Oregon and Nevada

in

In July, 2002, I removed the back seat from my Jeep Grand Cherokee and packed a foam mattress, bins of supplies, and my mountain bicycle for a long road trip, of which a month was spent exploring the backroads of the southwest. From Seattle, I headed south through Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona to the US-Mexico border, which I followed east along the Rio Grande to its mouth at Brownsville, Texas.

Inside Jeep - Bed, BinsInside Jeep - Bicycle

Crater Lake, Oregon

I climbed one of the hills on the west side of this volcano-top lake for a stunning panoramic view. See in Google Maps See on a USGS topographic map See in Google Earth 42.94587, -122.1694  The next of baby birds was in the outdoor hallway of my hotel that night.

Oregon - North In Crater Lake Park - View NorthCrater LakeEugene Oregon Hotel - Bird Nest - Baby Birds - Barn Swallows

Nevada

No road trip through Nevada is complete without visiting the Black Rock Desert. I climbed Steamboat Hill See in Google Maps See on a USGS topographic map See in Google Earth 40.8489, -119.2225  for a view from the west side of the Black Rock playa, and checked out the nearby Cassidy Mine remains.

Nevada Road Near Gerlach - Cows On RoadView From Hill West of Black Rock DesertNevada - Black Rock Desert - Steamboat HillNevada - Black Rock Desert - View from Steamboat HillNevada - Black Rock Desert - Cassidy MineNevada - Black Rock Desert - Cassidy MineNevada - Black Rock Desert - Playa - Jeep

The dunes of Sand Mountain See in Google Maps See on a USGS topographic map See in Google Earth 39.30178, -118.399 . There were lots of people with their ATVs playing on these dunes.

Nevada - Sand Mountain - DunesNevada - Sand Mountain - Dunes

I love investigating the remains of old mines. These are the mines of Quartz Mountain. See in Google Maps See on a USGS topographic map See in Google Earth 39.04247, -117.965 

Nevada - Quartz Mountain Mines - GraveNevada - Quartz Mountain MinesNevada - Quartz Mountain MinesNevada - Quartz Mountain Mines - JackrabbitNevada - Quartz Mountain MinesNevada - Quartz Mountain Mines

Driving the long, straight Nevada highways. I visited the infamous black (now white) mailbox of Area 51. See in Google Maps See on a USGS topographic map See in Google Earth 37.456883, -115.48187 

Nevada - RoadNevada - Tonopah - Clown HotelEast from Tonopah - RoadExtraterrestrial Highway - RoadRoad to Groom Lake, and the infamous mailboxArea 51 Road

I crossed from Nevada to Arizona over the Hoover Dam, with its new post-9/11 signs and restrictions. See in Google Maps See on a USGS topographic map See in Google Earth 36.01601, -114.73742 

Nevada - Hoover Dam