Hart Mountain NWR, Wed, 6/24/20

We knew it was going to be a hot one today; it was hot all over the west.   Dressed in shorts and Tee's, we hopped in Smartie for the drive to the top where the Visitor Center is.  We figured it would be shuttered, as most federal entities are; as in, Forest Service/Fish and Wildlife, etc., and it was.  But their info boards with maps provided help.  Hart Mountain NWR, in South-Central Oregon, is a large refuge, with abundant, wide-open space, and gravel roads twining hither and yon.  Much of it is inaccessible to cars like Smartie (no high clearance) and I'm guessing a good deal of it can only be explored on foot.  Today we wanted to check out the Hot Springs and beyond -- a fairly short, easy drive from the VC. 

This area is arid, sage-brush covered.

You have to realize that where we're camped is "below."  The gravel road to the VC ascends abruptly nearly three-quarters of a mile above the Warner Valley floor in a series of rugged cliffs, steep slopes, and knife-like ridges.  It's greener at the top, too, with grassy meadows and riparian areas along streams, thanks to snow melt and occasional storms.  This photo was taken up top ... I thought the cloud formation had thunderstorm potential.  

It's also where we spotted Pronghorn Antelope, for which the refuge was established in 1936, providing range for remnant pronghorn herds.  I learned a bunch from the brochure.  Fer instance:  Pronghorns (which I think are cute) are able to run up to 60 miles an hour, making them the fastest land animal in North America.  They can outrun any predator.  Their large eyes see the world as we would if using binoculars with 8 power magnification.  They look like they're smiling (not in the brochure). You're welcome.

We found the hot springs, but neglected to bring our suits.  Ixnay on just the birthday suits, though some do.

Not much to it, as you see, but the water was nice and warm, with bubbles (below) regularly floating to the surface.  I'm sure other hot springs are out there somewhere.  Camping is allowed at the Hot Springs area, but we don't think Tergel would want to make the trip up here.  We saw a few tents and truck campers.

Wildflowers appeared, especially near moist areas.

Jimmy had a nice conversation with this cute li'l guy, next to the hot springs.  I believe it's a Belding's Ground Squirrel, and it didn't appear to be afraid of us.

Spots of snow linger on the higher peaks.  Hart Mountain itself rises to 8,017 ft.  The winding road ahead is where we're going ... we didn't know where it would lead, but intended to find out.

That road dead-ended at Barnhardy Road, closed to all but foot traffic.  We parked Smartie and set forth.  Have I mentioned mosquitoes yet?  We've been assailed since we got here, both at the campground and everywhere else.  We sprayed.  I even used Skin-So-Soft on my legs and arms, but nothing stopped these voracious blood-suckers.  We'd hoped to walk to Guano Creek and an old camp, but I was being bit on my fingers and my head where my hair had parted!  I said, NO, I can't stay out here.   Meanwhile, we watched our favorite Western Tailed-Blue's puddling for a few seconds.

I bet it would be fun to see what's on the other side (after skeeter season).  About the same time we came upon this bridge, we heard a thunder clap and turned around to see a monstrous anvil-shaped cloud not too far away.  That cinched the return to the car ASAP.

So we came on down, admiring the spectacular views of the beautiful Warner Valley Wetlands.  This is such a diverse park, so much to see and appreciate.  I wondered about the line across the cliff, where the lighter green begins.  It carried on all the way down till the slope was out of sight.

We came home to Tergel, parked in Camp Hart campground.  There's no fee to camp here, but it is dry camping.  Two other, widely dispersed campers shared the camp.  You see Tergel is all by herself.  The view, oh my, the view!

With their cheerful refrain, Western Meadowlarks kept the melody going during our stay.  They were up early and sang till dusk.

Jimmy plopped on the bed and took a short nap.  I watched another huge thundercloud approach the campground.  Thunder growled.  We have no hookups here, so our door and all the windows were open to encourage a breeze.  In no time, I heard rain drops.  All of a sudden, great big drops hit the ground and bounced a foot.  A cloudburst!  The rain on the roof was deafening.  Jimmy slept through it.  I had to close windows on one side of the rig, and ten minutes later the rain was over, the clouds moved on, and a delicious coolness walked right in!

As the sun moved lower in the sky, we watched the changing colors on yonder hillsides.  Obviously I took this picture from Tergel's vast windshield, and every few minutes we'd look again to see the hillside transformation.

From a different window, we have a different, dramatic glowing view. 

Followed by a stellar orange sunset.  Clouds will give you a fine sunset.  So ends Day One of Our Little Getaway.  Tomorrow will be a new day with new opportunities.  What shall we do?