09-30-2021 The Long Trek Home (Almost)

Storm clouds over the La Sals east of Moab on the morning of our departure

Traveling home from canyon country requires a commitment of at least three days for us.  We usually can travel 350 miles in a day, but prefer 150 to 300 and have been known to cross 500 miles or more when the conditions require it.

There is much to see along the route home, but after 10 days exploring miles and miles of such a magnificent red landscape, it is hard for me to get excited about dallying in the vast expanses of the Utah and Nevada desert that are part of the Great Basin.

We have visited Great Basin National Park in the past and had no desire to camp there this time of year.  Many of the wonderful wildflowers are past peak bloom season and the fall temperatures make the nights quite cold.  We thought maybe we would enjoy a leisurely stay in Eureka or Austin, but when push comes to shove, we are simply ready to be home.  As I have said before, that horse to the barn thing is inescapable.

The night before our departure from Moab great loud thunderstorms crossed over the valley, lighting up the sky and rocking the MoHo in the wind.  Heavy rains pounded on the roof and when we woke in the morning it was still raining.  By the time Dan and Chere pulled out near 8am, the skies were clearing and we could see snow on the highest peaks of the La Sals.

Bye to Dan and Chere as they depart from the Moab KOA RV Park

Their route would be different from ours.  They planned to drive north through Price toward Salt Lake City, camping in Snowville, Utah on the first night and on the Oregon/Idaho border at Farewell Bend State Recreation Area on the second night before returning home to Beavercreek on the third day.

We planned to return the way we had come, after traveling north to I-70, and west to Highway 50 at Salina, then toward Delta and crossing Utah to the Nevada border at Border Town RV Park.  Our original plan was to continue west on Highway 50 to Fallon and then north to Susanville, crossing the mountains from Susanville to I-5 at Mt Shasta and then north to Grants Pass.  We have traveled this route many times returning from trips east and south from our home.

By the time we reached our camp site at Border Inn we had decided that we would go home a different route this time.  Traveling from Border Inn on Highway 50 we would exit at Highway 278 north toward I-80, then west toward Winnemucca.  There we planned to stay the night at the RV Park that Dan used on his trip south, New Frontier RV Park.  We would then travel north on Highway 95 to Highway 140 and west through the Sheldon Wildlife Refuge, Lakeview, Klamath Falls and then home over the very familiar High Lakes Pass to Medford and then the last few miles north to Grants Pass and home.

This route would be about 30 miles farther in total than our original plan through Fallon and Susanville but we were both happy to do something a little bit different.  It also would give us a chance to pass through some favorite refuges, including Upper Klamath Lake NWR very close to where we used to live in Rocky Point on the west side of Klamath Lake.

09-30 Moab, Utah to Border Inn RV, Nevada  322 miles

Once on the road from Moab, the clear skies gave way to heavy rain as we approached Green River on I-70.  The black clouds hid the views and the windshield wipers were on full speed as we crossed the gorgeous San Rafael Swell.  The overlooks weren’t very inviting in the pouring rain so we forged on west.

Last of the red rock sandstone along I-70 before we drop down from the Colorado Plateau to the Great Basin 

Once we crossed the high point of the swell the rains let up and we could see the last of the Colorado Plateau landscape as the highway dipped toward the west and the edge of the Great Basin.

Above is a map of the Great Basin, dominated by the ups and downs of Basin and Range landscapes.  Once on the flat basin west of Delta the road opened up and the vistas expanded far and wide with only a few ranges to climb between basins.

We arrived at the Border Inn around 5 and settled in easily.  This park is a funky, dusty place in the middle of nowhere with a sketchy Verizon signal that only works well before 6am in the morning or after midnight.  We still love it.  The open space and low key vibe of the place is very relaxing after a long drive. 

Above is a view of the Border Inn RV Park from the south where you can see how isolated it is on the landscape

There is a café and casino which we have never tried, happy instead to simply enjoy our own space with fresh breezes and very few people around to bother us.  Sometimes there are very big rigs with very large oversize loads that stop and stage at this location before continuing north toward Ely.

