Our Yellowstone disappointment turned out to be a good thing when we got to Red Rock RV Park and saw the view we had out the front window of the coach. We are out in the country here, on Henrys Lake and the quiet is amazing. Now we know why we couldn't find a campsite in Yellowstone!

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When you get out into the country you never know what is going to cross your path. Two cowboys and two dogs were moving this herd from one field to another which entailed crossing our road. No problem - we'll wait!

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Off we went on the backroads first climbing to the top of Sawtell Peak (9200 feet). From there we had an awesome view of Henrys Lake and the mountains surrounding it.

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Wildflowers and wildlife have been the highlight of this trip. Here on Sawtell Mountain we saw sego lilies as well as paintbrush, lupine and other flowers we had never seen before.

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Henry's Fork of the Snake River has been carving this canyon for some 500,000 years. Both Upper (114 feet) and Lower (65 feet) Mesa Falls were spectacular to see.

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We went to a cowboy dinner at a local ranch. The potatoes, chicken and cobbler were all cooked in these cast iron pots with charcoal both above and below. The steaks of course were grilled to order over an open fire. Before dinner we were treated to a small rodeo.

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We came across this quaint little creek on our way to Red Rock Lakes, a national wildlife refuge. We don't know how it got its name but a posted sign said that it was 3,745 miles from the Atlantic. It was actually on the Continental Divide.

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As we were driving to Lower Lake we disturbed two huge herds of pronghorns that proceeded to show their speed as they ran from us. What a treat! Here at the wildlife refuge we got to see sandhill cranes, northern harrier (a kind of large hawk we had never seen before), American kestrel, mountain bluebirds and trumpeter swans.

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We had thought this area was going to be much like the Bend, Oregon area but were in for a pleasant surprise. This cinder crag is part of a cinder cone that broke off and floated away on a lava flow.

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Here in Craters of the Moon basalt lava flows were grouped by appearance. This lava cascade is an example of pahoehoe (pa-HOY-hoy). Pahoehoe is relatively smooth and ropy while Aa (AH-ah) can cut the hands and boots. The third form is less common here - it forms angular blocks that may be almost three feet wide.

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We have wanted to visit the little town of Joseph for years so we set ourselves up in La Grande, Oregon and took off for a 250-mile day trip on the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway. This took us to the Hells Canyon Overlook that unfortunately was a bit smoked in due to local fires.

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Beautiful Wallowa Lake was shaped by glaciers which covered this region 3 to 7 times. After oo'ing and ah'ing over the lake we headed for Joseph, a small town named for young Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Tribe. It is a flourishing art community with a national reputation for its top quality bronze foundries and galleries. There were wonderful life-sized bronzes on every corner for us to enjoy.

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