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Left Portland in mid-afternoon and headed to Newport. The countryside in Yamhill County looked beautiful following the two days of rain.
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In Newport was able to catch up on visiting with my parents and brother, Ben. Saw the movie Mission Impossible 2 with Ben. Did not take many pictures in the Newport area except when my cousin Russell and his wife Isabel arrived. We went to the waterfront and explored some of the stores.
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All too soon it was time to leave the delicious food of Newport behind and return to my camping fare. The return trip to Omaha was beginning. The sights along the way were wonderful, but all too soon vacation was coming to an end. The return trip began about 7:00 a.m. on the 16th of June. In central Oregon the Cascades were showing up pretty well. There was a slight haze but from Pilot Butte in Bend the peaks were visible as far north as Mount Rainier.
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The drive across Oregon on U.S. 20 was warm but comfortable. The skies were open and the vistas were impressive. At Burns I turned south for Nevada and had many sweeping vistas. Photographs do not do the scenes justice. The roads are lonely from Burns to Frenchglen and on into Nevada. Denlo, Nevada has to be one of the least glamorous border crossings into Nevada. After a long day driving I camped in Lamoille Canyon about 20 miles southeast of Elko, Nevada. Early the next morning I enjoyed exploring the canyon.
Routing information: Left Newport via U.S. 20 which I basically followed to Burns, Oregon with two exceptions -- 1) Oregon 34 is a cut-off between Corvallis and Lebanon that bypasses Albany and 2) in Bend left the highway to climb the road that reaches the top of Pilot Butte. In Burns took Oregon 205 to Denlo, Nevada (scenic highlights included the Narrows -- the road crosses a lake, Frenchglen and the views of Steens Mountain, the Roraring Springs Ranch, and the pass by Square Mountain). At the Nevada border Oregon 205 changes to Nevada 292 before joining Nevada 140. The terminus of Nevada 140 is U.S. 95 which leads into Winnemucca. Took I-80 to Elko and Nevada 227 to Lamoille Canyon. |
The early morning sun still left long shadows even as I was departing. Would definitely like to return as there are numerous trails to hike and the mountains provide an oasis from the basins. It is my hope that sometime the canyon could be another unit in Great Basin National Park or maybe it could be part of a new Ruby Mountain National Park.
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The interstate across Nevada and Utah had quite a bit of traffic. Bonneville had lots of mirages and the Great Salt Lake had boat races. The boats were too far away for good pictures. Interstate 80 has a detour through Salt Lake City so it took some time to pass through. Went through Wyoming on I-80 until I made a turn for the snowy range. Arrived in the late evening and camped on the eastern side of the range near the North Fork of Little Laramie Creek.
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The rest of the trip home was pretty uneventful with one exception. While driving across Nebraska I was very impressed with the gas mileage. I had driven 430 miles and still had an eighth of a tank so I planned to refuel in York, Nebraska. Not too long after that decision the car sputtered but then resumed its course. I made a decision to get off at the next exit and as I was leaving the highway the engine quit. It was less than half a mile to the gas station and borrowing a container my refueling went without a hitch. Need to get the gas gauge fixed. Made it back to Omaha in the early evening.
Routing information: Left Lamoille Canyon the same way I entered using Nevada 227. Followed I-80 all the way through most of Wyoming except for detours in Salt Lake City. Left I-80 at the Walcott exit to go south on Wyoming 130 which leads over the Snowy Pass. Camped about three miles off the highway at North Fork Campground (Little Laramie Creek). Continued the 18th of June to Laramie and joined I-80 briefly to Wyoming 210. Took I-25 one exit to I-80 and stayed on I-80 until reaching Omaha.To return to the home page return to: Home
To return part 2: Part 2
To return to the first page of trip: Part 1