Courtyard By Marriott
Meridian, Idaho (Suburb Of Boise)
July 30, 2021
Another Paris visited. This one was another historical Paris, or as one website describes it "an abandoned populated place." This was my second Paris in Oregon. It is located about five miles west of Vale, Oregon.
When I drove into Vale, I had that feeling of deja vu. Indeed, I have been there before. I was the lead on the financing of a geothermal power plant 25 minutes outside of Vale. I visited the site as part of our due diligence. That was the pinnacle of my time at DOE as I was introduced to the upper management of DOE as a "world-known geothermal expert." I guess there are worse things but between nuclear and geothermal, I didn't exactly pick growing industries.
But I was proud of how I structured the financing. I put all the geothermal resource risk on the equity. The project had a rich power purchase agreement ($89/MW escalating) which allowed DOE to get repaid rather quickly, especially if the plant did not perform well. The technology was innovative in that it used a supercritical Rankine cycle to maximize the power generation from a rather so-so geothermal fluid temperature (~ 290 degrees). We also really helped the developer in tightening up its EPC contracts.
But I digress.
I found this Paris by using coordinates I found on a couple of websites. Fortunately they were the same! There was no sign of there ever having been a "populated place" so I had to call on Buddy to help me document my find.
I have found some historical references to this Paris in the early 1900s. I'll make those part of a separate post as I need to complete my research.
I have logged some miles in the past week from the upper northwest corner of Washington, through the eastern half of Oregon and now 60 miles into Idaho. The scenery has been terrific. Rugged, empty, farm land and pasture land. I think The Who summarizes my week with this song.
My photos from today. I'll admit there are a lot of Paris photos but it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and I want to try and get some good pictures out of it!
My campsite last night cost $3.
This morning’s data:
They must get a considerable amount of snow in this part of Oregon.
I grabbed an egg sandwich from this store.
No cable out here! I suspect this fish is from the 1980s?
Morning light -- around 7 am.
More proof it snows. Elevation in this area seems to run from 3,000 to 5,200 feet.
I assume these big bails are of hay are for the many cows in this area. I saw hundred of these bails out in the fields.
My old friend from Newport, US Route 20. Going to Beantown?
I had to do a double take. Way too funny. Even funnier is that a few miles away is Drinkingwater Pass.
One heck of a flag stand.
The Byrds? I can see for miles and miles. The haze I assume is a combination of moisture and smoke. A white sky today.
I love this kind of information. Reminds me how incredible are the forces of nature. Made me think of the Colorado Plateau south of here. It also explains why there might be some geothermal resources near to the earth's surface.
I still love these shots. They remind me about the geography of the area I drove through.
HIgh desert.
Again, a reminder about snow. Must snow a lot if they have snow fences along parts of US 395.
Reminder how empty it is in Eastern Oregon.
At this point the road is following the river and river is meandering through the hills. I don't think this is the Snake River but it might be.
Caught me off guard. I've been in PDT since early May.
Dang finger.
Corn.
These rock formations intrigued me.
I made it to Paris in Malheur County, Oregon. Took lots of photos!
Drive into Vale which is a small hard working town of less than 2,000 people. It is what you would expect -- a bit worn but friendly people.
From what I have been reading about the Oregon Trail, this mural is not historically correct -- it wasn't cowboys on the Oregon Trail.
Here's what Wikipedia says about thundereggs:
A thunderegg (or thunder egg) is a nodule-like rock, similar to a filled geode, that is formed within rhyolitic volcanic ash layers.[1] Thundereggs are rough spheres, most about the size of a baseball—though they can range from a little more than a centimeter to over a meter across. They usually contain centres of chalcedony which may have been fractured followed by deposition of agate, jasper or opal,[1] either uniquely or in combination. Also frequently encountered are quartz and gypsum crystals, as well as various other mineral growths and inclusions. Thundereggs usually look like ordinary rocks on the outside, but slicing them in half and polishing them may reveal intricate patterns and colours. A characteristic feature of thundereggs is that (like other agates) the individual beds they come from can vary in appearance, though they can maintain a certain specific identity within them.
Thunderegg is not synonymous with either geode or agate. A geode is a simple term for a rock with a hollow in it, often with crystal formation/growth. A thunderegg on the other hand is a specific geological structure. A thunderegg may be referred to as a geode if it has a hollow in it, but not all geodes are thundereggs because there are many different ways for a hollow to form. Similarly, a thunderegg is just one of the forms that agate can assume.
One day soon I will see a movie at a drive in!
Hi Ho Silver is looking pretty dirty. The dirt in Paris was like a fine powder and kicked up quite easily. And stuck.
Getting close to pi!
Saw this place as I drove into the Boise area.
