STILL MEANDERING!

Having "collected" barns of just about every style, color, and state of stability, we have decided that we will now stop only for the ones that make us say, "Oh WOW!"  We thought those would be few and far between, but the old characters are everywhere here in the Oregon back country.

On this stunner, we didn't count the windows, but they are on all sides:

( I have noticed on my previous posts that the color of the post pics is washed out in comparison to the original photos; I don't know why, but it is disappointing to put up a photo and have it not represent the actual work.)

We drove the Hells Canyon Byway, feeling the calm of being in Ponderosa pine country.  This moment was so rewarding!  There is something magical about seeing elk in the wild country as opposed to the pasture and backyard-grazers we have at home.  To be able to catch them on the run as if they were directed, "Lights! Camera! Action!" was thrilling.  This photo is not cropped to bring the elk closer; we were that close:

It was refeshing to leave our backroad to explore an intriguing back-back road into a campground  in the Payette National Forest.  The galloping Whitehorse River provided natural air conditioning in the deep woods.  I didn't have my macro lens on, but I still had to catch this stand of teasel while the sun shone, so-to-speak:

Guess what the name of our road was today?  "Journey Through Time Byway"!  It didn't take us long to understand why. We drove through old-growth forests and towering rock fossil beds.  And everywhere were old  buildings in various stages of collapse, the hand-hewn logs sadly playing out "dust to dust". The grand prize of the day was a collection of original homestead buildings displayed in a verdant valley not far from the road.  We couldn't believe our eyes!  But it was on private property.  We drove through the narrow gate and down the long sloping road, looking for someone to approach about taking photographs.  No one. So, we blatantly trespassed.  Yes, the barn was irrisistable, but this photo is the one I post today:

MEADOW AND MOUNTAIN ROADS

Our host, my cousin D (my cousin traveling companion's brother) is making this trip way more than we had ever expected it could be.  He actually enjoys just driving and taking turn-offs.  He has become our personal chauffer; he simply expected he would be the one behind the wheel while we are visiting.

 We discovered only 2 photographable barns today because we were headed across the New Meadows valley to drive in the mountains, and these were on the way:

I detest metal roofs, but the siding on this one was fabulous; plus there remains a peek-a-boo spot of original roof:   (Click to enlarge)

A scenic view of why the area is called "New Meadows", with Mt. Pollock in the distance:

D will even stop for wildlife! Click to enlarge to see the orange crown on this guy:

In the mountains, the little forest service road we took was at 5,000 feet elevation.  These are dog-toothed violets.  Snow still covered the road in places, but the alpine meadows where the sun hit were covered in yellow miniature polka-dots:

... and tamarack trees!  I LOVE them in the fall when they defy the rules of evergreen trees and the needles turn golden.  I had never seen them in the new-growth stage before.  The lime-green, oh-so-soft needles looked like watercolor paintbrush tips:

IT ALL BEGINS! THE GREAT BARN-HOPPING TRIP!

Here I am at my cousin's home outside of Redmond, Oregon.  This is what I saw first thing this morning, my first full day here.  This photo of 2 of the Three Sisters was taken from her front porch.  Lucky me, huh?

We officially begin our travels on backroads tomorrow, working our way in whatever pattern we are inclined to take.  We are headed in the general direction of east/north east.  I only "captured" one barn today, but hey - this was during our errands:

DANDY IN DEW-ELS

Every year, when I am tempted, I tell myself I do NOTneed more macro shots of dandelions.  But, like this morning,, I usually pay no attention to myself and point my camera at yet another specimen.  

I love the way two seed heads on the one "blossom" here are facing 2 different directions: front, and sideways:

Focusing out a little bit, I get more seed heads, and I call this one "Fireworks":

I really shouldn't be posting these at all, as I was disappoined to see (after I got home) that I forgot to change some settings. This is a "could-a-been".  Even so, I think the dandelions were lovely,

all bedecked in sparkling dew-els.