"Playing" a national holiday well is important to campers. All you have to do is think about the places that tourists like and why they like those places, and then you know how to avoid them. In my case I go towards high BLM land, ranch country, away from lakes or national parks.
There is plenty of scenery at my holiday places, although it isn't exactly the same kind of scenery preferred by tourists. I like somewhat muted mountains, hills, and cliffs that are mixed with something useful, such as cattle-grazing or gas wells. I like towns that have Feed-n-Tack stores and good hardware stores, rather than boutique-y mountain towns.
Look at that sky! At this time of the year, the Northwest actually has enough moisture to form an occasional cloud. Nothing is sweeter than relief from oppressive sunlight! Even your skin feels the relief.
The Little Cute One picked up her game. Instead of ground squirrels and the like, she was chasing quails.
We wanted to see what happened at the end of the BLM road. There was a locked gate. Soon a rancher showed up. He was a retired dentist. I must have said the right things, or maybe he was charmed by the Little Cute One, because he gave me permission to go through his gate. What I liked best was a wide, green swale. I fell in love with swales in southwestern Wyoming a couple summers ago. The Oregon Trail made use of them.
But it wasn't the scenery that was so special. It was having a face-to-face encounter with a human being who treated me like a human being, and was willing to break the usual rules. I wish there were more opportunities like that. Maybe if I was a young pretty woman with a foreign accent, opportunities would show up all the time. Maybe I would do better if I didn't start offering too many opinions of mine that the other person didn't really ask for.
At least I have a cute little dog attached to my bike. That certainly helps to break the ice. Years ago, when I had my first little poodle, women I was camped with would tease me about choosing a dog who was a "chick magnet." Well, now, I at least have a rancher-magnet.
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