I am so sad not to have taken any photos on the road today; the scenery was most interesting. But, alas, I am not allowed to drive and photograph at the same time. We drove most of this route last year on our way to Crater Lake and I enjoyed it just as much. We took Interstate 84 from Mountain Home up to Ontario, Oregon where we finally left interstates for a while. It took a couple turns past small farms to get us on US 20. Then we continued into the ugly brown mountains and followed the Malheur River. The pretty river flowing between the ugly mountains makes for interesting scenery. Next time, I’ll pull over and take some pictures. For now, though, I got some from the web as examples.
Here are the ugly mountains and the pretty river. I don’t know if we passed this exact spot, but it is close enough to give you an idea. There are also large, smooth ugly mountains.
When we came out of the gorge, much of the scenery was like this. There are huge expanses of it. Sometimes there would be a ranch, or a fuel station, or a restaurant. I mean three or four in hours of driving. The town of Burns (and/or Hines) was the only real civilization with a population of 2,806 in the 2010 census. We stopped at the Subway for sandwiches and then topped off the fuel tank for good measure.
I forgot to write down the time we arrived in Bend, but our mileage today was 541 miles. No wonder I’m tired.
The RV park (The Camp) is in town. I might like it if it was not so darned expensive. It has some very cute old camper trailers that can be rented. So those are the only pictures I took today.
Dinata Misovec 
Welcome to eastern Oregon, the dry side of the state. The Coast an Cascade mountains capture most of the water from the Pacific. The ugly mountains are cooled lava flows. The mountains would have been more interesting when they were glowing red.
Burns (Hines) used to be the huge Hines sawmill. Last time I went through town, the mill was in operation. I think it is shut down now. Bend should be a bit greener, especially along the Deschutes River. I did some rafting years ago.
Exceptional Owen and Cam and Jennifer and George had an enjoyable time on the lake. We camped with Nina in the lean-to on Alger Island, my first camp-out in years.
Nina is taking care of Marion’s financials today with the advisor. I have a long shopping list. Wish me luck finding gummed paper tape.
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Bend looked very nice and might be a great vacation destination, but it would be wasted on Andy, who is unwilling and unable to walk on anything but floors and pavement these days. The RV park there was $100+ for the night. Yikes! We got outta town fast.
I saw Jennifer’s photos of your campout. It looks like a beautiful campsite.
Gummed paper tape? Like typewriter correction tape from the office supply store. I think they still make it.
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Oh how nice, I would like one day to see that part of the country. Really liked your picture of the trailer park with the old one’s for rent. What a great idea.
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I thought they were adorable but expensive to rent. I guess not as expensive as a hotel room though. Check out their website to see pictures of the interiors. https://www.thecampbend.com
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