Another road trip

I didn't get quite enough of the road during our trip to Ogden so William and I headed off on an overnight loop of central Oregon.  This time we did it in the Boxster, which I have to admit has been a fantasy of mine for decades.  It was a beautiful fall weekend.  We had loaded a tent, sleeping bags, a little food, and not much else as we headed out of Bend on a Saturday morning.  I chose the Post-Paulina road as the starting point, since this is one of my all-time favorite routes.  The loop took us through Canyon City and John Day that afternoon and, after a stop to contemplate camping in a state park on the John Day, we pressed on into the Aldrich Mountains and Billy Fields campground.  This was a great choice since we shared it with nobody.  The next morning we continued to Mitchell and the Painted Hills, with a stop at the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center.  It would be hard to think of a more pleasant couple of days.

Along the Post-Paulina-Izee Road

Picture Gorge

Sheep Rock

The Painted Hills

Utah Road Trip

Hiking the benches above Ogden, fall is here

Maria, William, and I took the new Subaru out for a fall road trip in mid October.  Our destination was Ogden, Utah by way of eastern Oregon and Idaho, with a return route through northern Nevada and back up through Oregon's Great Basin country.  We had spectacular weather, a great time with friends in Utah, and a stunningly beautiful drive back home.  Camping in a tent along the route was a nice reminder of road trips in the past - hopefully the beginning of many more such trips with William (and for William, with and without us).

The Bonneville Salt Flats in the evening

Cannon Beach

Haystack Rock

After all these years I finally explored the town of Cannon Beach.  I always avoided it because I assumed it would be crowded, touristy, and overblown.  It was all of those things, but also has a spectacular beach and great access to Ecola State Park and its hiking opportunities.  I have never seen a more crowded beach in all of Oregon, but the rock is iconic Oregon Coast for good reason.  We also had the good fortune of hitting the weather perfectly, a fall storm rolling in as we were leaving on Sunday afternoon.  It is difficult to find bits of coast that are new to me so this was a treat, even though I will likely avoid these crowds and tourists in the future.

Ecola State Park