Category Archives: Destinations

The Layered Look: The Painted Hills of Oregon

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Painted Hills 750

You have to keep reminding yourself that what you are seeing is real. The rolling, rounded hills striped with colors of rich rust, deep green, and yellow appear surreal, like an artist’s conception of outer space. You want to capture them on camera quickly before the illusion disappears, just to prove to the folks at home this marvelous pallet of pastels really exists.

Believe it. The Painted Hills in north central Oregon are authentic, and very old. About 30 million years ago, volcanoes from the Cascade Mountains 100 miles to the west deposited layer upon layer of cooled ash over the region. In time, plants and animals churned the surface, water flowed, eroding and redistributing the minerals, and air oxidized the ash. Many different minerals combine to produce the colorful display we see today: aluminum, silicon, iron, magnesium, manganese, sodium, and many more.

Very few plants are able to grow on the Painted Hills. The soils bind water so intensely plants are unable to draw nourishment. So, except in crevasses and gullies where some plants survive, the hills are bare.

From a distance the striped hill surfaces look hard as though they are painted on canvas, but close-up, you can see they have a popcorn appearance and, particularly after a rain, they are soft and spongy. For this reason, visitors are asked to keep on trails and to avoid walking on the hills. Noticeable trails, however, are created by deer and antelope.

Several good walking trails traverse Painted Hills with excellent interpretive signs and brochures. The moderately strenuous, 1.5-mile Carroll Rim Trail rewards the hiker with an outstanding view of the Painted Hills and Sutton Mountain. For a close-up view of a crimson hill and to see the claystone popcorn structure, take the short Painted Cove Trail which winds around the hill on a wooden walkway.

Another interesting hike is the quarter-mile Leaf Hill Trail that takes walkers past the area where large quantities of plant fossils have been removed for study. Except for this trail, fossils are rarely found in the Painted Hills.

The Painted Hills, located 10 miles west of Mitchell, off U.S. 26, is one of three units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. In 1975 Congress established the monument which is composed of 14,000 acres and contains rocks preserving millions of years of plant and animal life. The other two units are the Sheep Rock Unit, near the town of Dayville, Oregon, and the Clarno Unit, 18 miles west of Fossil, Oregon. The Sheep Rock Unit, located at the intersection of State Route 19 and U.S. 26, has several trails and overlooks.

The Clarno Unit, 18 miles west of Fossil, OR, known for its Clarno Nut Beds, is one of the world’s finest fossil plant sources where more than 300 plant species have been found. Several trails allow visitors to see the actual fossils embedded in rock.

Be sure to visit the Thomas Condon Palenotology Center, a National Park Service research facility dedicated to the John Day Fossil Beds. It also serves as the park visitor center and fossil museum. We were fascinated as we watched through a picture window a scientist at work in a laboratory and collections room which contains more than 45,000 specimens.

Another interesting side visit is the James Cant Ranch, located on both sides of the John Day River in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. The Cant Ranch complex is preserved as an interpretive site showing visitors an early 20th-century livestock ranch. The James Cant Ranch is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, there are several short trails with exhibits showing a ranch of yesteryear with original wagons and farming equipment.

There are several camping facilities near Prineville, a small town (population 5,000) about 50 miles southwest of the Painted Hills. Prineville Reservoir State Park, located 17 miles south of Prineville, is a large 70-site facility. In addition, several U.S. Forest Service campgrounds are in the area.

Take your time at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. The area, particularly the Painted Hills, is a unique, fascinating place to visit and a photographer’s delight.

 

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Swagger into Methow Valley’s Old West

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When you drift into the Methow Valley, you’re in cowboy country where cattle and horses outnumber people. The Charlie Russell landscapes are the genuine article, and, in fact, it is widely believed that Owen Wister, famed author of The Virginian, derived many of the settings and heroes of his novel from Methow Valley and Winthrop.

Today, the Methow (pronounced Met-how) Valley comprises the small towns of Mazama, Winthrop, Twisp, Carlton and Pateros with lush open country in between where fields of baled hay, pastured livestock and big old weathered barns are graced with a backdrop of the rugged Cascade Mountains.

