Utah

It was my turn for helping out in Morgan, so KR and I headed out on May 17 for a couple of weeks in Utah (May 17-31). We made it to Baker on the night of the 17th relatively early and looked around a bit. In doing so, we noticed the Geiser Hotel in the old downtown. I had heard of it and seen it in passing several times, so we decided to do something unusual and stay there - good choice. The current owners managed to save much of the original building and furnishings in the recent restoration. Our room was spacious and the dinner we had in the downstairs restaurant was very good - try the prime rib! A block away is the Eltrym Theater (equally vintage) and we enjoyed a movie in a very nostalgic setting. The moon was bright and the Geiser glittering as we made our way back to our room late in the evening.


Things went well in Morgan. I was able to give everyone a rest by staying there most of the time. KR helped me out, and Ethan and Olivia spent several days with us also. I was able to do some family history (my aunts helping me identify some pictures below) and play some intense games of Candyland. Dad is deep into scanning his slides. It gives him something to do and he seems to enjoy the activity. Daniel, one of his caregivers, helps keep him on task.
 

KR flew home early and I completed my Morgan stint, then headed home by car. My trip was a bit unusual (surprise). I headed through Nevada to Elko, then cut north along the Owyhee River to Wild Horse Dam. Not much out there folks! This fork of the Owyhee appears to be the biggest and it winds north toward the Idaho border through Mountain City, Nevada to the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, then winds west to join with its other forks. The road goes straight north from the border, to Bruneau Dunes and the Snake River. I followed the south bank of the Snake to Vale, Oregon, passing over Keeney Pass, where there are some of the best-preserved Oregon Trail ruts still extant. Instead of joining the freeway at Ontario, I continued on the back roads north, over the Blue Mountains to the John Day River's middle fork, then on to Pendleton, where I finally hit the freeway. A beautiful drive if you have the inclination. The pictures: 1) Owyhee River below Wild Horse Dam, 2) Mountain City, Nevada - has seen better days, 3) Keeney Pass and Oregon Trail vestiges, and 4) Middle Fork of the John Day River (Oregon).

Finally, I pulled into Wenatchee on the 31st and was greeted by a spectacular thunderstorm, complete with interesting cloud formations right over our house.