Dry Camping in Winnemacca, Hawthorne, and Tonopah, Nevada

We had a peaceful night at the Round Barn and drove about four hours to Water Canyon Recreation Area in Winnemucca, Nevada.  It was a boring drive and there were not many diesel stations along the route but we luckily made it to a Maverick station in town.  Then we headed to the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) area for some free camping if we could find an empty spot as there are only 10 at this location. 

 

 Yea, we snagged a nice spot in a shaded area!

A little creek behind our site.

We did a little hiking.

Al got out his drone and took some photos of our campsite.

A good look at our solar panels.  
The two big boxes at the front and back of the roof
are air conditioners.

We stayed at this site for two nights and enjoyed a little hiking and the cooler weather. 

The next day we had another boring drive south to Sportsman Beach campground in Hawthorne, Nevada.  We squeezed into a site with no hookups for $3/night with a great view of Walker Lake!  In the past we stayed at the Elks lodge in town.  The main road hugs the side of the lake and we noticed campgrounds by the lake on a previous trip and made a note to try one our next time in the area.  We liked it better than staying at the Elks.

 

 

We spent two nights at Walker Lake.  Next we drove about 2.5 hrs to Tonopah and arrived at the BLM site and got parked.  This is our third time staying at this location.  The temps were really nice with a breeze.  There were more people here this time (maybe 6-7) other rigs parked here for the night with us.  

This was our route from the Round Barn in Oregon to Water Canyon NRA, Sportsman Beach on Walker Lake, and Tonopah, in Nevada.  That was five nights of dry camping/boondocking with no hookups. 

Next we'll be driving to Boulder City, Nevada near Las Vegas to do a water-ski trip at Lake Mead with friends.

A Round Barn in Diamond, Oregon

We left Sunriver and drove 4.5 hours to a Harvest Host site in Diamond, Oregon.  This site is the location of the Pete French Round Barn State Heritage Site.   We got parked near the visitor center/gift shop and set up.  

   

 Then we went for the short walk to the Round Barn to check it out.

  

The Pete French Round Barn stands in the heart of Harney County and remains a monument to one man’s livestock empire. Peter French arrived in 1872 and began amassing land and cattle. By the mid-1880s, his enterprise had grown to 70,000 acres and 45,000 head of cattle.

Some claimed he didn’t legally acquire the land or water rights, which prompted land disputes and court cases and added to his controversial reputation. One of the disputes eventually led to his murder in 1897.

Although dubbed the ‘Cattle King,” French was the first rancher in the area to put up hay. He also raised thousands of sheep for their wool. The Round Barn was used to train wild horses to pull long wagon trains full of wool, hay and supplies to market in Oregon City.

In today’s landscape, this type of barn is unique. But during 1880–1920, round barns became popular in the Midwest where they were promoted as being efficient for progressive methods of farming. 

 

  

The barn was built to provide covered space for training and exercising horses during the winter. The French livestock operation in the 1880s and 1890s was so extensive that nearly three hundred horse and mule colts were born each year; and while some were sold, most were trained for use on the sprawling ranch. During the bitter winter season, young horses and mules could be trained inside the barn for riding and freight hauling, and mature horses could be exercised in the covered circular paddock.

 

 

Peter French's years of aggressive tactics caught up to him in 1897.

In the late 1880's, homesteader Edward Oliver made a 160-acre claim on a section of French-Glenn's "P" Ranch along the contested Malheur Lake shoreline.  The shoreline had been resurveyed and was open for settlement.  French claimed the land and tried to throw Oliver and his homesteading neighbors out.  This time, French lost in court.

In the next battle of their 10-year war, Oliver successfully asked the county court for a road easement so he didn't have to go six miles out of his way to avoid trespassing.  Furious, French sued the county for the road's removal.

On December 26, 1897, the frustrated Oliver decided to avoid the six-mile detour and rode onto French-Glenn land.  Peter French was moving some cattle that day, and the two men met.  Facing each other on horseback, they argued bitterly.  French hit Oliver with a willow whip and started to ride away.  "He got only a few feet when Oliver drew a pistol and shot him," reported the Sacramento Record.  "French fell to the ground dead with a bullet in his brain."

 Our route to get to the Round Barn:

Another interesting site to spend the night.   We're headed to Nevada next. 

Renting Pedal Assist Bikes in Sunriver, Oregon

We left St Helens, Oregon and drove about five hours to a Thousand Trails park in Sunriver, Oregon.  It was a long drive as we went around Portland on the west side then down to almost Salem then east to Bend.  We filled up with diesel for $4.57/gallon along the route then on to the campground.  We stayed at this same campground in June 2022.  

 

 

Nice to see both pools remodeling has been completed.

One day we rented e-bikes from Sunriver Resort and went for a 34 mile bike ride with our friends, Patty & Lenny.  We just spent the day with them a couple of weeks prior in Seaside, Oregon.  This area is closer to their home northeast of Bend, Oregon.  

  

 

 

A stop to put on sunscreen.

We came across a Saturday Farmer's Market so we locked up the bikes and checked it out.

 

Then we rode to Newberry National Volcanic Monument, what is now Lava Lands was created about 7,000 years ago after a volcanic explosion of Lava Butte. A miles-wide sea of jagged lava rock was left behind creating a unique geological landscape that served as that training ground for moon-bound astronauts.

 

 

Lenny, Patty, Nancy, and Al

 

 

 

We stopped for lunch at a golf course restaurant.

 

 

Next we rode to Benham Falls on the Upper Deschutes River.  The section we saw was not where we could see the falls but just the rushing water which was still impressive. 

There were so many great bike trails in the Sunriver Resort area.  It was a fun day riding with Patty & Lenny.  We loved riding the pedal assist bikes for the first time!  We're hooked!

The rest of our time in the area was spent on chores and errands and Al donated blood and got a t-shirt.  When we're eligible, we try to remember to look for blood drives in the area.

 Here is the location of Sunriver in Oregon:

It was a short visit to Sunriver and we were glad to connect with Patty & Lenny again.  Next we're continuing south to visit a round barn.  

Thanks for following along......