Friday, September 16, 2011

Surprise Valley and Warner Mountains


Just got home, Mom and I were in Alturas the last few days
visiting my Uncle Ed, Mom's younger brother.

Thursday Ed took us on a "Guided Tour"
Heading north, pass Davis Creek over Fandango Pass that 
crosses the Warner Mt., it amazes me how the high desert go's
right into timber.  At the top you can see Surprise Valley.
A long narrow valley, mostly taken up by the three alkali lakes,
but along the edges are old homesteads, ranches with fat cows
 and hay field.  Some of my dad's family still live in the valley.

I would have taken a lot more pictures but !
"Ed" said I was beginning to be a pain in the but.
He was doing the driving.


When we got to the valley floor, we drove up to Fort Bidwell at the
 far north end and turned around (that's all there was) south past 
the big town of Lake City, (don't blink) on threw  Cedarville and Eagleville.  
It was after Eagleville, that we took the wrong road.  You see most 
of Modoc county is gravel road except the main highway and 
only have forestry markers "AND ED SAID HE KNEW THE WAY"
Anyway, we ended up at the Emerson trail head. Nice spot for 
camping and to see the antelope.


Now on the right road, we were headed back threw the Warner's 
again, to Likely.  It was fun listening to Ed tell us whose cows we were
passing and stories of the people who owned them and were their home 
ranches were.  He pointed out placed he and JS  had been hunting 
and were JS had helped him gather cattle.


We dropped into a place called Blue lake........."Beautiful" then followed
 Parsnip Creek to Jess Valley where I took the pictures of all the horses.


Uncle Ed says he likes it here.....
"Their are more cows then people and that's how I like it"

3 comments:

lisa said...

I have to agree with ED more animals than people is always nice!

TjandMark/AKA PearlandHawkeye said...

I would like to see that area sometime. My mustang came from an area there called Devils something or another. Photos make it look pretty nice.

5 Starr's Farm said...

Lisa...It's a great place, all cows and hay, the towns are small and few between. All of my Dad's family are from up in that area.

TJ... Did your mustang come from the Devils Garden? That's just north of where we were or from Nevada...