Oregon Trip - August 9th

Not a lot happening today. We are getting closer though, going along the Columbia river. But before we reached this point, we did come across a couple of interesting things while geocaching. I am not sure what this structure was, but I thought it was interesting.

In another cemetery was this Abbey. The doors were locked so we couldn't go inside to look around.

We also went across the Upper Perry Arch Bridge. This bridge was constructed in the 1960's.

The Highway runs along the river for a very long time! All kinds of water sports, fishing etc could be seen going on. And work too! These barges were up and down the river.

Oregon Trip - August 8

The first thing I do is look to see what are the local attractions in Twin Falls.  I found out the Shoshone Falls was not far from our hotel!
As we drive into the park, there are small waterfalls along the road.

Shoshone Falls was beautiful but I guess the best time to see the full effect is during the spring.

The best part? Was finding out that we weren't far from the spot where Evel Knievel had attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon. I remember watching this on television as a little girl!!

For those that don't know who Evel Kneivel was, check out this website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evel_Knievel

I realized that Doug and I hadn't taken one selfie yet on our trip! So, here it is, with Shoshone Falls in the background:

After we left Twin Falls to head out to our next destination, we found a back road with tons of geocaches (called a power trail)!

Even though we were stopping every tenth of a mile, there was still interesting things to see.

Like this burrow owl. I don't think he was happy we were driving by.

When we geocache, we are always looking for critters. In my case, I have a snake phobia! So, when I see a tail hanging down in a tree? Luckily, it was just this little lizard hanging out.

We were going along a road that took us very close to these fans. The made a very loud "whooshing" noise. And that small rectangle at the bottom? It's a door!

Our Oregon Vacation - August 7

So my original intent was to write a blog each day of our trip.... Obviously, that didn't work out! By the time we arrived at our destination at the end of the day, we were almost too tired to eat!
We are in Ely, Arizona. We got up the next morning, which happened to be my birthday! Doug asked me what I would like to do and I said I would like to go to the Hotel Nevada. I had read that it was founded during the prohibition period. You can read more on the hotel at: https://www.hotelnevada.com/
Not only did it have an interesting history, it had a very good breakfast! We gambled for a little while before we hit the road again and I won a little! Happy Birthday to me!

After we left the hotel, we found that there was a geocache in the nearby cemetery. I may have mentioned that geocachers seem to enjoy cemeteries.

I love the different things we get to see when we are on the road. The history, the mystery and the beauty is always there!

One of the rest stops was just outside of Schellbourne, which was a stop for the Pony Express.

This metal cutout is at this rest stop.

These old buildings surely have some very rich history. Now all that's left is the shells.

The beauty can be big or small. All you have to do is look around you.

We found a few caches along the way to our next destination. We arrived in Twin Falls, ID. We found a place to eat where Doug mentioned that it was my birthday, so....

Happy Birthday to me! Yum!

Our Oregon Coast Trip - August 6

Doug and I decided, for our vacation this year, to go to the Oregon coast. I have been wanting to do this for years so it's one of my bucket list items! We decided we were going to geocache our way there and tent it! We figured we could save money this way....

We started off after Doug got off work Friday afternoon. We knew we would be late getting into anywhere so we went ahead and booked a room just outside of Las Vegas.

We booked a room at the Railroad Pass Hotel and Casino. It is celebrating it's 85th year this month (August). We probably wouldn't stay here again but we both did come out with a little more than we went in with, money-wise.

We were off to a lazy start this morning. Tried having breakfast at the hotel, again, probably not the best choice. We waited until we were out of Vegas before we started hunting geocaches.

Some of the geocaches we come across have a history or interesting information.

The Old Spanish Trail passed through this area where we stopped for a cache.

This was very interesting, at least to me, was that Nevada's borders were moved!

Another thing that caught my interest was this fence that ran along the highway we were on. By reading one of the descriptions in one of the caches, I learned that this fence was put up to keep the desert tortoises from crossing the highway and getting run over!

And that explains this street name.

We also came across this cemetery. Cemeteries seem to be very popular with cachers. We didn't have time to explore it though.

I think I have mentioned before about things we see when we geocache. This is something I wouldn't think we would have seen:

I think they were used for target practice!

We passed this sign but turned around to get a picture. The sign was very cool and the town itself was very quaint.

And then there are things that just make you smile!

Judging and Hauntings

Sometimes I travel to judge miniature dairy goat shows! I have been judging for over 10 years and love the opportunity to travel to different locations. Usually I don't get to do much sight seeing. This trip will definitely stand out!

One of the things that I love is the ability to take photos while flying. Although they aren't the best quality, I think they still convey what I see.

Lake Tahoe is a wonderful place to visit and we have been there several times. Seeing it from the air shows how beautiful (and big) this lake is!

And, I was able to take a picture of a field where, I do believe, the farmer is showing support of his pick for the next President. 

I really enjoy judging. I love the interaction with the exhibitors and seeing the animals. 

The best part is meeting up with friends I haven't seen in awhile and making new ones! 

Left to Right: Virginia Johnson Gruver, me, Donna Elkins

In room 13 of the Ione Hotel (CA) it is said to be haunted by a drunk man (George) that died there. George doesn't care for male guests! He is said to male guests they can't sleep there (guess he likes women so doesn't bother them)! It is also said he poured a phantom pitcher of water over one man's head!Also, it is said that a prostitute nicknamed the Black Rose killed herself here. Before she died she painted a black rose, right side up, on the wall. When she died, the black rose turned upside down. There is also a "copy" of the rise in the carpet next to the bathroom!

Kayaking, Camping and Fishing

One of the several things Doug and I love to do is go fishing! We don't have a boat though. We fish from our kayaks! We get a workout (sort of) while enjoying one of our favorite pastimes!

We have been on the lake when there have been 20 mph winds, so yes, we did get a workout!

Out on Big Lake a little after sunrise. It is absolutely beautiful and peaceful at that time of morning! 

Waiting for the fish to start biting! And, not stressing about if they do or not! ;)

Wildfires

We live in Arizona. During the summer, we seem to always have quite a few wildfires! This one, the Cedar Fire, is/was burning near Showlow, AZ. Most of the wildfires that start are human caused! It just takes one careless moment.  Please take time to put out campfires correctly!

The smoke was so thick over Pinetop/Lakeside, it literally blocked the sun!