Category Archives: Ochoco Divide Campground

All the way from the east coast

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Cold water

This past week I have been getting more cyclists passing thru here from the east coast on their way to the west coast.  They are climbing some big hills to get here and most of them are very tired and in need of water.  I had just had my 300 gallon water tank filled and it was nice cold water.  They were all very thankful for it and also the news that the 30 mile run to Prineville, OR is all DOWN HILL.  That made each of them very happy.

Friends from Northern Ireland and the Netherlands

The first pair to arrive looking for water was Steve and Aonne.  Steve was from Antrim, North Ireland.  He started his trip from Yorktown, VA and was part of an Adventure Cyclists group.  Aonne was from Delft, Netherlands and also part of the same group.  They had been on the road since May 4 and arrived here on July 29.  They stopped for water and a brief chat and then wanted to head on down the hill to Prineville to get a motel room, where they could shower and wash clothes as well as sleep on a real bed.

My butt is sore!

The next two riders arrived on the same day.  They too were really happy to get the fresh water.  Larry was from Blue River, WI and also part of the group starting out from Yorktown.  He and his friend were also glad they were almost finished with their journey.

First recumbent

Tom was Larry’s riding partner and he road in on a recumbent bike.  He was from Bowling Green, OH and also part of the group from Yorktown.  Some of the riders had complained that their butts were sore from riding on those bicycle seats.  However Tom had no complaints as he had a big cushy seat.  I asked him how his recumbent did on the hills and he said it was not difficult climbing.

The last rider to stop for water was Franklin.  I was making my rounds in my golf cart and he was sitting at the entrance to the park.  I offered him some water but he said he didn’t need any.  I was surprised he was drinking a coke at the time.  If I am really thirsty there is nothing that will quench my thirst more then water.  After talking to him for a few minutes, he asked me if the water was cold and I assured him that it was.  He then came down and filled up his containers after having a nice cold drink of water.  Franklin was by himself, but said there were others behind him.  He was from Big Woods, KY and also part of the group from Yorktown.

Stopping for an overnight rest

Then I didn’t see any others until I returned from shopping in Redmond.  I usually take every Tuesday off to go into town but decided to skip last week as I had plenty of food, but this week took off Tuesday to do some shopping.  When I returned from Redmond Jerry was parked in Site #1 right across from my campsite.  Jerry was from Decatur, IL and had started his journey from his driveway at his home.  He had decided to spend the night in the campground as it was late and he was very tired from climbing the huge hills east of the campground.

A few minutes later Ray pulled in with Ruby (his trike recumbent bicycle).  It seems that Ray and Jerry had been riding together for some time.  They met each other in Colorado just east of Sulpher Springs and had been together ever since.  They mentioned how you tend to find someone on the road who travels at a similar pace as yourself and then travel together.

Ray was from upstate New York and also started with the group from Yorktown.  You can read more about Ray’s adventure across the US at Ray and Ruby’s Big Adventure.  It goes into detail day by day.  What an adventure these guys have!

Crazy stories

Since Jerry and Ray were spending the night I really got to talk with them about their fantastic adventure.  They said that the hardest part was traveling across Kansas, where the temperature got to 110 degrees during the day. Jerry said he was traveling at night and finding a place to stay during the day.  An interesting story he told was when riding at night in Kansas he saw a headlight way out in front of him.  From the size of the light he thought it was another cyclist coming toward him.  About a HALF HOUR later that light turned out to be a semi-truck that passed him going the other way.  How crazy is that!

Another time Ray mentioned while also traveling in Kansas he found a lone tree out in the middle of no where.  He stayed under that tree for a very long time just to have some shade.  Most of the terrain was very flat and had NO trees whatsoever.

Brewski anybody?

I wasn’t sure if they would want a beer, but I offered anyway.  They couldn’t say YES fast enough.  Then we all enjoyed a brewski and chatted about all our adventures.  It was really a blast.  These guys don’t have too far to go to the coast although they do have another uphill climb before they get there.  What an exciting adventure!