Winthrop, one of the most popular towns in the valley, offers the facilities and services you’d expect from a major vacation center but with a strong western flavor. Strolling down the town’s wooden sidewalks, you’ll find yourself back in the 19th Century West with false-front wooden buildings, hitching rails and other western trappings. If you time it right this fall, you may witness cowboys (the real thing!) on horseback driving cattle down Winthrop’s main street, moving them from mountain summer pastures.

Mountain lodges, resorts, dude ranches, conventional motels, and bed and breakfast inns abound in Winthrop. Seventeen campgrounds located within eight miles of Winthrop include state parks, forest service campgrounds and private campgrounds. It’s a great place to shop, especially for unique gift items and western clothing. A steak dinner takes on a definite western flavor here and if you happen to be visiting on a Saturday night, you’ll have a chance to dance to the strong beat of western music.

Of special interest in Winthrop is the Shafter Museum with exhibits of furniture, tools, bicycles and carriages depicting the area’s early days. Adjacent buildings feature a well-stocked old-fashioned country store and displays of old mining equipment.

For a romping, stomping good time, take in the rodeos Memorial Day weekend, May 23 & 24 and the Labor Day weekend, September 5 & 6, presented by Methow Valley Horsemen.

Twisp, like Winthrop and the other small valley towns, offers good browsing for western art and craft items made by local artisans. At the western edge of town, the U.S. Forest Service Smokejumper Base welcomes visitors during fire season, normally June through October. Parachuting firefighters in to fight forest fires began here as a national experiment in 1939.

Dozens of small lakes dot the region making the Methow and adjacent Okanogan country ideal for trout fishing. Most of the lakes have campgounds and small rustic resorts with rental boats available. The Methow River is a renown rafting destination and several outdoor companies operate regular trips. One-day or overnight horsepacking and backpacking offer a closer look at the forestlands and the spectacular Pasayten Wilderness north of Winthrop.

The Methow Valley is a great destination, rich in wild scenery and plenty of things to do. For more information, call the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce, (509) 996-2125,
or visit the Methow Valley website at www.methow.com.

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In Memory of the Oklahoma City Bombing

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe Field of Empty Chairs, a reminder of each life lost. In the background, The Reflecting Pool to the right; Gate of Time to the left.

 

It was a normal Wednesday morning under a clear blue Oklahoma City sky on April 19, 1995. Workers made their way to offices, dropped off children at the building’s day-care center, perhaps poured themselves a cup of coffee to get a jump-start on their
day. Then, at 9:02, America’s innocence changed forever when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed, killing 168 people and injuring more than 500.

How could such a horrific thing happen on American soil? Timothy McVeigh, a former decorated United States Army soldier, claimed that the bombing was revenge for “what the U.S. government did at Waco and Ruby Ridge.” McVeigh and accomplice Terry Nichols, used readily available toxic industrial chemicals, ammonium nitrate, an agricultural fertilizer, and nitromethane, a highly volatile motor-racing fuel, to accomplish their despicable deed.

The attackers parked a rented Ryder truck in a loading area with a timer set to explode about 5,000 pounds of the highly combustible material. The explosion resulted in the worst terrorist attack on United States soil prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks. McVeigh was executed and accomplice Terry Nichols was sentenced to life in prison. A third party, Michael Fortier received a 12-year prison sentence plus a $200,000 fine for failure to warn authorities about the attack.

The blast tore away more than a third of the Murrah Building, but destroyed the entire building. In addition, fourteen buildings in the vicinity had to be torn down due to extensive destruction and another 312 buildings within a sixteen-block radius were damaged.

More than 12,000 people participated in relief and rescue work, including twenty-four canine units. Prompt investigation gave vital clues to the complexity of the crime and early leads on a suspect and accomplices led to extraordinarily quick arrests. Visitors watch news clips and special bulletins televised from around the world.

From April 20 to May 4, 1995 rescue and recovery operations poured into the area. Professional rescue workers, volunteers and canine units from all over the country clawed through the rubble to help dig out survivors and recover the dead. In the children’s day-care center directly above the mobile bomb, devastation was horrific. Upper floors collapsed onto those beneath them, crushing everyone and everything below.

Although the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was born of hatred and violence, visiting the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum is an uplifting experience. Poignant sights and artifacts of the bombing are in plain view, but also evident is what this sacred ground has become: a monument of hope and faith, of remembrance of loved ones lost, of human spirits rising above this inhumane act.

