The Bull Whisperer ~ June 3, 2012

Junipers Reservoir RV Park is located on an 8,000 acre working cattle ranch in the southern Oregon Outback. Sagebrush and shrubs interspersed with evergreens and wildflowers, creeks, marshes, and wildlife. We wake up to bird song. There are only a few other campers in the park so it's quite peaceful.

After breakfast we suit up for our annual hike and take off about 9:30 with layers, sunhats, sandwiches, water, an apple, cameras and binoculars. The trail around the ranch is about 6.6 miles. We've been doing a lot of driving and sitting, so this is going to be a welcome challenge. It's warm and breezy, clouds are moving through with the possibility thunder showers this afternoon. About 1/2 mile into the walk we spot two Great Horned Owls. We can only watch with binoculars, they're too far away for a photo because I have the wrong lens ~ rookie! We follow a new track this time and do a little exploring.

We come up out of the meadows to an area of sage brush and walk along a dirt track through a stand of gnarly old moss covered junipers. We almost stepped on this little guy he was so well camouflaged. He didn't look to happy with us, but shortly after we took his picture we found a heart shaped rock and a hawk feather ~ gifts from the source.

About 3.5 miles into the walk, at the White Rocks, we come upon a very large herd of cattle milling about on the road and around the pond. When we were up in April of 2011 they were all down in the lower pastures. We stand our ground for a bit and think about our next move.

Some of the bulls have their heads down pawing the dirt, others are calling to their harems (the sound is like bull frog on steroids ~ echoing along the ridge), and a few are paying no attention to us at all. The cows and their offspring are watching us with great interest. Hmmmm what to do? We really want to finish the circuit and not turn back the way we came.

It appears my husband is a man of many talents ~ add Bull Whisperer to his resume. He leans over to me and says "Baby girl you may want to put your red fleece jacket in the pack while we're navigating this bovine traffic jam". I comply in a heartbeat. He starts talking to them in a low, soothing voice, assuring them we mean no harm and slowly walks forward at the same time. I'm tracking in his footsteps like a shadow. 

The cows and their young start to move off in small groups, trotting up the hill away from the road and the pond. The bulls have a few more conference calls and then slowly amble off in the same direction. Okay, cattle whispered, it's time for lunch, we find an old foundation to plop down on and dine with sun on our backs. The remaining 3 plus miles to camp is a gentle trail through pastures and along the reservoir.

Our little excursion was about 5 hours and once back in camp we hit the showers. Next we pull out the lawn chairs and flop in the shade to read and watch the afternoon and evening skies change. A day well spent, we're gonna sleep well tonight.  

Eastward Ho ~ May 25th-26th, 2012

May 25th ~ Hwy 20 is a blue highway, a road less traveled with spectacular and sweeping views of the high deserts of Oregon and Idaho. Farms and ranches are patchworks of color in a sagebrush sea. Eastern Oregon is onion country so there are acres of a subtle blue green hue along the road.

Just west of the Idaho border is the small town of Vale, OR. It's time to gas up and get some lunch. We park the rig near a machine shop and ask the owner for a recommendation. He points us across the street to the Starlite Cafe. We place our order and the waitress delivers our sodas and then brings over the standard squeeze bottles of mustard, mayo and ketchup. As she goes to place them on the table she appears to fumble the bottles and "accidentally" squeezes the ketchup bottle at Rod. A stream of red heads right for his chest. After a moment of stunned silence we realize it's not ketchup, but a string of red yarn. We just dissolve in laughter along with our waitress and the locals sitting near us. The food is great, the staff delightful and the pies to die for. The Starlite is a triple threat if you're ever in Vale.

We get to Boise late in the afternoon. Our intent had been to stay in an nearby RV park over Memorial Day Weekend but our hosts Linda and Steve insist we park the rig in the driveway and use their guest quarters. They call it the Casita but read Honeymoon Suite, a delightful and comfortable spot to call home for a few days!

First night in Linda makes an incredible dish with cod, shrimp, salmon, prawns, and veggies (like paella without the rice). I need to preface this with the fact I've never been a seafood person, but this first meal in Idaho is the beginning of a new chapter in my gustatory digest. We were joined by friends Ken and Betty. In spite of the fact we hadn't seen each other since the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in February we call it an early night. We'll have four days to catch up and Saturday is going to start at o'dark thirty. We're headed to the Camas Prairie for a day of exploration, photography and birding. It's named for the Blue Flowering Camas ~ an important food source for all Native Americans in the interior Northwest. The Camas Prairie is also a traditional Nez Perce gathering place.

May 26th ~ Linda starts us off with smoothies for breakfast. No ordinary shakes these: almonds, walnuts, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, Greek yogurt, and orange and pomegranate juice ~ a total meal. We're going to introduce them into our breakfast menus at home. At 6:30am we're off (Linda, Rod and I) to meet up with Ken, Betty and their friend, artist Geoffrey Krueger (http://dailydoseofpainting.wordpress.com/). He has a fascination with cloud laden landscapes and old farm buildings, and today would turn out to be a gold mine for all of us.