Finally contacted my friend

I have been trying to contact my friend Jack several times in the past two weeks without any luck.  All I get is his answering machine where I leave a message to let me know where he is and how he is doing.  He is on his way to the east coast as I wrote about on a previous post Bicyclists.  Finally on the 1st he sent me a text message and yesterday he called.  He is outside of Pueblo, CO and headed for the east coast.  He had climbed peaks of 11,500 feet.  I can’t even imagine going there in my RV let alone a bike.  I have a hard time going up a small hill, huffing and puffing all the way and sometimes getting off and walking.  I guess you could call me a real wuss!  Anyway he said he is glad to get out of the mountains and onto flat land.  I told him he probably wouldn’t mind a few large hills after he started going through Kansas.

I am really enjoying seeing all the cyclists passing through going to either coast.  They are really a blast to talk to and each of them have different stories.  I hope there is more to come in the future.

Ochoco Divide Wild Flowers

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Photographing wildflowers

The wildflowers here at Ochoco Divide campground are coming up everywhere.  They are in the campsites, along the road and especially in the fields.  It is magnificent.  I am not a great photographer like Al of the Bayfield Bunch and don’t have a high end camera, but the fact that it is digital gives me the opportunity to experiment until I get what I think is a nice picture.  That involves taking 100’s of pics and deleting those that just didn’t work out well.  Below are some of my better shots.

You can enlarge any pic by clicking on it and then clicking on it again.

Wildflowers are very small

All of the above wildflowers are very small with some not even a 1/2′ in diameter.  Part of the problem with photographing wildflowers is the breezes that come up and blow the flowers just when you have the focused.

I had a great time finding all these different flowers.  Some of them could only be found one or two flowers in a very small area.  Because of their size I got a lot of hiking in as well to find as many different kinds as possible.

Bicyclists

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Right next to the transamerica bike trail

Ochoco Divide campground is right off Highway 26 in central Oregon.  It is one of the TransAmerica Bicycle Trails that is created by the Adventure Cycling Association.  They have maps you can purchase that show all the routes from the west coast to the east coast and vice versa.  I have noticed most of the riders I have seen carry these compact maps on there bikes where they can refer to them.  They are also detailed with elevations, etc.

I always enjoy seeing the riders with all their gear riding along Hwy 26 as well as other routes.  I thought I would take this opportunity to show you some of the people who have come through this camp site.

Headed to Canada and Banff

The first people I met were a Ron and Debbie from Redmond, OR who had just started their adventure that day.  They only stopped here for water, which I was happy to oblige.  They mentioned that they were headed to Canada and on to Banff.  I told them to stop by here on their way back to tell me how it went.

My friend Jack – is he crazy?

The next guy I saw was a good friend of mine.  He and I go back 2 years and we communicate with each other quite often.  Jack decided this year that he was going to fulfill one of his dreams to bicycle across the country.  He and his bike took a train to Eugene, OR and then bicycled to the coast for the official start.  He stopped in here to have lunch with me and chatted for a couple of hours and then he was on his way again.

A wonderful family out on a bike ride

The next bicyclists I saw stayed in the campground over night.  They had traveled from Portland, OR and their destination was Baker City, OR where they were going to meet up with their family.  This was a family of four.  The father, Chris was on a bike built for three and also carried is daughter Alexis followed up with his son Jackson.  That was a looong bike.  The mom, Melissa rode a bike that pulled a trailer caring a lot of their gear.  They were so much fun to talk with.