Three distinct components comprise the memorial: the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial, dedicated on April 19, 2000, the fifth anniversary of the attack; the Memorial Museum, dedicated one year later, April 19, 2001; the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, a concept founded by families and survivors during the writing of the Mission Statement in 1995.

Wandering the grounds where the building once stood, visitors soon see that every exhibit is a vital symbol of this experience. One of the most poignant, the Field of Empty Chairs is a reminder of each life lost. The chairs, including nineteen smaller chairs representing the children who died, placed in nine rows, represent the nine floors of the building. Made of bronze, stone and glass, the chairs are placed in the row according to what floor the person was working or visiting when killed.

For more information, visit www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org or call 1-888-542-HOPE (4673).

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The Treasure of the Steamboat Arabia

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Dishes and other goods at "old store."

Dishes and other goods at “old store.”

While attending a Women Writing the West conference, our group visited the amazing Arabia Steamboat Museum, a historic Kansas City, MO attraction.

In 1856, the 171-foot-long, side-wheeler steamboat Arabia sank to the bottom of the Missouri River when her hull was pierced by a submerged tree, taking with it 200 tons of brand new store merchandise. The snag ripped open the hull which quickly filled with water. By the next morning, only the smokestacks and pilot house remained visible. Within the next few days, all remaining traces of the boat disappeared from sight. Numerous attempts to salvage the boat and her contents were attempted but, it appeared, all was lost. Although there were no human casualties, a mule that was tied to sawmill equipment went down with the ship.

Over time, the Missouri River changed course, leaving the Arabia buried deep in the mud of a farmer’s field. In 1987, Bob Hawley and his sons Greg and David set out to find the boat. Using old maps and a proton magnetometer to determine the location, they finally discovered the Arabia half a mile from the current river, under 45 feet of silt and topsoil.

The owners of the farm gave permission for excavation with the provision that the project be completed before spring planting. In November 1988, the Hawleys, along with family friends Jerry Mackery and David Luttrell, began the recovery task while the water table was at its lowest point. Heavy equipment was brought in including a 100-ton crane and 20 irrigation pumps to keep the site from flooding, Within days, goods were recovered, all in remarkably good shape. A wooden crate filled with elegant china was so well preserved even its yellow straw packing material was still intact. Pickles sealed in a wooden barrel were still edible. (Can’t you just hear that conversation: “You try it.” “No, you try it.”)

In February 1989, work ceased at the site and the pumps were turned off. The hole filled with water overnight.

Although the site of the sinking is near present-day Kansas City, Kansas, the cargo and remnants of the ship are now housed in The Arabia Steamboat Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. The museum houses one of the most remarkable collections of pre-Civil War artifacts in the world. Each piece has been carefully cleaned, categorized and attractively displayed. The collection is still a work in progress as preservationists continue to clean remaining artifacts.

The Arabia Steamboat Museum is a fascinating collection of goods including European dishware, jewelry, guns, tools, clothing and food products,. The attractive displays are works of art with items exhibited on furniture replicas, effectively creating a time-capsule of frontier life in the 1800’s.

The Arabia Steamboat Museum is a perfect destination if you’re in the Kansas City, MO area. For more information, visit http://1856.com/

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Hibulb Cultural Center: Keeping the Cultural Fires Burning

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The Hibulb Cultural Center & Natural History Preserve is a fascinating museum located on the Tulalip Reservation adjacent to the city of Marysville, Washington, 34 miles north of Seattle. Hibulb (pronounced Hee-bolb) is resplendent with tribal folk lore, carving, weaving, knitting, and sculpture.

The center is named for the large village of Hibulb that was at the end of a bluff overlooking Puget Sound. Warriors who lived in longhouses at Hibulb protected their people from invasion of their territories. From Hibulb, they could see enemies approaching from a long distance and they would light a huge signal fire to warn the other villages and longhouses across the bay and up the Snohomish River.

Tulalip Tribes, the People of the Salmon, are a federally recognized tribe of Duwamish, Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skagit, Suiattle, Samish, and Stillaguamish people. The 22,000-acre Tulalip Reservation was established in 1855 by a treaty that guaranteed hunting and fishing rights to all tribes represented by the signers. In return for the reservation and other benefits promised in the treaty by the United States government, the Duwamish Tribe exchanged over 54,000 acres of their homeland which includes much of modern-day King County.

