Success at Grizzly Cemetery!!!

Yep, I didn’t even get charged by a bull. Not a bull in sight! (Here’s the post about my first attempt if you missed it.) It was a long, hot day. I chose the hottest day of the summer thus far, or close to it, to go wandering about the central Oregon wilderness, looking for cemeteries which have no road access what so ever. So, let’s start with the beginning of the 160 mile, 6 hour road trip.

As always, the drive to and fro the tiny little half acre or smaller cemeteries is just as spectacular as ever. These views can be spotted from Oregon State Highway 27, known as the Crooked River Highway. This highway runs from Prineville Oregon south, to Highway 20 between Millican and Brothers. If you have never been here, this is far, far beyond the middle of nowhere. You passed the Middle of Nowhere back in Utah someplace. This is the very absolute edge of nowhere. You can’t get more nowhere than out here, as beautiful as it is.

Highway 27 near Roberts, Oregon

The southern part of Highway 27 isn’t even paved. It was recently graded (a fact my car was very happy about) and seems like once upon a time, it might have been paved. No longer, friends.

Hillside Barn, Highway 27, Oregon

There are just a few farmers and ranchers left out here, many decendents of the pioneers who settled this land generations ago.

As such, many of these cemeteries are not on public land and as such, I won’t disclose their exact location. A word of warning: get permission first.

Roberts Oregon is an abandoned town site, but is currently private property. The cemetery is up on a hill side surrounded by beautiful but fallow (mostly) fields with some pleasing views.

Roberts Cemetery

This half acre site sitting atop a hilltop in the middle of alkali flats contains family, neighbors and decendents. It is well protected, loved and allowed to grow naturally though still maintained.

White Bronze, Roberts Oregon

I have to admit, I was surprised to see this Whitze Bronze monument in such a small cemetery. It was set well after the hay day of White Bronze, which is fine by me. I’m not sure why people ever found White Bronze as undesirable. I love these monuments.

Roberts Community in Background

The barns and buildings you can see behind the cemetery are all of Roberts. I got excited reading that Roberts was an abandoned township. I immediately thought – ghost town! Not the case. There were no abandoned buildings. In fact, they were very new and well maintained. The community could never grow large enough to establish a modern township. I’m not surprised either. Roberts is so far out from anything else in Central Oregon, and there’s not a paved road for four miles. You’ve seen the whole of Roberts Cemetery, so let’s continue up Highway 27 towards Prineville and Grizzly.

Crooked River Highway, Oregon

I’ve seen almost everything Central Oregon has to offer and it’s not often I’m wowed by a highway. I was the day I drove this one, however. True to it’s name, Highway 27 follows the Crooked River through its canyon. It’s one of the most beautiful (and most hidden) drives in all of Central Oregon. Truly a hidden a gem.

Crooked River Highway, Oregon

Click here to continue

No Road into Grizzly, Charged by a Bull.

Yep, you read that right. I was attempting to find the Grizzly, Oregon Cemetery in Crook County. There’s virtually no information on it on the web, though I was able to find GPS co-ordinates.

Side Note: My GPS is going to be thrown in the trash. It’s old enough now I don’t have to tell you what it is because it’s not made anymore – thankfully! But trust me on this, if you’re going to get a car or hand held GPS don’t go cheap. Mine has no updates available for it, and the information is has is just plain wrong. I have dirt roads disabled for my route options, but it sent me way down not one, but two dirt roads that were completely impassable and took me 40 miles out of my way. It also had an imaginary road into the Grizzly Cemetery. I’m getting a Garmin.

I got frustrated with the GPS and parked at the end of a dirt road and hopped a fence. (Bad Idea #1.) I did however, look around and not see any Private Property signs. The road signs I saw before were “Livestock At Large.” Really, we thought it was funny.

After walking nearly a quarter mile, I came across this beautiful old Farmstead House that was completely abandoned and falling apart.

Grizzly Abandoned Farmstead, Oregon

There were entire flocks of birds living in this old structure, only one of which you can see as a spec on the right side of the photo. It was here that Mister Bull spotted me. Just to the right of this photograph, where the non-road to the Grizzly Cemetery was. (I think I could see it in the distance, but I’m not sure.)

I thought about taking his picture, but the upright and aggressive stance he took toward me told me I had best put my camera away and get ready to de-ass the area. To the right, past the bull, was the way back to my vehicle, my fiance in the vehicle, and a safe experience of driving home un-mauled.

Mister Bull wasn’t much further from me than the old abandoned farm house, so I made myself as small and non-threatening as possible to slowly walk past him and continue on my way. Since he was between me and the graveyard, I gave up on that idea. The only thing that kept him from being between me and my vehicle was that pathetic little rusty barbed wire fence you could see in the picture.

Grizzly Abandoned Farmstead, Oregon

As beautiful as it was, I didn’t want to hang around as I surely did not trust this fence or the bull’s intentions. As I was walking across the path of this bull who was staring intently at me, I ran through the catalog of “What to do if…” scenarios in my head. I know what to do if attacked by dogs (that already happened, I’ve got the scars to prove it!) cougars, bears, bees, sharks, and republicans. But a bull? Livestock? That is NOT how I wanted to go out. I made the mistake of looking over my shoulder at this huge bull. He went from a dead stop to a sprint in a heartbeat and my first thought was, “For 2000lbs of raw killing power, this sumbitch is fast!” Perhaps one heartbeat later I went into a dead sprint following the path that I was on.

As I watched this bull charge me, I thought of getting my cell phone out, but that would slow me down. He looked as if he was going to blast through that piddly fence and stomp me into the dirt. I decided if he takes me down, I’ll curl up, protect my head and get my phone out then. Fortunately, he cut hard and ran along the fence with me, snorting and breathing heavily.

Remembering you’re supposed to yell at animals attacking you, I decided to do just that and began to berate this angry burger with legs chasing me down in my loudest, deepest voice.

I think the damn thing was laughing as it peeled away from the fence and fell into a trot, putting distance between us. I however, was not about to give him a second chance to step on my bones like dry twigs and continued my terror run well after this cow (who by the way was waaay faster than my human legs could carry me) had gone onto more interesting things than scaring mere pedestrians.

I reached my vehicle, fiance and water bottle far more quickly than I had planned. I felt stupid. What a newbie mistake!

But I was elated to be not only alive, but not crushed and in life ending agony. Any day that ends without that is a good day!

So, here are some lessons we should learn from this:

#1. Google Earth your GPS co-ordinates and make sure there’s at least a road!! Don’t trust your GPS. Get a satellite picture.

#2. If you see a “Live Stock at Large” street sign, that means your steak last night has a grudge. Don’t be messin’ around where they can actually do you harm.

#3. If you’re challenged by a really angry big mac, back away until he doesn’t care about you anymore. Don’t try to cross his path.

#4. As long as you get some pretty pictures and escape in tact, it’s worth it! Especially if you can spare somebody else the embarrassment of being killed by tomorrow nights dinner.

You can see more, larger pictures in the gallery, and purchase them if you like!

http://eternaltouchstudios.smugmug.com/gallery/5001104_LdGRk#557345588_k4Z9B

Also, if you have been to, have pictures of or know how to safely access the Grizzly Oregon Cemetery, please leave a comment and let me know!