Drought

 Many of the areas we have visited in the west are suffering through droughts. These lands are naturally dry most offering only vegetation suited to very dry conditions. A few crops are maintained with irrigation when a water source is available. As I drive through the large swaths of land only able to maintain scrub brush, I always wonder what the inhabitants of the few ranch houses I see set back from the road do to make enough money to get by.

Today, we spotted a common manifestation of drought in southern Utah - fire. The road curved away about the time I took this photo, but the cloud of smoke was impressive.

Road to Winnemucca

 The road to Winnemucca is one of those next gas 100 miles don’t look over the edge into the canyon kind of roads. The road takes you from southern Oregon into Nevada initially on two lanes. When the highway finally widens to four lanes semis pulling three trailers rush past you on the down grades and you pass them again as they crawl up the next incline.

During the early stage of the Winnemucca drive, we encountered two herds of cows being drives toward us by cowboys and one cowgirl on horseback, You have to admit this is pretty unusual. The cowboys were friendly and wished us a good trip and we wished them a short drive so they could avoid the 100 degree temps.

I found it interesting that rest stops were fairly common along this desolate road. The accommodations were primitive and for our kids who always ask, “yes, they were pits”.

The ads for queso are attractive.

Car repairs

 We have this strange metal grinding sound in our car and Don (husband of Lori daughter of Ken and Ruth) said he thought it was worn out brakes and he would fix. I admit to being a little skeptical that a music teacher would have the necessary skills, but I have seen other handyman skills Don regularly applies and thought it a reasonable venture. Kenny has a well stocked garage. With a quick trip to the car parts store, Don was off and fixing. Watching someone dive under the car to position the jack made me a bit nervous. He says YouTube is wonderful for learning things and this background is all he needs for many tasks. Sure enough, I watched as he changed the brake pads on two wheels.

Lacking mechanical experiences and the way of thinking to accomplish such tasks which likely only comes from experience, I was amazed watching him work through the process of removing the brake assembly and replacing the pads. We were grateful to have the task done without having to try to find a time we could get the car into a shop.

We did find in replacing the brake pads that one of our tires had worn considerably from being out of alignment. Klamath Falls had several options for the larger sized tires we needed without having to have them shipped in so we were able to buy new tires. We drive an all-wheel drive vehicle which means if you have one bad tire you usually have to replace all four. This does get expensive, but you also don’t want to be stranded on the side of road in the large stretches between towns you can find yourself in during drives in this part of the country. 

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Back on the road.

Tillamook Cheese

 

I know Tillamook as the cheese I buy at COSTCO. I always get the same kind. We have a great cheese plant and store near us in Wisconsin that is great, but the sliced Tillamook from COSTCO and it turns out Tillamook, OR, is great for sandwiches. 

The crowd at the creamery was huge, but most were headed for the ice cream counter. The three-scoop sampler seemed the main target. We headed for cheese-based foods. The macaroni and cheese was gone so I added the cheese curds to my chicken sandwich. Too much cheese.

Cape Meares and the Fog

 The Northwest has a reputation for being dark and rainy. We haven’t experienced the rain, but nearly every morning starts with fog. Sometimes the fog lasts and some times it burns off. What I have found unique is how it can hang on hillsides and in the woods in what appears from a distance to be heavy blankets. 

We took a very short side trip to see the Cape Meares LightHouse. It is generic as light houses I have viewed go, but the setting is spectacular. The fog was hanging in the woods and the combination of the wind and the fog generated a lot of rain falling from the trees rather than the sky.

The lighthouse and its Fresnel lens

I think it is the trees that give the forests here that create the distinctive look. The pines are large, thick, and have dark trunks. Looking into the forest through the fog offers some great photo opportunities.