Smith Rock in Redmond, OR

May29

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at the bottom of this blog.
I relish the positive ones and will learn from the negative ones.

HAPPINESS is to have EVERYTHING, you need.
NOT the need to have EVERYTHING.

TRAVEL ITENERARY
May 2nd Green River, UT at KOA Campground x4 nights (159m)
May 6th Heber, UT Mountain Valley RVR (2 lay-overs) x7n (234m)
May 16th Bend, OR TT (Overnights and stays TBD) (654m)(x7n)
June 5th Whaler’s Rest in Newport, OR.
June 26th Pacific City, OR @ Cloverdale RVP (T3 x14n)
July 16th Portland, OR @ Columbia River RVP (PPx2n)
July 18th Welch’s, OR @ Mt Hood (T3 x12n)
Time to travel East

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5.29.19- Wednesday- Smith Rock in Redmond, OR
By 7 am we were on our way to Redmond, OR to have Big Country RV try to fix our slide problem. We arrived at 8am sharp and dropped off the coach to be fixed. In the interim we took ourselves out to breakfast to the Original Pancake House in Redmond. We both ordered Bacon and Eggs. We were served two scrambled eggs with four slices of “thick bacon.” The meals were great.

The park covers over 650 acres and hovers around 3000 feet in elevation. The major rock faces are welded tuff, or compressed volcanic ash formed 30 million years ago. (From Smith Rock Web Site)

About thirty-million years ago, a volcanic eruption occurred, pouring volcanic ash over hundreds of acres in the area nearly one-half mile deep. Below is the bridge we must cross then decide either to go right or left, we chose right.

After the eruption the sides of the volcano (a caldera) was formed when the debris in the volcano collapsed into the lava chamber. The result of this collapse and the eventual caldera sides turning into rock gives us what we see today.

Guess you could this a natural cave or at least a temporary shelter. This shelter borders the Crooked River. We only walk another five-hundred feet then decide to go back.

In time a river was formed called the Crooked River. Just like we’ve seen at the Grand Canyon, it eventually ate away any and all lose sand and gravel which gives us the six-hundred foot cliffs overlooking the Crooked River.

Up to this point we crossed the bridge and took a right but only went about a quarter mile before we turned back to see what we could going left from the bridge. From here on in we’re on the left side of the bridge.

The temps today are great, low seventies, but this dog just had to cool of a bit more. It eventually came back to its master. On the left side of bridge looking back.

In the picture above you see the big black line, that’s the road where we parked. We had two routes to take to get down to the river bed; the black line or the redline. We chose black to go down. Coming back we decided on red since it was a much less steep hill than the black route. We must chose one of these two routes for going back- we decided to go to the right; it’s longer but much less steep.

Can you find the hiker in the picture above, look just below center and to the left. I tried to crop it but just could not do it, but he is there on the path below the cliff. Below is a crop from the picture above. Once you cross the bridge you can also go straight, instead of following the river. That’s the squiggly zig-zag trail going to the cliff. That trail will take you behind the cliff and eventually to the top of the cliff. It is call the “Heart Attack Trail” I believe I was told.

As I mentioned before we walked the left side for about one-thousand feet over to about the left side of the picture, then decided it was time to go home. Back to this picture again. You notice the left side literally goes straight the way we want to go but it’s a brutal uphill climb so we’ll go to the right. It will take longer but it’s less taxing.

The path up is very wide and smooth. the other path was laden with rocks. Below, NO! this is not the top, still another two-hundred feet to go. Just a universal resting spot especially for all those with kids.

Another picture of the trail to the right after the bridge. We did walk all the trail you can see and possibly another five-hundred feet beyond still following the Crooked River.

Lava Lands Visitor Center

May28

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I relish the positive ones and will learn from the negative ones.

HAPPINESS is to have EVERYTHING,
you need.
NOT the need to have EVERYTHING.

*****************************************

5.28.19-Tuesday-Lava Land and Lava River Cave
Finally no rain, a beautiful day around 65 degrees. We leave the coach about 9:30 and were on our way to Lava Land. It was both educational and informative. Take time to read the blog on Lava Land. We enjoyed a great visit to Lava Land and got are cardio workout by walking possibly about 3 miles.

When we arrived and I saw this mound of lava residue, I was awed at the idea of being so close to a volcano. Wrong! This was not a volcano, this was one of over 400 “vents” that were created some 10,000 years ago, more or less by the Newberry Volcano some, believe it or not, twenty-five miles from here. This entire area makes up the Newberry Northwest Rift Zone.

This entire area within the 25 mile range of the Newberry Volcano became very active about sever-thousand years ago. Vents were created by this volcano for the purpose of releasing gases, steam and lave from below the earth. This particular vent here in Sunriver, OR is about five-hundred feet in height. When it was first formed it was pointy (a lava dome) but after many active years the top of the vent caved in as you can see in the picture above.

