THE BIG EMPTY: AMERICA'S OUTBACK

I didn’t turn on the radio once during the 175 mile drive. The Big Empty was all the music that I needed to hear. I rolled the windows down and took off my t-shirt as I was driving down Highway 140 between Adel, Oregon, and the Roaring Springs Ranch in Oregon’s remote southeast. There was no other vehicle on the road between Fields and the Roaring Springs, and only one between Denio Junction and Fields. Driving, driving to the country of my son Steen’s namesake.

This highway is among my favorite in the world…as is this landscape. It is always a pilgrimage when I travel to the Steens Mountains and the country of Oregon and Nevada en route…a cleansing and a rebirth. I’m energized going in, and I’m spilling over when I leave. It is like revisiting an old love…an eternal love…a haunting, daunting, inexplicable love—love beyond poetry, beyond the most poignant song, beyond words…only felt and known in the heart and soul.

I visit the Steens rarely. You would think it would be a yearly pilgrimage, but it is not so. Possibly subconsciously I want it that way. I like knowing that I’ll never completely know the mountain, nor will the mountain completely know me—the intrigue of things when it comes to the unknown.

I’ve been blessed and cursed in this lifetime—thank the heavens, stars and good earth, the former more so. I live a simple life in a simple house…yet I get to do some extraordinary things. It is a rare candle that I get to burn…experiencing some of the last empty places in America.

I love the Big Empty. It fills me up.

My drive to the Big Empty started out with a house fire a block away at the crack of dawn, viewed from the Fort Bidwell, California kitchen window. After packing, I made my way to Adel, Oregon, on dirt and paved roads. At Adel, I turned onto Highway 140 east, the Winnemucca to the Sea Highway. Near the Nevada line, I photographed antelope with the Steens looming in the background. The Steens is located in Oregon’s largest county and the nation’s eight largest county: Harney (with a whoppin’ population of just over 7,000 folks!). Later I would learn that the road to the top of the Steens was closed because of high snow and it would not open until later in July (note: this trip was taken in June, a little over a month ago).

DIAMOND INN BAR

Driving past Denio—which sits right on the Nevada-Oregon line—I noticed the Diamond Inn Bar had reopened after being closed for several years. I met co-owner Nicole and a patron named Carl. I wet my whistle with one gin and tonic, had a great chat with Nicole and moved into the day’s last light which danced and pranced on the Pueblo Range, the Steens and the eastern mountains toward Trout Creek.

Making my way along the Catlow Rim, I arrived at the Roaring Springs near sunset. Stacie Davies had me set up in a small house between the cookhouse/bunkhouse and the cook and head irrigator’s house. I had a great visit with my old friend DaeNell Douglas. As I walked back to my accommodations, Duane Morton—who I did a story about in the current issue of Range Magazine—came trotting in through the night shadows on horseback. The solitary buckaroo headed to the tack room. It had been a long and beautiful day for the both of us—he on his four-legged mount, me with four rubber tires traveling in the Big Empty, my spirit soaring like a wild eagle all the way.

BUCKAROO TRADITION

The next four days I photographed the buckaroo tradition on this historic ranch which measures 70 miles by 50 miles at its widest—larger than some countries! The buckaroo (descended from the influences of the vaquero of Mexico and the Moors of Spain) and their traditions I greatly admire—their skill with horses, ropes, tack and the handling of ranch work via horseback is second to none. Every day of their lives is an adventure in the Big Empty as they check on and move cattle (whereas the range does not get overgrazed), brand, doctor, mend fence (tho’ I’ve heard some buckaroos say, “I don’t do fences!”), shoe horses and work on other chores.

The Roaring Springs has six buckaroos—five men and one lady—, a cow boss and a ranch manager…along with the farm and maintenance crew. Manager Stacie Davies and his crew take special pride in their work, work ethic and how they manage and care for the land, earning them special awards in land stewardship. The grass is tall; cattle are moved from range to range whereas there is no overgrazing. Wildlife abounds and is protected on the property. The family ethic is valued highly. Buckaroos do not make much money but they live a lifestyle that is unique in open, free country, on horseback.

During my visit to the high country branding in June, I roped for the first time in my life—tossing the lariat over three calves, dallying up and taking them to the branding and doctoring area.

TYPICAL ROARING SPRINGS DAY

These photos represent a typical summer day at the Roaring Springs. The breakfast bell sounds at 6am sharp as does the supper bell at 6pm. The buckaroo and farm crew eat at the cookhouse. The buckaroos saddle their horses and either ride from the ranch or trailer to where work needs to be done. My friend DaeNell Douglas is in several of the shots. Once a buckaroo, she now manages the office but when chances come to help the crew, she does. This year's buckaroo crew includes Buster who recently spent a year above the Arctic Circle and Carson from the sunshine state of Florida. There are two western Oregon buckaroos in Hank and Tory and the wily older buckaroo Duane...and the vaquero extraordinaire Jose. Tyler, the tall (6-11) guy in the doorway, takes care of the weed program but also helps with brandings and other ranch activities since he was raised on a ranch in California. Devon Thompson is the Roaring Springs cow boss—his leadership and wisdom skills are uncharacteristic for his 24 years of age. He is also a superb saddle maker.

TRAVELING IN THE BIG EMPTY

Leaving the Roaring Springs, I headed to the east side of the Steens, visiting old friends at the Alvord Ranch. North of Andrews and before the Alvord Desert (site of a world speed record one time), the paved road turns to well maintained gravel. The Alvord Hot Spring is beside this road. Whereas the Steens has a more gentle, rising landscape pitch on the west side, the east side (a classic fault-block geology mountain) rises abruptly. The west side (and north; the Kiger Gorge) has pronounced u-shaped glacier gorges. The east side thrusts up spectacularly from the high desert floor and is chiseled by steep canyons with creeks and small waterfalls, framed by wildflowers and abundant snow at the higher elevations. This is a great area for hiking and horse packing, receiving fewer travelers than the west Steens.

CAMPING ADVENTURES

The Big Empty is camping country. There are few motel and B&B accommodations. The few there are worth it though, including the Alvord Inn in Fields www.alvordinn.com (try the milkshakes at their cafe, among the best I’ve had), the Frenchglen Hotel www.frenchglenhotel.com, Denio Junction Motel www.deniojunctionmotel.com, Steens Mountains Resort wwwsteensmountainsresort.com, Steens Mountain Wilderness Resort www.steensmountainresort.com and the Diamond Hotel www.central-oregon.com/hoteldiamond.

Gas is available in Fields, Frenchglen and Denio Junction. August and September are excellent months to visit the Big Empty. Hiking the upper reaches of the Steens and Pueblos will greet you with solitude, wildflowers, fascinating geology, wildlife (including bighorn sheep, elk) and see-forever views. Don’t be too surprised this time of the year though if you pass more than one vehicle en route! And if you come across an old fashioned cattle drive with buckaroos, count your blessings that you’re not snagged in traffic in LA.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: www.harneycounty.com, www.oregonoutback.com, www.hcnv.us, www.oregon.com/Hike_Steens_Mountain, http://www.goestores.com/storename/purplecoyotecorp/ViewDept-268257.aspx (order the rare book titled: The Romance and Reality of Ranching; I wrote the chapter on the Buckaroo in this book)