Today the Tulalip Reservation is thriving with businesses that serve more than 6 million visitors a year and is one of the largest employers in Snohomish County.

The Hibulb Cultural Center, which opened in 2010, is located on a 50-acre natural history preserve. The 23,000-square foot structure features a main exhibit, a revolving temporary exhibit, two classrooms, a longhouse, a research library and a gift shop. The Center provides an introduction to these Northwest tribes, their culture and history.

The exhibits of the Hibulb Cultural Center may be viewed on a self-guided tour, but we had the pleasure of joining a group guided by Lois, a tribal member who is knowledgeable and informative. We met first in the cedar Longhouse which is built into the museum, I learned that not all Indians were teepee dwellers. The Tulalip peoples lived in longhouses, each of which might house 14 to 20 families. Tribal meetings were held in the longhouses and even today it is an important center where teachings and traditions are passed from generation to generation.

The Tulalip have a binding relationship to cedar and salmon. At the Center, visitors learn how weaving, fishing and cooking defined their culture. The cedar tree is considered a gift to serve throughout one’s life. Every part of the tree is used with nothing wasted. It is a perfect resource, providing everything from baskets, bowls, cloth, and canoes, to long-lasting carvings.

The Tulalip are a fishing people. The Cultural Center has a display showing fishing gear, traps and techniques. Also shown is a “summer house” where they lived while fishing, hunting, gathering berries, etc.

Formal education began at Tulalip in 1857 with a Catholic priest, Father Chirouse, who taught English, reading, spelling, history and math. He himself was a student of theirs as he learned to speak one of the local dialects, Lushootseed. Father Chirouse was revered by the Tulalip people and later became an Indian Agent and the voice of the people.

A sad period in the history of the Tulalip as well as many Indian tribes, is when, in the 1800’s, the U.S. Government required all native children to leave their homes and stay in boarding schools. In an attempt to “civilize” the children, they were forbidden to speak their native language, practice their own religion and beliefs, or wear their accustomed clothing. The children were allowed little contact with their own families. Father Chirouse’s school was closed and replaced by a more military-style education. The result of total immersion into the white man’s world caused the old customs and native languages to become nearly extinct.

Most of the languages have been restored, thanks to the elders who still remembered and who realized their culture was in danger of vanishing. Ancient languages were not written languages, but with dedicated effort, ways of writing the sounds have been found and, with great effort, many of these “lost” languages have been reinstated.

At the Cultural Center, many walls are decorated with small plaques of men and women who have served with the United States Armed Forces. Each wall acknowledges a particular war or period served. The Tulalip Tribes Veteran’s Department has combined forces with other veteran programs to help provide services for returning warriors.

A special exhibit, Coast Salish Canoes, will be on display until June, giving visitors an opportunity to learn about different types of canoes, their construction, and important canoe carvers. The display shows the canoe travel routes in Puget Sound and traditional canoe-based gatherings ranging from canoe races to festivals and journeys. Following a time-line approach, the display shows the history of canoes to present day.

Plan on spending some time at Hibulb Cultural Center. Although it can be self-guided, I recommend joining a guided tour. The short stories and anecdotes are fascinating and informative. To learn more about the Center, visit http://www.hibulbculturalcenter.org/

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Thar She Blows! Whale Watching in the Northwest

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Whale Frank A

Photo courtesy of Frank Alishio. Taken from boat on south side of Camano Island, WA.

 

It’s whale watching time! Each year from March throughout the summer months, the fascination of whale watching begins in Puget Sound.

So where can you spot these gigantic mammals? The gray, a baleen whale, is regularly spotted in the Saratoga Passage and other shallow, muddy beaches around Camano Island. Another baleen whale, the minke, also is seen in Puget Sound.

Baleen whales are identified by horny, elastic material that forms a fringed mesh in their mouth, used for trapping food.

The orca, a toothed whale, is most commonly seen in the waters of the San Juan Islands. One popular place on San Juan Island is Lime Kiln State Park, just 8 miles from Friday Harbor overlooking Haro Strait. This day-use park is the nation’s first whale-watching park.

