Tractors and Water Bottles Don't Mix

Discovered today that a partly filled Klean Kanteen 40 oz. bottle can support a 5,000 lb Kubota L4400 tractor, but not without some deformation. Still holds water - amazing.

Jim says blue's kind of hard to see in the grass. Likely story. I bought red this time...

Sierra-Cascade Trip: Reno to Missoula, MT

 Abert Rim, OR

With fresh oil and rotated tires, I headed north. The fastest way home would have been east on I-80, but I've always wanted to see southern and eastern Oregon and Washington, and I'd already seen central Nevada on the way in. North it was on US-395, which seems to be the main Great Basin north-south route.

One of the best surprises of the trip was just across the Oregon border where looming in the distance was the a great, shadowed escarpment. I'd never heard of this, but it was spectacular. The Abert rim is one of the highest escarpments in the US, and borders Lake Abert, a saline lake with a bountiful brine shrimp ecology. The sun was setting, the clouds dramatic, and I had it all to myself. This was some remote road. I saw barely 5 cars from the southern border to the northeast Blue Mountains that evening. Lots of pictures again.

Lake Abert, OR

Snake River Canyon near Pullman, WA

I'd never heard of the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon, but I spent the night sleeping in the car at a National Forest campground there, and it was a fine drive the next day. Modest peaks of 5,000 feet clad in ponderosa and high valleys of hay and cattle. A nice, unnoticed (at least by me) corner of the country. I made the theme of this part of the trip western colleges and universities. I swung through La Grande, Oregon to see Eastern Oregon (not much to look at but a scenic valley), then north to drop into the Columbia River valley, then up the Walla Walla river to Walla Walla (following a semi loaded with crates shedding what seemed to be paper, I realized it was tons and tons of Walla Walla onions!) a prosperous and pretty town hosting Whitman College (an great liberal arts college where our niece Brynn attended). 

Then north to Pullman, Washington to see Eastern Washington University by driving up another section of the Snake River Canyon. Couldn't believe it when I saw two moose in the middle of the road is this arid climate. Pullman is set in the Palouse - a region of steep, random hills of deep, fertile, windblown topsoil - there were gorgeous fields of wheat in colorful bands of different maturities wrapping the mounded slopes. Entering town was a banner advertising the National Lentil Festival (no kidding). The region is known for wheat and lentils. The university was scenically perched on the top of some of these steep hills, with many elevated walkways spanning the roads between buildings. Nice.

Washington State, Pullman

I then drove the 8 miles to its sister city, Moscow, Idaho, home of the University of Idaho. Interestingly, as I headed east towards the mountains and left the Palouse, the terrain flattened, so that Moscow was much flatter, and the university more sprawling. The downtown had a couple interesting eateries, but I stopped at Gnosh, a new place that offered small samples of many foods, wine, and beers. I was driving so I skipped the drinks, but had a great dinner of one of each of their wonderful salads, with a side of plantain chips. The chef must have felt sorry for me eating all those greens and figured me for a lost vegetarian (they had lots of meat options), and sent out a delicious complimentary plate of still-hot deep fried chickpeas that were wonderful with my final salad. Great place to east if you stop in Moscow some time.

Gnosh,  Moscow, ID

I wanted to get home before Friday, and had driven I-90 many times, so I headed north at sunset along Coeur d'alene Lake - a beautiful drive. I hit I-90 at dark and drove till I was over the pass into Montana (an exciting stretch of road for an interstate), then spent the night in the car again at a truck pull-off along a roaring river nestled between the peaks of the Rockies. You could see the marks on the mountainside from the shores of the ancient glacial Lake Missoula, a giant lake that repeatedly filled and drained over 2,000 years, scarring large parts of northern Idaho and Washington.