The Newberry Volcano is not actually visible in the picture above but if you can locate the TWO patches of snow and/ice Newberry is in the center of these two patches of white. Once again it’s over thirty miles from here. The Newberry Volcano is Oregon’s largest volcano and hopefully we’ll have close-up pictures of it in a few days when we visit it. Back 7000 years ago it’s lava flow and vents, as I mentioned earlier, extended as far out as forty miles, possibly as big as the state of Rhode Island, I’ve read. The creation of Newberry did not happen overnight. Over the course of 400,000 years through many eruptions, it continued growing taller and bigger. Eventually, after the eruptions stopped some 7000 years ago the top of the volcano did collapse within itself forming a “Caldera.” This Caldera now covers over seventeen square miles and has two lakes which we hope to visit in the future. These lakes are Paulina Lake and East Lake. Below is a view from the top of this vent mound looking down. All that black stuff is volcanic ash from 7000 years ago.
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Above we decide to set out and walk the rim of the vent depression you saw in picture below. The depression at the top of this butte is 17 square miles and to walk around it is over a quarter mile in distance. The area is just to vast and big for a regular lens. Picture above is courtesy of Wikipedia.org.

This picture is about all you can capture with a 55 mm lens. The cavity in the center drops over 150 feet.

Above, once again, they are not volcanoes, just buttes or vents courtesy of the Newberry Volcano. For the most part they are all dormant except Newberry. It still exerts vents with steam coming from it and warm water lakes. Below is the view from the road of the volcanic rock/lava from Newberry from 7000 years ago. it looks as pristine as if it were only a few days old.
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In the picture above is a topographical rendering in the Visitors Center of Newberry Volcano with its two lakes, Paulina and East Lake. Carla has her finger on the spot that were currently at, Sunriver, some 30 plus miles away. All the green stuff in this picture is how the lava spread out those 7000 years ago and the area it covered. The thickness of the lava buildup goes from a few dozen feet to more the 500 feet in some locations.
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Mazama refers to “Crater Lake” from a previous blog the end of May. To the left is a refresher picture of Crater Lake. Crater Lake is a dormant volcano which is why the water in the lake is a constant 45 degrees.

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This is a volcanic rock from this area and the description is below.

Carla is talking to one of the rangers at the Visitors’ Center.
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Lava River Cave, Bend, OR

May28

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at the bottom of this blog.

I relish the positive ones and will learn from the negative ones.

HAPPINESS is to have EVERYTHING,
you need.
NOT the need to have EVERYTHING.

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5.28.19-Tuesday-Lava Land and Lava River Cave

Finally no rain, a beautiful day around 65 degrees. The Lava River Cave is only a few miles from Lava Land. We really enjoy caves and caverns and this one should be one-of-kind and it was. I’ll have a blog on this as well.

Only a few minutes ago we were at the Lava Lands venue. Now we’re going underground; a lava river cave. Above we arrive and we’re properly dressed, we thought. Below our next experience always begin with our first steps. We begin by walking down probably fifty to sixty feet to the opening of the cave.

This section leading to the cave entrance was also part of this enclosed cave structure however the upper portion of this section collapsed into itself.

This should be an awesome experience. This cave and former canal we’ve been told is a mile in length. They’ve told us to allow about two hours for this trip. Below the opening to the river cave. Did you know that back one-hundred-thousand years ago, more or less, the lava flowing through this cave would have reached over 2000 degrees F.

Ah! The entrance. Yes, we just entered the river cave. To get to the cave bottom we’ll have to walk down 150 steps in total then we get to walk the cave. It’s getting very cold.

Above is a metal walkway. This made me happy, I’m not very fond of walking over a rocky floor. The metal is ice-cold but the metal path is great. Below that’s ice on the rocky floor of the cave. From here we walk cautiously over the rocky floor, yes, the fancy metal walkway left us about one-hundred feet ago and we’re left with only a very cold metal rail for safety and balance, but that will soon change. Within a few minutes even this would leave us not to mention it is so dark in here you cannot see your hand even if it was touching your nose, and did I mention, it’s freezing.

Above is what we’ll be walking over, the rocky floor of the cave.

Ah, you say the metal walkway…NO! Once we passed the ice patch in the lost picture we also lost the assistance of the metal rail. This is now getting seriously dangerous so in the picture above you see us departing this venue. If it looks fairly bright in the picture above it’s because of a family of eight each with a light. We did about one-tenth of a mile but not much more, the walking was just to dangerous. Below, just as seeing the entrance in the beginning, seeing the entrance now gave us assurance that we would survive this ordeal. We would not recommend this outing to anyone especially a family with young children. If you should attempt this cave bring a very BIG and powerful light. One light for two individuals will not cut it. I was extremely disappointed with this experience.

Bend, Oregon

May27

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at the bottom of this blog.

I relish the positive ones and will learn from the negative ones.

HAPPINESS is to have EVERYTHING,
you need.
NOT the need to have EVERYTHING.

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5.27.2019-There was no thought of an eventual town or a city at the present Bend locale in those pioneer days. But on a spring day in 1900, there arrived on the present site the covered wagon of Alexander M. Drake, a Midwest capitalist, who heard of irrigation possibilities in the upper Deschutes country.

