I got up early and left early, and felt like going all the way to Pendleton. So I'm here in Hermiston, close enough. It's been a while since I've been here so I want to check out the back room at the Pendleton Mill where they sell their rejects.
I wanted to see the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, a rather large set-aside administered by the BLM. It's a nice open-range with the Snake River Gorge in it, but too early for birds (the swallows had arrived, though) of interest. I don't visit the Boise area very often because it's boring. I always feel like I'm on a set for an "Up With People" performance. It's a suburb of Salt Lake City. Tomorrow I'll go...
I always forget how much I like Idaho, how fascinating it is. I became interested in birds driving through southern Idaho and wondering what those black, blue, and white birds were crossing the road ahead of me in such numbers. Magpies, and they were out in numbers today. Magpies are predators, feeding mainly on eggs, and this time of year they are frantically covering the countryside looking for food. The Hagerman Valley is a typical landform...
Yet another small ag town. I've only driven through this part of Idaho so I thought I'd take it slow and look around a bit. The trees are blooming, and the spring bird migration has started, exactly what I said about 2 months when I was in the South. I'm down out of the Nevada mountains and high valleys and the temperatures are much more reasonable. Fuel prices, too. Jackpot rates an A for a great place to park overnight and go into a casino. It...
Jackpot, on the Idaho border, exists solely to provide a mini Las Vegas experience to folk in Southern Idaho. Traffic isn't much on US93, some truckers use it, and there are a few snowbirds heading home. Nevertheless, if one finds oneself on this highway (very pretty drive), the RV parking at the big casino is real nice. Huge pull-throughs, good for motor homes pulling auto trailers. The rate is reasonable ($18). It's so dang cold (22 this...
Wells is not much more than truck stops, motels, and brothels, a long way from anything. The Humboldt Range is pretty, and hunting is good here, but not much else. I've stopped here several times because of the pattern I tend to replicate when I travel. I've tried a few places around here, but not a small RV park in town, called Crossroads. When I pulled in they were almost empty because the place has been sold and the new owners will take over...
Not much. I've spent several hours messing around the train museum, which is a complete working railroad yard open to anyone to poke around. They have several diesel and steam locomotives, claim they are the last place to service steam locos. Crawl around the cars, watch the activity in the loco service bays. Help yourself in an environment normally off-limits to casual observers. Great place. I took US93 from Vegas to Ely because I hadn't been...
US93 is a pretty, but mostly dramatic, drive. Big, big, high desert valleys surrounded by snow-topped mountains, very sparsely populated. I'm in Ely now, not that much of a town, but it does have a completely functional short-line railroad designated as a museum and mainly volunteer operated. That's what I'm here to see. The Prospector Hotel, Gambling Den, and RV Park has a couple of dozen spots at low rates which include electricity for heat....
On my way up here I was struck by a large grove of a yucca species, very similar to Joshua Trees, but a bit smaller, more compact. I asked the ranger today and he confirmed they were indeed Joshua, an isolated stand in just the right place to thrive. Joshuas grow in a very narrow band of elevation and latitude, so it's always a treat to see them. It was 28 when the sun came up this morning. There's a bunch of cold air reaching down a tad bit far...
This is a nice little park somewhere in east Nevada, near the village of Panaca. It's a high desert type of place with interesting rock formations about suitable for exploring, and very quiet. It will be below freezing tonight. I've climbed enough, and gone far enough north, that Spring is just starting here. Two nights is what I have planned.
The Great Basin Highway (US93) goes north from Las Vegas mostly on valley floors, with only 2 interesting mountain passes. It ends in Nevada at Jackpot, along the Idaho border and close to the big population of Idaho saints which find Nevada-style entertainment appealing. I want to check out a state park which comes with recommendations, and I'll likely do some casino parking along the way. The weather will be pleasant but cool, even cold at...
What the hell am I doing in Las Vegas? I don't like Las Vegas. Well, when I got to Yuma I was a gallon low on coolant, but couldn't find any leaks. The engine oil looked great, as did the coolant reservoir. Then, I was adding about a half gallon a day with no signs of a leak. I started looking for a shop, preferably Goodyear because I might have a fighting chance should the work prove flawed when I'm in another city. Since worst case now...