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Over the mountains and through the woods

The intrepid duo
The intrepid duo - self portraits using the old 'hold-the-GoPro-in-the-air' technique.

 

NF-52
NF-52

 

Open range
Open range.

 

Watch out for wildlife.
Watch out for wildlife. Want to make sure this cow doesn't bolt in front of us as we passed.

 

Taken at the yellow dot.
Umatilla National Forest, looking west. Taken at the yellow dot.

 

We were here.
Our unofficial 'we were here' shot.

 

Butterfly Grill
Inspiration for a new restaurant name...the Butterfly Grill

 

Got Canyon?

Joseph
We rolled into Joseph and immediately met the Sheriff. She invited us to put our bikes on the side to let the town parade go by.

 

Hells Canyon Lookout
View from Hells Canyon Lookout. Other side is Idaho.

 

The approach to Hells Canyon Lookout
The approach to Hells Canyon Lookout.

 

Hells Canyon looking north.
Hells Canyon looking north.

 

Heading into Baker City
Heading into Baker City.

 

Almost done for the day
Almost done for the day.

 

Lights out at Union Creek
Lights out at Union Creek.

 

Hells Canyon Weekender

The plan was simple: zip over the mountains and through farmland to the lower right corner of the state, drop down to Hells Canyon, exit out to Baker City, then roam back via the Umatilla National Forest to the Columbia River, up to Yakmia, and back to the comfort of our driveways. Full route details are here via Bing (http://binged.it/N6PAWO), and an embedded view via Spotwalla:


Green dots are the signal all is well, yellow dots means you can get an outstanding photo.
 

On the road in central Washington
On the road in central Washington

 

99 degress
Only 99 degrees

 

Field Springs State Park
Night 1 spent at Field Springs State Park

 

Field Springs State Park
Field Springs State Park

 

At the border of Field Springs State Park
At the border of Field Springs State Park

 

Route 129 southbound
Route 129 southbound: Washington in the foreground, Oregon in the background.

 

Road trip jerky

Whipped up a batch of jerky for a recent road trip. After sharing pieces with fellow travelers at the Hells Canyon lookout, a trauma surgeon drove back in his car to ask for the recipe. His wife wrote it down on scrap paper as I dictated:

  • ~3 pounds of steak, cut in slim strips. You can use flank, sirlion, London Broil, or whatever suits your preference. I used slim flank for this batch, and cut pieces into half inch wide strips.
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup Worchestershire sauce
  • 2 gloves of minced garlic
  • 4 tablespoons of Mesquite Liquid Smoke. (You could try hickory flavor as well)
  • 1/8 cup ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce. Add more if you like an additional punch.

Add marinade and beef in a mixing bowl, and mix thoroughly. Cover and let sit overnight.

Place individual pieces on your dehydrator trays and insert into the dehydrator. Dry approx 8 – 10 hours @ 155 degrees.

You can start eating them right away when done, no need to wait. Store in a plastic bag between snacking.

Enjoy!