After settling in by late afternoon we cooked a very simple meal that was incredibly delicious.  The burger is from our Grants Pass butcher shop, cooked on the grill with my favorite seasoning, Weber Chicago Steak Seasoning.  The scalloped potatoes were stored in our freezer for the trip. The tomatoes were from Chere’s garden.  All topped off with blue cheese crumbles and dressing.  We couldn’t believe how good it tasted!

09-30 Border Inn to New Frontier RV Park Winnemucca, Nevada  331 miles

When we left Border Inn around 9 the skies were crystal clear and gorgeous.  The night had been chilly, but not so much that the little space heater we use on cold nights when we have hookups couldn’t keep up.

Within a few miles, we found ourselves behind a huge flotilla of rigs with official police pilot cars in front of and behind a huge “thing” being hauled on the highway.  The big box thing took up almost both lanes and no one was allowed to pass in either direction.  The front pilot car traveled at least a half mile in front of the wide load and moved all oncoming vehicles off the road before the big thing approached.  We traveled about 20mph over the steep ranges but on the flats the whole group could go almost 45 miles per hour.  Made for an easy relaxing drive to Ely where we broke away from the trail to fuel at the Love’s where we fueled on the way east two weeks earlier.

Something to keep in mind about fuel in Utah and Nevada; the price posted is for the lowest octane fuel, sometimes only 85 octane.  We ended up paying  over $4.00 per gallon for 87 octane.  We found that gas was priced as high throughout Nevada and Utah as we were used to paying in Oregon, and almost as high as the stations we passed when traveling through California.

Once west of Ely we lost the slow wide load and continued over the passes without incident.  There were a few cars parked in Eureka but I saw no sign of a bakery, which is something I had been searching for since we were in Moab where none were open early enough in the morning for us to enjoy.

Just beyond Eureka we turned north on Highway 278, the route Dan took from Winnemucca toward Baker on the way south.  We noticed that a northward trending route like this one lay between ranges and traveled through a long basin.  We didn’t have to cross a lot of high ranges as we did on Highway 50 which travels east and west.  However, the route north was terribly boring, with very little change in the view.  By the time we reached I-80 Mo needed a driving break and I took over for the last 100 miles or so west to Winnemucca.

Once in Winnemucca we easily found the huge New Frontier RV park and settled in quickly before dinner to relax a bit.  Full hookups, cable tv, a dog park, and showers that we never bothered to use made it a nice stop.  We were thrilled to discover that it was a Passport America park and we paid  half price for our site, a total of $21.69 with tax.  Can’t beat that.

The dog park was roomy but the space was all deep rounded gravel.  Mattie didn’t seem to mind and still always seems to know where the dog park is when we go there for the first time.  She has the routine down well, and runs right to the gate of the park, even when she has never seen it before.

The night was cold, with the temperature reading 27 degrees F when we woke on Friday morning.

10-01 Winnemucca to Virgin Valley Campground, Sheldon Wildlife Refuge, Nevada  127 miles

This was to be the day that we planned to push hard to drive 411 miles and reach home by late afternoon.  Instead we languished a bit this morning, both of us feeling a bit tired and a bit lazy.  We fueled at the Flying J, where gas was a few pennies higher than the nearby Pilot. More importantly, the Flying J had a Cinnabon kiosk and I was really wanting something bakery sweet so I didn't mind paying more for fuel.

Once on the road north on Highway 95 we settled in to the wide open landscape of Northern Nevada.  Here the distant hills are barren, not a juniper in site, not a leaf, not a shrub or a tree for miles.  The wide basins are thick with low sage and very little else.  About 29 miles north of Winnemucca we turned west on Highway 140.  I wish I could have taken a photo while driving because I am pretty sure this is the longest, straightest stretch of road that we have encountered on our entire trip.  I know that Highway 50 has the reputation for being the loneliest road in America but I would say that Highway 140 in northern Nevada has it beat.  We drove for 100 miles with absolutely nothing to break the monotony.

