Wednesday May 26 2010
A friend once asked me dubiously, when I rhapsodized about Owyhee, "Isn't it desolate?"
Desolate, yes. Big, open, spacious - empty and full. Beautiful.
You could ride for days, weeks, (if you knew where all the gates were) and not see a soul.
You'll see deer, snakes, Ravens, eagles, and maybe pronghorns like I did today. You might see, if you're lucky, bighorn sheep or badgers, or, if you're very lucky, cougars.
You might stumble across an old mine, a nugget of gold (there's still gold in the Owyhees), an arrowhead. You might discover an old rock corral or homestead or dam, a cave with thousands-year-old relics, an old irrigation channel from the gold rush days, an old wagon frame or wheel. You might ride over old wagon wheel grooves on the Oregon trail or you might discover a pioneer's grave. You might drink from a cool spring in a hidden canyon.
The Owyhee mountains are quite small - in height and length and breadth - in the scheme of western mountain ranges - but they preside splendidly over the Owyhee desert. They fill the sky and dance with the storm clouds.
Sometimes it's just you out there and nothing else - and everything else.
Me alegro de que entrenes por paisajes y terrenos naturales, no todos podemos decir lo mismo.
ReplyDeleteSaludos desde el Blog "EL RAID" de Gabriel.
http://ggjineteraid.blogspot.com/
It certainly is gorgeous - I've never been there and would love to see it sometime. You're fortunate to live in such a beautiful landscape.
ReplyDeleteI would love to do a ride over there SOON! Maybe the Canyonlands ride, but I wold have to be SOLO all the way to Idaho....
ReplyDeleteI love to explore, my Grandmother was a historian/archeologist and taught us all about the Oregon trail.
That's exactly how I feel about the eastern Sierras. Love it!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous. Some folks in the desert feel small. I always feel large in the sense of being open and free and part of something so much bigger than oneself. Great Photos and sentiment.
ReplyDeleteYou make it sound magical. I think I would like it very much because the area lacks trees. The area where I'm going to riding the next two days is chock full of trees...or rather spikey, pokey, prickly, annoying, overgrown juniper bushes that grow fat and wide, but only about 10-16 feet tall. They grab your pants, shirt, hat and skin when you ride by.
ReplyDeleteI've got my chaps for tomorrow....wish me luck!
~Lisa