In the morning I dropped in at Missoula for some 6 am coffee. Missoula is my favorite town in Montana. Home of the University of Montana, on the banks of the Clark Fork River, it has the outdoors in abundance, and active arts and education community. Refreshed my memories of town on foot before the day started, then headed out again. Two days of driving ahead, then home - the big push was on.

https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/LakeAbertOrJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ_1nKjAxKSVkQE

https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/BlueMtnsOrJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCM_xr5DIldqGYQ

https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/LeGrandeOrToWallaWallaWaJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCIKchoSEh9CEngE

https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/SnakeRiverCanyonJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCIe39u-0lJ_H4gE

https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/PullmanMoscowJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCOrBxKmht5bS5QE

Sierra-Cascade Trip: Crater Lake to Reno

Ann hit the iPhone as we left Crater Lake and found a cute B&B in the out of the way town of Susanville, California on the east side of the Sierras only a few hours north of Reno. As we drove towards Susanville, we passed by a series of large shallow lakes like Klamath, Goose, and Eagle lakes on the eastern edge of the Cascades and Sierras set against a scenic backdrop of low mountains. With their scenic wetlands, wildlife preserves, and water birds (big pelicans, and many others we couldn't name) it was an unexpectedly scenic drive. We arrived in Susanville at 8:30 pm without dinner (it's a pretty remote drive from Klamth Falls, Oregon to Susanville), had a nice chat with our hosts, got our pick from their three rooms, grabbed some Turkey Jerkey and popcorn from the gas station, and hit the 9:20 Harry Potter show at the old Sierra theater downtown. Dinner and a movie. Not often you can find first run movies at downtown theaters.  After getting to bed late, we rose late for aleisurely morning, a great breakfast, and headed for Reno.

The drive from Susanville to Reno wasn't much to look at. Dryer and more desert like. Our Prius had come up for its free 10,000 mile oil change 1,000 miles ago in Tahoe, so we'd made a reservation then at the Toyota dealer in Reno (conveniently right across the freeway from the airport) for Monday. I was able to drop Ann at the airport (all that Reno's good for in my opinion is its cheap, convenient airport) and hit the dealership. 

I've never seen anything like it. It was huge (several floors). You drive up to the service area and there were 4 glazed automatic doors that open when you approach. You pull into an air conditioned showroom, leave your car in the line, and stop by the desk. Super (and bilingual) service - the best I've had - and I was out in just over an hour. Spent the time waiting at the big REI next door cooling my heals looking for discounts (nothing found). Air conditioned parking areas seemed funny to me, but we were lucky. It was a cool spell while we were there - dry and in the 80's in the desert our whole visit (while folks back in the east, and even Houghton, sweltered in 90 degree heat and humidity). It's usually much worse in Reno in July.

With the car ready for another 10,000, I was on the road north again towards Susanville and then turning into terra incognita to see how far I could get into eastern Oregon that day.

https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/RenoJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCN28pKCAkbniwAE

https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/CraterLakeToSusanvilleCaJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCOP1zoHM7qiTXQ

Sierra-Cascade Trip: Crater Lake NP

Crater Lake we knew was only partly open - the back side of the ring road was still snowed in. But the main branch was open, as was the lodge. The rim is at about 7,000 feet, the lake is 1,000 feet below and is 1,900 feet deep - the deepest in the US (Superior is 1,300, and Tahoe second deepest at I think about 1,600). They only had 650 inches of snow this year, 130% of normal, and the lake is fed entirely by the snow that falls on it, being in a sheer walled crater. This is another place it's almost impossible to take a bad photo. Every view is so remarkable and unusual. The lake was formed when Mt. Mazama erupted about 7,000 years ago, then collapsed 5,000 feet (probably in under an hour) into itself when its lava chamber was emptied. That would have been a site to see - at a safe distance! They said it was equivalent to 43 Mt. St. Helen's eruptions, and ash has been found from it in Saskatchewan. 

The drive up the west slope is mostly gradual, becoming steep only at the last past above the park headquarters. You have no clue that there is anything unusual about this mountain. But when we crested the ridge and arrived at the first overlook, I was dumbfounded, staring 6 miles across a vast blue lake rimmed by 1,000 foot cliffs, capped with broken sun and grey-bottomed clouds. We drove from overlook to overlook, walking short trails, clambering over dirty white snow drifts, looking and looking again, taking pictures. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. Because of the constantly changing clouds, the view was never the same. Stunning.

