This post picks up were we left you in Gothenberg, Nebraska. We did make it to Rock Springs. Got a good night's sleep, then decided we had time to take the "Pilot Butte Wild Horse Loop".
http://www.wyomingtourism.org/overview/Wild-Horses-Loop-Tour-/30913
Although the locals, all the pubs, etc. promised exciting experiences with "the most likely place in America to see wild horses".... the further we went, the more we got, "if you don't encounter wild horses, you still can take in the natural beauty"... It is worth the trip, just to see the terrain from that viewpoint, looking down across the valley onto Rock Springs and Green River, WY... and so much more. We saw lots of "road apples", some rather fresh. Antelope, mucho sagebrush, lots of really nice wild flowers, but the horses must have been elsewhere this day. There were a few other folks on the same hunt, including a family from Michigan who even called the agency number and got no help. You can see their vehicle in one of the pictures traveling the gravel roads that spider-web out from Sweetwater County road 53. Some of the places require 4-wheel drive, and some required more than we felt we had, but we did make it up the trail about halfway up Pilot Butte which is an impressive landmark that guided early travelers (thus Pilot). You can see from some of the pictures on the markers along the road that we are where horses have been... hence the poop piles. We could have gone back to Rock Springs to see some that they have penned up so you can really see a wild horse if you miss the free running ones.... as Georgia says,"I can see penned up horses anytime I want." As we made our way into Utah we were taken with the green mountains. It reminded us of pictures we have seen of Ireland.. We spent the next night in Twin Falls, Idaho where we had stopped in January 08, but this time there was a new Hilton Garden Inn... Nice place! From there our destination was Oregon. We had planned to go to Burns, Oregon which would have divided our remaining driving time in half, but there was some kind of festival there and no rooms. So we tried Bend, another 2 hours west... Two large festivals there including a music festival.... no rooms. We discussed it and decided to try for Sisters.. If you have read our past posts, you should see Sisters, Oregon several times. One of our "favs".. We called Five Pine Lodge to find out that there was a Quilt Festival for that day.
http://www.sistersoutdoorquiltshow.org/ but she suggested that the Best Western Ponderosa might have a room. Oh oh... We have been staying in places where we felt safe from surprises... But in our experience, with Best Western, you don't really know what you will get... We didn't want to go down the west side of the Cascades in the dark.... been there, done that... Called the Best Western and got a really nice suite for the night.. upper level and all. So we wondered and worried about what we would run into. When we left Interstate 84 in Ontario, Oregon and headed across the "Central Oregon Highway" (which by the way goes from Ontario to Newport (on the coast)), we knew we were facing lots of "nothing".. When we came across in January 08, it was snowy and bleak, and getting dark fast. This time much of it was green since they do a lot of irrigation on the east and west sides of the expanse. We saw our first fields of potatoes (yes in Oregon, not Idaho).. Lavender, Onions, and lots of alfalfa. It was 120 miles of "nothing" to Burns, then 90 miles more of the same to Bend.. Then all of a sudden, we were in the Cascades. Got into Sisters and stopped to eat at the Three Creek Brewery... See previous posts... we'd been there before.. I got a fantastic sausage sandwich and the best cup of gazpacho soup I had ever had... If Chess Adams reads this.... his was good, but this was just fantastic. After eating, we got to the Ponderosa Lodge and it was just great.
http://www.bestwesternsisters.com/tour.htm Since the lodge borders a national forest, on the way to breakfast this morning, I saw some birds I had never seen before that make a really strange sound. The staff identified them as "Pinyon Jays"..
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/80/_/Pinyon_Jay.aspx Today, we finished the trip and set up housekeeping at 800 SW Washington in Corvallis. I get to see what the OSU vet students assigned to Radiology remember from my teaching in winter quarter of 09.. and feel like a contributor to education again for a short time. Next weekend, we hopt to hit the coast and say hello to the Pacific Ocean.... Whales???? who knows. Hopefully they haven't heard from the White Mountain Wild Horse heard that we are coming!
