We were there in the spring, but ran out of time for a real visit and really just passed through. This time we’d make it our destination. Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge lies in Oregon’s outback. That is to say, it’s not really near a whole lot. Maybe that’s what makes it so nice. We made our way down highway 31, through Paisley and Plush and were able to arrive as the sun was going down. The wildlife were at home on the range.
We escaped town on a Friday afternoon in August and made our way over to the North Umpqua River. We attempted to camp at Susan Creek, a nice campground we discovered last year but we found it full so we moved upriver to Bogus Creek for the night.
In the morning, we moved on to the main purpose of the trip, a visit to the Umpqua Valley Viticultural Area. Also known as a winery tour.
August has come around again, and with it the necessary trip to the coast to restock the freezer with tuna. This year hasn’t been quite as hot or smoky as the past couple years but nevertheless this trip always serves as a quick getaway to a change of weather and scenery mid summer.
