May 2023 – Quiet Walk Photography

May 31, 2023February 5, 2026

Patterson Pass (Part 2) in Bloom – May 2023

Sunday May 21, 2023

Patterson Pass is turning out to be a great place for us. We had seen the highway sign for it on other trips north/south on the highway 93 corridor through Nevada, but didn’t check it out because it looked to be too far off the highway and possibly too steep for towing Cougar with our old Suburban. However, the grade is milder than it looks, it’s quiet, very few people here, exceptionally scenic, and the wildflowers are amazing.

Scenic Views – Snake Range Across the Valley

The sky is less hazy today and it is very pleasant sitting out with coffee and my stack. I am happy and grateful to be alive! As always, wherever we are, Clifford works on his ham radio and antennas to get the best reception he can. it is always fun to put out the sign our friend LeeAnn made for him.

Monday May 22 – We sure do like this place. I’m glad I didn’t talk Clifford out of coming – not that I can talk him into or out of anything, but he had concerns about not having enough propane. We are being as conservative as we can with the propane. It’s so peaceful and scenic here, really a perfect spot for us right now.

There is a heavy rain in the afternoon, great for the trees and flowers.

Wednesday May 24 – It is mostly cloudy again this morning, but very pretty. I take photos of paintbrush with snow-capped mountain in the distance. As the clouds build, it looks to be an indoor day, but out my window I have a view of the sky, mountains to the east, juniper, and paintbrush, so I’m happy.

Paintbrush with the Schell Creek Range in the Background

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Today I talk to the neighbor Kristine as she is out walking her dog. She is very friendly and it is nice to chat with a woman. She is solo RVing and has had quite the interesting life this past year. She is very adventuresome and I admire her courage!

(kristinedidit on Instagram)

In the early evening, across the valley we see a storm cell of over the Snake Range. Very interesting to see such a localized formation.

Saturday, May 27. So lovely this morning as I sit in the shade of one of the junipers with coffee and journals. I love my front yard with the junipers and so many wildflowers. The wildflowers are totally delightful, but as clouds and breeze increase, it becomes too windy for good photos. However, life is good and I am grateful to be here now.

Clifford is taking advantage of the pleasant weather to work on his bicycle. He enjoys pushing the limits and going where many bikes don’t go.

Sunday, May 28. This morning we get up very late, but the extra sleep is needed after staying up late working on projects. Every day I see different wildflowers on my way to and from the restroom and as I walk about the campground. Globe mallow are beginning to bloom. I love the wildflowers here, the views, our site with Junipers hugging us, but especially the wildflowers.

Tuesday, May 30. I went to bed a little earlier last night, so was up before 7:00 and went for an early walkabout. Our friend Lori has come to this campground and is camped nearby. She and I chat as we walk down the road where the globe mallow are more fully blossomed.

Wednesday, May 31.

I get up early as we are leaving Patterson past today. Lori left before we got up, as she has a long drive to her next destination. It was fun to see a friend, and I hope her travels go well. I didn’t do any packing last night, but will get started as soon as Clifford gets up. This has been one of my favorite campgrounds ever, largely because of the flowers. I’ve taken hundreds of photos, but nothing captures the essence of just being here with them in person. I am grateful that we have had this opportunity and look forward to coming to this campground again some day.

May 20, 2023January 26, 2026

Super-Bloom at Patterson Pass Campground – May 2023

Super-bloom at Patterson Pass, Nevada – May 2023

Thursday May 18, 2023

For the past week Clifford and I have been at the Pioche City RV Park on the outskirts of this small mining town. Today we are leaving Pioche and heading to Patterson Pass Campground between here and Ely off US highway 93, which runs north/south through eastern Nevada.

It looks like a beautiful day to travel.

We have never been there, but the review sounds good and it is probably not so steep a road as it looks on the map.

We arrive at Patterson Pass Campground in the afternoon and are pleased at the easy access and choice of sites. We walk through the campground and pick site #10 as there are enough junipers for shade and a windbreak.

As soon as we are set up, I go on a walkabout to explore and take photos of the scenic landscape, our campsite, and all the wildflowers. Across the valley, I think we are seeing the Snake Range and perhaps Wheeler Peak and Granite Peak in the Great Basin National Park.

Friday May 19, 2023

It is a fortunate time to be here. I talked to a ranger yesterday and he said that just a couple of weeks ago this campground was still under 2 feet of snow. The ground is moist and I can see recent elk tracks, and obviously the wildflowers are loving it now. The Castilleja – Indian Paintbrush – are plentiful and so vivid, a delight to see. Wildflowers abound in white, purple, and yellow.

Cumulus clouds bring a little rain and a rainbow in the afternoon. There are some very interesting clouds near sunset and the subdued light is better for photos without sun glare. Cell service is marginal but I am really glad to have it all being this far from the highway and not near any towns.

Saturday May 20, 2023

More clouds this morning, hazy to the east and the sky is pale. Maybe wildfire smoke from the fires in Alberta? I spend the morning meandering about taking photos of wildflowers – so many, so beautiful!

After the delightful walkabout, I sit out under the junipers with coffee and my “stack” – journal, planner, inspirational reading. I hope that the cell service is good enough to do an online Tai Chi class, but it turns out to be too sketchy to do the class. Ah well, I can make up my own routine.

We are grateful that we were adventuresome enough to give Patterson Pass a try and that we get to stay a while longer. Every day brings different weather and more flowers.

May 10, 2023January 18, 2026

Pioche, Nevada – May 2023

Outside the Lincoln County Courthouse Museum in Pioche, Nevada

Wednesday May 10, 2023 is moving day. Clifford and I have enjoyed our time at Echo Canyon Nevada State Park, but we are continuing our journey back to Montana to spend summer with family. Pioche, Nevada, is only 15 miles from Echo Canyon and that is our first destination.

