Day 2: Doing the Right Thing

This morning we got up after a good night's sleep ready to hit the road!
Our first stop was going to be the John Day Fossil Beds. What a fun place. Rather out of the way, but very beautiful. We learned alot!

Leaving Prineville.
Starting Mileage: 528.3

More cows. We were seeing A LOT of cows

Getting closer to John Day Paleontology Center at Sheep Rock.  Amazing
It opened at 10 am.

We got to the center at 9:39. We thought it would be good to drive out to the National Monument.  There was a trail we did a tiny bit on called the Flood Of Fire. They did have signs up saying not to take any dirt, flowers, rocks or fossils.

Cathedral Rock. Lon wanted to know if the green as because it had a lot of copper in it. I said probably.

The Cant Ranch House. Sadly, this was closed. It was a house built in 1919.

Getting ready to get his Jr. Ranger Badge! #1 on this trip

He has his book! Lon is exploring the center, looking for the answers!

Lon was the only one in the center who was pulling out drawers looking at all the samples

In case you were wondering who John Day was. There is so much named for him, a river, a town, there is a boat launch, a bunch of stuff!

Getting the Jr. Ranger Badge! Now he has 16.
We were going to try to make it to the Hagerman Fossil Beds in Idaho, but due to slower traffic and a time zone change we did not make it. I think once they get the Minidoka Internment Center Park finished we will come back to see that. I want Lon to learn about that.  It is not a nice part of our history, but it is something he should know.

Old Barns. The Trip Through Time Scenic Byway was much easier than Over the Rivers and Through the Woods. I was wondering why  the pick up in front of me was only going 65. I was three car lengths back. Then I figured it out when he locked up his brakes as a deer ran in front of his truck.  I slammed on mine, no one hit anything.  I was then very fine going 60 miles an hour.  We saw a good number of deer today.  And a eternally sleeping porcupine. I was tempted to get some quills, but it was in the middle of the road.

These were the size towns we went through.
We got gas in Ontario Idaho. They pumped it for me, even though it was Idaho.
mileage: 796.9
price: 42.26
gallons: 10.516
Another day of no lunch, since it seemed like everyone went home for lunch. I did not see any place to stop and eat!  We were looking too. We are going to find a place to replenish our snack horde, as we have been eating it for lunch!

Getting closer to Twin Falls.  This was going to be our stop for the night.
However, we gave up the reservation I made to someone who needed it more.  There is a forest fire north of Ketchum, Idaho.  They are evacuating people, and those people need a place to stay.  We thought it would be a good idea to give up our reservation and go on down the road.
We called ahead to the Hampton Inn at lovely Tremorton, Utah.
We got gas in Burley Idaho. Before there was vast spaces of nothing but scenery.
Mileage: 1017.7
Gallons: 8.378 ( I wanted not to run out of gas on the way to Utah)
Price: 33.00

Lon took this picture out the back window. The sunset was amazing.
The motorcycles were keeping up with us, and we leap frog-ed the slow trucks.  We would wave at each other. Sometimes, they went ahead of me, sometimes I was in front of them.

Nice picture.  I think the pretty colors are because of the fire

From the front seat.
It was good we called ahead and got our room.  They ran out of rooms too. There were some other rooms in the town.
We used the pool and the hot tub tonight!  Lon was thrilled that Mommy took him to the pool!
He is now asleep
Tomorrow we go see the Golden Spike!