He founded the Pilot Butte Development Company, and the nucleus of Bend began with the construction of a lodge. Bend became incorporated by a vote of the people in 1904, with officers taking over their duties in January, 1905. A.H. Goodwillie was the first mayor.

The town of Bend, OR is really not just a town, more like a small city. Not as big as Orlando yet, but more like a Sanford or Melbourne, FL. You can find anything you want in Bend, the bigger cities only have more than one of everything. Actually Bend has four Ace Hardware Stores…Awesome! So to take pictures of Bend is what you’d find in almost any town so you have to go to the outskirts of this town, namely Sunriver. In this town, just outside of Bend you’ll fine Lava Land. I believe I read that this county has four-hundred volcanoes of various sizes. Above is one of the bigger ones. I read that this entire county is built over dozens to about three-hundred feet of lava rock..

A Name for the Town Earlier, when Bend’s future was still uncertain, there was a controversy over a name for the new hamlet. In the late 1870’s, William H. Staats filed a claim on the Deschutes near the “Farewell Bend” Ranch (which had been obtained by John Sisemore from John Todd) and made a rival bid for travelers. Each maintained a stopping place and each for a time had a post office. .

Staats platted his town as “Deschutes.” Some called the community “Staats.” Drake favored the name “Pilot Butte” and a bid was made for “Farewell Bend.” But officials in the Post Office Department in Washington, DC, decided Farewell Bend was too long and they finally approved the name “Bend.” After Bend’s incorporation, it gradually absorbed Deschutes.

This is Mount Bachelor (I hope to have a better picture should it ever stop raining.). It to is just about ten miles out of Bend also in Sunrise, OR. The official address of the Mountain is in Bend, OR. Just a little info on this awesome mountain. The overall height of the mountain is just over 9,000feet. The volcano lies at the northern end of the 15-mile long Mount Bachelor Volcanic Chain, which underwent four major eruptive episodes during the PIE. (PIE, the Paleo Indian Era roughly about ten-thousand -years BC.) So its been dormant for quite awhile. Being about twenty mile west of Bend gives it its popularity as a major ski slope. It offers over four-thousand acres of skiable terrain. It is also the highest skiable lift at over eight-thousand feet ASL in both Oregon and Washington states. It is also known for its light fluffy dry snow. It has a reputation of being one of the largest ski resorts in the US. It also boast of its long ski season beginning at Thanksgiving and lasting well into May. Lastly it a beautiful, majestic Mountain to just look at. It is visible from some of the areas in this campground.

Form of Government Bend changed in 1929 from the council form of government to that of City Commission – Manager form, with three commissioners. George P. Gove was the first mayor under the new form of government, with C.G. Reiter as the first City Manager; the mayor being elected by the other commissioners from their own ranks.

The charter was later changed to require seven commissioners and in 1995 the Charter was re-drafted to change the title for the elected representatives from Commissioner to Councilor. The Mayor continues to be elected by his or her peers.

Des Chutes Historical Museum
Source: All About Bend, Oregon Compiled, edited and published by the League of Women Voters of Bend, Oregon May, 1967

Crater Lake

May25

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HAPPINESS is to have EVERYTHING, you need.
NOT the need to have EVERYTHING.

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5.23.19-Visiting the Crater Lake venue was awesome. Our tip can be set up into three divisions. This is almost June!

Tripping to the Lake

Experiencing the lake

and the Fossilized Steam venue.

Just one of the many mountain views we experienced on our trip to Crater Lake.

A Cherished History

Crater Lake National Park is a place where you can experience diverse wilderness in a setting of breathtaking beauty. More than 7,000 years ago, a fierce eruption shook the 12,000-foot-tall Mount Mazama, triggering the mountain’s collapse. The area’s Klamath tribes witnessed the volcano’s eruption, and their histories include many stories about how Crater Lake and its features were created.

This is a picture of Mount Thielsen.

In the hundreds of years after the eruption, rainfall and snowfall filled the crater and formed the lake. No streams run into or out of the lake – its levels depend entirely on precipitation, evaporation, and seepage. At nearly 2,000 feet, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. That depth, combined with the water’s purity, gives the lake its remarkable deep blue color.

This is now what the top of Mount Mazama looks like today.

Above is the Welcoming Sign to Crater Lake National Park. Below is an Information Kiosk and, more importantly, behind it an outhouse.

As you can see snow is beginning to show itself on both sides of the road.

The entrance to Crater Lake National Park.

Above and below is the Administration Building. I wonder if they ever call a no-work day because the snow has buried the entrance?

The Visitor Information Center and, of course, Gift Shop. In this building we bought a couple of items and waited patiently for twenty-five minutes for the next showing of a movie on CL.

This is what the top of Mount Mazama looks like today. Before Mount Mazama blew its top it was over 12,000 feet ASL

On May 22, 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the legislation that created the sixth national park in the United States, Crater Lake National Park. When you visit today, you can explore the fascinating volcanic features that date back to the lake’s formation.

