Andy's Place...

We got to Andy's Place late in the afternoon after a long day on Cat Nip Mountain. Just as I was ready to step inside the cabin the wind suddenly picked up and the sheet metal roof began to flap & bang like an old haunted house. Wow! That cause me to take a couple steps back...Very scary. I didn't want to push it so I didn't even try to sit in Andy's ol' chair

Andy's place is pretty cool not as fancy as Kinney Camp or built with sandstone like Kinny or Gooch , but I love the location, complete with aspen trees near the canyon rim.

Sagebrush Creek

We hiked down into this gorge and came upon a giant rock blocking the canyon. We had to crawl underneath ...scary stuff. We rolled a couple of rocks into the "cave" first to chase out any mountain lions or rattlers.

Upper Cat Nip Creek

Private In holdings

They are a few 40 acre parcel with are privately held, some in my opinion are eyes sores and need to go away (thank goodness there's only a few). I know the Fish & Wildlife Service would like to buy these folks out if they could. Here is an example on one near West Rock Spring... Lovely isn't it...yeah, yeah I know private property...grumble, grumble...

Movin' Doggies

Ranchers haven't held grazing permits at Sheldon since the early 1990's, but we did run into these Cowboys on Hwy 140 near the Oregon Nevada stateline. The young man on the horse was a real nice guy.

Mulies

East Rock Spring Camp

After spending two weeks out in the Sheldon; I think I have a pretty good sense of the place. I've seen the deer and the antelope play. I've marveled at the towering walls of Thousand Creek Gorge. I've felt the power of the wind on Cat Nip Mt. I've heard the songs and calls of the birds just before the sunrise at Cat Nip Reservoir. I've seen the old ranches like Kinney Camp , Gooch Camp, Andy's Place and admired the cultural evidence of the Ancients. But I must say my favorite place hands down is East Rock Spring. Pat and I spent a long day exploring Sagebrush Creek hiking in the sun, and bouncing around in the 3 man dodge( 50+hours one week alone). When we rolled into East Rock Spring just before sundown it was a cool green oasis with aspens and tall grass a real sight for sore eyes. In this land of many wonders East Rock Spring is a real gem indeed.


Did you see the red tail hawks' nest in the third photo from the top....Good Stuff!

Kinney Camp

Kinney Camp is one of the more picturesque old ranch house's (IMHO) in the Sheldon.

Desert Waterfall

There are few things more pleasing to the desert hiker than a waterfall. I have ran across a few and I tell you they are a treat...cool running water...Good Stuff!

BTW- I know I've already posted the rainbow shot , but I love it

Hell Creek...

I'm not sure how this place got it's name, but it seem a bit more like Heaven to me.

Just got back from the Sheldon last night, so here area few shots for you to enjoy. I'll be posting more images thoughout the week. Cheers!

Swan Lake

We drove out to Swan Lake from our camp at Cat Nip late in the afternoon to watch the sunset and try to capture the evening primrose in the glow of the setting sun. I have never seen so many flowers spread over such a large area. We were treated to small groups of Pronghorn as they raced across the yellow carpet...Good Stuff

Flowers

I have always heard that the Sheldon wildflowers are extraordinary and folks are right; I didn't get a lot of time to photograph them . We were either on the move, it was raining, or the wind was blowing , so as the battle cry of the Chicago Cubs goes, "wait until next year." I might be heading back to the Sheldon in July so we will see what happens.

BTW- It you want to see some VERY COOL images of flowers scroll though my friend's Karyns blog, Nevada Unplugged. She is the master of the flower shot.

Link to Karyns Blog: http://nevadaunplugged.blogspot.com/

Prehistoric Drive Fence, Sheldon NWR

This is why I hike uphill, down hill, sweating, freezing, while lugging heavy camera equipment over rough terrain, all the while watching for rattlesnakes and other things that go bump in the night. I'm not positive , but I think this rock wall is really a drive fence created by the ancients to channel the wild game past their hunting blinds. We saw a lot of evidence of the ancients in the Sheldon...Really Good Stuff.

Light from Above, Echo Canyon, Sheldon NWR

Makes one a believer doesn't it.

Stormy Sunset at Echo Canyon

I left camp at the "golden hour", the time when if you are really fortunate the illusive Magic Light will make an appearance. The wind started howling and it began to sprinkle as I got closer to the upper basin of Echo Canyon. I thought about turning around more than once because of the brewwing storm. Although the Magic Light didn't not explode, it did pop for a few precious moments so the reward was mine. I made it back to camp where my good friend Brian and his son Logan had dinner waiting just moments before the storm cut loose...phew.