At the Denio Junction, Highway 140 makes a sharp turn west toward the Sheldon Wildlife Refuge.  The landscape is still open and empty but the landforms begin to shift.  In the distance the mountains have a bit more shape and shadows and I could see huge black lava flows on the horizon.  We stopped at the information kiosk at the entrance to Sheldon NWR and looked at the map. 

I would have been perfectly happy to stop right there and spend a night listening to the silence and watching the skies.  We decided that we would drive north and west a bit more into the refuge and explore the free Virgin Valley campground.

Turning south on the refuge road, we were bummed that it was graveled and the washboards were intense.  With all the shaking and rattling Mo forged ahead 2 miles till we reached the tiny campground.  What a treasure!  The campground is open, with little shade, but there are picnic tables and wide open sites that are quite level.

There is an old rustic stone bath house with water flowing all the time from the nearby spring.  The warm spring pool is clean with a ladder to enter and clear water that stays about 87 degrees.  Not hot, but warm enough to be enjoyable. 

The shower comes from the same spring and is a steady 87 degrees.  Not hot, but definitely not a cold shower.

We settled into our site, put out the slides and relaxed with cool breezes.  The evening was perfect for a walk around the campground, a dip in the pool and a nice warm shower.

For most of the afternoon and early evening we were one of a very few campers in the campground.  After supper, as evening approached, quite a few more campers appeared.  It was a night for campfires and stars.  I stepped out at midnight to see the stars and saw a few campfires surrounded by people quietly enjoying the night.

I have yet to learn how to take photos of stars so will have to remember how clear the night was and how magnificent the stars were in that desert sky.

The next morning we would get on the road one last time heading for home.

05-30-2020 Saturday at Hart Antelope Refuge

After discovering that our fan was blowing the wrong way and fixing the problem, we slept great until about 7:30. Quiet hours in the campground are from 10PM to 6AM, so we had no problem deciding to turn on the gennie to make coffee, toast a waffle and cook some bacon for a breakfast treat. Although we had no cell service and no internet, we still took a bit of time to charge up the phones while the gennie was running. Our plans for the day included a lot of back country driving and I wanted to be sure that I could access my offline google maps that I had downloaded before leaving home. I had also managed to find the $4.00 BLM map that I purchased back in 2013 covering the area.

We like this campground because it is reasonably close to the refuge. Even with the steep gravel road and some washboards along the way, it only takes about twenty minutes to get to the Headquarters junction which is the starting point for several side trips, including the Hot Springs Campground.

Of course, it takes a lot longer if you take time to stop and walk the short loop trail that leads to a wonderful overlook. We were the only ones in the small parking lot and took Mattie out without a leash, but just as we were getting ready to walk up the trail, another car pulled in and we called Mattie to put on her leash. The very nice lady said, “Oh no, don’t do that for me!” Mattie immediately recognized a dog person and ran happily over to greet her.

Mattie was so excited to be in a new place and was a bit distracted. She loves trails and likes to lead us and is very good about staying on trail. If there is some kind of fork in the trail, all I have to do is point and say, “That way”, and she looks at me, turns and leads off in the right direction. I love how some dogs know exactly what you mean. Mattie has a great vocabulary, and she can even understand when we spell a few words so we have to be careful when saying the word “walk” unless we are ready to go. So sometimes we spell it, but that no longer works.

Warner Wetlands viewpoint in 2013

The views of the beautiful Warner Wetlands stretching out below us are always thrilling from this point. We have photos of Abby at this same point, but Mattie was a bit too excited to pose properly. The water was quite muddy possibly from recent rains, and the skies weren’t as clear as they were the last time we were at this point. We also noticed there were a LOT fewer flowers in bloom, thinking that maybe we had missed the full bloom and this elevation.

The wind was also beginning to blow with intention, which made my attempts to photograph tiny flowers with my phone a bit of a bust. I wasn’t ready to pull out the heavy camera while trying to hike rocks with two sticks. I surely do miss my sweet lightweight Lumix.  It was destroyed by a suddenly falling heavy framed picture as it sat quietly on a windowsill in our office . Ah well, someday I’ll pop for the bucks to replace it, but not just yet.