The tour boats were not yet running, but the hiking path from the rim to the boats was open (nice to know that not all National Park rides have to be reachable with motorized vehicles). While the boats would have been fun, the hike down, switching back and forth, was a great way to see the rim from various perspectives and heights. Then to touch the cold, ancient water and look up at the ring of snow tinged mountains where we had stood before was a great experience. The water's only source is the snow and rain that falls lake itself every year, there is almost no turnover in the water from year to year. Very old water.

We then got reservations at the old lodge for lunch, and while we waited, hiked along the rim and explored the hotel. It was in the 40's that day and the clouds would rise and drop above the rim and lodge, quenching us in fog and rain, the lifting again and sending rays of sun between the scattered clouds. Dramatic. The lodge looked old, but had an interesting story. It had been built 1915, but was underfunded and corners were cut (like good foundations). It became a hazard, and was closed in 1989. Public opinion forced the more expensive option of restoration instead of replacement, and it was gutted of finishes, rebuilt to modern structural and earthquake standards, then veneered with many of the original finishes. You'd hardly know. The big stone fireplaces were hugely popular on the chill, wet day, and the waiting areas full of happy people playing cards, talking, and waiting for lunch. 

After our  lunch we took another short hike to the rim for a different perspective, then headed back down. Ann had to catch a flight the next afternoon from Reno, so we need to get within a few hours of Nevada before bedtime. We thought we'd try for Susanville, California that night.

https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/CraterLakeJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCJqv1LLbj9qljQE

Sierra-Cascade Trip: Lassen Volcanic NP to Crater Lake NP

Subway Lava Tube Cave

Just outside Lassen on our way to Crater Lake we popped over to see Subway Lava Tube Cave, then continued east to I-5 then north towards Oregon (one of my favorite drives in California is up this valley and over the pass into Oregon). Of course in keeping with our volcano theme we stopped to take pictures of Mt. Shasta, a 14,000 behemoth of a volcano north of Redding where the Cascades end and the central valley of California begins. You can see it from far, far away south and east since it towers 7,000 feet above the neighboring mountains.

Mount Shasta

We stopped in Ashland, Oregon (south of Medford) just across the pass from California in a dry valley between the Coastal Range and the Cascades. Ashland is a fun town to visit for the food, scenery, and the Shakespeare festival. We stayed for dinner at a Hawaiian fusion restaurant, then headed up the lower slopes of the Cascades towards Crater Lake.

Ann couldn't get a reservation in the historic lodge on the rim, but found a nice historic inn at the edge of the park in tiny Prospect, Oregon where folks including Teddy Roosevelt and Jack London had stayed back when it was a two day stage ride from the trains at Medford to Crater Lake. It was the lushest environment we'd seen since leaving Michigan, having stayed almost exclusively on the dry side of the mountains before this point. It had many recognizable plants like thimbleberries mixed with many unrecognized native to the Northwest. We hiked in the morning to the nearby Rogue River to see the rapids on the edge of town, then back for a fine breakfast at the inn.

Then up the mountain. On the way, we stopped at yet another lava tube feature, a box canyon on a branch of the Rogue River formed in a collapsed lava tube. You could even see the remains of branching filled and collapsed tubes in the walls of the canyon. Again it was a wet winter here, and the water was roaring, high and fast.

https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/SubwayCaveLavaTubeJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCKb5xfOn8tqbcg
https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/ProspectOrJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCKTa-f-3ybap0AE

Sierra-Cascade Trip: Lassen National Park

Lassen is a little-used national park in the mountains east of Redding, Californina. Instituted as a park after Lassen peak erupted in 1915, the eruption was well photographed by a local businessman, and created a national sensation. It was similar to the Mt. St Helen's eruption in 1980 and created a dramatic landscape. We arrived to hear that the road through the park wouldn't open until tomorrow, and our cabin was on the other side. They've had lots of snow in the Sierras this year, almost twice normal and banks were still deep in mid July. We decided to go in as far as we were allowed and see what we could, then drive around. 

