is amazing there as the nearest town is 45 miles away
but the inhabitants were Puebloans who were masons who built some marvelous towers and built them on boulders on the edge of an isolated canyon. The built them well because they still stand today. There is a small but nice campground there that can accommodate large rigs but the
re are no hookups. A two mile round-trip trail allows you to get fairly close to several of the structures. It is a “must visit” place when you are in the four corners area. The night sky is amazing there as the nearest town is 45 miles away
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