Dan Will Travel

SOCIALLY DISTANCING SINCE 1872

found in front of a tiny store in Frenchglen, OR.

I loved this sign. Totally current and factual but looks like it has always been there. You will see later that I continually sought out people’s sense of humor as they dealt with this crisis.

This was in Frenchglen, Oregon, at the base of Steens Mountain, one of my favorite places anywhere. On this trip I only had time for a brief stop but back in 2000 I stayed at the historic Frenchglen hotel which was a fun and unique experience. I thought about that trip when I was passing through this time. Back then, it was after my divorce, right as I was beginning to deal with being gay and would have been my first real encounter if I would have been able to read the “signs” I was being given by another male guest there. (But that is another story……) Regardless it is a very beautiful and special place on the high desert of eastern Oregon. And, very safe, virus wise.

I also recommend a nearby place to stay in Diamond, OR. http://www.historichoteldiamond.com/

Let me diverge to share some insight into this very special place, SE Oregon. The two counties in this corner of the state are each the size of Massachusetts! Each the size of a state with nearly 7 million people! Each county here? One has 7,000 the other 30,000. So, if you want empty, this is as good as it gets. More info on this below with the Fields station photo. Also famous as the site of that Malheur wildlife refuge take over a few years back. (Which is a super good bird viewing area and park facility, BTW)

The Frenchglen hotel, built in 1923 and now operated by Oregon State parks. You can stay there and dine there with advance reservations. http://www.frenchglenhotel.com/

Abandoned cabin along the road at the base of Steens Mountain, Oregon

Beautiful view of the high desert of SE Oregon.

This place was hopping when I was there. Good food, ice cream, rooms, tee shirts. But, you have to understand there is NOTHING else anywhere near by. Closest next business is Burns, OR, 93 miles north. Or Bend, Oregon at 204 miles, or Boise Idaho at 234 miles. This is as remote as any place in the continental US! But on that day, busy!

As you leave Oregon and enter Nevada, it gets drier and more remote. Really! I loved this isolated abandoned homestead with the dead trees and a hawk nest in one of them.

The standing tree has an active hawk nest in it.

Ok, made it to Utah. Note that I am still in the middle of nowhere and 93 miles from any services.

I loved this statue of a miner in front of a really classic art deco county building. The town of Helper is a pretty interesting historic area along US 6 in central Utah.

Posted: August 5, 2020 by admin

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Tula and Mineral del Chico

Tula is another pyramid ruin, much smaller in scale than Teotihuacan, but famous for its 9 foot tall Toltec warrior statues that grace the top level of the pyramid and were originally supporting a roof over the temple area.

View of the main pyramid of Tula. I did somehow get up these steps.

After getting myself to the top, I was greeted by this guy and all of his friends!

Overall view of the Toltec warrior columns that were part of the original temple complex here.

View of the great Vestibule area of the complex.

Mineral del Chico was a totally different experience! Quaint hill town nearly in the clouds the day that I visited. I believe it was originally a mining town, but now it is what they call a “pueblos magicos,” or magic village catering to weekend outings from Mexico City. As you can see from the photos it is picturesque and really reminded me of a classic Italian hill town.

Look closely, Santa is made out of empty plastic cups. Pretty cute!

Posted: December 21, 2019 by admin

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Teotihuacan

This was the greatest city in Mesoamerica, reaching a population of 200,000 at its peak around 650 AD. It dates from about 100 BC and encompassed up to 8 square miles. In all of the ancient ruins that I have seen world wide, the scale of this one dwarfs the others. Only Angkor Wat overall is at all similar in size. In the course of 2 days visiting, I alone covered over 12 miles walking to the various key sites that are scattered in and outside the formal park boundaries. You can visit this as a day trip from Mexico City but I highly recommend staying in the local town so that you can visit it in the hours before and after the tour buses are there. My hotel was just off site allowing me to walk into the park when I wanted.