OREGON, Home at last!

We traveled quickly from Glenn's Ferry, Idaho, a famous and treacherous river crossing on the Oregon Trail, to Redmond, Oregon.  Pioneers crossed the Snake River at Three Island Crossing until 1869 when Gus Glenn constructed a ferry about 2 miles upstream.  We stayed at Three Island State Park which is very nice and includes an interesting Oregon Trail History Center.

Scott's Auntie Donna passed away and we hurried to Redmond for a family gathering in her memory.  As we traveled from Bend to Boardman we talked about the beauty of the Cascade range, Mount Hood, and the mighty Columbia River.  There really is nowhere quite as grand as our own state.

We stayed a few days in Pendleton to reconnect with kids, grandkids, and my Dad.  It was fun to see family, celebrate Father's Day and my nephew Jack's birthday before heading "over the hill".

Home, sweet home!

We traveled 36,775 miles, through 42 states, the District of Columbia, 4 Canadian provinces, and home again...

Golden Spike

"The last rail is laid, the spike is driven, the Pacific Railroad is completed."  Here at Promontory, Utah, at 12:47 PM, on May 10, 1869, the driving of a golden spike completed the first transcontinental railroad.

A flag flies between the two engines and the telegraph attached to the flagpole picked up the hammering of the golden spike to announce to the world the Transcontinental Railroad was complete.

A.J. Russell's famous picture celebrating the completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad.  I thought it was humorous, due to Prohibition, in some old photographs the champagne bottles are removed!

Our guide

Huge, beautiful Yucca plant.

Blossoms...

Victorian era trains were ornately painted works of art.

After the completion of the Lucin Cutoff trestle, the route through Promontory became a secondary line.  In 1942 the rails were removed and re-laid in military depots in support of the war effort during WWII.

California Laurelwood Tie, the original was lost in the San Francisco fire and earthquake of 1906.

Union Pacific Railroad Engine No. 119

It takes 2,000 gallons of water to get a steam locomotive approximately 15 to 30 miles.  Then they'll have to stop and fill up to go the next 15 to 30 miles.

Johnny Appleseed

Coal-fired engine

California Pacific Railroad "Jupiter" Engine No. 60

Wood burning engine

Golden Spike

This replica of the original Golden Spike was part of the Official Flight Kit aboard Orbiter Atlantis during Space Shuttle Mission STS-38, November 15-20, 1990.  By this gesture the ribbons of iron that spanned America's first Frontier are united with the ribbons of fire that are spanning America's last Frontier.  The original golden spike is displayed in Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University.

Spiral Jetty

American sculptor, Robert Smithson constructed this earthwork sculpture in April 1970.

Great Salt Lake near the Spiral Jetty, water is murky brown in the distance.

Salt/sand of the Great Salt Lake.

Road to CANYONLANDS

KOA at Moab, Utah.

Utah Highway 279 along the Colorado River near Moab.  We're on our way to Canyonlands Narional Park.

Rock climbers call this area Wall Street.

Looking up at the sheer rock cliffs.

We saw several rock climbers including a novice Boy Scout troop.

Wall Street, another look at the rock face.

Rock climbing Plateau Lizard.

Looking across the Colorado River from the highway.

Petroglyphs 

Look closely over the next few photographs and you'll see some ancient Indian petroglyphs.

                      

Dinosaur Tracks

Scott hiked up the edge of this rock face to see the dinosaur tracks.  Can you see him?

The tracks on the rock slab are all Therapods including Allosaurus, Eubrontes, and Grallator.  These 3-toed predators walked on two legs and used their arms for grasping and holding.

Jug Handle Arch

Long Canyon Road

Long Canyon Road is 7.5 miles from Jug Handle Arch to Dead Horse Point.

Building blocks...

Long Canyon

On the right side of this road it's straight down over the edge!  The road goes right under a giant slab of sandstone that slid off the mountain!

Entering Pucker Pass

Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky

Island in the Sky sits atop a massive 1500 foot Mesa and is quite literally an "island in the sky" and offers spectacular views of Canyonlands.

Prickly Pear Cactus

Grand View Point Overlook

From the view point looking down into Monument Valley.

Sego Lily

Prickly Pear Cactus

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White Rim

Junction Butte 

Monument Valley

Snow capped La Sal Mountains.

Lookin' over the edge!

White Rim at Grand View Point and me!

There's a vehicle driving the White Rim Road (at the curve in the bottom of the 3).

Scott looking out over the Grand View Point.

Scorpionweed

Who's hiding?

Plateau Lizard

Monument Valley

Orange Cliffs Overlook

Green River Overlook

Green River

A little lizard sits atop a cairn.

Buck Canyon

Can you get a sense of the depth?

South fork of Buck Canyon

Mesa Arch

Mesa Arch sits right on the edge of a canyon wall.  Yikes!

Whale Rock

Can you see the figure at the top of Whale Rock?

Holeman Spring Canyon Overlook

Steer Mesa

Still in velvet...

Shafer Trail

Those are bicyclists on the Shafer Trail.

Monitor and Merrimack

I love how this rock flows!

Wild Purple Aster

A drip...

This is outside the parks on our way back to Moab.  I liked the red rock shelf with plants growing on top!