In August of 2023 I started off on a road trip in my Subaru Outback which was a continuation of my trips in 2019 and 2022.
After watching a Huell Howser show on the Manzanar Reservoir, I decided to start with that as my first destination. I’d been to Manzanar before, but had missed the reservoir. Photos at
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/ManzanarReservoir2023/index.htm
After overnighting in Bishop, the next tourist stop was Mono Lake. I had made a quick stop there once when the visitor center was closed, but a visitor center stop is a must. Got good advice there on trails to take and even a tour. Bugs actually live in the lake! Photos at
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/MonoLake2023/index.htm
At Mono Lake they told me to make a worthwhile short detour to Bodie ghost town:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/Bodie2023/index.htm
Pitched my tent in Coleville. Made a history stop the next day at Dangberg and Mormon Station in Nevada:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/MormonStation2023/index.htm
Walked around and visited a couple of little but interesting museums.
Stayed in a motel in Susanville.
Managed to visit Tule Lake when the new visitor center was closed:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/TuleLake2023/index.htm
Disappointed yet again that the Klamath Basin wildlife refuge is still dry and mostly dead in spite of the rains. I was told that in the past the refuge had depended on irrigation runoff. Unfortunately irrigation has become too efficient to produce runoff and the refuge has the lowest priority for water.
Made an unplanned stop at the Collier Logging Museum:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/Collier2023/index.htm
Just saw the sign as I was driving by.
Another serendipitous stop occurred when I made a pit stop and discovered the Crooked River Bridges which are very photogenic.
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/CrookedRiver2023/index.htm
Stopped for the night at the Redmond KOA.
Finally getting close to my first planned destination, I made a stop at the Reach Museum in Richland Washington to prepare. This museum presents the story of Hanford Reach, including the natural, human, and Manhattan Project angles.
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/ReachMuseum2023/index.htm
Highly recommended if you are making a trip to the National Monument.
Camped out for 2 nights at the KOA in Pasco, originally one of the sites of the three local boomtowns built for the Manhattan Project. I prepped there for my trip the next day for Reactor B trip:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/ReactorB2023/index.htm
I had signed up ahead of time for the tour of Reactor B at Hanford, the first full scale nuclear reactor as they say. For information on the tours, see
https://manhattanprojectbreactor.hanford.gov/
Went to the visitor center and then took the park provided bus to the site after an orientation lecture.. After another orientation lecture onsite you can wander around the reactor until it’s time to get back on the bus. You can’t wander around outside of the reactor site since it may still be hot. Only the reactor building is still standing. The massive water pumping and purification plants are gone.
For your convenience, back at the visitor center there is a coffee place nearby as well as two craft breweries. There was also a brewery on the other side of the campground in Pasco.
While heading back to camp I noticed that there is a small park with the sail from submarine Triton, and not too far away by car is a Leslie Groves Park:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/Triton2023/index.htm
The next day I drove to my next planned stop, at LIGO for the tour:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/LIGO2023/index.htm
This is another tour for which you have to make advanced reservations. Much of the Hanford Reach area is still off-limits to the public, which means it is empty of human development and noise, and so a perfect spot for LIGO, which doesn’t need any extra vibrations.
The tour is only an hour long but worth it. The visitor center also has exhibits inside and out.
I did take a drive through the sections of the Reach that are accessible to humans, especially along the Columbia River. Again, due to the radiation danger, this is the one stretch of the Columbia that has not been developed. However, from certain points along the river you can see the white cocooned remains of the reactors that did not become museums. Very eery.
Made my escape to the farming town of Hermiston which had a great and bargain priced brewpub.
The next day while driving along the freeway at rest stops there were history kiosks that explained the history of the Oregon Trail:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/OregonTrail2023/index.htm
At Twin Falls I decided to take some photos of Shoshone Falls:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/ShoshoneFalls2023/index.htm
The falls depend on whether or not they turn the water on.
Next planned stop was EBR-1, the first power producing breeder reactor. Note, Hanford B did not produce electrical power; all the heat was taken away by the water cooling system sourced from the Columbia River. They had plenty of electricity from the Grand Coulee Dam. EBR-1 is now a walk-in museum. Included is a display room about EBR-2 and the cancelled IFR.
