5/13/17

Three States

Since last we talked, Mike and I have traveled in three states. We're spending tonight in a little town called Hawthorne, Nevada, and we expect to reach Pahrump tomorrow. I have lots of pictures for you, and so I'll let them tell the story.

We traveled south to Eugene and then cut across the mountain passes toward Klamath Falls. It took us a while to get out of the rain.


And the snow.


This next photo gives me a good opportunity to make excuses for my crappy photos. Many were taken with my iPhone as we sped by and so I sometimes missed the shot. This one, for example...only it was a barn quilt, and so I couldn't resist showing it to you even if it is a crappy picture. I did see some other quilt blocks on the side of a building in Tulelake, California, but this was the only one in Oregon, and the only one I thought quickly enough to even attempt a photo. 


This covered bridge is located just before you get to Oakridge, Oregon.


The dynamic weather made for some dramatic skies.


We drove past a lot of wildflowers. I suspect the ones in the lower part of this image are desert sunflowers, but it's hard to tell without seeing them up close. We passed by some purple ones on today's drive and also some small blooming cactus. I would dearly love to have gotten better pictures of all of them, but sometimes we just need to keep moving down the road. Also, there often isn't a good place to stop.


Before the end of the day on Friday, we'd crossed into California.


From there, we drove along the state line and through the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. There were a lot of birds around and this is a stop over place for them along the Pacific Flyway. It was next to impossible to get pictures of any of them, but we stopped briefly, and I was able to capture these. Just looking at their size and their long curved bills, I'm going to go out on a limb and say these are a type of ibis.


We stayed in Likely, California, last night...it was only likely that we would. It was way off the beaten path, and possibly the most quiet RV park we've ever enjoyed. To get there, we drove through a cow pasture. As we passed over the grating on the far side, we spied this guy, who posed nicely until the second I pressed the shutter. We think it's probably some kind of muskrat or else a prairie dog. Hard to say for sure.


We arrived too late to check in through ordinary channels, and so I just picked up a sign-in sheet and we walked back to the office later to drop it in the slot. Along the way, we saw these pretty trees loaded in red blossoms. Are these what folks refer to as a Redbud Tree? They were gorgeous.


There was a golf course at this RV park, and looking out across the expanse, this was our view.


The sagebrush was covered with these "flowers". I'm not sure if this is the actual flower, or if these have already bloomed and we were seeing what was left.


One change we've made since our last fifth wheel trip was to rearrange things so that each kitty has their own cubby. These are the cupboards above our couch. Sadie has no problem horning in on what was previously Smitty's undisputed territory. Now, they each have their own space. Sadie really wants to be where Smitty is, but we've erected a wall in the middle...for now. Maybe we'll decide to let them roam free.


We all slept surprisingly well. Usually the kitties are restless the first night out, but they left us alone. It was cold, and so Smitty got under the covers and snuggled next to me. When we awakened this morning, there was a dusting of snow.


The gravel roads were clear, however, and so we got under way fairly early. This was our view as we traveled through this small corner of Northern California.


Just before crossing over into Nevada, we stopped at the Honey Lake Rest Area. There were bird houses mounted on all the trees. We didn't see a lot of birds, but we could hear them chirping.


These trees had the most beautiful yellow foliage.


It was hard to get a good picture of the lake. There was some construction going on there, and everything was roped off. I trudged out through some wet weeds to get this picture. We're told this lake is ordinarily dry, which attests to how much rain has fallen this year.


And you just know I have to take pictures of every blooming thing. I used my wildflower identification app, but have yet to be able to identify these. Our internet has been rather weak.



Shortly after that, we passed into Nevada at Bordertown. Makes sense, no?


Nevada's landscape is far different from Northern California or Oregon. It's much more flat and dry with lots of sagebrush and very few trees. We traveled alongside the Truckee River for much of the day.


Our final destination for today was Hawthorne, Nevada, and along the way we learned what we could about it. As it turns out, Hawthorne is home to the largest munitions depot in the world


As we approached Hawthorne, we could see it off in the distance. If you look in the middle of the image, you'll see the above-ground buildings on the right side and row upon row of underground bunkers on the left.


From where this picture was taken, it was just about another half mile to the RV park. The most exciting part of any journey is getting the catio set up so that the kitties can get out and have a look-see.


Now you know when you travel with me, you're going to see lots of barns. 




Big ones and little ones.





I most regret not getting the whole of this next one.


So, here we are for the night. We've traveled nearly 800 miles. Tomorrow will be shorter, and we expect to arrive at our final destination for the next several days by early tomorrow afternoon.

26 comments:

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Lovely to ride along with you and thank you for sharing those magnificent barns.

DeeDee said...

Thanks for taking us with you! I love following along with your adventures.

Shari said...

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. This is going to be fun! Glad to see the kitties are doing well so far.

Cathy Smith said...

This is as good as being right there with the gang! Having had a travel trailer for many years (alas, no more), I can even imagine that interior aroma they all have. No, not holding tank!

Quilting Babcia said...

