Comfort Zones

Good Morning, from a bench outside the Harney County Library in Burns, Oregon!
Nice day here, not a cloud in the sky again - I think that is three straight days like this.

Here I have yesterday's route and pics. Hope you're having a Great Week!!















Starting up by Yellowstone I wanted to stay on 2 lanes and hit the Craters of the Moon - Great Choices, both!

I found a Scenic Falls turnout right away, but the cost of Five Bills was too much, so Rox and I took the freebie overlook and I got a couple pics.

Pop Quiz: Where on the trip would I have picked up this shiny new yellow tee??

Fellow Canoers - Any Thoughts??

The backside of the Tetons in the distance.

Does this look like a happy Mutt to you?

Idaho had more great Mini-Mountians... Really not that Mini though!

Arco, Id had a nice park to stop for sammidch lunches. See the years carved into the cliff faces above?

Craters of the Moon National Monument: WOW

Miles and Miles of the ancient black lava flow filled this area.

Some scrub and small trees somehow took root here.

Driving through this place had weird effect on me...

Throughout the trip I have felt very self-sufficient, even in the Rockies and Canyons of Utah. I have with me shelter, food, clothing and transportation (and a Doggie). Here, you would not last long without the highway or other passengers. If a helicopter dropped you off in the middle, I'm not sure I'd be man enough to make it out. The pioneers and early settlers of Idaho would have had a long trip around this place.

Past the lava flow, Roxy goes swimming again. I also picked up my first souvenier here. A rock from the banks that has lines of various layers. Like the layers of emotion I've felt on this trip, the rock is made up of many but yet is a whole on it's own.

Further into Idaho we find rolling hills with huge rocks poking up from the slopes.

An arm length shot, trying to advertise more for the Herndon Pool Hall.

Not much soil here.

Trooper's holdin up swell.

Last shot of Idaho, still tons of Rock.

Entering Oregon, the valleys were alive with Green and Irrigation EVERYWHERE!

More hills. More Green

Irrigation Tubes, Ditches, Sprayers EVERYWHERE!!

Ahhh!! Bully Creek Reservior, what a GodSend! I happened to pull off to check this place out and it was PERFECT! Nice small lake, County Run camping and the caretakers had been there for over 24 years and had planted 200 trees!

I was so thrilled after setting up camp, I headed back to town for supplies and dinner.

Had the special of Beef Parmesean - Great service from Robyn the waitress and noticed that their "Light Eaters" section of the menu was Hamburger Steak with Brown Gravy!

Sun sets on the way back to camp.

Roxy plays in the lake, nice end to another great day on the Road.

Oh yeah, also actually had electricity at camp this time!! So worked on pics.

This road trip across Idaho taught me that Comfort Zones can come and go. The landscape varied immensly. Populated and rural ag - to literally the face of the Moon - to Rocky bluffs, Rocky valley floor and Rocky everywhere in between.

I have to think that some of the early settlers, and there looked to be a few out here, had to be Tough, Gritty, Hard & a Little Crazy to even think about staying out here... No wonder the trail continued on to Oregon.

- A

My song today, as my friends know, is one of my favorite road songs. And like Idaho it's rough, gritty and a little extra-terrestrial in the middle. The tune is Epic, just like the views from yesterday. So hit the on-ramp and ride the bass-line, just like I rode Hwy 20 from one side of this state to the other. Thanks for checking up on me!!