Owyhee – Page 2 – Occidentalist

Reflecting on Rivers, 2017

Post author:Occidental
Post published:2017-11-02
Post category:Fishing River Uncategorized
Post comments:1 Comment

November typically signals the end to river floating season. In the past, seeing November roll around was a bit depressing. No more floating, fishing is pretty much over and the days are really short on daylight. It seems nowadays there’s no shortage of things to get done in November, so it’s not all that depressing, but it still marks the end of river floating season. And wow, was 2017 a season for floats.

I feel very lucky to be able to live in a place that I can float 7 rivers in a year (some multiple times) all within a one day drive of the doorstep. So these are my thoughts reflecting back on a year of being lucky enough to float over 360 miles on 7 rivers in Oregon in 2017.

Deschutes

How amazing is it to have the Deschutes as your backyard river? 1.5 hours to the put in, abundant permits, amazing trout fishing with bonus steelhead in the fall, and great camping and even hiking if you make the time for it. Trips to the Deschutes are kind of the bookend to the floating season. It is typically one of, if not the first trips of the season and is also commonly the last trip. It seems like it is always a good time to float the Deschutes with a wide season of good weather, predictable flows and great fishing, I don’t know what else to ask of a river. Fishing seems like it is on the decline, but I don’t ever see a year in the future without the Deschutes.

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Owyhee 2016, Part 3 – Chalk Basin

Post author:Occidental
Post published:2016-10-31
Post category:Truck Camping Uncategorized
Post comments:1 Comment

After departing Jordan Craters we had enough daylight left to grab some fuel and bounce our way out to find a camp near Chalk Basin for the night. Just getting out to the Chalk Basin area is no small feat but was made much easier through the description of William L. Sullivan who happens to pen, in my opinion, the best hiking books about Oregon. Luckily we knew that we were driving on a public road even though through the first stretch it feels like you are driving through a private ranch yard (you are). And then of course the rancher chasing you down on his four-wheeler to ask what you are up to doesn’t boost your confidence you are in the right spot either, but we got thorough his property with him telling us to ‘go enjoy yourselves’ so it all turned out fine. After getting through the ranch it is pretty much all nondescript roads through a sea of cheatgrass that alternate between boulder gardens and stretches of dried up mud (note: do NOT attempt this road with even a hint of rain!). We finally made it out to the vicinity of the basin so we could launch our morning hike without more travel the next day. We found a level spot with a view and enjoyed the sunset, the Steens to the west, Chalk Basin below us and not another human within what I’d confidently guess 10 miles.

Owyhee River, Chalk Bain area (view from camp)

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Owyhee 2016, Part 2 – Birch Creek and Jordan Craters

Post author:Occidental
Post published:2016-10-27
Post category:Truck Camping Uncategorized
Post comments:2 Comments

After departing Leslie Gulch we made our way across the sagebrush sea to Birch Creek. Not having been there I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was hoping to find a place to spend the night.

The Owyhee Country is a vast expanse. Considering the area drained by the Owyhee River you are looking at portions of 3 states. A four-day weekend is enough to just scratch the surface. Travelling across a lot of this country you are driving through vast areas of sagebrush and cheatgrass punctuated by a ranch here and there, but there are a lot of hidden gems. You get to the edge of some rimrock and all the sudden it is like you are in another world. I suspected as much from Birch Creek after the sights of Succor Creek and Leslie Gulch, but after 20 miles of rough dirt road and dry cheatgrass you start to question yourself. Is there really something out here worth driving all this way? When we reached the warning sign of 8 miles of steep dirt road ahead where four-wheel drive was highly recommended we knew we were in the right place.

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