The Frenchglen Hotel

My grandmother likes to frequent the French Hotel coffee shop in Berkeley, California. I wonder if she's heard of the Frenchglen Hotel in the tiny town by the same name. It's located at the base of Steens Mountain in southeast Oregon. We camped close by, but in the epic struggle between man and mosquito we were on the losing side. So, we broke camp early and had breakfast at the hotel.

Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

Yep, that one! This is the place where Ammon Bundy and his crew occupied the headquarters building last winter as a protest against what they saw as federal government overreach in the control of Western lands. Another view is that they were lawbreaking publicity hounds out to create a media circus. My dad calls it "Occupy Wall Street for Libertarians." I'm just glad that I wasn't one of the reporters who drew the short straw and had to cover a story from eastern Oregon in January.

In any case, the refuge is open but the headquarters building is closed until further notice.

Wagons Ho!

More Oregon Trail stuff: when the pioneers reached the Snake River Plain, they had to find a safe place to cross the river. The most favored spot was at the Three Islands crossing near Glenns Ferry, Idaho. The smart ones had built wagons that could be converted into rafts for the crossing. This was a dangerous spot at the time because many travelers drowned in the swift current. Today we have highways and bridges.

Trails West

Today we followed a good portion of the historic Oregon Trail heading west. There were roadside markers every time you blinked and if I hadn't restrained Dad (history nerd) from stopping at every single one, we never would have made it to our destination. One place we did stop to check out was the National Oregon/California Trail Center in Montpelier, Idaho which was pretty cool. I enjoyed meeting the rather ferocious security guard you see in the picture.

Know When To Hold 'Em And When To Fold 'Em

Camping trips are fun, but there's also work involved. One of the skills I've picked up is helping with setting up and taking down the tent. I'm an expert at folding tent poles (the kind with the springy strings inside).

If you ever need help with tent pole folding, just call on me.

Naomi Peak

On Friday we hiked to the summit of Naomi Peak (9,979 ft.) in northeastern Utah. It was a little bit tricky because there was still quite a bit of snow covering the trail in the high country, but Dad says I handled it like a trooper.

A lot of places in this region are named after biblical figures important in LDS (Mormon) theology, including the mountain we climbed. The photo was taken at the trailhead after the hike.

REI To The Rescue

Well, our aging camping tent door finally gave out (I mentioned this problem last summer). After a good 45 minutes spent fooling around with the zipper we gave up. Two choices: share bedtime with mosquitos or stop by the REI in Sandy, Utah for a new tent.

Guess what we did...

Hoodoo You Do?

Bryce Canyon National Park. It's a place full of spectacular geological wonders... and buses full of tourists. Dad and I went on a four hour hike into the canyon and along the rim. Luckily, it wasn't overwhelmingly hot, mostly due to the higher elevation of the park.

Up until now on this trip the Ice Cream Goddess has been pretty stingy with me (although it's important to remember that she is not to be trifled with nor taken for granted). But on this day she really delivered. Yum!

The Extraterrestrial Highway

We drove this road (aka Nevada SR 375) in the middle of the afternoon. I've heard that some people see strange lights here at night. They're also spooked by the road's proximity to Area 51 (just over the next ridge, I'm told). In any case, I counted many more cows than cars along this lonely stretch of highway.

The tiny town of Rachel has made the most of its location. It has one business, the Little A'Le' Inn (get it?). We had fun shopping for alien-themed swag during our stop here.

Boundary Peak

Right behind me in the picture you'll see Boundary Peak (13,147 ft.), the highest point in Nevada. It's next door neighbor, Montgomery Peak, is taller, but it's just over the state line in California. Some people would like to give both to California so that Wheeler Peak (13,065 ft.) in Great Basin National Park could be #1. Sounds good to me because Wheeler Peak has easier access for climbing.

It's funny how many state lines in the West look like they were drawn with a ruler by some random geographer. What about natural boundaries like rivers and mountain ranges? Regardless of which state it belongs to, I'm pretty sure Boundary Peak doesn't have a casino on the summit.

Watching The River Flow

On the first day of our summer road trip Dad and I camped at one of our old standbys, on the West Walker River near Bridgeport, California. The runoff from the Sierra Nevada is faster and deeper than it's been in recent years, so there wasn't much beach to sit by. It's basically an angler's camp so it's pretty chill. Nobody seems to be in a hurry to do anything or go anywhere. Very relaxing.

Summer Fun

A Sunday in June is a perfect time for a trip to the beach. I had a really nice time hanging out with my dad, my brother Jackson, and his girlfriend Wendy. I'm lucky to have a close knit family who care for each other very, very much.