Oh how I love western barns! Did I ever tell you that I once lived in Nevada, in Carson City? Loved Nevada. Enjoy your time there!

Ray and Jeanne said...

Thanks so much for sharing. As much as I've traveled, I've never been to California or Nevada. It's fun to see out your window and I love seeing the old barns. Hope your weather stays clear. Enjoy! ~Jeanne

gpc said...

Fun seeing Ibisis. (I know that's not right but it's fun to say. Try it out loud 10 times fast.) Those are not what we call red bud trees here, but they are pretty, for sure. The flowers on our red bud trees are very tiny, they never look like more than buds from a distance. And fun to see the furry thing, whatever it was. I love the birdhouse with the initials on it, I wonder what bird put them there? Very sophisticated, they aren't that clever where I live, although the crows might come close. And what beautiful barns! Each one with its own character, they could almost be from different countries. So many marvels in this world, it just makes me happy. It looks like a wonderful trip so far, and I'm happy about that. :)

Pamela said...

We drove through Hawthorne last year on our vacation, it was something to see all those bunkers! I'm wondering if you'll see another interesting site we saw on our trip...guess I'll have to wait to hear tomorrow :)

Lana said...

Living vicariously. Thanks for sharing. Y'all will be needing a "retirement " from Mike's retirement! Lol. Keep on enjoying......and sharing.

mogsinc said...

Lovely photos. Glad to see the moggies are enjoying themselves!

liniecat said...

Fantastic pics thank you fir the virtual journey!
Such a beautiful yellow tree, what a bright and cheerful foliage and some great barns .. with or without a quilt lol
Is there a historical reason why some bridges were covered in that way?
They do look charming .. maybe another Quikt subject?
Glad the new wheels are proving a success for you all ... love the cat cupboards LOL
Have to say that weapons store looks as scary as hell, just hope Mr T doesn't feel he has to use them willy nilly.
Have a great time :)

Debbie said...

Once again...on the road again! I love it and thank you for bringing us all along. So interesting to see how the landscape changes in just a few hundred miles. And adore the barns. I wouldn't mind the snaw about now as it was 80 degrees yesterday.

Frog Quilter said...

Great pictures. thanks for sharing. Would love to see what the entire catio looks like.

Sue said...

Thanks for taking us along on your adventure- we live in a beautiful country! The landscape sure looks different in the midwest! And I agree with the poster who said those don't look like what we call redbuds- the redbud trees here look like they have a pink mist around them and they bloom before they have leaves- those gorgeous blooms must be something else!

piecefulwendy said...

So good to hear from you, and so fun to see all the blooming things and barns. The kitties look like they enjoy their cubbies. Glad you are enjoying your trip!

Vicki in MN said...

Looking forward to seeing/hearing all about your adventure! How long are you going to be gone?

Lyndsey said...

Thanks for sharing. A great journey so far but I must check it out on the map as I don't have a clear picture of the areas in my head. Love the barns and I'm very pleased to hear the kitties are being good.

Lynn - JnL4God said...

Barbara - Oh My. I grew up in Oregon just south of Tulelake in Malin Or, then moved up to the Portland area. I have family in Klamath Falls and so we spent a lot of time going up and down that road. Then when we started vacationing here in Arizona about an hour and half out of Las Vegas (where we live now). We would incorporate driving from Portland down through Klamath, Tulelake, then through Nevada and on down. Your pictures were like coming home or going on vacation one of the two. I recognized so many of the areas. Like the covered bridge next to Oakridge on Dexter Reservoir. Anyway nice to see familiar spots. Haven't been to Pahrump so that will be a new sight for us. Anyway - Have a wonderful trip. And Happy Mothers Day!

QuiltShopGal said...

What a fun way to kick off celebration of Mike's retirement. Looks like you are off to a fun adventure. I've never been to Pahrump, but have driven by. I hope you get a chance to visit their quilt shop.

QuiltShopGal
www.quiltshopgal.com

quiltzyx said...

"We're" off to a great start on your trip! It really is so kind of you to take us all along with you & Mike, and I, for one, truly appreciate it.

No, I don't think that flowering tree is a Redbud either. When I did a Google image search, it tried to tell me it was an Azalea! Oh well, it's lovely in any case. Very cool barns that you captured, as well as everything else. Thanks once again for sharing with us!

Nice to see Sadie & Smitty now have their own cubby too!

WoolenSails said...

You really put in the miles, but so many beautiful areas and scenery, loved traveling with you.

Debbie

Heidi said...

Welcome to Nevada!

My Grandpa always called the Ibis the "Crossword Bird".

I think the last wildflower is Yarrow?

Email me if you happen to visit Quiltique! I would love to run into town for a quick meetup!

Thanks for taking us all on adventure with you!

Quiltdivajulie said...

Oh my goodness - so much great stuff. And those barns are just awesome!

Dana Gaffney said...

Beautiful and I'm glad to see the furkids are doing so well. If a lake is usually dry does that make it a field that floods?

Brown Family said...

Beautiful country. flowers and barns.

Kate said...

Gorgeous barn photos! Looks like a long, but scenic drive that first day.