Even at peak afternoon hours, there were only a few cars out. Just as we pulled into the last open parking lot, a ranger stood opening the road gate - they were opening 12 hours early. Our string of good luck continued. It was dramatic crossing the pass at 6,000 feet between 15 foot banks. At the base of Lassen peak, the restrooms were still over-topped in snow. More dramatic views,  roads on the edge, a hike in the devastated region created when the entire side of Lassen peak collapsed and roared across the valley following an eruption, and we arrived at our cabin on the north side of the park. 

Very cute, and new this year. A bedroom with two bunks, a heater, a sitting room, and a porch, fire ring, and bear cabinet. We hiked the Manzanita Lake loop during the daytime, cooked dinner on the camp stove, then hiked the loop again, which provided numerous reflected views of Lassen peak and the surrounding snow tipped mountains as the sun set and the moon rose, then to bed in our sleeping bags. I got up before dawn and walked the loop again to watch the sunrise on the peaks.

Later that morning we hiked to Crags Lake below Chaos Crags (great names here, again the legacy of commercial tourism in the past). It was a moderate hike along Manzanita Creek, up the edge of the Chaos Jumbles, the down s short, steep descent to the small, topaz blue Crags Lake. 

We found Lassen to be a beautiful, lightly used park. Maybe not as dramatic as Yosemite or Crater Lake, but  beautiful in its own recently volcanic way. Well worth a stop if you're in the region. 

We decided it would be worth the drive north to Crater Lake National Park in the time we had left to complete our volcano tour. So we broke camp after breakfast and headed north.






https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/LassenJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCLKxgqad1ozPKw

 

Sierra-Cascade Trip: Yosemite to Lassen Volcanic NP

We drove north towards Lassen back through Yosemite, bypassing the Valley, through Tioga Pass, and past Mono Lake, but left 395 before it hit Reno and went inland on 89 to Lake Tahoe. It would have been faster to go through Reno again, but the pass on 89 into the Tahoe basin was well worth the extra time, and who wants to see Reno again? We drove along the shore of Tahoe in the evening, and shouldn't have been surprised by the level of residential development, but were. Lots of fancy houses tucked in the trees all along the lake between small towns and the occasional state park.

We stopped halfway up the shore at a B&B across from Obexer's Marina celebrating its 100th year. The host at the B&B was a bit obnoxious, scolding Ann for ringing the doorbell twice and making a remark about getting Ukrainian pizza at the restaurant next door when asked about places to eat. Ann was horrified when she asked for Ukrainian pizza there at dinner and a puzzled waitress in an eastern-European accent (probably Ukrainian) explained that she didn't know what were asking for but they did have pizza. The guy maybe didn't like his foreign neighbors. We wondered if his behavior reflects the long history of Tahoe as a resort community and resentment of newcomers to their paradise. I don't know, but it wasn't called for or appreciated.

We spent a relaxing evening watching a Tour de France stage and reading in bed. I woke before dawn and headed across the road to watch the sun rise over the Nevada mountains and Lake Tahoe. The 100 year old marina across the way had many beautiful old wooden Chris Craft motor boats in the docks. You almost expected some petty gangster from Reno or the Rat Pack to drop by and pick their ride. The lake and environs is beautiful, but also shows signs of being loved to death. We were originally going to ride part of the shoreline with our bikes, but though we saw numerous riders, it was pretty busy and not as scenic as we'd hoped, so we headed out in the morning towards Lassen Volcanic National Park first thing.

