Saturday, September 25, 2010

Steens 2010

It's the annual trip to the Steens and Alvord Desert for the Moon Festival!

(It occurs to me that I did not post the photos from Steens 2009 last year; they're on facebook, but maybe I'll eventually put them here too. For Steens 2008 and beyond, see this.)

The Good Prince and I took it easy. Did a little driving around, watched the moon rise, took advantage of Sven's preparedness and went along on the Malheur Cave tour, napped, played pool, and ate. What else is there to do on a vacation?

All photos are point & shoot.

So you've got to have the standard I was at the Malheur Refuge shot...yeah, it's really blue like that:



And of course I can't resist the grass shot:



Still can't help myself:



Gotta have the cows shot too:



Grass gets two, so the cows gotta get two, too:



At one point, we came across some cows being loaded onto the truck and I said "well, we know where those cows are going." The Good Prince replied, "yeah, well, I can see that they're going into the truck..."

After our encounter with the cows, we arrive at the Alvord playa, right around dusk:



And the moon rises...as scheduled:



Here's an unscheduled visitor kicking up a lot of dusk:



On the beach? (Hand-held at 2 seconds, it was pretty dark.)



On Mars? (Hand-held at 3 seconds.)



In Oregon! This is a lava tube cave, owned by the Free Masons who hold a jamboree here regularly:

10 comments:

helen said...

these are incredible pictures - thanks so much for sharing!

Sundry said...

Wonderful! The photos really make me feel like I'm there...or really want to be there. Nicely done. I also am fascinated with grasses.

Catherine Alice said...

Hu Shu-Ju, I am really enjoying catching up on your blog. What great pictures from your tracels, as well as the blueberries, the pathways, everything.

And oh, I have to see the blueberries for real.

Michael5000 said...

I thought of all y'all at the full moon. Though I still think it was bad form not to have it be on the weekend.

fingerstothebone said...

Glad you're all enjoying the photos.

M5K -- feel free to reschedule the full moon next year!

Actually, we'll be returning on the waning quarter moon next year -- someone saw fit to book the entire hotel and the hotel owner's house for the 2011 Autumn Festival, 18 months in advance! We then tried to book it for the new moon to star gaze, and no can do either. So waning quarter moon for us.

Michael5000 said...

Frenchglen is getting way to crowded and touristy.

fingerstothebone said...

We don't stay at Frenchglen, we stay at Diamond, a much smaller town then Frenchglen.

Clare said...

Ah! I just returned yesterday from a three day Alvord desert trip - far too short a time. So so so incredibly beautiful out there.

lovely photos - thanks for sharing!

fingerstothebone said...

Clare -- seems like lots of artists go out there! Were you vacationing or ...?

Clare said...

Yes, just camping and hot springs sitting...

I just looked back at your posts from your prior full moon festival trips. How great that you make it out there every year. I was thinking during this trip that I really need to make it an annual thing, and this is the perfect time of year to do it.