There is a small RV park on the outskirts of this old mining town, and that is where we are planning to stay for a week or so. When we arrive, we are pleased that the site at the end of the row is available. This RV park does not have a restroom, but it does have water, a trash can, and a tree at each site. Being at the end of the row means more privacy for the days that we are here.

Pioche has a historical role as one of the most lawless of the mining towns in the Old West gold and silver rush days in the1870’s. We have been here before and spent time in the museum and driving out to the old cemetery, but on this stay, we browse around town, stopping at the old Lincoln County Courthouse, which housed the jail, and further along the street, we admire the leaning mining shack, appreciating somebody’s sense of humor. We finish with lunch at the historic Silver Cafe.

Lincoln County Courthouse in Pioche, Nevada

Across the road that encircles the RV sites is a large pit, maybe once a mining claim. I walk there to take photos of wildflowers. It’s a shame that trash is blown or tossed there, as it could be made into a delightful walking path with benches where visitors to the RV park could enjoy a bit of nature.

Across the street from the RV park is a large and well-developed city park with a ball field, a swimming pool, and an area with playground equipment for kids. I like to walk the outer edges of this park, as the Japanese flowering crab apple and forsythia trees are in bloom, their contrasting deep pink and bright yellow putting on a delightful show for any who pay attention.

Forsythia and Flowering Crab Apple Putting on a Show

There are some cloudy and windy days, but I often sit out with journal and coffee by the big boulder that is a boundary between our site and the road. A week in Pioche gives us time to catch up on internet activities.

Sitting out for Coffee and Journal at Pioche City RV Park

Our next destination is a new place for us – Patterson Pass. We have seen the highway sign on previous trips, but on the map it looked too remote. However, the internet allows us to investigate further and it might be a great place. Guess we will soon find out.

May 9, 2023January 15, 2026

Moving On – Echo Canyon, Nevada – April 2023

Our last days camping at Black Rock Road are especially pretty with filaree extending for acres, a beautiful green carpet dotted with purple blossoms. Soon there will be other wildflowers, but it is time for us to move on.

Wednesday April 26 is moving day. We are up by 7:30, have breakfast, finish packing, and are on our way by 11:30. It is good to have gotten a lot done yesterday despite the shopping day and Clifford not feeling well. Luckily, he is feeling better today. I don’t have much time for my morning routine, as getting ready to travel is a big deal for us. Lots of things need to be in place for safe travel, in addition to hitching up.

Suburban and Cougar Ready to Leave Black Rock Road

We have a safe and beautiful drive except for that area on Highway 56 where the trees are all dead – very dry, and negative energy there.

Happily, we make it to Echo Canyon by mid afternoon and find a nice spot on the side of the loop that we like, next to the site where we were last fall. We are happy to be here. I walk to the reservoir for photos of the water, getting reacquainted with this campground, one of our favorites.

Campsite at Echo Canyon Nevada State Park

A couple days after our arrival at Echo Canyon, our camping neighbor from Black Rock comes to visit us on his motorcycle, bringing sugar for hummingbird juice. I make a good lunch of pork steaks, wild rice, and salad. It is good to see him.

Words of Wisdom from my daily reading from the Law of Attraction: “The more you come to understand the power of the law of attraction, the more interest you will have in deliberately directing your thoughts – for you get what you think about, whether you want it or not. Without exception, that which you give thought to is that which you begin to invite into your experience.” I am keeping this in mind as I go about my daily activities. it is interesting to notice how often my thoughts stray to things that I don’t want to manifest.

The next day Clifford and I go for a picnic to a spot that we know of on the edge of the park where there is (was) a picnic table. When we get there, we find the creek overflowing and the picnic table is gone., but that doesn’t stop us from having our picnic. We just sit alongside the road using our own table and chairs for the picnic. After we eat, Clifford plays music until the wind gets too rambunctious.

I often climb the ridge behind the campground loop to get a bar of cell service. It is enough for me to send and receive text and connect to short “Begin with Breath'” tai chi routines. One day I come across a bench on the ridge, oddly out of place, but a nice place to sit for a great view of the area and a good place to prop my phone up for the tai chi class.

There are not many wildflowers, but some trees are in bloom, possibly crab apples, which are totally delightful for me to photograph. They also seem oddly out of place, but in a very pleasing sort of way.

The weather was pleasant when we first arrived, but then there are several days of cloudy, windy, rainy weather, and even hail. One morning we see some sunshine, but just a teaser. It is soon cloudy and windy again. The day before, I kind of wore myself out walking in the wind, trying to find a spot with cell service. Someone has camped at the site right below the bench, so I can’t go there now. So we don’t have much outdoor time, but I’ve been able to do tai chi inside, as well as other indoor projects, like journal writing. Clifford always has projects. We neither one are ever at loss for things to do whether inside or out. On the days that it is too windy for me to do the uphill climb, I get a boost from Clifford’s hotspot.

Finally we have a day calm and warm enough to sit outside. I take photos of Primrose on way back from restroom and then sit outside with coffee to listen to Clifford sing while I write in my journal.

Monday, May 8, the sky is a beautiful blue, but El viento no es divertido. Café is muy Bueno. Studying Spanish with Duolingo – the wind is not fun. Coffee is very good. The trees don’t seem to mind the windy days and are as attractive as ever.

We have just a couple more days to enjoy our stay here before we head to Pioche for a few groceries and better internet. This has been a good stay, but it is time to move on.