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/Camas2023/index.htm
Drove through Arco which claims to be the first town lit by nuclear power. On the way out came across another submarine sail rising from a rest stop which had been meant to be the Arco Science Center:
Arco had been in contention with Idaho Falls as the logistics and administrative center for what is now Idaho National Laboratories.
After spending the night in Idaho falls, the next stop was Camas National Wildlife Refuge where there were some birds. Drove the nature trail.
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/Camas2023/index.htm
After more driving got up to Butte Montana where I noticed the World Museum of Mining
World Museum of Mining (ikemi.info)
I got there in time to go on a tour which included a trip underground.
The Butte KOA had a nature trail running through it so I took an evening walk along it. Lots of birds and bugs.
The Museum of the Rockies had been recommended to me so that was my next stop:
Museum of the Rockies (ikemi.info)
I especially liked the Living History Farm:
Living History Farm and more MOR (ikemi.info)
Not too far away was the American Computer Museum, which although small, was pretty comprehensive:
American Computer Museum (ikemi.info)
In Butte I wondered why the sky was turning brown. It was explained to me that it was smoke from the Canadian forest fires. They are still going, and the smoke filled the sky to Yellowstone.
Stayed at the Livingston/Paradise Valley KOA outside of Yellowstone. Kind of a nice location.
The next day I visited Heart Mountain:
Smokier and smokier but cleared after passing the Yellowstone area and on to Cody where it was kind of windy at the KOA there.
The next day I stumbled upon Thermopolis and the Hot Springs State Park where I did not go for a dip but a hike instead. Don’t forget to cross the suspension bridge to see the geological formations. Reminded me of the hot springs I had seen in Pamukkale, Turkey.
Hot Springs State Park (ikemi.info)
Also in town was a fantastic dinosaur fossil museum:
Wyominng Dinosaur Center (ikemi.info)
After camping in Rawlins I drove towards Silverton from the north, stopping first at the Ouray KOA. The views on the drive were incredible. At Silverton the next day I walked around and spent time at the San Juan County Historical Society Museum, which is a must see if you are there.
San Juan County Historical Society (ikemi.info)
Back in 2015 I had ridden the train into Silverton:
Silverton Train Ride (ikemi.info)
Back then the stop was too short to see much and it was raining, so I had been wanting to get back to Silverton since then.
I descended down towards Santa Fe, first overnighting in a motel in Espanola. The next day I visited the Randall Davey Audubon Center where I went for a hike and enjoyed their garden. I also asked and was guided to the room where some Randall Davies paintings were on display. More info at:
You can search for examples of Davey art online.
Next I visited the large New Mexico History Museum
New Mexico History Museum (ikemi.info)
and then the International Folk Art Museum
International Folk Art Museum (ikemi.info)
And the adjacent Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (ikemi.info)
At the Folk Art Museum I especially enjoyed the exhibit on Yokai.
Last stop on the way out of Santa Fe was the site of the former DOJ prison camp where my grandfather was confined according to his FBI record. His crime? Belonging to a Japanese association. On the site is now one of the biggest dog parks I have ever seen.
Santa Fe Department of Justice Internment Camp site (ikemi.info)
Stopped at a motel in Bernalillo Next day it was on to Albuquerque where I visited the Biopark and zoo:
The Japanese Garden in the Biopark has come a long way from my first visit a while back.
Stayed overnight at Holbrook and then made an unplanned detour to the Flagstaff Arboretum:
Arboretum at Flagstaff (ikemi.info)
Where I did a lot of walking and visited the gardens and greenhouse.
On the way home I stayed near the London Bridge:
And then finally stops at Parker and Poston:
Parker and Poston (ikemi.info)
The train station is the same one you can see in the photos in the little museum in the shopping center. It’s been there for over a 100 years.
A lot of my family was interned at Poston and returned later for a Poston Pilrimage:
http://ikemi.info/Graphics2023/PostonPilgrimage2023/index.htm