Sunday, Monday, Tuesday 9/21-22-23/08

Sunday Monday and Tuesday were kind of a blur. Cold mornings, warm and sunny afternoons. Our tomatoes have been damamged by the frost so the ones i picked off the vine are the last. the growing season over here is a lot shorter than in the valley.
We have been having about 12-14 folks every day this week which is a good number considering the time of year and location. All have been adults except for Saturday. Many folks are here for the first time which is fun for us because we get to tell the whole story. Others have been here many times, but still like to hear all or part of the story of the ranch and Pete French.
We are still learning from every group that comes by. For example, Saturday I learned about an area up near Burns called Island Ranch Road. When the government offered land to settlers/ ranchers with programs like the Homestead Act of 1862, they offered them 160 acres. At the same time, the Swamp Act offered twice as much land, 320 acres, because a swampy area would be harder to cultivate or graze. So to prove you have a swamp, you had to take a boat across it. So the enterprizing rancher that wanted that land loaded a boat in the back of a wagon, and went across the land. He then went to the courthouse and signed a paper sayng that he had, indeed, taken a boat across the land so he recieved the 320 acres. These are the stories that make our job fun and interesting.

Saturday 9/20/08

Happy Anniversary Malheur!
Today was the 100th Anniversary Party for the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Last night a dinner was help at the Black Bear Restaurant for present and former employees and volunteers. About 100 folks were there. It was a fun evening meeting people who were part of the history of the refuge. Carla put on a great slide program about the history and development of the area and the refuge. On the way back to the refuge, we were treated with a spetacular lightning show to light our way.
Today dawned mostly cloudy with forecasts of dubious weather ahead. There were a lot of things going on at the HQ early in the morning to get things set-up, tables, sound systems, posters, etc. Eveyone chipped in the things went smoothly. There was the unvieling of the brass statue of a little girl with a pair of binoculars gazing out over the pond. The statue was a gift from the Friends of Malheur. Very sweet.
Then there was the dedication of the time capsule. Some of the things R&I picked up in Burns were for the capsule; a cell phone, a bird stamp, an Oregon quarter were some of the items. People were also encouraged to write down their thoughts and memories on sheets of paper and they were included. After the dedication there were a couple of presentations by the Bird Center of Idaho (birds of prey) which I would have liked to see, but R& I headed out to the ranch to get it set up for visitors. The original plan was to have things outside, but the weather changed that for us. R directed kids in making cattle brands and I gave tours of the ranch. The weather worsened during the day and we had rain and wind most of the late morning and afternoon. A group brought six llamas to show and give kids rides. A lady came and did spinning in the ranch office too, so there was a lot going on and everyone had a great time in spite of the weather. After we locked up the ranch, we went back to the trailer and got dry and warm clothing on and went to the Narrows RV Park for an outdoor BBQ. It was still windy and cold but with warm clothes and lots a friendly people, we had a fun, tiring day.

Friday September 19,2008

Today I asked C if she needed help in the preparation for the anniversary party at the refuge tomorrow. She said, " yes. Would you run some errands for me?" I said of course and so we were off to Burns with a list of places to go and things to pickup. On things about shopping in Burns; you are lucky if you can find more then one store that has something that your need. One thing to understand about this area. Harney County is the 9th largest county in the US. It is larger than the state of Mass. at 10200 sq mi. with a population of 7600 ( in 2000). There are 2 high schools, 2 stop lights, and four paved highways in the county. So we're talking about a sparsely populated area. So now you know why shopping limited.
Getting back to our assignment, we went to ten different businesses and got all of our tasks accomplished. R & I got to know Burns a lot better, ie. where to go to get business supplies, tape, printing, etc.

Thursday 9/17/08

Today we did some exploration north. First stop was the museum, gift shop in Buchanan, Or located 20 miles east of Burns on Hwy 20. If you ever are nearby, it's worth the stop. There are lots of jewelry and rocks and some awesome Navaho rugs. The museum is small but interesting. From there, we drove west a few miles and headed north on a county road that took us past the location of Fort Harney, which was a fort during the days of the ranch (late 1800's). All that is left is a big wooden sign that shows where the fort buildings were. We continued north and finally got onto Hwy 395 and drove into Canyon City/ John Day. Cool towns. Canyon city, was a site of a gold rush years back and had a population of over 6000. Now it's 600. John Day is very quaint with lots of antique shops tucked here and there. Both towns are in the same canyon so there isn't room for urban spread which is a good thing too. While we were looking for a city park to have a picnic in, we saw the sign for Kam Wah Chung Historical Park so we explored. It is the site of a building in John Day that was the gathering point for the Chinese population that worked in the mines around Canyon City. Chinese were not allowed to own a building in CC but it was ok in JD so there was a Chinatown in John Day with homes, shops, stables, and even a brothel. Two Chinese gentlemen, Lung On and Dr. Ing Hay lived and operated a herbal medical practice/ a general store and gathering place in the building that we visited. It is in the same condition it was in during it's operation during the early 1900's. It is a definite "must see" when you are in John Day. The drive from JD to Burns is a very pleasant 75 miles with mountains, canyons and the views of each.