Orcas, also known as “killer” whales because of their voracious appetite for salmon, porpoise, or even whales, reside in Puget Sound year round but sightings are more common beginning in March.

The orca is not really a whale at all but is the largest member of the dolphin family. However, it is commonly called a whale because of its size and habits. The distinctive black and white orcas are probably the most studied group of marine mammals in the world.

Gray whales, once nearly extinct, have made a remarkable comeback and can be seen making their north-bound migration from March through June. These giants can reach 45 feet in length, compared to the orcas’ 30 feet, and gray whales have a blotchy pattern of light and dark gray coloration.

It is estimated that gray whales consume about seven percent of their body weight each day. Grays feed primarily on bottom-dwelling amphipods (shrimp like animals), clams and worms, and suck up several cubic feet of sediment at a time, filtering it through their baleen plates. They are often seen surfacing with mud streaming from their heads.

The minke whale ranges between 25 and 30 feet long and has dark coloring on its back and small dorsal fin. Because of their coloring, minke whales are often mistaken for female orca. One distinction between them is that the minke travels alone, unlike the female orca who normally travel in groups. Minke whales come to the Puget Sound area during summer time and return to the Pacific Ocean in winter.

What do you watch for when on the lookout for whales? Whether you’re on shore or on a boat, watch for the whale’s blow which consists of vapor, water, or condensation blown into the air up to 12 feet when the whale exhales. Once a blow is located, keep watching. Where you’ve seen one, you’ll see others.

Whales breathe rhythmically and normally follow a pattern of three to five shallow dives in a row followed by a deep dive, to a depth of up to 500 feet. When you see tail flukes come out of the water, it usually means a whale is starting a deep dive. The Orca may stay submerged 3 to 5 minutes while the gray and minke may not surface for 8 to 15 minutes. When whales surface, they blow.

Sometimes whales lift their heads straight out of the water, a maneuver called spyhopping. Some whale experts believe this activity allows the animal to visually find out where it is in relationship to the shoreline.

Another thrilling sight is breaching, when a whale leaps into the air exposing up to three fourths of its body length. The whale then falls on its side or back with a tremendous splash. Whales will sometimes breach several times in a row.

If you’re fortunate enough to be near waters where whales are passing through, enjoy the show. Whale watching is one of the Northwest’s splashiest spectacles.
These giant mammals will give you a show to remember.

For more information on whales, visit www.WhaleResearch.com

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Sagebrush: More Than a Weed

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At one time I considered sagebrush a sort of useless weed, a wasteland by-product, but since have become fascinated by this important and productive plant and its useful place in a healthy ecosystem.

On a recent trip to central Idaho, we drove for miles on roads winding through sagebrush meadows, a terrain often called prairie or steppe. An attractive roadside sign titled “Wildlife in the Sagebrush Meadow” piqued my interest and when we returned home I delved deeper into the marvels of sagebrush.

Sagebrush comes in a variety of sizes and is a coarse, many-branched, silvery-grey shrub with yellow flowers and silvery-grey foliage. Sagebrush thrives because a long taproot draws water from deep underground. In the meantime, its shallow roots collect scarce rainwater near the surface. Rub a silver-green leaf between your fingers to smell the sagebrush’s distinctive pungent odor, similar to terpentine. Once sagebrush has passed the seedling stage, it can reach ages of more than 100 years. It can grow 2 to 12 feet tall.

Although often too dry to support trees, sagebrush prairies support nest sites and provide cover from wind and predators, harbor food for insect-eating wildlife and provide the main winter food for sage grouse and pronghorn antelope.

Many species of animals call sagebrush “home,” including hundreds of birds, 70 mammals, 23 reptiles and amphibians, 72 spiders and more than 100 insects. Interestingly, pronghorn antelope are the only large herbivores who browse on sagebrush extensively. Some birds, such as sage grouse live nowhere else. These many species are important to the sagebrush ecosystem itself, providing crucial services such as dispersing seeds and preying on insects and rodents. Idaho grows ten different kinds of sagebrush and all provide unique habitat for wildlife prairie dwellers.

In addition, plants and grasses that grow under the sagebrush provide nesting materials and protein-rich insects for birds. Sage grouse depend on mature shrubs for shelter in winter and camouflage nesting sites under the protective canopy of leaves in spring.

