The Owyhee Canyonlands, in the remote SE corner of Oregon, have long been on my radar to explore. So, when cooler temperatures arrived this September, friend Andy & I headed out to explore them. That area’s Leslie Gulch was especially enticing, with descriptions of fantastical volcanic towers and gorges which sounded similar to Smith Rocks’. […]
Steens Mountain Wildflowers
I try to visit Steens Mountain most autumns for fall color, but I hadn’t visited during wildflower time … boy, have I been missing out. Although the flowers weren’t especially profuse in late July this year, there was a huge variety and the spots of color added a special touch to this remarkable location! In […]
Two Cascades Range Overnights
During the last week in June I visited two of my favorite easy-to-access locations in Oregon’s Cascades mountain range: Coffin Mountain — This fire lookout peak in the Old Cascades range, right across from Mt. Jefferson, often has amazing Bear Grass wildflower displays. This year’s was as good as it gets! Coffin Mountain Gallery Sparks […]
Painted Hills & Lake Billy Chinook
I just returned from an overnight loop to the Painted Hills, Fossil, John Day Fossil Beds’ Clarno Unit, & Lake Billy Chinook. More detail and pictures here: Painted Hills & Lake Billy Chinook Gallery
Sprinter Van “Starr”
In mid-March, a short 4 days after returning from Argentina, Martha and I flew down to Sportsmobile in California to pick up our new Sprinter camper van, Starr (viz. Walter “Pete” Starr). Due to a long Sportsmobile production queue, European “dieselgate” delays, & limited production of the 4WD option, he was 23 months in gestation. […]