8/3 High Desert Museum, LaPine, OR

Today, I went to visit the High Desert Museum between Bend and LaPine, Oregon.  I had been here before, but I wanted to see it again.  Also, their large and shady parking lot would be a good place to get some Internet access.  The campgrounds I have been staying in for the last few days have had extremely slow cell service, which meant I have not been able to upload photos to my blog.  So I spent an hour or so with my generator running and AC on while I worked.  

This whole area is at about 4,500 feet and obviously is desert because it has very little rain.  Agriculture here relies entirely on river water, and luckily there is enough of that to support a lot of farms and a couple of good-sized cities.  It is a very nice museum, with a substantial inside exhibit area and a large outdoor area which I skipped because it was nearly 100 degrees outside.  I do not do heat well!

Kids have apparently kept this bronze well polished!  

I will just post a few photos of the inside exhibits, but obviously what I post is only a small sample. 

This is what the inside of a modern teepee looks like.  Native Americans still use them as housing for guests and to take along when they travel to ceremonies and events with other tribes.  

Now, some older things.

The museum also has an exhibit of small high desert animals.  There were several lizards and snakes, and then this adorable burrowing owl.  It took quite a while, but he finally looked up at me so I could catch his eyes in the photo.  And yes, he is real. 

The parking lot is divided into sections and is very large.  The bus and RV parking was way over to one side, but that made it very private so I could run my generator for AC without bothering anyone.