This text was taken from the Crater Lake Website,

courtesy of the National Park Service.

In the early 1930’s the Crater Lake region received over seventy feet of snow. On average it usually gets around forty-four feet of snow.

Yup, I dared myself to stand upon a short stone wall to take this picture. To my right and left are signs stating “Stay-back.” On the lake side of the stone wall is snow, very slippery snow on a steep hill going into the lake. If you survived you might be in trouble with the law since no one is permitted to take a swim in this lake. Like would anyone be thinking of that as they were sliding down into the lake.

Yes! Here’s that wall that no one is supposed to breach.

In the center is Wizard Island. Elevation of the volcano, yes volcano. is 6940 feet ASL. This is a volcano within a volcano. As you have read the entirety of Crater Lake sits in a volcano. Below is a nothing picture of a car with Massachusetts plates carrying two bikes and a snow shovel, just in case.

Above behind the sign saying “road closed” are some very tiny people in relation to the height of the snow bank. Now, we’ve left the proximity of the Lake and traveled a short distance to the Rim Village Café and Gift Shop. For a change we had a bite to eat this time. Carla enjoyed a bowl of Minestrone soup and I a hot dog. Hindsight being I should have gone with the soup. Below are some of the picture from this two-story building.

Two ways to look at this! Either Carla is really short or that there’s a heck of a lot of snow behind her. Below we met an awesome couple Berry and Roberta Mullin. Not full-timers but they do travel in a Vistabule Teardrop Trailer. Below their picture is a picture of the Vestibule Trailer they have.

We’re both a little tired and it’s about 3pm, Scoots will be looking for her 5pm feeding shortly. We were not that far away from the lake when we happened across the Fossilized Steam Venue.

Who needs a telephoto lens when you can crop! Center of picture is a thousands year old fossilized steam structure.

Sunriver RVPark

May24

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at the bottom of this blog.
I relish the positive ones and will learn from the negative ones.

HAPPINESS is to have EVERYTHING, you need,
NOT the need to have EVERYTHING!

5.24.2019-Must view the

Lava lands, Observatory, Lava river Caves, Crater Lake, Mount Bachelor and Newbury Lakes.

Sunriver is another one of those Equity Lifestyle Properties. One of the big perks of staying here, as you probably know, is that it is a free stay. If we did not belong to this program our stay here, for twenty-one nights, would be close to one-thousand dollars.

This is by every measure a huge RV Park. Our site is at the top of the site map above in I-26.

As you can see we are cradled in a bouquet of evergreens. Not sure but they do look as though they reach about sixty feet tall.

What is not seen yet is the river that runs along the parameter of the campground, the Oxbow River. More on this later.

All the roadways connecting the many sections, are all extremely roomy. Enough space to have two coaches pass each other on any connecting road.

I will expand on this blog a little later, since we’ll be here for 2 more weeks. Below I often mention that this “will be nothing day.” This is Carla enjoying her nothing day. We did Crater Lake yesterday and that went from 9am to 5pm and we’re a little tired today.

Looking down the street at from our site. Each site has about a sixteen foot buffer from the next site…awesome! Yurts can be found just around the corner from us.

Above is one of those blurry pics..

Above is a community Meeting Hall very suitable for a large group of people. This venue is also located in the recreational section of the campground-two pools, two hot tubs, tennis and pickleball.

The porches of the large Meeting Hall room both front and back. Off the back porch is a large fire pit venue.

Sitting on the back porch or enjoying the fire ring you can enjoy the views of the Oxbow River.

Pictures below are from the new camera. One nice option of the D3500 is the option to have the Date and time stamped onto the front of the picture. In some cases this might be a little distracting but for me it should prove to be very helpful. Below I’m trying to talk Scoots into trying corn.

And then we have days like this. Not even Scoots wants to do anything.

Temperatures is upper seventies and no humidity. If only I had a hammock.

We haven’t had a fire in a long time, most campgrounds forbid them, especially in the dry season. This area is anything but dry.

Carla likes her flower pictures. Below we’re not cooking up much, just a dog on a roll.

Tripping to Bend, OR

May15

Please take the time to leave a comment at the bottom of this blog. I relish the positive ones and will learn from the negative ones.

HAPPINESS is to have EVERYTHING, you need.
NOT the need to have EVERYTHING.

May / June ITENERARY
May 2nd Green River, UT at KOA Campground x4 nights (159m)
May 6th Heber, UT Mountain Valley RVR (2 lay-overs) x7n (234m)
May 16th Bend, OR TT (Overnights and stays TBD) (654m)(x7n)
June 5th Whaler’s Rest in Newport, OR.
June 26th leave Whaler’s Rest
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Day 1-(5.13.19)-Tripping to Walmart in Burley,ID
We got a very good start to the day, 8:30 for a change. Carla took some very nice pictures along the way. Pictures coming up in a day or two.

