It’s been a long time since we were able to just get out and do some exploring. Between Covid-19, work being chaotic, and the weather being pretty wet, we’ve pretty much been stuck at home. The girls have been especially stir crazy since Victoria had an early start to summer vacation with her school closing at the beginning of April. We also wanted to see if our new puppy, Sheila, was going to be able to join us on road trips since our other dog doesn’t do so well in the car.
We started out the day not really knowing where we were going to be headed. We knew that we wanted to stop at Subway to get some sandwiches in case we got hungry later and nothing was open or available. Then it was a quick stop to grab some snacks and drinks. Our only concern was wondering if bathrooms would be available once we got out of town.
Once we got out on the highway we headed west on I-84. I figured we’d jump off to Highway 95 and go north to see what we could find. After about an hour or so we saw some signs for Hells Canyon Recreation Area. Sounded cool so we just kept following the signs.
I looked online and saw that the Visitor Center was closed, but figured the scenery would still be there so that was our target. It looked to be about 2 hours further, but with nothing else going on we pushed ahead.
We stopped at Brownlee Reservoir for a quick break. There were about 20 trucks with boat trailers parked near the boat ramp, but I’m guessing this is a really small group compared to most Memorial Day Weekends. Nice and quiet, but with all the services closed I can’t imagine it’s the most convenient camping spot as it might normally be.
We continued on and found our way to Hells Canyon Reservoir, the dam and eventually the Visitor Center. As expected, the scenery was still there so we felt like the journey was worth it. There were some small groups setting out on the river. It looked like a good spot for rafting and kayaking.
After some photos and a small walk we jumped back into the car and made the 3 hour drive home heading through Baker City in Oregon. We were out for about 11 hours and put on several hundred miles. Sheila seemed to enjoy it and didn’t seem bothered by being cooped up in the car all day. Hopefully we can do it again soon!
I really enjoy that area on my bike. As usual, your pictures do the area justice, too 🙂