Cattle Drive!

Naturally, a trip to Burns is not complete without a phone call to Andi where we plead and beg for her to drag our sorry hinies up to the South Steens for a glimpse at wild ponies. This time they weren't too far from the paved road, and most any other day we'd have jumped from the moving vehicle in an effort to get a little closer. This time, however, there was something in our way. Rattlesnakes! Ick. I'm not too familiar with desert critters, especially snakes who want to kill you and eat you. Oh, sure, you may say they're more afraid of me than I am of them, but chances in the 100 degree heat were not what I wanted to take. So we settled for photos from the window of the car. Which was air conditioned.

The South Steens is scheduled to be gathered next month, although exact dates have not been given. Darling and I have our names on the list to see if we can be there to watch, but it's unlikely unless a few others ahead of us drop out. It could happen though, right?

While traveling up the long, dusty road we came across a cow. Or two. Or twenty. And a long line of dust, through which we were able to make out a rider on horseback.

On our way back down the highway, post wild horse sighting, we came across the tail end of the same herd of cattle being moved on down the road. The watering hole on the other side of the fence was too alluring and many cows and calves jumped the fence for a cool drink of water after their summer up in the high desert.

So many cows slipped through the fence, in fact, that a neighboring outfit showed up with a couple more horses to help get the girls moving in the right direction. We followed slowly, Andi keeping pace so I could play tourist and take loads of photos. Not that I've never seen a herd of cattle traveling down the road before, as I did learn to ride on the back of a Guernsey cow hoofing it home from her day of grazing back to the dairy barn on the Hannegan Rd. But it's not every day we see that around here any more, and Darling and I both enjoyed the scene.

For those who enjoy the fast paced bustling of a big city, Burns is not the place to go. But for Darling and I, who enjoy the slow paced, rustic, rural life style, it's a place we'd like to some day call home. Convincing City Boy may be a challenge. Then again, surely the big city of Bend has a Starbucks to make him feel at home?