We did get to the Walmart and had an excellent evening.
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We did a drive by on this beautiful lake, man made as you can see from the man-made dam. Below are remembrances from our canyon views.

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Awesome road-views never end.

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Today our snow-covered mountains are slowly getting fewer by the mile.

We both enjoyed the shadows made by the clouds over these hills. After 230 miles we finally reach Idaho.

Day 2-(5.14.19)- Tripping to Vale, OR (priv. Campground)

Arrived in Vale after a very uneventful, almost boring ride here. We were originally going to trip to Nampa, ID but the trip tomorrow would be 300 plus miles so we opted to extend this trip a little longer. Tomorrow’s trip will still be long at 260 miles plus but it’s better than what it was going to be. I’m trying to update the blog but the Internet service is really bad for uploading pictures so they will wait till tomorrow.

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We thought this was a lake but it’s more a reservoir for this town, a big reservoir. Below, it’s a difficult view but this is hundreds of acres of solar panels.
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Another long day of the road but we did get off before 2pm. We added about 30 miles to todays trip to reduce the 300 mile trip scheduled for tomorrow. The sign for Oregon (pronounced here as “Or-gan). Below we see how Oregon is reducing eye fatigue by enhancing it’s bridges and overpasses with a creative look.

Day 3- (5.15.19)-Tripping to Bend, OR

We were up a little earlier than usual to attack this 260 mile trip to Bend, Oregon. Usually for on the road by 9:30, but today, we were on the go at 8:15. We left Vale, ID by viewing a number of murals, all depicting cowboys and Indians.

We continue to view so many beautiful lakes. Just past this lake was another solar farm that was so big I could not even guess at the size.
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Below are a few images of the many picturesque views from the road. The farms were the industries the country is so proud of. From the road they look so pristine it almost teases the viewer to be part of this industry.
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If you’ve noticed for the pictures above and below, there is very little traffic either coming or going. We did the trip on a 2-lane non-divided highway.

Family History Library

May9

Please take the time to leave a comment at the bottom of this blog. I relish the positive ones and will learn from the negative ones.
HAPPINESS is to have EVERYTHING, you need.
NOT the need to have EVERYTHING.

5.09.19-Family History Library

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.To find ourselves in this building was the main purpose for the trip.

Basically we came here to uncover some additional information on my father Leo Grenier as related to his military service. Below is a picture of him in his younger days. Sadly, isn’t it, that we finally get the urge to learn more at such a late date. Handsome dude, not sure what happened to me. It did not take long to get hooked.

He looks so much like my brothers Richard and Dennis. Guess I took after my mother’s side of the family. This is the only really good younger image of my father I have. Lots of family pictures, but he was almost always on the wrong side of the lens.
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.Above this beautiful artwork of Jesus preaching to the multitudes. All the people, both young and old, were so thoughtful, polite and helpful. As part of their religious obligations they are asked to volunteer eighteen months to the cause of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. None of them, young or old, hesitate to graciously speak about their religion and its teachings. It’s very nice and comforting to see so many so strongly routed in their religion. I could never be converted, but if I were not committed to Catholicism this might get some attention from me. Below Sister I Forgot Name, begins to help us dig into my father’s past, and teach us how to work their program.

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.We’re on the forth floor. Each floor is designated for different areas of data search. The floors below us and one above all look like this.

.Sister will leave us after about 45 minutes and a twenty something stepped in to help. He worked feverishly trying to collect the data we were looking for on my father, and finally put it all together. Data entry should be an exacting field, but don’t kid yourself. I’d always seen my father refer to himself as Leo Grenier, when in actuality we discovered that the Canadians have a tendency, at least in the past, to give the name Joseph to all the boys and Mary to the girls. So his official name, as far as data searching goes turned out to be “J Leo Oscar Grenier.” Who would have known!

Above, not seen to clearly, are older men in many locations on the floor, unabashedly talking and explaining the Adventist Religion. I could never be converted but I only wish I had the same grasp on my Catholic faith as I see in these individuals. Maybe I’m just not hanging out in the right places.

Tripping to Heber, UT

May7

Please take the time to leave a comment at the bottom of this blog. I relish the positive ones and will learn from the negative ones.

HAPPINESS is to have EVERYTHING you NEED,
NOT the NEED to have EVERYTHING.

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May / June ITENERARY
May 2nd Green River, UT at KOA Campground x4 nights (159m)
May 6th Heber, UT Mountain Valley RVR (2 lay-overs) x7n (234m)
May 16th Bend, OR TT (Overnights and stays TBD) (654m)(x7n)
June 5th Whaler’s Rest in Newport, OR.
June 26th leave Whaler’s Rest
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5.07.19-Tripping to Heber, UT

.What a beautiful day for taking a trip. The coach is humming away so nicely. We’re still plague with a problem with our two slides, but hopefully that will be resolved in a few weeks.

The purpose for this picture is two-fold. One for the beauty of these huge hills and mountains and second for the reader to visualize the height of these structures by viewing the car on the road in the bottom center portion of the picture, both above and below.