Idaho

If you are looking for money, head to Idaho. More specific, head to Sun Valley, Idaho and the surrounding towns of Hailey and Ketchum. The average home price in that area must be one million dollars. It is really amazing! We visited friends there and their beautiful home fits in that category as well as all of their neighbors. Our friend, Dan told us that half of the neighbors do not live there in the winter, but are somewhere else; preferably, warm I would guess.
The weather was beautiful, warm days and cool nights ( it did hover near the freezing point at night). The aspens are starting to turn on the mountain sides as an harbinger of fall.

We got back to Malheur last evening about five and today was our "Monday" ( our first workday fo our week). Sixteen visitors all before noon. There have been days been the numbers have been only in the afternoon, so you can never figure it out. Had fun today, anyway which is the goal. Met some nice folks. Learned something new about the area; up on the Steens there is an area called Whorehouse Meadow. At least that is what it was called years ago. PC mapmakers have changed the name to Naughty Girls Meadow on some maps. Anyway, that is where the sheep herders used to gather in the summers when their herds were in the high ground for the warm weather. So that is where the naughty girls would gather also. They would set up shop in this meadow and carve their names and advertising on the trunks of the aspen trees that grow up at that altitude. One of our visitors was up there in the 70's and has taken pictures of these trees. Unfortunately, aspens only live for about 60 years so most of these trees are gone, but a great piece ( get it) of history still.

The Fair

Saturday was the day to go into Burns for our weekly grocery trip. The Harney County Fair was on, so there so downtown Burns was treated with a parade. It was a pretty good one for a small town. The Burns High School Band was even which is pretty impressive since school has only been in session for short time.

After having lunch at the Broadway Deli, ( good spot to have a sandwich, in downtown Burns), we went to the fairgrounds. The fair is small and kind of corny, as small county fairs are, but it was OK. Believe it or not, we actually saw people we knew. There were several of our customers, people that we had given tours to, that were there. Linda and Ron, who run the Narrows RV Park were there too. ( That is where we stayed when we were here in May. They also provide the cows for the Sod House Ranch for the time period that the ranch is open.)

A couple of hours and we were ready to head home. Got a few groceries, fuel, and zoom.

That night as we were riding our bikes on Sod House Lane, we spotted a American Pelican sitting on the side of the road. It watched us as we rode by, but didn't fly. It was still there when we rode back the other direction. I was suspicious about it's health then and was worried that the coyotes would get it over night. This morning when we drove out to the ranch, it was lying in the same spot that we had seen it. It didn't make it. It made us sad.

Backroads of Eastern Oregon

Thursday R & I decided to drive to the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge. However, I did not want to go the traditional route which is a nice, albiet dusty, gravel road. So we turned off Hwy 205 ( which is paved) at the sign that said, "Foster Flat 32 miles". The road immediately became narrow and mostly dirt. After following County Road 411 for twenty miles we came to a sign with an arrow, "Foster Flat 14 miles". Heading west, the road now became even narrower but unmistakeably, still a road. At nearly the 14 miles, we crossed a small dry lake which was more recognizable than Foster Flat. The only way we knew we were there was a small sign that said "Foster Flat NLA" whatever that is. Up to this time we have seen a couple of antelope that went the other way when they saw us.

Coming to an intersection of "roads" ( tracks, actually) we decided that Hart Mountain was south so we turned onto the southern track. Our Garmin (which we have named Emily) shows direction and the name of the road you are on. Here she wrote, "Heading south on road." We followed this "road" for 15-20 miles at a speeds of up to 14 mph. Again several groups of antelope and even two herds of wild horses. One of the latter allowed us to get fairly close before they made their dusty retreat. After descending a steep narrow canyon, we stopped and talked to a rancher who was looking for his cows. He had come to this area in '48 because he liked the solitude. He sure gets it here. Finally, we arrived back at County 411 and proceeded to H M.

Saw lots of antelope, deer, horses, and even a rattlesnake during our journey to and from HM. Hart Mountain is a great place to be if you want to get away, or to see antelope or wild horses. or just want to get your rig dusty. It is a place of few ammenities. The campgrounds are in trees, but pit toilets and pump water.

We got back to the trailer about 6ish. It was a long day but a great one!

J

Freezing

We had our first taste of fall this past week-end. The clouds came in, the wind came up ( about 30 mph) and it got cold. At night it was near freezing and with the wind chill, it really was uncomfortable. Saturday we had the A/C and Sunday the furnace. We were scrambling around the ranch getting the set-up chores done so we could find a quiet, out-of-the-way spot to sit in the sun and out of the wind. Quite a challenge! By Tuesday, the wind had gone away and it was beautiful again. Lots of visitors at the ranch, Sunday, but Monday was as deader than a doornail. I guess everyone was headed for home. Tuesday was quiet too. I had time to practice my roping "skills". They need lots of practice time, believe me. The young ones are still getting bottle fed. Every morning Linda (who owns the cattle) comes to see how they are doing and brings some milk suppliment for feedign to the two young ones. R looks forward to helping with the feeding. Even though they are young, they can suck like crazy! You really have to hang on to that bottle.

R & I are hoping that now that school has started again, people without kids will start to head out for adventures in the great fall weather that Oregon has in September and the first half of October.

I am starting to notice an increasing number of geese flying over me in the morning when I walk the girls. They are gathering up for their trip south for the winter. Sounds good to me. we are starting to think about where we want to go this winter. Hmmm...........