Sagebrush habitats across the West have been greatly altered by a century of settlement, livestock grazing, agriculture and weed invasion. With care, these valuable sagebrush prairies can be managed and rejuvenated to enrich habitat for the myriad of wildlife that depend on it.

Here are a few steps that can be taken to preserve sagebrush:

– Eliminate invasive plants, such as cheatgrass that chokes out native sagebrush. Other invasive plants include Russian knapweed, jointed goatgrass, and musk thistle.

– Off-road vehicles, primarily all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) can damage biological soil structure. Their wheels can carry and transport seeds of invasive plants. Regulated areas should be off-limits to such vehicles. In addition ATVs create noise and disturbance to the animals that the sagebrush prairie supports.

– Limit the conversion of sagebrush land to cropland or pasture. Reduce the number of stock allowed to graze the small plants and grasses in sagebrush prairies, and also eliminate grazing May through mid-July to avoid trampling of ground nests and nestlings.

Sagebrush is a rugged plant, but is suffering from human interference. This essential shrub now needs human intervention to protect its vital existence in a healthy ecosystem.

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In the Immigrants’ Footsteps

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ID Covered Wagon 4

 

As early immigrants struggled along the Oregon Trail, they had a tough decision to make as they made their way through Idaho. Should they risk the danger of crossing the Snake River or endure the dry, rocky route along the river’s south bank?

The original course of the Oregon Trail was from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City in the Willamette Valley. Although fur trappers and explorers used the travel corridor since 1811, most pioneers traveled the trail by wagon train from 1841 through 1848. By the 1860’s the trail was used very little as an emigration route.

The Oregon Trail entered Idaho in the southeast corner of the state. At Fort Hall, it joined the Snake River, following the south bank until a crossing was reached near what is now known as Glenn’s Ferry. The route left Idaho near Fort Boise after winding through 500 miles of the state.

Crossing the Snake was always dangerous, but when the water was low enough to negotiate, everyone who could took advantage of the more favorable northern route to Fort Boise. Those who crossed the river found more potable water and better feed for their stock. But during high water, most immigrants were forced to travel along the South Alternate route into Oregon, a difficult dusty trail that took its toll on man and beast.

About half of the immigrants chose to attempt the crossing by using the gravel bars that extended across the river. Not all were successful and many casualties were recorded in pioneer diaries. Many diaries also recounted how the Shoshone and Piutte Indians helped the immigrants cross the river, claiming they would have never made it without their help.

The Three Island Ford was used by pioneer travelers until 1869, when Gus Glenn constructed a ferry about two miles upstream.

Three Island Crossing State Park is located on the Snake River, just four miles off I-84, 72 miles east of Boise. As weary travelers, we drove into the park in the late afternoon on a scorching hot day. Although we didn’t have a reservation, we lucked out with a lovely, shaded campsite. We breathed a sigh of relief as we settled into our green oasis. Once rested, we enjoyed hiking the trails throughout the park. One of our hikes took us to the site where Gus Glenn’s ferry entered the water. Cables and equipment are still visible and informative signs helped us to imagine immigrants, covered wagons, stock, and freight crossing the river.

A special attraction here is the Oregon Trail History and Education Center where emphasis is placed on the Euro-Americans and Native Americans working together at the Snake River crossing. Many exhibits demonstrate the hardships of the trail. Of particular interest was a packing list for the Oregon Trail and a life-sized covered wagon. The Center also features Native American life, together with a tipi and native craft work. A small theater shows an orientation film about the Three Island Crossing.

Three Island Crossing State Park was a memorable experience with comfortable surroundings and an opportunity to learn of the area’s place in Oregon Trail history.

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A Two-Horse Mining Town

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Bayhorse
In 1864, two prospectors met a man with two bay horses, horses with hair coat color characterized by a reddish brown body and black mane and tail. The man told the prospectors of a rich mining ground he’d seen. Eventually the site was found and the name Bayhorse given to the creek, town and mining district.

Bayhorse, now a ghost town in central Idaho’s Custer County, is a fun and informative place to experience a fascinating part of Idaho’s mining heritage. Nestled in a narrow, rocky canyon about three miles from where Bayhorse Creek enters the Salmon River, the old mining town was at one time a rich silver and copper producing ground, but now its richness is in its history.