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I cannot imagine the millions of yeas it too to create the rock structure above. Below are twin tunnels for the railroad to get from one side of the mountain to the other. We will see these tunnels in several locations. In a few pictures you’ll see twin tunnels for the cars.

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We’re currently at the seven-thousand foot elevation, and therefore we find snow venues. The mountains well covered in snow are at the 12,000 foot elevation. Nice try for the wind-turbines but they’re not going around very fast. They do come with brakes to prevent them from moving to fast, but the turbines here are barely moving. They’re brakes should never wear out at this speed.

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We’re just entering the town of Provo. This is also the home of Brigham Young U. We’re about thirty-miles from Heber. This is one very awesome town very similar to El Paso, TX. Every franchise is represented here. Heber is not nearly this big, but it is growing fast.

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I believe this is the Bingham Young University stadium. Below is the Bald Knoll Mountain range elevation over ten-thousand feet. This mountain rang can be seen from everywhere.

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.Above is the Bridal Vail Waterfalls just outside of the town of Provo.. This is an attraction we would normally take time to visit but now, having seen it from the road, we can just take credit for it. Below are the twin auto-tunnels I mentioned earlier.

.I believe this is the Provo Lake Reservoir, a really huge lake.

Mountain Valley RVResort(pic)

May7

Please take the time to leave a comment at the bottom of this blog. I relish the positive ones and will learn from the negative ones.
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HAPPINESS is to have EVERYTHING you NEED,
NOT the NEED to have EVERYTHING.

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March/April ITENERARY
May 2nd Green River, UT at KOA Campground x4 nights (159m)
May 6th Heber, UT Mountain Valley RVR (2 layovers) x7n (234m)
May 16th Bend, OR TT (Overnights and stays TBD) x7n (654m)
June 5th Whaler’s Rest in Newport, OR.
June 26th leave Whaler’s Rest
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5.06.19 Mountain Valley RVResort, Heber, UT

This is truly a “Resort.” Not to often you can rate a campground at a 10, this is one well qualified to be a 10.

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Experience Petroglyphs ???

May4

Please take the time to leave a comment at the bottom of this blog. I relish the positive ones and will learn from the negative ones.

HAPPINESS is to have EVERYTHING you NEED,
NOT the NEED to have EVERYTHING.

March/April ITENERARY

May 2nd Green River, UT at Shady Acres x4 nights (159m)
May 6th Heber, UT Mountain Valley RVR (2 layovers) x7n (234m)
May 16th Bend, OR TT (layovers TBD) x7n (654m)
June 5th Newport, OR at Whaler’s Rest
June 26th leave Newport, OR
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May 4th- Experience Petroglyphs ???

Hope I peeked your interest. pet·ro·glyph, NOUN are rock carvings, especially prehistoric ones. For more information on this read the May 4th Blog on it.

23 April, 2014 – 23:26 aprilholloway

The haunting rock art of Sego Canyon – extra-terrestrials or spiritual visions?

The sandstone cliffs of Sego Canyon are a spectacular outdoor art gallery of petroglyphs painted and carved by Native Americans peoples over a period of around 8,000 years. They are characterised by more than 80 imposing and haunting life-sized figures with hollowed eyes or missing eyes and the frequent absence of arms and legs. Some claim that the mysterious figures are evidence of alien visitation in our ancient past, while scholars maintain that the strange beings represent shamanistic visions produced in trance-like states.

Above are four Mesas. In about a half hour or so we will be driving down a road in-between mesas two and three. Below is that road. It feels and looks like no one has been here in years.

Evidence of human habitation in Sego Canyon dates back to the Archaic Period (6,000 – 100 BC). But subsequent Anasazi, Fremont, and Ute tribes also left their mark upon the area, painting and chipping their religious visions, clan symbols, and records of events into the cliff walls.

Below is the only wild-life, a young calf, we’ve come across in the last two weeks.

The rock art of Sego Canyon can be characterised according to a number of distinctive styles, and time periods. The oldest art belongs to the Archaic period and dates to between 6,000 BC and 2,000 BC. Some of the most spectacular examples of rock art in the Southwest are attributed to Archaic people. They were nomads, who hunted large and small game animals, and collected and processed wild plants. They did not build permanent habitation structures, but lived in caves and in small brush shelters built in the open.

Above the road does not get any better. Below is the reason for our being here.

Within the Archaic period and beginning around 4,000 years ago, we see the Barrier Canyon Style rock art, a distinctive style of art which appears mostly in Utah, with the largest concentration of sites in and around the San Rafael Swell and Canyonlands National Park, but the full range extends into much of the state and western Colorado. Barrier Canyon Style rock art panels are mostly pictographs (painted) but there are also several petroglyphs (pecked) in the style.

Above is our looking back. We appear to be going downhill. For this reason, I’ve deduced, the Fremont peoples lived with a source of water. Back a couple of thousand years ago this area might have been totally flooded and this could have been a fairly deep lake, a good source of fish. Once we get closer to our objective our path becomes very primitive.

