The Rugged Land

The mountains of Northern California are so beautiful.  The clouds were behind the mountains and they appeared to be snow capped mountains.  When ever I see the beauty that God has given us, it makes me thankful for the blessings we receive.

These trees were on the ridge line and they seemed to be out of place.  Almost as if they were marching along the way to their own drummer.

We were going along the Columbia River again.  The wind had come up and the water was a little choppy, but it didn't stop the wind surfers and boaters.  The colors along this stretch of the river change with the time of day and sunlight.  We stopped at a truck stop that is right along the river and I was able to feed the seagulls.  They were very brave to come close and eat crackers out of my hand.  I enjoy the birds and they are so funny.  If you don't feed them enough they will stand outside of the truck and squawk until you give them some more or we drive away.

The barge traffic was busy this day.  It is interesting as to how they push the barges down the river.  Can't you just picture the old steam boats pushing the freight up and down the river, in days gone by?

It seems as if no matter where we go there are always different rock formations.  This one caught my eye, because it was the only rock around on the top of the ridge.  What caused the rock to form this way and why aren't there others around, that are like it?  Something to ponder upon about nature.

As we traveled from Oregon to Lewiston, Idaho there was such rugged country. It was hard to imagine that our ancestors traveled these mountains to settle and begin to farm the land. I wonder if any of us could do what they did back then. Maybe a few, but not many.

They had to clear the land of trees and brush in order to plant their crops. Some brought seeds or saplings to plant for crops or orchards. I was amazed as to the amount of wheat fields that I saw as we traveled down the road

The hill sides appeared to be painted in gold. As we drew closer the color was of the wheat that was ready for harvest. I always thought that wheat came mostly from the mid-west, but after seeing all this wheat, I wonder if the wheat production has moved to the Northwest.

I enjoy taking pictures of barns. There are many barns that I have seen across the country that have quilt squares on them. I read an article in a newspaper about them, and found it interesting.

This is just a little bit about the barns.

A quilt barn is a barn or other farm building that displays a quilt square. Often these barns are very old and have historical or landmark significance in the area.

Usually the quilt squares are hand-painted to resemble traditional quilt blocks (or patterns) that have been used by generations of quilters.

Traditional quilt block patterns are very popular and are easily recognizable from a distance by their primarily geometric patterns.

Many of the quilt square patterns chosen for display on the barns reflect an affinity the owner has for an aspect of rural living.

Most of the quilt squares in the country are painted by hand on plywood, measuring 8-feet by 8-feet. A few were painted directly onto the wall boards and some are made from other materials such as steel, aluminum and polymers.

Most quilt barns in the U.S. are part of officially-recognized trails organized by individual communities. This barn looked as if it had two squares on it. Some are very colorful and others appear as if they came of "Grandma's" quilt.

Even the old farm homesteads are in need of repair.  This home looked as if the owners had left and someone may have been working on the inside of the home.  I could see buckets, that may have been for paint or possibly plaster for the walls.  I would like to see the inside of these old homes to see if they are still like the original, or have they taken the wood floors and remodeled the inside.

 Sometimes the barns are in better condition than the homes.  I guess because the farmer spends so much time in the outdoors, they take care of the equipment first and then maybe get around to the house when they have nothing else to do. 

 And just down the road we come to the town of Dixie.  They call the area in Southern Utah, "Dixie", so I wonder if the settlers here are from the south?   Anyway, here is an old time grocery store.  Maybe at one time long ago it was the local mercantile, where you could buy just about anything, and if they didn't have it, you could look at the mail order catalog and send away for it. 

Even the little church in the back ground seemed to welcome visitors.  Most of the churches such as this one, were built in the early 1900's and are still in use today.  If only the walls could talk.

In the rugged country the roads are steep.  This is the road we came down with 42,000 pounds in the trailer.  It is a good thing that my husband is a good and safe driver, or I would have been putting my foot to the floor looking for the break and closing my eyes.  I showed this picture to him and he was amazed that we did come down the road.  He focuses on the driving and not what is around him.

 As we drive on, look at what we see.  Bikers...not the "Hell's Angeles" kind, but the peddle ones.  There were several groups that passed by us, going in the other direction.  They are going to have to peddle up the hill that we just came down.  The good news is that they will go down hill once they reach the top.

There is always time to enjoy nature.  I was looking at some flowers along side the road, when we stopped for a stretch break and saw bumble bees hard at work.  They were just having a great time flying from one flower to the next. 

Speaking of next time, it is time to close .  So until next time, I'll see you on the otherside.