Abandoned Gas Station
Kent, Oregon - June 2010

Driving through rural Oregon is always a treat for me. Every time I do it I tell myself that someday I'm going to bring my camera and try to capture some of the sights along the way. Someday turned out to be a stormy Saturday morning in June on the way back from dropping my mom off in Biggs.

Kent, Oregon - June 2010

This abandoned gas station sits right at the edge of the highway. I imagine the road was narrower and less trafficked the last time it was operational. Just around the corner, on the north side of the station, a huge rose bush covered with bright yellow flowers was thriving amidst all this decay.

Abandoned Homestead
Kent, Oregon - June 2010

Old, decaying buildings and rusting windmills are a common sight along this stretch of road. This abandoned homestead proved to be the most photogenic of the bunch -- at least on this day.

Seed Head
Kent, Oregon - June 2010

This tiny "detail" shot may be my favorite of the day.

The Aermotor
Kent, Oregon - June 2010

The Aermotor, made in Chicago, looked to be in good shape although it did not turn in the breeze.

Dead Coyotes
Kent, Oregon - June 2010

As I drove down the gravel road that led to the old homestead, I noticed a bottle someone had left along the side of the road. I avoided driving over it as I parked. I forgot all about the bottle until I was driving off and heard a loud noise. I realized I had driven over it as I was leaving.

I couldn't remember if the bottle was glass or plastic but I have 10-ply steel belted tires on my truck so I figured I was OK. Even so, by the time I got back to the highway I figured it would be smart to at least stop and do a quick check. The tires turned out to be fine, which is more than I can say for these coyotes. I would never have seen them had I not stopped.

Wildflowers
Shaniko, Oregon - June 2010

It has been a crazy spring -- lots of rain in the Oregon high desert. As a result, there were wildflowers everywhere.

Shaniko, Oregon - June 2010

Shaniko is a little community that I've always wanted to explore. This is primarily due to a massive old wooden hotel, long since abandoned, that sits alongside the road. I guess I should say sat alongside the road. To my surprise, the old building was gone without a trace. I stopped anyway at the urging of a friend from work who told me Shaniko was a good place to explore.

Blacksmith Shop
Shaniko, Oregon - June 2010

This old blacksmith shop is now a free "museum". Inside are a couple stagecoaches and a bunch of old cars from the turn of the century in various states of disrepair. The "museum" was unlit but I took a few shots anyway.

"Museum"
Shaniko, Oregon - June 2010

Shaniko, Oregon - June 2010

Shaniko, Oregon - June 2010

Chevrolet
Shaniko, Oregon - June 2010

Shaniko Hotel
Shaniko, Oregon - June 2010

As I was looking around inside the, uh, museum, I heard a series of gunshots. I looked toward the historic (and "For Sale") Shaniko Hotel to see what was going on. Apparently folks had staged an old fashioned shootout.

I was beginning to wonder if I had arrived during some sort of festival. This would explain the merchants standing around in front of their shops and the lone concession trailer parked along main street offering sandwiches for $7.50 each. (No takers.) The only thing missing was people.

The shootout marked the end of my brief visit to Shaniko as well as my own photographic shoot. Time to head back to Bend.