Fremont petroglyphs in Sego Canyon. Photo source .

Beginning 1300 AD and lasting until 1880 AD, the Ute people inhabited the region of Sego Canyon and carved their own style on the cliff faces. Prior to the arrival of Mexican settlers, the Utes occupied significant portions of what are today eastern Utah, western Colorado, and parts of New Mexico and Wyoming.

The Utes were never a unified group within historic times; instead, they consisted of numerous nomadic bands that maintained close associations with other neighbouring groups. The historic Ute rock art is identified and dated by the horse and rider figures.

Above and below are the reasons for our visiting this venue.

Horses were introduced to North America by the Spanish in the sixteenth century. Other figures, or elements, painted in red and white on the panel include a white bison, a human figure with leggings, several large human figures, and large circles believed to be shields. The Ute people lived freely throughout western Colorado and eastern Utah until about 1880, when they were forced onto reservations.

Extra-terrestrials or spiritual visions?

Advocates of the ancient astronaut theory suggest that the strange figures of the Barrier Canyon style rock art depict extra-terrestrials that once visited Earth. They point to the large, hollow looking eyes and the triangular shaped heads as evidence that the figures were not human. However, others, like researcher Polly Schaafsma (1999) say that they represent shamanistic art associated with ritual activities of the Archaic people. Ms Schaafsma points to the fact that the ‘spirit figures’ are frequently shown holding snake forms, and their torsos sometimes incorporate water/life-giving symbols. The presence of these types of relational (figure/animal) motifs is considered to be evidence that there was a shamanistic tradition alive, at least during a certain period of time, among these Western Archaic people. So what accounts for the unusual features, such as strange eyes, legless bodies, and what appears to be wings?

A close-up thanks for cropping.

According to Ms Schaafsma, shamanic practitioners, with the assistance of various spirits, were said to have the ability to travel to celestial realms and the underworld, in order to communicate with ‘purveyors of power’. Hallucinations and visionary experiences characterise the shamanic trance experience, often provoked by the use of hallucinogens.

Ute rock art, 1300 AD. Photo source

“With the aid of spirit helpers, tutelary deities, and divine or semi-divine beings, these otherworldly voyagers contact ancestral and supernatural powers in the interests of curing, fertility, divining, successful hunting, battle exploits, and weather control,” she wrote in a paper on the symbology of the Barrier Canyon rock art.

Universally, shamans have communicated their extraordinary experiences through art. Are the Sego Canyon pictographs and petroglyphs another example of this? No one really knows for sure what the images represent or why they were painted. The god-like, imposing and fantastical figures etched onto the cliffs of Sego Canyon remain an enigma and the true meaning behind them may never be unlocked.

Featured image: Petroglyphs in Sego Canyon. Photo source .

By April Holloway

References

Sego Canyon Petroglyphs – Science Views

Trance and Transformation in the Canyons – by Polly Schaafsma

The Barrier Canyon Rock Art Style – by David Sucec

Traces of a Lost People – Smithsonian

Barrier Canyon Style Rock Art – by James Q. Jacobs

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>Columns seen at the bottom of the picture are Hoodoos.BLUE

Dennis’ B’day & Arches Nat’l Park

May3

Please take the time to leave a comment at the bottom of this blog. I relish the positive ones and will learn from the negative ones.
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HAPPINESS is to have EVERYTHING you NEED,
NOT the NEED to have EVERYTHING

MAY-JUNE ITENERARY
May 2nd Green River, UT at Shady Acres x4 nights (159m)
May 6th Heber, UT Mountain Valley RVR (2 layovers) x7n (234m)
May 16th Bend, OR TT (layovers TBD) x7n (654m)
June 5th Newport, OR at Whaler’s Rest
June 26th leave Newport, OR
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5.03.19- Dennis’ Birthday-Arches

Yes, Dennis’ birthday. No! We did not forget. He did receive our presents in time and enjoyed both cake and pie during his special day. For us we got an early start and travelled an hour to experience Arches Canyon. We did and were so very impressed we the experience.

By 9:30, after congratulating Dennis, it was off to Arches..

The full purpose of the picture below is for the reader to appreciate the awesome height of these mountainous size in relation to the car in the picture as well.

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.In the picture above is a view of the half-mile roadway to get to the entrance to the park. This is the Park Avenue Trail. As we have seen this year and years past the National Park Service does an super jog of making so many of these monuments so accessible.
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I have over three-hundred pictures of mountainous structures we’d seen on this visit..

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Below is our first “arch” structure. (Center of picture).
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Balanced Rock coming up.
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.Below another arch, in the center of picture. This blog is basically a pictorial on Arches, so they will get redundant eventually.
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Both up and down are more arches. Can you find the arch in the picture below?.
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Arches, Arches everywhere.
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It was a good walk but the sight was well worth it, not to mention the beautiful parkway, thanks to the NPS..
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. Three-hundred-million years ago this area, as well as most of the country, was covered with over ten-thousand feet of water, snow, ice and when it all began to melt, a million years later the friction of the water flowing past the sandstone structures took on very beautiful designs. Over the course of the three-hundred-million years the deep waters andice came back many, many times...