Max came all the way from London, England

The next cyclist was the first one I have seen from the east coast.  Max was from London, England and he and his bike flew to South Carolina where he started his journey.  From South Carolina he cycled up to Kennebunkport, MA and then to the west coast.  He had been on the road 2 1/2 months when he arrived in the campground.  From here he was traveling to the Oregon coast and then down to the California redwoods and finally to San Francisco and eventually Los Angeles.  He then planned to fly to the Grand Canyon to see it and then home to London.  He was a very adventurous guy and traveled all by himself.  He said his biggest thrill cycling across the country was when he saw the Grand Tetons.  That blew him away.  What a fabulous journey!!

John a determined cyclist

The last cyclist I have encountered was John.  He started out from Seattle, WA and has made a giant loop of all the northwestern states.  He was headed over to the coast and then back up to Seattle.  I gave him some water which he really needed.  He mentioned that he couldn’t wait to get to a motel and bath and wash clothes.  He hadn’t changed his shorts in over 8 days.  What a bummer!

Lots of others too

I have seen many other cyclists but didn’t always have my camera handy.  They each had their own story to tell.  I have to hand it to them for their determination and strength to take on such an adventure.  They were all very interesting people.

2nd Year on the Road

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On July 12, 2012 I just completed my second year of fulltime RVing.  I can’t believe I have been on the road so long.  So once again, as I did last year, I will summarized this fantastic year with some of the highlights.

Remember you can click on any pic then click again to enlarge.

Working in Texas

To start I was in Texas and decided to work for a month to help defray costs of traveling to Texas to see my family.  What a mistake that was.  It was 106 degrees and higher the entire month I worked.  Oh well I will definitely know better next time to stay away from there during the summer.

Grand Canyon of Texas

After my work duties were over I headed to Palo Dura State Park in northwestern Texas.  It is know as the Grand Canyon of Texas and a very beautiful place.  While there I hiked the Lighthouse Trail and took this pic of myself standing on the plateau in front of the lighthouse.

Taking advantage of my NM state pass

Then it was off to New Mexico where I wanted to take advantage of the last few months of my New Mexico State Pass.  My first stop was Clayton SP.

Then on to Sugarite SP, just south of the NM/CO border.  This next pic shows Lake Dorothy just north of Sugarite SP.

My next stop was Cimmaron SP and the town of Cimmaron.

Fulfilling a boy scout dream

I also visited Philmont Scout Ranch, which had always been a dream of mine ever since I was a Boy Scout.

More of beautiful new mexico

After that it was Eagle Nest SP, Coyote Creek SP (where I saw a bear), Storie Lake SP  and then on to Villanueva SP where I got my semi-annual haircut.  Finally it was off to Hyde Memorial SP.

Then in October I met up with all my good friends at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta where I stayed and partied for 10 days.  Even had a balloon land on top of my rig.  HA!

After the Balloon Fiesta I drove south to Poncho Villa SP to enjoy a Escapees Chapter 21 Rally.  Of course that also included a trip to Palomas, Mexico where I had to have some dental work done and make sure the margaritas still tasted as good as always.

A visit to the Whitehouse

Next stop on my route was Canyon de Chelly (pronunced d’Shay).  Located on an Indian Reservation it is a beautiful place and a must see for anyone in that area of Arizona.  Of course I had to hike the Whitehouse Trail, which is so beautiful.

Monument Valley

From there it was to Monument Valley, UT.  Talk about a fabulous area, don’t miss out on seeing this.

On my way to Amazon

Then I drove north to Interstate 50.  It is known as the loneliest highway in America.  And believe me it really is.  You could drive for miles and miles and never see a car or truck in either direction.  You would not want to break down on this road.

My destination was Fernley, NV, where I worked for Amazon for 8 weeks.  By the way it was probably the hardest job I have ever had.  Thankfully the 8 weeks went by fairly fast, although it took a couple of months to get healed from the aches and pains I suffered at that job.  OUCH!!!  On top of that it was very cold as well.  Four degrees when I left there.

I then drove to Reno, NV and parked my rig and flew to SO CA to spend a week with my family over the holidays.  It was really great seeing everyone and getting caught up.  I even played some golf.  Actually I tried to play some golf.  HA!  What a joke!

