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Category Archives: road trip

After the Nightscaper event in Kanab, we had a couple of days left in Utah. It was too hot for Luna to really enjoy it and our campsite offered no relief in the way of shade or water. The landscapes are amazing with another unbelievable formation around every corner.

One afternoon, to escape the heat, we drove up to Bryce where it was much cooler. However there were so many people, some parking lots were at full capacity. Instead of seeing park rangers, I saw parking managers. Still I did enjoy the scenery.

And I got out one night for milky way photography with a little low level lighting. Ken helped me with the lights. It really doesn’t take very much. I still need so much practice.

The evening light was beautiful where we camped and the girls and I enjoyed walks after dinner. I admit to being obsessed with the pastel pinks and greens of willow and sage and rabbitbrush and the stark aspens, not yet leafed out. And that geologic feature – the rock fin that came straight up out of the ground with its small arch on top. The female Northern Harrier must have had an unseen prey item and didn’t want to move even though we walked by her coming and going. Those two photos are heavily cropped. We were not overly close to her.

On our recent road trip, the girls and I spent a week in eastern Nevada. It was all new to us. I had never really contemplated what the phrase ‘basin and range’ meant. I thought it was mostly flat and desert-like with mountains here and there. That’s not the case at all. It has broad flat valleys that start at 5000′ elevation and are surrounded by high mountains, many going over 10,000′! As we drove through these valleys and over high passes, I was constantly amazed at the rugged snow-capped mountain ranges. Since it was May, the temperatures were cool and sometimes freezing overnight. I imagine it is brutal during the hot summer months. We saw familiar wildflowers but they were all short and seemed to be putting out all their energy before summer arrives. It must be a very short growing season.

Our friends from Montana joined us for a few days. Luna and Sky were surprised that Junie is almost grown up at nine months old. Gus was skeptical. We tried to get a four dog portrait but it never really worked. While Junie looks grown up, she is still a big puppy! Next time! We did a day trip to Great Basin National Park. The road to the high point was not open to cars due to snow so we walked on it instead. I’d like to go back and see the bristlecone pine trees and enjoy the night sky at over 10,000′!

Nevada is full of tiny towns, some on the brink of disappearing into history. Some are having a kind of renaissance, improving on historical features and counting on the great natural beauty to bring a few tourists to their communities. I wanted to say, be careful what you wish for. Don’t become Utah.

Our last stop was in the Bitterroot Valley to visit some good friends. We enjoyed another really nice hike in the mountains and playing with their new puppy. Don’t ask me why I don’t have photos of the pup. I don’t know. That’s just not like me. You can see Mary’s photos from the hike here. It was hard to say goodbye and end the trip but it’s always good to be home.

The girls and I drove north and east from SE Oregon up to the tiny mountain town of Stanley Idaho and a different time zone. It is located high in the Sawtooth Mountains. We drove north out of Boise along some beautiful rivers and through some impressive mountains. Fall foliage was getting started as was deer season. We saw many hunters along the way. Our destination was Redfish Lake. It was named for the legendary sockeye salmon runs of the past. In the 1800’s it was estimated that 25,000 to 30,000 sockeye returned to spawn at Redfish Lake. Now, even with hatchery programs, the numbers of returning fish are only in the hundreds. One year there were only 17.

I knew there were quite a few campgrounds in the area but apparently they close most of them at the end of September. One campground was still open on the lakeshore so that’s where I set up camp. Sky was delighted to have a big lake and Luna was happy to have colder weather. The elevation was about 6500′ and towering mountains arose on the far side of the lake. I read that the highest one was over 12,000′. Snow had fallen the night before we arrived. We visited an old mining area near Stanley with its discarded equipment and dilapidated buildings. Sadly, all of the interpretive signs had been removed. We also enjoyed a hike up Fishhook Creek.

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