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Holy crap batman it was cold. We left Friday about 11 would have made it over Santiam pass just fine without chains but of course heading up the hill from Santiam Juction the motor home in front of us slammed on his brakes and I had no where to go but on to the chain up shoulder and once there couldn't get traction to return to the traffic lane. SO on to Ana Lake RV park our head quarters for what was to be 2 full days of Jack Rabbit hunting. And oh man was it cold. 20° with intermittent 25mph winds and not a tree in sight so. camp got hit with everything. Made dinner set up the tent. Found out the cots wouldn't fit in the tent (had been raining here to much to try that out at home) so sleeping bags on the hard ground.
Went over to where they allowed fires to be built quickly got a nice roaring fire going and had to sit almost on the edge of it to get even a little warmth. Finally gave up about 10pm to crawl in the bags and get maybe 2 hours of sleep Wake up at 4.30AM try to get out of the new Mummy bag and get a frecking Leg cramp!!! That was fun. Go pee (they have very nice toilet and shower at the camp) back into the bag to try to get some more sleep maybe another hour and its time to get up. Water jug is a 7 gallon block of ICE. We decide to pack up pay up and head out one of the other campers who was a local but staying there as their home water system had frozen. Came over and gave us coffee.
So all packed up we run to the little cafe in Silver Lake and have a great breakfast and chat with the gals working there. Decide t head towards Christmas Valley and on to Wagontire looping back to Bend. All the time looking for BLM land to hunt. We stop on the road to the huge back scatter radar installation and get set up to walk some sage brush. And within 200 yards of the truck realize the area is crap for Rabbits the top inch of sand is wet so we head back to the truck and decide the weekend is a bust we are about 3 weeks to early. The local guy pretty much said the same thing this year was just wetter and colder later then years past.
As we are putting the guns away I realize the set of keys for my Willys Jeep aren't in my pocket. DANG IT so we back track to the RV camp figuring they much have come out of the tent there when getting dressed. NOPE and we then keys with every place we stopped in the way and no one had turned in any keys. Pretty sure they left up on the pass putting on chains. OH well I have duplicates of them all.
Anyway Pretty sure this old man is done with tent on the ground camping. And I ain't going anywhere until the weatherman says at least 40 degrees during the day. It never broke freezing while we were there.
Did see a herd of Mulies about 30 strong when we came over Picture Rock pass that was cool.
My son saw one Rabbit in the middle of some farm field where it could not be hunted. That was it.
OH well more incentive to get to work on the little off road travel trailer to tow behind the Willys jeep.
Went over to where they allowed fires to be built quickly got a nice roaring fire going and had to sit almost on the edge of it to get even a little warmth. Finally gave up about 10pm to crawl in the bags and get maybe 2 hours of sleep Wake up at 4.30AM try to get out of the new Mummy bag and get a frecking Leg cramp!!! That was fun. Go pee (they have very nice toilet and shower at the camp) back into the bag to try to get some more sleep maybe another hour and its time to get up. Water jug is a 7 gallon block of ICE. We decide to pack up pay up and head out one of the other campers who was a local but staying there as their home water system had frozen. Came over and gave us coffee.
So all packed up we run to the little cafe in Silver Lake and have a great breakfast and chat with the gals working there. Decide t head towards Christmas Valley and on to Wagontire looping back to Bend. All the time looking for BLM land to hunt. We stop on the road to the huge back scatter radar installation and get set up to walk some sage brush. And within 200 yards of the truck realize the area is crap for Rabbits the top inch of sand is wet so we head back to the truck and decide the weekend is a bust we are about 3 weeks to early. The local guy pretty much said the same thing this year was just wetter and colder later then years past.
As we are putting the guns away I realize the set of keys for my Willys Jeep aren't in my pocket. DANG IT so we back track to the RV camp figuring they much have come out of the tent there when getting dressed. NOPE and we then keys with every place we stopped in the way and no one had turned in any keys. Pretty sure they left up on the pass putting on chains. OH well I have duplicates of them all.
Anyway Pretty sure this old man is done with tent on the ground camping. And I ain't going anywhere until the weatherman says at least 40 degrees during the day. It never broke freezing while we were there.
Did see a herd of Mulies about 30 strong when we came over Picture Rock pass that was cool.
My son saw one Rabbit in the middle of some farm field where it could not be hunted. That was it.
OH well more incentive to get to work on the little off road travel trailer to tow behind the Willys jeep.