roaming2: July 2014

Monday, July 21, 2014

In Walla Walla

We are hanging around in Washington Wine Country. We have been in Walla Walla since driving across the Blue Mountains from La Grande Oregon. It was a beautiful drive over the mountains where it was so much cooler. Must be time to get into the Cascades.

Last week we stopped in Baker City Oregon with the Rodeo in town. We had a really good time - the brew pub - Barley Browns - had some really good beer and good pub food. So tanked up on beer and having walked the path along the Powder River and stopped on the way back at the pub, we started walking back to the motel. Two blocks down a street was closed and a cowboy band was playing. So what to do other than get a little dancing in for the evening. What a nice evening and the sound of the Powder River flowing by the motel room to sleep by.

This is the second small town we have loved. The first being Laramie. But we stopped in Boise Idaho for lunch and it looked like a great place to spend more time. A long bike/walking path along the river. Both the path and the river with lots of people enjoying being outdoors.

Around Walla Walla we see a lot of road bikers on the highways but the most of what is happening here seems to be touring vineyards and wineries. We did some tasting(drinking) last evening - maybe too much, but we were within an easy walk of the motel. Today we will go up toward Yakima and visit a winery or two.

On the way here we stopped for the signs along the road saying ----- family farm/cherries, peaches, and melons. We are eating some great fresh fruit and living well.

Old fruit trees where we bought fresh cherries and peaches.

Just harvested wheat field along the road to Walla Walla

Indian Paintbrush in the Blue Mountains

Wildflowers in the Mountains

Views in the Blue Mountains

Thistles with strange haircuts along our road

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

In Wyoming

Leaving Nebraska we passed the site of Massacre Canyon just west of McCook. Interesting place with a large monument. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_Canyon

Leaving McCook was made difficult because our cousin's wonderful dog - Greta - jumped into the back of the pickup and really wanted to take a trip. I just couldn't figure out how to tell my cousin that I had taken his dog!

Poor Greta was so let down when I had to drag her from the truck bed.

Crossing into Wyoming we stayed in Laramie which turned out to be a very nice small university town. Good food - lots of trails in the Medicine Bow National Forest. We stayed two nights but the weather was stormy with hail, wind and all. On the way here we passed another massacre site. http://www.historynet.com/sand-creek-massacre This is a harder story to read.

Meadows crossed on the trail

Nice wildflowers including the above hair bells

On the way to McCook we couldn't find anywhere to stay because of a ball tournament in the area. So a lady at Ft. Morgan called ahead to Sterling and found a place with one room left so we headed that way. As we approached so did a big black storm cloud. We didn't really like the look of this place would not have stayed here but everything was booked and the tornado sirens were blaring as we arrived in the small parking lot. The lady behind the desk said to ignore the sirens, nothing is going to happen - never has. I wish I had her optimism. We hustled our things into the room and stayed alert - mostly standing outside the room, visiting with the other residents, until the storm had passed. Turned out the room was spotless - best bed we had in a motel up until then and a huge TV with movie channels -- All Good. Just didn't look so good from outside and filled up with worker's huge pickup trucks that night but almost all were gone by 6 the next morning.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

In McCook

We spent some time in Summit County Colorado in Frisco Colorado which is a really nice town to visit with good restaurants, music in the downtown park just about every night, a bike path up to Breckenridge (9 miles) and much further if wanted. We didn't get on any trails there because the afternoon storms were coming in a bit earlier that day. We have been trying to avoid the lightning for days now and have been cutting it close on several hikes. We read today that several people have been killed by lightning strikes in Colorado this past week so we should begin to start earlier and get some more margin before the storms move in.

We are presently in McCook Nebraska visiting relatives and enjoying this really easy going small town. Good place to ride bikes around town.

Tomorrow we will be going west again wherever our fact takes us but overall going toward visiting friends in Portland Oregon, hiking in the Cascades and the North Cascades, and maybe going into Canada.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Great Sand Dunes National Park

After the Wolf Creek Pass hike we drove to the Great Sand Dunes which are really interesting and much larger than we had imagined even though we had read about them it was still surprising.

We did a hike into the mountains on the back side of the dunes. The trail started out in sand turning to dry rocky then to what looked like a rain forest turning to high meadows. There were so many wildflowers along the way.

Afternoon storms are a daily event so hikes should start early. For two afternoons in a row the storms have started with a strong hail storm. We have not been early starters so the end of the hikes have been cutting it close with the wind, hail, and rain.

This part of Colorado is beautiful and full of great outdoor activities. We have never been in this part of Colorado and will definitely be back here again.

Broad Tailed Hummingbirds were beautiful and numerous.

Cactus flower with a bee carrying pollen in it's leg sacks.

Penstemon Barbatus

A closeup of a cactus with red flowers

View from top of the trail

Look closely and see the hikers climbing the dunes. They are on one of the lower ridges on the way to the top. Most are carrying boards for sliding back down.

One of the high meadows covered in flowers

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Wolf Creek Pass Hike

We left Santa Fe a few days ago and drove to Pagosa Springs, a really nice town in Southern Colorado. Just up the highway from Pagosa prints in Wolf Creek Ski Area. They tell me that this resort gets the most and earliest snow of anywhere in Colorado. Also that it is the wettest place in the state. We went for a day hike near the ski area following the continental divide trail for an out and back. Starting at 8,400 ft and walking to about 12,000 ft. The scenery was great - beautiful wildflowers and mountains all around.

Before we left the motel in Pagosa Springs the owner told us to be off the trail by 2PM because of the afternoon thunderstorms. We did get a late start so we had to hike as fast as we could to get as far as possible then we saw the huge black clouds were really closing in around us and we could hear thunder. That was enough on an exposed ridge at 12,000 ft! We defended as fast as we could and made it back to the truck as it started raining and lightening! Great hike. We need to come back but start much earlier.