Bob DenOuden's Pacific Northwesterner: Return to the Owyhee

The perfect pass; so inviting we had to come back

When we were roaming around Chalk Basin in April, a perfectly rounded pass to the north caught our eyes. After returning home and consulting maps, we became intrigued by Chalk Basin's much larger neighbor to the north; Bull Creek Basin. We had to go back, so we did. This time, we went straight to the Chalk Basin campsite, parked, and backpacked in for two nights. We were not disappointed. Bull Creek Basin is seldom visited, filled with wildflowers including, it turns out, at least one on the Oregon rare plants list. There is something about exploring an unknown place that gets under your skin and makes you want to come back. I have a feeling we will be returning.