Time to warm up

Then I hit the road to get out of that cold weather up north and drove down to Quartzsite, AZ.  There I met up with a whole bunch of Lazy Dazers (about 20 rigs at different times) and relaxed in the wonderful Arizona sunshine.  Of course I also saw the crazy RV show and even saw a concert by Paul Winer (the Naked Book Seller) although he was fully clothed.  Great show by the way with SRO.

With the help of all my friends I was able to upgrade my rig with new LED lighting, another 12v receptacle and an outdoor motion sensor light.

Next stop – Imperial Dam

In February I left Quartzsite and headed to Imperial Dam just outside of Yuma, AZ  I really enjoyed my stay there with more friends.  Got to do a lot of hiking in the desert.  Plus don’t forget the wild donkeys.  HA!

Heading south of the border senor!

Then it was south of the border to Mexico with the Harvest Host Wine and Whale Watching Tour.  What a fabulous trip that turned out to be.  Visited 5 wineries, with great wine tasting at each.  The wineries were located in the Valley of Gaudelope with very beautiful scenery around.  Also stopped in Ensenada for a day, where we had a great lunch down at the fish market and an opportunity to stock up on lots of great seafood.  Of course we also had to have some cervasa’s (brewskies) at Hussong’s Cantina.

Later visited La Bufadora (the blow hole).  Another very scenic spot.

The wineries were great plus the wine was even greater!  Even got to see a colt that was born that very day.  How exciting!

I am NOT an illegal alien!

After crossing back into the US I drove to Tamarisk LTVA where I stayed for a week and met some really wonderful people.  We hiked ever day in the desert and one day we were surrounded by Border Patrol cars who thought we were illegal aliens.  No comprende  Senor! What a trip that was!

One of my very favorite spots

After spending so much time with so many wonderful people, I needed a break and decided to head for one of my most favorite spots in the Clark Dry Lake bed of the Anza Borrego desert in southern California.  It is 7 miles outside of Borrego Springs.  This place is so peaceful and always gives me a chance to reflect on my future plans.  It was here where I made my resume on workamper.com and emailed it to various people.  Within 10 minutes I had a call for the job I would be working at this summer. More on that later.

Back to the coast

Then it was off to the west coast to Oceanside, where I parked my rig at the Elks Club and took the train up to Orange County to see family.  It was back and forth visiting different members of my family and it was great seeing my Mom.  Love you Mom!

Heading up north

Then it was time to hit the road and head up north.  My first stop was the Trona Pinnacles outside of Ridgecrest, CA.  It is like a trip to another planet.

From there it was off to the Alabama Hills just outside of Lone Pine, CA.  This has been one place I always dreamed of venturing to even before I had an RV.  An absolute MUST SEE.

From there it was off to Mona Lake, where I stayed for about 5 days and ventured around the area seeing the tufa’s at the edge of the lake and the weird cloud formations.

I also took a side trip to the old ghost town of Bodie, CA.  Much of the town is still intact as it was a hundred years ago.  Really neat and another MUST SEE.

Then I finally made it to Oregon where I stayed at Goose Lake SP, La Pine SP and finally Crooked River Ranch.

My workplace for the summer

I met up with my area managers who I would be working for the summer in Prineville, OR.  I am the camp host at the Ochoco Divide, a NFS campground.  It is on the summit (4,726′ elevation) of Hwy 26.  This campground is nestled among giant (200′) Ponderosa Pines among other pine trees as well.  I have now been here 2 months and love this job.  I get to meet a lot of interesting people and have lots of areas to hike in.

Well that about wraps up another fabulous year of my fulltime RV lifestyle.  There were some tough times (truck breaking down) and some great times (caravan trip to Mexico) as well as taking time out to see my family, which is very important to me.  I had lots of times spent with great friends and even some time to myself to ponder how lucky I am.

