Road trip journal #10: Journey Through Time and State

Summary

• Start: 07:30 (Cloud Cap Saddle Campground, Mt. Hood National Forest, OR)
• Finish: 23:20 (+1) (Boise, ID)
• Distance: 495 mi (792 km)
• Mood: cruise control

The day started pretty early. The winds on the campground at the top of the mountain woke me up, as I don’t yet have too much experience camping in a tent. I decided to get out early to catch the mountain in the morning light. The goal for the day was to reach Boise, ID. The update is full of dashcam photos because it was a really, really long drive.

Mount Hood

First I got a flight in, and made a morning panorama. The tree shadows look particularly nice.

Mt. Adams was also visible in the distance, albeit through a bit of haze.

While driving down the dirt road again, this little fella was very interested in what’s going on. He stopped and observed me for a while. The observation was mutual.

After mucking around, going to Government Camp (yes, that’s a real place) to get gas, supplies, and souvenirs, I decided to visit Trilium Lake. Mt. Hood looked very nice reflected in the lake, so much so that I had to take a self-portrait I think it turned out well.

Finally, I was looking for a good hike around the mountain. Most of them were too long for my mood, so I just decided to visit Sahalie Falls, which was basically next to the road. No, I didn’t feel like hiking today. I did manage to reach the waterfall through some climbing and slipping on a dirt path.

Journey Through Time

After driving around the mountain and looking for good photos, it was time to embark towards Idaho. Journey Through Time Scenic Byway is part of U.S. Highway 26, which follows much of the Oregon Trail. It partly follows the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail which follows the path taken by the Lewis and Clark Expedition tasked with exploring the western United States after the purchase of Louisianna in the 19th century. The road in Oregon goes through a mountain pass, a forest, and some plains. It is mostly just straight-line, and pretty uneventful.

Along the way, I wanted to stop at an air museum that had old warbirds on display. Sadly, it was Monday and the museum was closed. I did, however, manage to sneak in a photo of an old airplane with Mt. Hood visible in the background.

John Day Fossil Beds

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is along on this highway, so it was on my list of things to see. First up were the Painted Hills, which reminded me of Death Valley quite a bit. The different colors exposed in the old riverbed are pretty mesmerizing.

The Painted Cove, which is nearby, is a very short loop with several small hills. The combination of colors is really fascinating.

Next up was the main section of the monument, with several sites with trails and rocks with exposed layers. It’ a short drive from Painted Hills.

I really like the juxtaposition of green and yellow grass, with some trees, on a backdrop of old volcanic rock.

First was Ship Rock, viewed from the John Day riverbed on Cant Ranch.

Driving further down the road gets you to Cathedral Rock, just off the road. I took the opportunity to snap a curvy panorama.

Next, I visited the Foree section. It offered views of tuff cliffs, and a good view of the green valleys.

There was another trail to view the Blue Basin, but it would have taken about 1.5 hours to do the loop. I wasn’t feeling particularly fresh for that, and still had a long way to get to Idaho. So, I skipped it – I’d already taken enough photos for the day.

Scenic US 26

Driving down the US 26 to Idaho was a real slog. The scenes are pretty nice, with the green valleys and brown hills, and occasionally some exposed rock. Lots of cow pastures as well, on both sides of the road. The road is just a really long straight-line segment, followed by a small curve, followed by a really long straight-line segment. Rinse and repeat. There were almost no other cars on the road. So, it was time for cruise control. Even so, the drive seemed neverending. I hoped to see a white dragon at the end.

There were a couple of deer running over the road.

Driving east downhill through a forest produced some interesting shadows.

The view was pretty nice on the other side of Picture Gorge.

The weather was getting cloudier near dusk, and no scenic stops to be had. Or, at least I didn’t have the energy for any more.

I took some final scenic shots of the sunset over the pastures. The windshield was getting more and more plastered with insects.

Idaho

After monotonous hours of straight roads, cruise control, and shifting in the seat, finally I had reached Idaho. It was already dark, and later than I expected. Somewhere along the way I had crossed time zones. It was an hour later now. The highway speed limit was 80 MPH. A normal speed limit, and understandable, because most of the roads are just straight.

I booked a hotel in downtown Boise, and decided to get a good night’s rest after all of this driving.