Sagebrush Inn

We drove through Richfield this afternoon.  Same sagebrush and alkaline soil on the west side of the highway.  But the east side, down in a wide valley, was all rich fields, just like the name.  Lots of ranches, farms, tilled soil.  ...

... dirt roads. After being assured by the ranger that the road had a good gravel base, we proceeded. Two pronghorn were grazing in the sagebrush as we drove by. The hike out to the arch was also very nice. Water was flowing down all the small arroyos, and ...

... lakes and meadows, to dessert mountains, where I am now. Kamloops is steeply mountainous but dry like the U.S. Southwest with scrub and sagebrush. I said to Chris (owner of the couch - really extra bedroom) that it's really hot (about 90) and he replied, ...

... attention to the changes in flora.  As I ascended I passed through the scraggly pinyon and juniper trees interspersed with sagebrush until it gradually transitioned into Ponderosa Pines and then spruce and fir trees.  By the time I reached the ...

...  Saw a sign for a honey tasting room, so we had to stop.  They had 11 different types of honey from the familiar sagebrush to cactus (which I ended up buying), to avocado (not so good).  The place was charming and very clean.  They had ...

... save the maiming of the Pronghorns. There was a point before we got to Casper when the landscape changed from farm land to just sagebrush and dirt.  Then we got to Casper and I wonder if there is anyone left there younger than 40+.  It sure ...

... on with the warm temps and a mostly sunny sky. As we left the Columbia River we headed across the vast expanse of farm lands and sagebrush country until finally we get to the foot of the "big hill" to start our climb from about 1000' up to 4000+ foot ...

... . As we pondered their fate, we left the "lush" feel of Imperial Valley and returned to the now customary desert surroundings of sagebrush and cactus. 14 miles later, Di and I arrived at the Brawley Inn, shortly after the first group. We had made ...

... were ever-changing for the rest of the way to Cody.  Every few miles it changes from flat to rolling, from sand and sagebrush to fertile farmland.  Strange mesas appear in the darndest places.  Then all of a sudden, we were at the foot of ...

... prairie grassland, then it changes to fertile farmland, then areas that look like the old cowboy movies with mesas, gulches, and sagebrush. Then there will be trees, then none.  It is really amazing!  We were surprised to find crossing gates ...

... a TJ Maxx to join the WalMart, Office Depots and all that makes America so, er, great. It also has a great place to eat: The Sagebrush Steak House, where our last meal before the inevitable diet, was a great one. MJ had a quesadilla that was four times as ...

... .  While you might think of Oregon is being very damp, this part of Oregon is quite dry and is mosly covered in sagebrush.  The volcanoes eventually covered this area in a series of basalt flows.  Over the last 7 million years or so rivers ...

... the Black Hills and heading south, a great expanse of prairie stretched before us.  Nearly treeless plains, with endless grass and sagebrush, few houses, and scattered herds of cattle go on as far as you can see in every direction. This, I told ...

... with shade trees, so he could get a good walk and I could sit on a gravestone and eat lunch. I found the sagebrush filled valleys and rolling hills soothing and relaxing with nary another car to be seen, or any sign of human ...

... This is not true of the desert areas in New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. When viewed from the highway one sees sagebrush, tumbleweed, various shrubs, and cacti stretching across the expanse, finally fading into a purple haze in the distance. A short walk ...

... One of the things that surprised us about desert terrain is how varied it is - as well as the expected sand, cacti and sagebrush, wherever there's some water you get lots of greenery and colourful flowers.  Despite all the beauty, by the time we got ...

... to add the Bradley Lake loop onto our trek. The walk to Taggart was fairly easy.  It goes through flat areas of sagebrush and a section that looks like it recently burned, which was different.  Once there we found a good sized rock right on the ...