The drive north of Tahoe on 89 was nice. More remote, on the dry side of the Sierras, with lower peaks and less grand - more intimate. We stopped in the cute town of Quincy for a nice late breakfast. Ann called ahead to Lassen and scored a brand new mini cabin on Manzanita Lake. More good luck found and accepted on an opportunistic vacation that was playing out well.


https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/MonoLakeToTahoeJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCKC7zrX4pZLX7AE

https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/TahoeJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCJPSgeffrZa4NQ

Sierra-Cascade Trip: Mariposa Grove Yosemite

We left Yosemite Valley in the afternoon the humans are most active and took the scenic drive to the south entrance of the park to the Mariposa Grove of Sequoias. The biggest here were 27 feet in diameter. We we were told there was one 44 feet across in Sequoia National Park - but that was too long a drive. We again got last minute reservations, this time we scored the historic Wawona Hotel. A very neat wooden structure over 100 years old, with long wooden porch across the front, several smaller even older units scattered among the trees around it, and few crowds - even in mid-July. Not as dramatic as the Awahnee, but I liked it better. The big porch, small rooms, and community baths made it more old-timey, more homey, and less busy. We'd definitely stay there again. Dinner on the porch as the sun set was good if not spectacular, but the setting was impeccable.

The next morning we got to sleep in a bit since we wanted breakfast in the dining room and had to wait for it to open, but still got to the grove before any of the crowds arrived. It was like a hike into prehistory as we left the parking lot. The trees got bigger and denser until we arrived in the center of the grove, where the cinnamon trunked Sequoias towered over a green meadow and the low, log visitor center. I felt positively elfin among them. They said that a single mature Sequoia has as much wood in it as an acre of prime Northwest timberland, but that they were hard to log commercially as they were so big and brittle that when they fell, much of the wood was destroyed. Only about 30% were cut before they were preserved. All the most unusual trees have names like "telescope tree" and "clothespin" given in the early days of commercial tours. There's nothing quite like walking amount these thousand year old giants to make you feel transitory and insignificant.

Again the crowds were building as we descended the grove around noon. We headed north along the Sierras as we had come in, on our way to Lassen National Volcanic Park a half day's drive.







https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/MariposaGroveYosemiteJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCKDEkqGLhoyuwgE

Sierra-Cascade Trip: Yosemite Valley

 There is little as dramatic as the entrance to Yosemite Valley. The highway drops from Tuolumne at 8,500 feet heading west and then turns along the Sierras and up the valley at around 4,000 feet. At a high corner you get your first distant views, and already you can see El Capitan at the entrance framing Half Dome, glowing in the evening sun. Each turn brings you closer and reveals another dramatic view. Wow.

We head first to check into our tent at Curry Village, stopping only for a few photos.  Curry Village is a residential area of hundreds of permanent tents nicely tucked under the Ponderosa pines. You can't park by your tent, so we drop all our gear and food nearby, carry it in to the tent, put the food in the bear box, and then drive the car to the parking lot. With cheek to jowl tents and remote parking we kept our bikes at the tent. Traffic is pretty heavy in Yosemite Valley, so we rode our bikes everywhere. There were small afternoon traffic jams every day as people tried to check out and leave the park, but there are extensive bike and pedestrian paths, so biking is usually faster. In the village, folks were very considerate - it was amazingly quiet at night for the density.

We got dinner reservations that night at the Ahwahnee, and so got to explore it even if we didn't stay in it, and had a pretty good (and expensive - no surprise) meal for a national park concession. Of course the architecture and scenery were spectacular. We took an easy hike along the river and around the the Awahnee after dinner, then jumped on our bikes and to our tent in the dark. It was fun to see the domes in the afterglow and barely perceive the band of asphalt ahead in the sea of dark trees. Ironic that the next morning before dawn I was almost mowed over by a similarly lightless mountain bike on the road. I was walking the road to the nearby meadow looking at the moon above the cliffs when I heard a whirring at a crossroads. I felt more than saw the bike brush by me in the dark. Doubtless an intrepid park employee heading to work. 

We were both up at dawn (5 am) that next day to hike to the top of Yosemite Falls under the accurate assumption that most folks don't get going till 10 or 11. We hiked the easy lower falls trail and saw maybe 5 people, then headed up the 2,400 climb in 3.8 miles to the top. Looking at the shear face, it's amazing they even have a trail, but it is fully hikable (no clambering) with lots of switchbacks and armoring to sustain the steep grades with heavy traffic. We saw maybe a dozen or hikers so going up (not including the trail work crew we found already at work laying rock). It took about 3 hours up. Gorgeous views at every turn. Took way too many pictures since everywhere is world class scenery - it took a long time this week to filter them down.

