Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge

Saturday, July 25
We packed up and left the Junipers RV Resort behind, heading south, and timing our departure so we could have lunch at the Adel store. (Adel is south of Lakeview on 140, on your way to the Nevada border.)

The little store is really more of a cafe, with a few odd bits for sale around the corners, and gas is still available too. The town of Adel was the headquarters for the MC ranch when it was a major working operation (see previous post for more on the ranch.) The area's long ranching history is commemorated in the little store with branded boards, saddles and branding irons hanging from the ceiling, and the many local customers wandering in and out, garbed in the expected boots and hats.

We had a great burger (me) and eggs (Steve) and chatted a bit with a few folks. It's a friendly little place, though not geared for tourists especially. I don't think they get many. It's a homey little place where locals hang out and all seem to know each other's names. Drop in if you're out that way!

Happily stuffed after lunch we continued on to another of our favorite rustic stops.

Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge is in the far northwestern corner of Nevada, a place so isolated few even know it's here.

Driving west on hwy. 140, from the CA/NV border to the interior of NV, looking south, there are only one or two small signs indicating the road into the campground, and not a bit of the beautiful green marsh landscape can be seen from the highway. Tawny, rocky rolling hills appear all to be what lies beyond the blacktop. Not so!

Hunters know about Sheldon, as it's an antelope and bird refuge, so during hunting season it gets quite a bit of attention, opal hunters and other "rock hounds" know it's here, as there are pay-to-dig mines here and the area is famous for its fire opal.

We and a few other hardy souls know it's here because we enjoy the quiet beauty of the area. The Virgin Valley campground where we stay is rustic to be sure, but that's why it's not crowded!

Our favorite spot was occupied (there aren't really any designated sites, just picnic tables scattered about) so we huddled down among the shrubs. That's our rig on the far right in the photo.

We've dubbed this area "hunter's camp", as it boasts a lift hoist and game gambrel, which probably get a lot of use during hunting season.

We spent the afternoon settling in, looking at the changes since the last time we camped here, several years ago. It was a busier campground this time, but that's to be expected on a weekend.

Children and seniors can fish off a little dock on one of the ponds at the edge of the campground, so that's a draw for several of the families. Many visitors are undoubtedly drawn by the naturally heated pool and pink sandstone bathhouse. Others just like the relaxing pace. Shiner enjoyed the opportunity to explore out in the sagebrush with no traffic or other dogs to distract her.

The refuge is a stopover for many migrating birds, so the list of birds you might find here is extensive, depending on the time of year. Now, in early summer, most of the travelers have moved through, and the population seems to consist largely of night hawks, song birds, crows, summer tanagers and the like.

There's a resident jackrabbit who tours the campground on a regular basis too. Fortunately, Shiner was usually looking the other way when he loped by.

Sunday we went for a drive. First venturing down the short dirt road out of camp to view the very impressive Thousand Creek Gorge. This rugged volcanic outcrop towers over the low lying marshes, the red stone provides striking contrast to the green and gold vegetation below.

Though the old maps show the road going through it appears it hasn't for several years.

We backtracked and took the highway east, looking for Baltazar hot spring, which we found on the map. (Toppo map here if you are into such things.)

We enjoyed the scenic geology along the way, but really weren't prepared for the dramatic view when we crested Thousand Creek Summit. Wow! I'm sure we could see most of the state from our vantage point.

According to the maps we consulted, Baltazar Hot Spring is located at the north end of a Continental Lake, a dry lake that is leased for cattle grazing.

We found the road to take us into the area and decided it looked like a good place to stop for lunch. I've never seen a state highway sign hung on a good ol' Texas gate like this one, but this is Nevada, so it didn't really surprise me... and we did shut the gate!

The remains of two stone rooms, or small stone buildings connected by some newer concrete walls, and a stone dugout, gave us an opportunity to think about who might have lived there, and what the intent was of some of the features we noticed about the buildings.

The cows were a bit curious about us, but none ventured too close. They all seemed to be doing well on the grasses growing around the spring and the creek that feeds them.

We never made it to the hot spring itself, as it seemed to be quite a ways out from the road, and we didn't want to disturb the herd.

The area has several hot springs in addition to the one that provides the pool in the campground. Further exploration is possible for those who don't mind logging several miles on gravel roads.

Leaving our picnic site we ventured further on, to the east, to Denio Junction (the intersection of hwy. 140 and hwy. 292), then on north to Denio itself. Denio is right on the Nevada/Oregon border and believe me, there isn't much there. We couldn't locate any business that appeared to be functioning, but there is a post office.

Turning back to Denio Junction we thought we'd drop into the little store and pick up an ice cream or a cold drink, but the store wasn't open. There weren't any hours posted, so we chalked it up to the day being a Sunday, and just enjoyed the sculptures out in front. The cute little car appears to have once had an engine in it, and the gas tank on the motorcycle says "God's Ride". Very creative!
The store appears to still be in business, but no guarantees.

Back in camp we watched dark storm clouds build up, and as the wind began to pick up we contemplated the possibility of a storm. Not wanting to take chances Shiner and I headed out for our after dinner walk immediately after dinner.

Hoping for a good view we worked our way up to one of the ridges near the campground. No view was to be had, just another ridge, but I did get that great distance shot of the campground (middle photo), and some lovely cloud photos to inspire future art projects.

It never did rain, but the winds shook the trailer for a few hours after dark, finally settling down in the wee hours of the morning.

We packed up quickly in the morning and were on the road by 9 A.M. Next stop, another of our favorite desert stops, Rye Patch Reservoir.