Early residents must have developed strong climbing muscles. Although the trails are well maintained, it takes a little effort to navigate the steep paths to view the interesting nooks and crannies. Go ahead: Stop to rest while looking at the breath-taking view of lush hills covered with aspen and Ponderosa pine.

Informative signage gives visitors the flavor of those long-ago days when, in the early 1870s, a rich vein of silver was discovered. Soon a smelter, mill and eventually a town of 300 sprang up around the steep rocky slope. Before families came, the area was a tough place with lots of whiskey consumed. With the presence of wives and children, the drinking was cut down considerably and it became a much more peaceful, civilized community.

With the success of the smelter, the town grew and businesses thrived. People flocked to the area, including mining engineers, miners, stone masons, loggers, merchants, mill men, businessmen, doctors, cooks and laundrymen. The town included several saloons, meat markets, general stores and boardinghouses. The majority of the buildings were made of wood with local stone foundations. Some of these old buildings still stand.

The Bayhorse Mill is the dominant structure of the site. The multi-level mill was built on a hill in descending stair-step levels. It relied on gravity to move the rock through the mill and used water to wash the pulverized rock through the millworks. From there the ore moved across sluice boxes, to settling tanks, and finally to the concentrating tables at the bottom of the mill.

During Bayhorse’s most productive years, 1882 through the 1890s, ten million dollars worth of metals–silver, gold, copper and lead–were extracted from the region. By the turn of the century only a handful of miners remained. In the end, nearly 100,000 tons of ore was pulled from the mountains, leaving more than 25,000 tons of tailings and mine waste. Eventually, devastating fires, dwindling reserves of high grade ore and failing silver prices doomed the town’s existence.

An intriguing stone building, locally called the Wells Fargo Building, is one of the more intact standing buildings. It was possibly named after the design of early Wells Fargo buildings. Although its use is unknown, the sturdy building was possibly used to store bullion before it was transported.

The construction of nine charcoal kilns in 1882 saved transportation costs and created jobs. The conical “beehive” construction needed no bracing and was built of native stone. The kilns were easy and cheap to build and were strong enough to endure the operation’s low heat requirement. More men were required to cut and supply wood for the kilns than to actually operate them. In total, it took 48 men to supply wood and operate the kilns to produce the charcoal to keep the smelter operating. The kilns were abandoned in 1895 and coke was shipped in from Ketchum, ID to operate the smelter.

Transportation was a big problem from the early days around 1870 through the early 1900s. The remoteness and difficulty getting the product out of the area for processing made it almost impossible for the small claim owner to survive. Snow-blocked passes made winter travel impossible. The closest railhead in Blackfoot, Idaho was 375 rough and dangerous miles away. By the time the product was delivered to its destination, the minors often spent more for transportation than they took from the rich earth.

Bayhorse is a part of Idaho’s State Park system and there is a $5 entrance fee. Although there is no overnight camping, the spacious parking lot can easily accommodate RVs. Further up the road, there are a few small campgrounds with no water. We stayed at nearby Bayhorse Campground, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, a nice little place with 14 campsites suitable for RVs, available water and pit toilets. The campground is near the town of Challis, Custer County seat.

To get to Bayhorse mining town: From Idaho Highway 75, between Challis and Stanley, just east of milepost 236, cross a one-lane bridge and you’ll see the signs to Bayhorse.

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MOLOKAI: The Most Hawaiian Island

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“Slow down, this is Molokai” the road sign advised as we drove our rental car from the Molokai airport. It’s good advice, but challenging when you’ve just arrived from a rush-rush and highly scheduled world. It didn’t take long to get into the swing of things though and oh! letting go and slowing down was one of the best parts of our two-week visit to Molokai, the Most Hawaiian Island.

The fifth largest of the Hawaiian chain and located just south of Oahu, Molokai has made no attempt to keep up with the tourist attractions of its big sister islands, Hawaii, Oahu, Kauai and Maui. Rugged mountains, crashing surf, sweeping empty beaches, a definite lack of tourist catering and strong Hawaiian culture lure only a certain type of traveler. You won’t find a commercial lu’au, big resorts, mega shopping centers, or a number of fancy restaurants here. But if you’re looking for a true Hawaiian adventure, where native culture is woven into everyday life, Molokai is just the place for you. Outdoor activity is supreme here with horse-back riding, biking, hiking, kayaking and swimming, all under the umbrella of wild outdoor beauty. Going for a drive is a pleasure with very little traffic. We drove as long as two hours without encountering another vehicle.