After our hike we continued up the steep hill with a couple of big switchbacks to the broad gently sloping lands of the refuge. Just before the refuge headquarters, which are still closed due to COVID19, we saw an open gate to a dirt/rock road toward Poker Jim Ridge and a spring. It’s a road we haven’t traveled in the past and decided it was a good time to try it out.

We saw 4 antelope near the road, quietly grazing and they watched us awhile without concern before walking off. Then a northern harrier swooped in front of the car, flying with the distinctive low acrobatics that is typical for this kind of hawk. The bright white horizontal band on the tail was the identifying feature. Too fast for the phone, so no picture once again.

We made it as far as the spring, which was surrounded by more thick vegetation than we wanted to walk through, so I have no idea if it was warm or not. The creek feeding into the spring was pretty from a distance. Near the spring were remnants of an old homestead.

All along the road we were treated to the magnificent ridge of the Steens on the northwest horizon. We have traveled to the Steens in the past as well, but to do that from Hart Mountain requires more than 50 miles of bone jarring gravel washboard road across the desert. The only other way to get there is to return to Lakeview and Highway 395, travel to Burns, and then back south through the Malheur Wildlife Refuge to Frenchglen. It’s a great trip, but not one we will be making this time around. Hart Mountain and The Steens are two of the most remote and iconic landscapes in the high desert of Eastern Oregon. We love them both.

The road continued north toward Poker Jim Ridge, where there is a lot of wildlife, but got too rough for the Tracker and our nerves and we found a place to turn around.

Returning to the main road and to the closed visitor center we took the familiar road to Hot Springs campground where we had lunch at our old campsite where we tent camped in 2004. We have lots of fun memories of that camping trip in the days when we first started traveling together.

We neglected to bring our chairs for the picnic, but brought out the red vinyl pads that were a freebie from our Adventure Caravans trip to the Rose Parade in 2017. That made sitting on the ground a bit easier. Getting up from the ground is another story, but we managed with a bit of laughter, rolling over and rising from our knees.

After lunch, we drove over to the natural hot springs in the meadow where I dangled my legs in the 102 degree water. The bottom was a bit mushy, so I didn’t get all the way down, but it sure felt good on the crazy legs. Mo walked off into the meadow with Mattie searching for the other springs. Mattie was beside herself happy and ran around like crazy, accidentally running through a muddy creek which was deeper than she expected. She raced over to me, running in circles of happiness and covered with black guck. I dangled her in my spring to clean her off but she couldn't get out fast enough. Mattie is NOT a water dog.

Photo from 2004 of the developed spring at the Hart Mountain Refuge

Before we left I checked out the rock enclosure with a partially developed deeper spring. As I walked up, I heard people laughing and talking and called out as I approached. Springs are often clothing optional and I didn’t want to get a big surprise. There were three people who said they had come from Medford and were laughing and talking while soaking in the spring. They were staying in Lakeview, and I wondered just how much all those little aerosol particles were blowing around inside that closed space with people much less than 6 feet apart. I didn’t have any desire to dip in but had a nice conversation from a distance.

We drove back north to the Blue Sky road and turning south toward Post Meadows. There are a few ungated roads leading to the southeast across what appeared to be featureless desert and we had no desire to wander off in that direction on more bad roads. Besides, there seemed to be nothing out there to see at the moment, and the roads had signs saying they weren't officially open until June 15.

Once at Post Meadows, with a lovely view of the highest point on Hart Mountain, Warner Peak at 8,017 feet, we stopped at the pit toilet and let Mattie run around some more. Such a happy dog! By this time the winds were getting stronger and we decided that was enough for the day and it was time to head home.

Along the route, we stopped at Indian Springs for another short walk. By this time the winds were really strong, and as we hiked up a small dirt hill that was built above a man made pond, Mo’s visor went flying. She braved climbing down the slippery steep hill to get the visor. It was a visor from Hells Canyon and I wasn’t about to part with it. From the small man made hill from dredging the pond, we could see the small spring surrounded with thick grass. Mattie ran into the thick grass and had the best find of the day, an old leg bone from what was probably an antelope. She was determined and carried that bone all the way to the car. No clue if this spring was warm since we didn’t try to get up close. Time to get out of that wind!