Although the locals, all the pubs, etc. promised exciting experiences with "the most likely place in America to see wild horses".... the further we went, the more we got, "if you don't encounter wild horses, you still can take in the natural beauty"... It is worth the trip, just to see the terrain from that viewpoint, looking down across the valley onto Rock Springs and Green River, WY... and so much more. We saw lots of "road apples", some rather fresh. Antelope, mucho sagebrush, lots of really nice wild flowers, but the horses must have been elsewhere this day. There were a few other folks on the same hunt, including a family from Michigan who even called the agency number and got no help. You can see their vehicle in one of the pictures traveling the gravel roads that spider-web out from Sweetwater County road 53. Some of the places require 4-wheel drive, and some required more than we felt we had, but we did make it up the trail about halfway up Pilot Butte which is an impressive landmark that guided early travelers (thus Pilot). You can see from some of the pictures on the markers along the road that we are where horses have been... hence the poop piles. We could have gone back to Rock Springs to see some that they have penned up so you can really see a wild horse if you miss the free running ones.... as Georgia says,"I can see penned up horses anytime I want." As we made our way into Utah we were taken with the green mountains. It reminded us of pictures we have seen of Ireland.. We spent the next night in Twin Falls, Idaho where we had stopped in January 08, but this time there was a new Hilton Garden Inn... Nice place! From there our destination was Oregon. We had planned to go to Burns, Oregon which would have divided our remaining driving time in half, but there was some kind of festival there and no rooms. So we tried Bend, another 2 hours west... Two large festivals there including a music festival.... no rooms. We discussed it and decided to try for Sisters.. If you have read our past posts, you should see Sisters, Oregon several times. One of our "favs".. We called Five Pine Lodge to find out that there was a Quilt Festival for that day. http://www.sistersoutdoorquiltshow.org/ but she suggested that the Best Western Ponderosa might have a room. Oh oh... We have been staying in places where we felt safe from surprises... But in our experience, with Best Western, you don't really know what you will get... We didn't want to go down the west side of the Cascades in the dark.... been there, done that... Called the Best Western and got a really nice suite for the night.. upper level and all. So we wondered and worried about what we would run into. When we left Interstate 84 in Ontario, Oregon and headed across the "Central Oregon Highway" (which by the way goes from Ontario to Newport (on the coast)), we knew we were facing lots of "nothing".. When we came across in January 08, it was snowy and bleak, and getting dark fast. This time much of it was green since they do a lot of irrigation on the east and west sides of the expanse. We saw our first fields of potatoes (yes in Oregon, not Idaho).. Lavender, Onions, and lots of alfalfa. It was 120 miles of "nothing" to Burns, then 90 miles more of the same to Bend.. Then all of a sudden, we were in the Cascades. Got into Sisters and stopped to eat at the Three Creek Brewery... See previous posts... we'd been there before.. I got a fantastic sausage sandwich and the best cup of gazpacho soup I had ever had... If Chess Adams reads this.... his was good, but this was just fantastic. After eating, we got to the Ponderosa Lodge and it was just great. http://www.bestwesternsisters.com/tour.htm Since the lodge borders a national forest, on the way to breakfast this morning, I saw some birds I had never seen before that make a really strange sound. The staff identified them as "Pinyon Jays".. http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/80/_/Pinyon_Jay.aspx Today, we finished the trip and set up housekeeping at 800 SW Washington in Corvallis. I get to see what the OSU vet students assigned to Radiology remember from my teaching in winter quarter of 09.. and feel like a contributor to education again for a short time. Next weekend, we hopt to hit the coast and say hello to the Pacific Ocean.... Whales???? who knows. Hopefully they haven't heard from the White Mountain Wild Horse heard that we are coming!
2 comments:
Wow I can hardly believe the beauty coming through these pictures. Actually being there looking over the countless hills below must just breathtaking, hope to see u soon,
Bmckne
And yet, I don't think we came close to capturing it.. Thanks for looking.
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