With the record snow this year, the waterfalls were unusually spectacular. July falls looked like the falls in May. Someone said the park staff was seeing falls they've never seen before. And a week after we were there three people tried to cross into the one river above a falls to take a photo and were swept over and presumed dead.

At the top, you actually descend to the break of the falls. Around a rock outcrop with a pipe railing looking 1,400 feet down. Then they move the railing TO THE INSIDE OF THE PATH, with nothing on the outside but a ledge 20 feet below between you and the abyss. Pit in the stomach moment. You descend to the ledge and can see the falls rushing past then look down as it free falls. You lean over the railing with your camera to photograph the 1,400 feet to a 300 foot cascade, then 600 feet for the lower falls. With the height and the motion of the water you feel like you're flying. Incredible.

One of the more memorable hikes of my life. Despite the crowds in the valley, the occasional traffic backup, it was worth the trip. I told Ann it was like God and Disney got together and said "How about we make this amazing outdoors park with all the most incredible mountains crammed in one small valley. Yeah, and while we're at it, we'll put these unbelievable waterfalls falling from the top of them. Yeah! And then a beautiful river down the middle." In the valley in the afternoons, it felt a bit like a city where the canyon of skyscrapers had been replaced by towering granite cliffs, pines, and falls. The crowds flowed through the well designed streets and bike paths and floated in the rivers. Then you'd look up and it would take your breath away. Every time.


https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/YosemiteValleyJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCPPVnOy6nvvxiwE

Sierra-Cascade Trip: Mono Lake to Yosemite Tuolumne Meadows

Mono Lake, CA

 South from Reno first thing, phew, we're out of here until Ann has to be back in a week to catch her flight home.

Tioga Pass

Driving down the dry side of base of the Sierras, we are still in the Great Basin. We stop at Mono Lake, an ancient saline lake of volcanic origin with a surprising black cinder cone rising like a prehistoric sea creature from its surface. Volcanoes are fast becoming the unifying theme of this trip. But we know this is just a prelude to our entry into Yosemite, and much of our stop is to gather information at the visitor center for our entry into Yosemite.

Here we turn west and head up Tioga Pass. The trip to 9,900 feet becomes pretty tortuous near the top, with precipitous drops and no guard rails (which makes the scenery so much easier to see, and a bit more exciting). You could still see the streams running directly from snow piles across the valley.

Ellery Lake, CA

Nearer the pass Ellery Lake provided an amazing reflecting pool for the surrounding peaks and acted as a scenic gateway to the park.

But the real revelation was crossing the pass into the park and coming upon the the high green meadows and blue lakes of Tuolumne Meadows at 8,500 feet. The grey granite domes that make Yosemite a World Heritage Site rising out of the green wetlands are a different world from the east side with its barren, sharp, broken red rocks.

Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite NP

We spent some time stopping along the highway soaking in the sites of the high meadows. But eventually we needed to find a place to stay that night. I was concerned about crowding in Yosemite (4 million visitors a year), especially during July, but Ann had never been, so we came and took our chances. We were travelling freestyle, with no reservations, since we wanted to keep flexible. We wanted to see the historic Ahwahnee Hotel, but it is usually booked years in advance and runs $400 a night. Ann checked for cancellations, which happen sometimes, but instead found one of their permanent tents in Curry Village ($100 a night for a tent with bunks and linens!).

So  off we went to find ground zero, Yosemite Valley, where so many come from so far come to spend time with thousands of others viewing one of our national natural wonders.

https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/MonoAndTopazLake?authkey=Gv1sRgCM3Rg8rbpKaoew
https://picasaweb.google.com/jbp1111/ToulumneYosemiteJul2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCLO0k7je4o-O5QE