By the time we got down the hill and back to camp, the winds were blowing at least 30 mph. Our balloon spinner that we brought from ABQ last fall was blown into pieces but somehow Mo managed to find each piece and put it back together. We also put away the ground carpet that was held in place by 3 big rocks but billowing like a wild sail from the one corner that we neglected to secure. Trying to fold it up in that wind was funny, and both of us were blown around like puppets by the wind catching the carpet like a big sail.

Inside the rig, the slide topper was whipping around like crazy. Usually our topper is stable in high winds but not this time. For the first time we can remember, we pulled in the slide to protect the topper and stop the crazy noise from the winds.

We settled in for the rest of the late afternoon, watching the rain to the north, playing some cards, and waiting for the winds to die down, as they often do, so I could bbq a little steak for our Saturday supper.

Dinner was delicious. We had a nice New York, which I sliced into two pieces, and then we each ate just half and saved the other half for lunch the next day. Pretty good for just one steak! We also baked a potato and I ate half of it and Mo ate a quarter which is her usual style. Funny how much less we eat as we get older and are perfectly satisfied.

The winds finally died down and Mo built another gorgeous fire. The sunset was a bit of a bust, without the brilliant colors from the previous evening. We sat with the sky and the fire till after 9 before retreating to bed and the dark night. With the winds, another cloud cover formed and once again there was no chance to see the gorgeous starry skies that are such a wonder in this part of Oregon. The darkness and quiet is so very beautiful.

A perfect day, with another one to come.

Home again, Gone again, Home again

Rocky Point, Oregon partly cloudy and 51 degrees F

I think anyone who travels knows about the “getting ready to leave” feeling.  Energy is high, plans are coming together, dates filling in with routes, new roads are calling, or old roads are waiting.  Since we don’t full-time travel, there is also the energy of “coming home”.  Like a horse to the barn, I am, and that going home thing sometimes gets in the way of seeing all I might see on the route.

But not this time.  On our way home from Magical Joseph, we took a long meandering route through parts of Oregon not yet traveled.  Once back in Rocky Point, I caught up on the blog (almost), whipped up a quilt top for my sister, had a great visit with a fellow retired soil scientist, was treated to a fabulous dinner at Wes and Gayle’s next door, and then in only 10 days we were on the road again.  And this time I didn’t even take a computer with me!  Oh dear…thank goodness for the photos.

I guess it really IS a good thing that I am no longer employed, since I would have been off work anyway with the government shutdown, and who has time to work anyway.

But back to the beginning, the route home from Joseph. I am sitting here at my desk looking out on the dusky evening light, trying very hard to slip back in time so I can actually feel what I am writing about, because as often happens, on that last run home, I didn’t have a moment to even keep a note.  I keep thinking of Erin, who is posting little teasers from her Greenland and Iceland adventures, and I just hope that she has time to write while traveling.  How in the world can anyone keep track of such adventures?!

Then of course there is Sherry, who posts such beautifully illustrated stories of their hikes and kayak adventures, and like me, is usually posting about what happened a week or so in the past.  And Nina, fabulous Nina of Wheeling It,  who writes so eloquently about their travels, does superb campground reviews, and posts well researched blogs about all sorts of pertinent subjects.

So…what was I saying?  Oh yes….back to the photos….and the map. 

Leaving Joseph in early afternoon, with only a little over 80 miles to our next destination, we weren’t in any big hurry.  Back near the interstate at La Grande, we found a WalMart for some groceries and were amazed at how hot it was at 5PM.  Sure wouldn’t want to be boondocking in THAT parking lot, although it is a place where overnight parking is allowed. 

Instead we traveled a few miles northwest on I-84 to Hilgard Junction State Park.  We knew there would be no hookups, but the tall cottonwoods were shady and the evening was cooling off, so with the windows open and the fan going, everything was just perfect.