I almost can’t believe it has been two years since I have set out on the road.  I would also like to thank all my wonderful followers who have been with me as I experienced each and every day.  Every day is a new adventure.

Timberrrrrrrrrr!!!

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As the camp host for a National Forest Campground in central Oregon I am surrounded by trees.  Both big ones and little ones as well.  In this area the Ponderosa Pines are the giant trees.  Many of them grow 200 feet tall and some even wave in the breezes.  There were two of those giant trees that had died and no longer had any leaves or branches on them.  They would have to be brought down before they fell down as they were near campsites.  Loren and Sue, the regional managers, came by one day and I met them at the trees in the back part of the campground.

Loren was going to cut down the tree and I was the gopher carrying the needed supplies such as gasoline chain saw oil, rakes, etc.  The two trees were right next to each other.  They are the two in the middle of the next photo with no leaves.

 

This is Loren beginning to cut down that tree.  It was a very big tree and later he found out that many ants had made that tree their home.

I made a short clip of the tree actually falling to the ground.  It came down with a big thump.  Please excuse the end of the clip as I forgot to shut it off and I was so excited seeing that big tree come down.

The tree came down with such force that the top of the tree acted like a spear and drove itself into the ground as you can see in the next pic.

We tried to pull it out of the ground but it would not budge.  Then we cut it down so it is now a stool that someone can sit on.  Too Much!

On Highway 26 which goes right by Ochoco Divide Campground there was a state highway crew that appeared one morning.  I went done to check out what was going on.  It seems that they were knocking down trees that might be a threat to motorists (or even bicyclists like my friend Jack or even walkers like my friend Steve and LeeRoy).  These were trees that they thought could pose a problem so they decided to give them the hatchet job.

They would block off the road going either way and then then forestry service guys would cut down the tree.  Naturally the tree would come down right on the highway as you can see from this next pic.

What a week!

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Weather has been very nice

It has been almost a week since my last post and I hope to post a bit more often.  The weather here in Central Oregon is getting really nice with a few drops of rain here and there.  There is some rain predicted for this weekend but nothing so far.

Visiting with my friend jack on his adventure across America

This has been a very exciting week for me.  To begin my friend Jack stopped in on his bike tour across America.  The Trans America Bike Trail goes right past me at Hwy 26.  If I am sitting outside I can here bicyclists talking as they stop for a break.  Ochoco Divide is at the summit and it is all downhill for 17 miles to Mitchell, OR.

Jack and I met back in 2010 when I toured the Columbus Historical Museum in Columbus, NM where he was workamping.  We have been best of friends ever since and always stay in touch with each other.  This year he started to fulfill his dream of bicycling across the US.

He got to my campsite around noon and we had a great time talking about old times as well as new.  After lunch and a big BS session, he headed on down the road so he could make it to Mitchell before nightfall.

Here is a pic of Jack ready to hit the road.  Good Luck Jack.  I will keep you posted on his travels when I here more.

And he is off to the wide open spaces of this great land.

Steve on his slower adventure across America

Just a few minutes before Jack left in “walks” Steve and his goat LeeRoy.  They are also traveling across the US but in a much different manner.  They are walking!  Steve decided to walk across America to raise funds to help his friend build an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya.

 

When Jack told me he would be coming by my campground I went and bought two nice juicy rib-eyes to barbeque.  When Jack got here he mentioned that he was a vegetarian.  Since I had this extra steak I invited Steve over for dinner.  I could have invited LeeRoy as well, but he is a vegetarian also.  We had a good time talking about his adventures as well.  He started out in Seattle and is going to Times Square.  People notice him wherever he travels.  I can’t imagine why!

You can read up on Steve and his travels at needle2square.com

Checking out Prineville

Wednesday was my day off and I felt just like going into Prineville and checking it out.  I usually only stop at a few places to do shopping, gas and propane so I really haven’t gotten the feel for the town.  As I was turning onto Main Street I saw a green LD coming toward me.  I didn’t think too much of it as I have seen a guy with a green LD pulling a boat.  More about that later.