Below Delicate Arch coming up..
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.Delicate Arch was just to long a hike so we chose to present a picture in place of the real thing..

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.Once again I must rely on the poor-man’s telephoto lens, the cropping option. Below, we’ve reached the end of the Arch parade, at least for us. One more awesome site coming up.…

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..Fiery Furnace coming up! This is going to be a pretty good size walk, only hope the vision is worth it. You noticed the walk begins by negotiating a series of stone steps leading to an original walkway, not the kind the NPS provides..

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The tall narrow rock structures are called “fins.”

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Devils Garden coming up next:
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Above is a small section of the Devils Garden. Devils Garden are rocks and cliffs that are saturated with iron.
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We’re about half way back to our final stop and we have a look at the arrival road.
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As always, there’s always a gift store. Yes, we made a purchase. Below a Ranger explains to Carla the cause of the heavy coloring in the rock formations.

The next few pictures are from a movie at the Visitor’s Center. The arch below was just to long a walk to see in person.
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Above is another look of Hoodoos in the Winter time.
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.Above and below are from the movie and are Winter scenes. Our visit to the Arches National Park was awesome. Accessibility was another big plus as well, as one who trips over himself walking in a parking lot.

Tripping to Green River, UT..

May2

Please take the time to leave a comment at the bottom of this blog. I relish the positive ones and will learn from the negative ones.
.

HAPPINESS is to have EVERYTHING you NEED,
NOT the NEED to have EVERYTHING.

5.02.19-Tripping to Green River, UT

It isn’t very clear in the picture above, since I’m utilizing the poor-man’s telephoto lens by cropping the original picture. This is a “serious” cattle round-up of several hundred head of cattle. The purpose for the picture was the munchkin on the center horse. Boy or girl, not sure I was driving, but he/she could not have been older the ten…pretty awesome way to spend a day and possibly bonding with a parent. We were still passing cattle two miles from here. Sure beats watching grass grow.

This was on a plaque by, I think, the National Park Service (NPS),
posted at the scenic area stop.

“Humans have lived among these rocks and cliffs for longer than you can imagine. Archeological investigations conducted as part of the Interstate construction across the Swell during the 1970s and 1980s located over a hundred prehistoric sites.

The sites show that hundreds of generations of Native American peoples inhabited this rugged land for thousands of years and in all seasons. Archeologists explored sites from the early Archaic Period of hunting and gathering about 9,500 years ago, up to historic ranching sites of the early 20th Century. People survived by hunting and gathering until about the time of Christ., when small-scale agriculture, dependent on corn, beans, and squash, was adopted.

We’re at a Rest Area for a few minutes and I had the chilling moment that the coach quietly began rolling down this steep road. Just popping in the tire blocks to assure my “moment” never happens.

Archeological remains of these farmers, whom we call Fremonts, include small settlements of pit dwellings, granaries, outdoor shaded work areas, hearths, storage pits, and trash mounds. the earliest evidence of farming on the Swell dates to about A.D. 500 at the Confluence Site.

Scenes from the Rest Stop. Below was a father/daughter team viewing also. He was visiting from Tokyo…Awesome! Just checked, coach has not moved!

This site provided important insight into the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture in the region, and predated previously known agricultural sites by 200 years. Bows and arrows and ceramics were the technological innovations of this time.

Remember the name of these guys in the center of the picture?

Yes! Hoodoos.

Researchers found Fremonts sites in the Ghost Rock area, a few miles east of here, which is an upland environment and not well suited for growing corn. Study of the sites told archeologists much about the Fremont way of life, which included hunting and gathering year-round and farming at lower elevations along riverbanks.

Scenic views like this one above and below appear every couple of miles. Below, I’m sure you’re saying, snow again! NO! That’s salt. I hope to have a separate blog on “salt” soon.

It was a little over two-hours to get here but the scenery was well worth it. We’re staying at the Shady Acres RVP in Green River. Green River, as far as I’m concerned, is an oxymoron. The river is a muddy brown color.

Paul and Carla Take the Fifth

rv travels of paul

Monthly Archives: May 2019

Smith Rock in Redmond, OR

Lava Lands Visitor Center

Lava River Cave, Bend, OR

Bend, Oregon

Crater Lake

A Cherished History

Sunriver RVPark

Tripping to Bend, OR

Family History Library

5.09.19-Family History Library

Tripping to Heber, UT

Mountain Valley RVResort(pic)

Experience Petroglyphs ???

23 April, 2014 – 23:26 aprilholloway

The haunting rock art of Sego Canyon – extra-terrestrials or spiritual visions?

Extra-terrestrials or spiritual visions?

Dennis’ B’day & Arches Nat’l Park

Tripping to Green River, UT..

5.02.19-Tripping to Green River, UT