Covered wagons on the Oregon Trail were hoisted down the nearby hill, and there is a nice little kiosk at the park with stories of the pioneer travelers.  It was a restful stop, with the Grande Ronde River flowing adjacent to the campground.  The water wasn’t deep enough for Abby to even get over her knees, but she still enjoyed splashing around a bit.  There are 18 primitive sites at the campground, right off the freeway, but the noise didn’t bother us much since the freeway is elevated and the sound didn’t come down much.  It wouldn’t be a destination campsite for sure, but it was a great overnight for just 9 bucks.

We took our time the next morning, and continued west along highway 244, a very winding but lovely road with no traffic at all.  Even after we intersected with Highway 395 the traffic was light, with truck length limits keeping the truck traffic level low.  Not a problem for the MoHo at all, all the way to John Day and Clyde Holiday State Park where we thought we might spend the night.  Just off 395 is a narrow side road to Ritter and the site of Ritter Hot Springs, but it was a bummer to find the springs closed for the “season” and a gate across the old road.  We were just glad we had managed to find a place to turn the MoHo around at least.

When we reached Clyde Holiday, it was too early in the day to really want to stop, and with plenty of water and charged batteries we thought it would be better to boondock somewhere.  Turning south from John Day, we visited the little town of Canyon City, another gold story of course, and then meandered up the hill to the west of Strawberry Mountain to the Starr National Forest Campground.  (good thing the government wasn’t closed back then!)

Starr was interesting, with several sites and no one at all in the campground.  You know how that is when there are too many choices, we drove around a bunch trying to decide which one before settling in to the most level spot.  The campground is near the road, but road noise was again not a problem.  I guess 395 isn’t too busy this time of year, at least on this section.

I have heard of the Strawberry Mountains for years, and looking at the map, we found a road that circled the wilderness.  It was just long enough for a good drive in the baby car with views of the mountains, and the headwaters of the John Day River.  We even found a beautiful campground that would be a nice place to stay to hike the wilderness and bike some very nice mountain biking trails nearby. So many places, so many hikes.  I would love to go back someday and hike into the beautiful lakes in these mountains.

The next day we continued south along the 395 corridor, and discovered more little towns and one amazing huge ranch.  The highway bisects the ranch, and once I had internet I had to look it up.  What a story!  The Silvies Valley was beautiful and reading about the history of the ranch, how it started with an old Oregon family more than 100 years ago, was lost to California developers and went bankrupt twice, and is now back in the loving care of an Oregon family made my heart sing.  Check out the Silvies Valley Ranch website!  

Once we passed Burns and turned south toward Lakeview, the landscape was oh so familiar.  This is the part of 395 we both have traveled many times, separately and together, and still the desert views are incredibly gorgeous.  Even with the overhanging clouds, briny Lake Abert was beautiful.

Then in Lakeview we did something almost unheard of.  Just 2.5 hours from home, we decided to camp overnight.  A bit north of town is the Hunter Hot Spring Resort, once home to the only active geyser in Oregon.  Right next to the resort is the Hunters RV Park.  Do NOT make the mistake of thinking the two places are related!  If you call the resort they won’t even give the phone number of the RV park, saying instead,  “I have a room I could rent for you”

I wasn’t interested in a room, but I did want to try out the springs.  We settled in with the evening rain at the RV park with full hookups and cable tv while I walked across the field to the hot spring resort.  For $8. you can relax in the pool, but as the RV park owner said to me, check it out first.  Sometimes it is clean, other times not so much.  It was clean enough for me, though, and while not a natural spring pool, at least there aren’t any chemicals in the water and it is refreshed often by the spring.

Nicest experience for me at the spring was enjoying the company of a young geologist working in the area and staying at the resort.  We talked for a long time while soaking, and I learned of the problems with all the hot springs and pools in Lakeview, and about the threat to the springs from the proposed geothermal plants in the area.  I know geothermal energy is supposed to be a good thing, but I have no idea how to resolve the environmental issues that come with the big geothermal plants.

Save Hunter Hot Springs

It was a great idea to stop for the night and relax rather than rushing home.  When we arrived late morning the next day we were rested and refreshed and ready to tackle the unloading and laundry chores that always seem to be a big part of coming home. 

Next up:  We go camping with friends AND I get to meet Nina at Harris Beach State Park!