5 YEARS AGO 

JULY 15, 2020

When the National High School Rodeo Finals begin on Friday, July 17 in Guthrie, Oklahoma, six competitors from Central Oregon are slated to compete.

Powell Butte’s Kennedy Buckner, a junior, who won the girls state all-around competition, will make the trek to Oklahoma where she will compete in pole being and breakaway roping. Buckner won the state title in both events.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity to go rodeo in a new place and I’m very grateful that my parents are taking the time to haul me all that way,” said Buckner, who is making her fourth trip to nationals.

Joining Buckner at the national finals will be Culver’s Coy Aldrich, Cord Gomes of Antelope, Powell Butte’s Jace England, Prineville’s Wyatt Wood and Powell Butte’s Deaglan Lundquist.

Aldrich won the boys all-around championship and will compete in tie down roping, steer wrestling and team roping at the national finals. Aldrich and roping partner Brayden Schmidt, who is from Washington, won the team roping, while he finished second in tie down roping and fourth in steer wrestling.

Most years, I went just in the team roping and last year I went in calf roping as well, but this year, going in three events. I’ve been practicing a lot more and I’ve been able to compete at a much higher level on my calf roping and steer wrestling now,” said Aldrich, who is making his fourth trip to the national finals. “I’m older, bigger and stronger, so that has helped a bunch and I think I have a lot better chance this year going back there.”

Gomes, who is making his first trip to nationals, will compete in just one event. However, the senior won the state championship in steer wrestling and has high hopes for his first trip to nationals.

“My goal is to throw two steers down and make it back to the short go and then hopefully throw a third steer down and get to see how things turn out,” he said. “Just have clean runs every time and let the chips fall. I’ve been waiting to do this since I was a freshman and I’m super stoked to get there.”

Wood is just a sophomore, but he punched his ticket to the national finals with a second-place finish in bareback riding.

“My goal is to just ride every horse jump for jump and just try to cover each horse and focus on one horse at a time,” Wood said. “I hope to eventually make it to the short go and possibly place there.”

England, a senior, and Lundquist, a junior, both  qualified for the national finals in saddle bronc riding.

“My goal this year is to get something rode and place,” said England, who placed second in the event. “I’m beyond excited for this opportunity.”

Lundquist, who placed third in saddle bronc, said that he is also excited about the opportunity.

“It’s going to be a pretty cool deal down there in Oklahoma,” he said. “My goal is always to go back there and win, but I would like to make it to the short go and the top 10.”

10 YEARS AGO
July 1, 2015

Plenty to do in the Ochocos

As we rounded a bend of the gravel road we couldn’t believe our eyes. A large mama black bear with three little cubs was about to cross roughly about 30 yards in front of us. Mama crossed but the cubs remained behind and quickly (perhaps instinctively or by some command from their mother) climbed up a large fir tree.

Only a few minutes earlier I told my wife to keep your eyes peeled for elk, deer, cougar, bobcat or even a bear. Then I made the following statement: “I have a feeling we’ll see a mama black bear with two cubs.” That third cub had to go and ruin my Nostradamus-like prediction.

When mama bear got to the other side of the road and saw that her cubs were not behind her, she crossed back again, making a circuitous route toward the  tree, in which her cubs were now climbing even higher. We watched for only a few minutes, got some photos then headed down the road, not wanting to disturb them.

No more than eight or 10 miles down the road my wife excitedly yelled, “Another bear!” This bear, smaller than the last mama, was running full speed through a meadow and crossed the road about 50 yards ahead of us. When I pulled up to where it crossed, I just caught a glimpse of its south end heading east to some thick timber.

My wife and I just stared at each other in total disbelief; five bears in one day and the first ones we’ve ever seen in the Ochocos. I worked with a wildlife biologist who spent most of his career working in the forest and said he’s seen only three black bears in the forest. We considered ourselves lucky.

For our three-day camping trip, we headed east from Big Summit Prairie toward Black Canyon Wilderness. Along the way, we saw antelope, mule deer, elk, a variety of birds, and of course the bears. Wildflowers were just about everywhere. The first night, we camped near Spanish Peak, and the second night, we camped near Black Canyon Wilderness Area.

Spanish Peak has an elevation of 6,871 feet and was once called Bald Mountain. It was first used as a camp in 1921. Then it was host to a series of fire lookouts. In 1923, a 14-by-14-foot cabin was built, which was subsequently raised onto a 20-foot wooden tower in 1931. Then in 1938, a 50-foot treated timber L-4 tower was constructed and finally torn down by the Forest Service in 1968.

The following are a few reports from the Central Oregonian of long ago:

August 19, 1921: “The old fire finder, which has been used on Lookout Mountain, will be equipped with a new map and taken to Bald Mountain lookout near Dayville, where a man will soon be placed on duty.”

June 22, 1922: “The telephone line connecting Prineville with Wolf Mountain and Spanish Peak has been completed.”

May 10, 1923: “A standard lookout house will be built on Spanish Peak (formerly known as Bald Mountain) near Antone. This will be the first standard lookout house constructed in the Ochoco forest. One of the latest type fire finders will equip this station.”

September 7, 1923: “A new trail has been completed to Spanish peak to allow trucking of lumber for a new lookout house. The road was in shape for travel Saturday night.”

From Spanish Peak, we headed over to the rim of Black Canyon Wilderness for some hiking and exploration. The wilderness was established in 1984, and covers 13,400 acres, compared with Mill Creek Wilderness at 17,400 acres and Bridge Creek Wilderness at only 5,400 acres (one of the smallest wilderness areas in the state).

Black Canyon is a remote wilderness area and offers ample solitude. As you walk down from the rim to Black Canyon Creek, you pass through the Picture Gorge Basalt flows, which are like a 17-million-year-old layer cake – each successive flow older than the last.

The wilderness has about 18 miles of maintained trails that offer access to the canyon. From the rim, everything is downhill. Once at the bottom there are several stream crossings, and no bridges. Over the past 10 years, there have been large wildfires that have burned both inside and outside of the wilderness.

Elevation ranges from 6,483 feet at the rim to 2,850 feet, where Black Canyon Creek enters the South Fork of the John Day river. This is a steep wilderness, with about 80 percent of it exceeding a grade of 30 percent. The wide range of vegetation in the wilderness, such as sagebrush, ponderosa pine, mountain mahogany, juniper and fir provide habitat for a variety of wildlife species. Steelhead spawn in the perennial streams of the wilderness.

Wildflowers are everywhere, the most common being crimson columbine, lupine and Indian Paintbrush. One of the best views in the area is from Boeing Field, a broad open meadow that gets its name from the crash of a B-18 bomber during World War I, in which four servicemen were killed.

If you want to make a loop, going up through the forest and back Paulina Highway, head to Big Summit Prairie via Forest Road 38 to the east side of Black Canyon Wilderness. A bumpy side road (FR 200) heads about four miles to the summit of Spanish Peak. To reach Paulina Highway, take either FR 5810 or 5820. Be sure to pick up a forest map before heading out.

We stopped at the Post Store and got one of their famous malts. It was a perfect treat on a hot day and a perfect ending to a great camping trip.

Scott Staats is a freelance outdoor writer who lives and explores in Central Oregon.