I found a good parking spot and decided to do some walking.  I was looking for a good book on the flora and fauna of Central Oregon so I headed to the bookstore.  I wasn’t able to find what I was looking for but just decided to window shop.  Then I looked up and saw the Bowman Museum across the street.  That was a MUST SEE.  It was a small but very neat museum that showed life in Prineville since way back when.  They had a lot of interesting railroad displays and also a great display on the Prineville baseball team at the turn of the century.  NEAT STUFF!

I then saw the Prineville Men’s Wear Store that was rich in boots, outdoor jackets, and lots of western wear.  I saw a pair of boots in there I just had to have, so guess what.  I done bought them.

After finishing up on my walking tour through Prineville I had a great lunch at the Tastee Treat.  I have eaten there before and every thing is great.  The service, the food and all the old codgers telling all their stories.

Meeting a blog follower

After returning from Prineville, I got settled in and made a campfire.  Then Stephany came by to introduce herself.  She was the LD I saw in Prineville as I was turning.  She owns a Lazy Daze and lives in Salem, OR.  She mentioned that she had been following my blog and right away I knew she was a very smart lady.  She just decided to come up and see how the campground up here was like.  I tried to convince her that she needs to come down to Quartzsite in the winter and meet up with our group and have a ball as we do every year.

Generations meeting for the first time

I also wanted to show you a picture of my wonderful family.  My grand-kids Eric and Rachael were visiting my son out in California.  They stayed at my sister’s home one night and went and met their Great Grandmother for the first time.

From l to r my grandson Eric, my sister Bev, my Mom, my granddaughter Rachael and finally my son Curt.  It was great they could all get together.  I just wish I could have been there as well.

Camphost Potluck

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Camphost get-to-gether

There are 5 campgrounds that are all run by the same concessionaire.  Once a month we get together for a potluck at a different campground.  It was a lot of fun chatting with the other hosts.  The meal was really great with lots of good food.  It was a very relaxing time.  It was over at the Haystack Reservoir, which is quite a bit different then my campground up in the  mountains.  Haystack Reservoir is located about 18 miles the other side of Prineville from Ochoco Divide.  I used my GPS to direct me there.  The last 6 miles was on a washboard gravel road where everything got shook up.  Next time I will go to Redmond and then up the 97 where it is a nice smooth road.

Here are a couple of pics of the potluck.

On my way home I went through Redmond and stopped at the egg farmer.  His eggs are the best I have ever tasted.  His chickens are cage free and hormone free.  You just go into his garage where he has a refrigerator, deposit the money in a jar and take your eggs.  He happened to come out when I was getting my eggs and we had a conversation on how he raised his chickens and how good the eggs really were.  They are more expensive ($2.50/dozen) then Walmart, but don’t even compare.

A couple knocked on my door yesterday and asked if I could spare some water.  There truck had heated up and they were lucky to reach the summit where Ochoco Divide campground is located.  I helped them out with some water and gave them some for the road in case they heated up again.

Lots of rain

Today was a wet day.  It was very overcast in the morning and then started raining in the afternoon.  The pics were taken looking out from my rig.  It was a good day for a movie.  I watched an oldie called “Midnight Cowboy” starring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight.  It was a real classic.  It is sure nice that I can get movies from Amazon Prime through my WiFi Hotspot.

After the movie I cranked up the ole stereo to some of my favorite rock (Doors, Grateful Dead,Rolling Stones, etc.).  Only had two campers come in to get out of the rain and they were on the other side of the park.  This should be a quiet weekend as there are thunderstorms predicted for later this afternoon.  A good day to read a book and get caught up on the blogs I follow.

Annie, Rick and Dweesel!

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Who are these people in the Lazy Daze?

