Sagebrush Serenade

I know a lot of people just don't "get" Central Washington.  I love it.  I find it fascinating, puzzling, harsh and beautiful.  This is my favorite time in the sagebrush (along with fall, winter and summer).  I had a fantastic day at Escure Ranch near Lamont, WA on Easter.  During my 7-8 mile hike I only saw a three people and it was from a distance...just as I was about to pull my knickers down to pee.  Walter loved the sagebrush as well and I left a bit of him there.

The ranch was started by some Basque brothers.  I had the opportunity once to meet one of their nephews.  They started with very little and ran a successful sheep ranch for many years.  Few of the family are still interested in ranching and the land was purchased by the BLM.

Due to vandalism a few years ago all the windows and doors are covered with metal.  I found it interesting that along with may of the outbuildings the house was also sided with corrugated metal.

If you open a gate, close it after you go through.

From the house area two main roads head out.  One is to the north and the other to the west.  The one that heads north is way cool with lots of buttes and cliffs.  The song birds were amazing.  I am planning on a trip to Hell's Canyon in a few weeks so I have been trying to get in some good hikes on the weekend and break in my new boots on some rocky trails.

This kind of environment just makes my heart soar.  I like to sing while I am walking around this land.

Ok, click on this picture to enlarge it.  There was this amazingly cool yellow bird.  I had my camera on zoom so it is hard to see.  It's either an Oriole or a Meadowlark.  It was so bright and vivid.  It was a great bird day with lots of raptors, finches, ducks in Turtle Lake and Rock Creek, pheasants, and of course crows.

It's like a mini Monument Valley.  I left the road/trail quite a few times to scramble up to the top of hills or the little buttes.  Next time I go out there I am going to take my bike so I can explore more area.

Lots of blooms.  I think the white bushes are syringa.

Lunch stop and where I left a bit of Walter's ashes.  He loved it out here, though he had never been in this section.  It is a huge area that begs for exploring.  The most popular area to hike is Towell Falls to the south.

There are lots of cow and wildlife trails to follow.  I hiked down this one to the other side of the right mesa and scared up a coyote.  Poor guy ran like hell.

Looking down at the ranch from the trail that heads out to the west.  A cool route is a figure 8 from the ranch.

Rock Creek looking south towards Towell Falls.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot popping up on the southern slopes.