- Excursion to Steptoe Butt in daylight
- Been ripped off by the GPS
- Odd drive on dirt roads through the Hells Canyon National Forests
We start the day with the drive back to Steptoe Butte, after all we want to see the hilly landscape in the sunlight. After some photos continue south via Lewiston. It goes steeply down into the impressive valley of the Snake River. A planned breakfast stop at Burger King will soon turn into lunchtime.
Now we go into the wilderness of the Hells Canyon. This rugged landscape lies on the border of Idaho and Oregon. After a constant and winding up and down we arrive in Enterprise. Wide plains with cattle breeding dominate here. Snow-capped mountains can be seen in the distance. Now it's off to the heart of the Hells Canyon National Forests. We let the GPS system guide us as we do not have an exact map of the area. This turns out to be a moderately smart decision. From the hamlet of Imnaha you go on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. There is nothing to see of the hoped-for campground, instead we get deeper and deeper into the side valleys of the canyon. The area is rough and wild and is only used by a few farmers to raise cattle. A few times we see white-tailed deer on the roadside. Shortly before our destination, the road suddenly improves and we reach the impressive Hells Canyon Overlook. The landscape is shrouded in glorious evening light and the cloud cover, which was closed in the morning, has vanished into thin air. Not far from the viewpoint is the wonderful campground by a stream. We prepare our sacrament, make a fire, and play badminton.