I consider myself a very lucky guy.  Two days ago I had just finished up my camp host duties and took a shower and was just kicking back enjoying a brewski when all of a sudden a Lazy Daze pulls into the campgrounds.  I went over to say hi and low and behold it was my good friends Annie and Rick with their dog Dweesel.  I couldn’t believe it.  I had heard that they were traveling along the Oregon coast but I had no idea they would be over here in Central Oregon to visit me.

It’s Annie, Rick and Dweesel!

They spent two nights here and we had a great time together.  They told me about their travels on the coast and other areas where they have been.  We all had a good time talking old times as well as new.  Annie fixed great tacos the night they arrived.  They were some of the best tacos I have ever tasted.

Lots of gab and great food

I got all my work done the next day and Annie and Rick had bought a Tri-tip that they wanted to cook along with some great potatoes and a super cucumber salad.  I started the coals and we thru on the potatoes.  After that I fired up the grill and Annie cooked the tri-tip.  It was all so delicious.

The weather was perfect both days they were here.  It was in the mid 80’s while they were here.  They left on Monday and as soon as they left it was cold and raining the rest of the day.  GOOD TIMING! They are headed to Klamath Falls and then on to Lake Tahoe.  I just hope the weather was clear while they were driving.

They were parked in the same spot as Ed and Carol as well as Roger when they visited me.

This is a closeup of their rig.

I am so fortunate to have been here only a month and had so many friends visit me.  Thank you Annie and Rick for the great time together and the REALLY GREAT DINNER!  Hope you have a wonderful trip home.

Roger pays me a visit

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Roger pays me a visit

My friend Roger wrote and said he would be leaving Bremerton, WA Tuesday morning.  I figured he wouldn’t get here until at least Wednesday but he called Tuesday afternoon from Redmond.  He was here a short time later and we were sitting around talking old times and new as well.  I couldn’t believe he made such good time.  He sure didn’t mess around getting here.  It was sure great seeing him.

We head to the Painted Hills

The following day he drove us out to the Painted Hills just east of Ochoco Divide.  What a beautiful place!  It is fabulous to see and if you are ever traveling on Hwy 26 thru Central Oregon don’t miss it.  It is 6 miles off the road down a paved road for a few miles and then it turns into a good gravel road to the overlooks.

The next two pics show the Painted Cove Trail where you can actually walk among the Painted Hills.  It is a short trail only 1/4 mile long and allows you to get up close to them.

Roger and his rig parked in front of the Painted Cove Trail.

This is a rather unique view taken from the gravel road.  The colors were really beautiful.

This is a great little picnic area near the information center.

The river that flows right next to the picnic area.

Certainly had a nice time

We had a nice campfire and dinner and talked about old times.  It was really great to see him.  Thanks Roger for coming to visit me.  I really enjoyed the company.

Finally a beautiful day

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The sun came out

Duh, what happened.  The weather improved today big time.  There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the temp hit low 70’s.  Finally!  It was really beautiful.

Off to Canada

Not a whole lot to write about although I did have a couple last week riding through here on their way to Banff and other parts of Canada.  They were from Redmond and had just left that morning.  They stopped and I gave them some water.  From here down to Mitchell it is supposedly 17 miles all down hill.  They said they would stop by on their return trip.  I think there names were Ron and Debbie, but I am not good at remembering names.  Anyway  good luck to both of you in your bold adventure to our neighbor up north.  Hope to see you on your return trip so you can tell me all about it.

 

I called my friend Jack who is about to embark on his cross country trip in the next few days.  He is catching a train from Deming, NM to Eugene, OR and then bike to the coast where he will start his adventure.  He should be passing through this way sometime late next week.

Aspens among ponderosa pines

I did some hiking in the area and found some really interesting things such as this grove of aspen trees.

Plus some huge ponderosa pines.

My phone booth

If I have to make a phone call then I have to step up on my phone booth to get a good connection.  This rock is my phone booth.  HA!!