Yellow Headed Blackbird

Camas Prairie

Barn Diva and Truck

Soldier Mountains

Old School House

After the rain fog at an old corral

Ken was a great guide: we saw a kaleidoscope of wildlife, birds and waterfowl, wildflowers and mountains, farms and woodlands, old buildings and corrals. I might add that these back country gravel roads are in better shape than most of Sonoma County's paved roads! We're home by early evening, leftovers for dinner and straight to bed, exhausted and happy.

Anecdote: We stopped on an old farm road to watch two young pronghorn antelope watching a tuxedo kitty in hunting mode. She kept leaping into the air clapping her paws together. Our guess was maybe grasshoppers. Anyway we were as enthralled as the antelope and so no one got a picture. All I could think of to write down so I didn't forget was "Two antelope and a cat go into a bar."

Great Basin Spring ~ May 23-24, 2012

We head east over the Santiam Pass (a must see in the fall) on Hwy 20 to Burns then turn south onto Hwy 205, another of Oregon's Scenic Byways.

Our destination is the Narrows at Malheur and Harney Lakes in the northwestern corner of the Great Basin. Malheur Lake is freshwater, while Harney Lake is saline-alkaline. Both cycle between open water in wetter years and marshes in drier years. It is a wetlands oasis providing a habitat for many migratory bird species each year.

We stayed at The Narrows RV Park for two nights, the perfect base camp for exploring Harney County and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. In the morning we went out to Visitors Center to get the scoop on the best places for birding. We got so much good information from staff and visiting birders we have to save some areas of exploration for our next trip. 

We took along a "sightings checklist" and head down Pilot Road (gravel)towards the town of French Glen with binoculars and camera at the ready. Spring in the high desert (about 4,100') does not disappoint: the colors, shadows and wildlife provide surprises at every turn. The road is virtually empty so we frequently just pull over, get out and walk. The weather is perfect, warm and partly cloudy.

American Avocets

Pheasant

White Faced Ibis

Buena Vista Overlook

After a full day of exploring we have an excellent dinner at the little cafe at the park. A storm rolls through after midnight and I wake up to the sound of dripping water. I just got up and threw a towel under it for the night. It turns out that one of the small ventilation skylights was cracked and the wind was forcing the rain in. No worries, Mr. Duct Tape to the rescue at sunrise.  

We just add it to the NWTF list with a smile. My mom and dad were on the road in their motorhome for a decade. They loved every minute of it, but Daddy did warn me "Honey, they are money pits". I now get that. We look at it as all part of the journey and we become a little more self sufficient and savvy as we go. After breakfast at the Cafe we head north to Burns, fill up and are on our way to Boise for a few days.

Up to Hart Mountain ~ May 22nd

Slept like logs last night, it's remarkable what a little exercise will do for the soul! We must bid adieux to Trisha, Leland and Annie the Wonder Dog this morning as they head home to Idaho. After breakfast and goodbyes we once again pile into Ken and Betty's trusty CRV and head out for the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge (over 240,000 acres).

It's located on a massive fault block ridge that ascends nearly three quarters of a mile above the Warner Valley floor. We pull into the first scenic viewpoint on the way up Hart Mountain for a short walk and are absolutely stunned by the expansive views of the valley. This is one of those places when you say to yourself "What population problem?"

We're only part way up the mountain

The Warner Valley

The Rodster

The east side of Hart mountain is less precipitous and descends in a series of rolling hills and low ridges: a sagebrush sea, sprinkled with juniper and bunch grass, that is typical of SE Oregon and the Great Basin. Aspen and pine are also found in the canyons and on the steep rim. Below are a couple of locals, the beauty on the left is a meadowlark.

Since its creation in 1936 as a range for remnant herds of pronghorn antelope, the refuge has broadened to include conservation of all wildlife characteristic of this high desert habitat, more than 300 species. At the high point of the refuge is the visitors center. I'm totally smitten with the residential buildings. Though I've not been able to confirm it, my guess is they were built in 30's or 40's. What an incredible place to live and work. If you like solitude this would be heaven.

Ah, but here is what we came to see, the Pronghorn antelope. It took us bit of exploring but the wait was worth it. It's so amazing to see these beautiful creatures in the wild.

They are curious enough to watch us but wary enough to know when to go. It's quite a site to see them race across the landscape. A special thanks to Leland for trusting me with his telephoto lens!

After a long day on the range we take a different route home and discover more picturesque landscape, rivers and ranches. Absolutely toast by the time we get back to camp, we decide it's time for dinner and a nap. Another excellent adventure. We reluctantly head for home tomorrow.