June 8 - North into Oregon

After talking to Roger and Randy in the caves yesterday, we decided to head into Eastern Oregon to see some new country. It sure has wide open spaces. Almost as soon as we crossed the border into Oregon I saw a sign that said we were entering the Oregon Outback. We can see why. Hardly anyone on the road, no houses, a few very small “towns.” 

I really don’t have any pictures that show the expansive valleys we traversed but know it was pretty desolate. 

One of the small towns we drove through had poppies growing. A bright spot along the way. 

I’ve tried to grow them and they never come up. Must be the soil, which is probably alkaline because we drove along Goose Lake that is an alkaline, 15 miles long and 7 miles wide. You can’t tell from the pics, but there’s salt along the edges of the lake. The road wound around the lake. Very pretty drive. 

Our campground for the night is at Chickahominy Reservoir  in Riley, Oregon. Again not much here but it was VERY peaceful evening. It rained and got colder as we were getting ready for bed. Banjo loved the cooler temps, Lenny did not. This is our view from Ida. 

Talked to Shan who told me Arlo had his first trip to Costco. That little buggar sure gets around and only 2 months old. 

He’s loving life. 

Tomorrow we will drive farther north to John Day, OR. We have a campground for 3 nights to explore that area.