While the main roads going west to east, Highways 460 and 450, are paved, many roads are not. No road circles the island. You can pretty much drive from one end to the other, but then you must turn around and return on the same road. There isn’t a single stoplight on Molokai and we never saw a building over two stories high.

The people of Molokai love to share their culture and sites. For a small island–40 miles long and 10 miles wide–it possesses numerous natural wonders. One of the first things I would recommend is buying a good map. The most accurate one we found is published by the University of Hawaii Press, available at many of the Molokai stores. Road signs aren’t always posted and if you’re like us, poking around back roads is what we love to do most, but getting hopelessly lost isn’t.

Lodging is available through condominiums, bed and breakfast, home and cottage rentals and small-scale hotels. One constant condition in Molokai is the ever-changing ownership and availability of lodging, stores and restaurants. A good idea is to check the Internet for rental opportunities. We did, and were delighted with our condo located close to the beach, and only a few steps from a gorgeous pool.

Molokai’s main town, Kaunakakai, is located in the center of the island on the south coast. In appearance Kaunakakai is unassuming with its tin-roofed buildings but you’ll find pretty much everything you’ll need–a gas station, groceries, clothing, hardware, pharmacy, and bakery. At Molokai Fish & Dive you can make arrangements for a cruise, a fishing expedition, a snorkel dive, or a kayak adventure at the largest barrier reef in Hawaii. Another excellent stop is the Kamakana Gallery, featuring local craftsmen and artists is located in Kaunakakai on Ala Malama Avenue.

We noted that most Hawaiians speak Hawaiian to one another; even the children, a strong indicator of their cultural pride. Most people do speak English as well, so language is not a barrier for visitors.

We brought our own, but you can also rent snorkeling gear. You must be cautious though and inquire first before swimming. Many of the beaches are treacherous with strong currents, rough wave action and rocky shores. Swim only at recommended locations. Generally, south shore beaches, such as Murphy’s Beach Park, are sheltered and quiet within the protection of the barrier reef, while east end beaches outside the reef can be dangerous with pounding surf. North and west shore beaches range from quiet to rebellious, depending on the season. Ask about local conditions before you enter the water.

Guided and unguided hiking trails abound here. The Halawa Valley guided hike is beautiful and not too challenging. Cool off by taking a delightful swim at the base of Moa’ula Falls. Another splendid guided hike is to the Mo’omomi Beach Preserve where you see unique coastal dunes that are an important nesting site for the endangered green sea turtle. On the Kamakou Preserve guided tour you follow a boardwalk through rain forest near the summit of Molokai’s highest mountain, home to more than 200 species of plants found nowhere else in the world. Unguided tours are all over the island–follow mountain trails, miles of sparkling beaches or red-dirt roads winding through lush fields of crops including sweet potato, watermelon, coffee, corn, tomato, onion and papaya..

Camping is popular on Molokai at state, county or private parks. Horseback riding and bicycling are available through various outlets. Contact the Molokai Visitor Association for names of camping sites, hiking guides, bicycle rental and horseback riding opportunities.

A drive to the Halawa Valley at the extreme eastern tip of the island is a spectacular destination and is known as one of the world’s great wilderness regions. As you enter the valley, the road narrows to one lane, so drive with caution, but the view is worth the adventure! The end of the road opens up to a tiny bay and a breathtaking view of a valley so green I had to keep reminding myself it was real.

One memorable day we rode mule-back down the 1,786-foot Kalaupapa Trail to visit Kalaupapa National Historical Park on the northern coast to learn about Father Damien’s work in a leper colony. The adventure was sobering, yet inspirational.

If your idea of a great getaway is wide open space, crashing seas, pristine barrier reefs, breathtaking views, all wrapped up in friendly local culture and a low-key, old-fashioned “aloha” spirit, you’ll surely find your dream on Molokai. For more information, visit http://www.gohawaii.com/molokai

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