We have been enjoying the fruits of our labor this summer at Osprey Acres.  Our spring work has wrapped up, and we have been enjoying long weekends relaxing with friends – simply hanging out rather than putting in twelve-hour days of clearing brush.   Which is good, because it’s been too damn hot to do anything more than lay in the hammock.

Here’s what’s new at our little piece of paradise in Plain.

Critter Update

Our toad Troll – another resident of Osprey Acres

The irrigation canal (aka Pequeno Chiwawa) continues to be a superhighway of life.  For the creatures near us, the consistent water source provides habitat in an otherwise arid environment, and so we keep spotting and hearing new creatures with every visit.

One of our favorite activities has been to sit in our camp chairs at the edge of the water.  Every evening big toads emerge to splash around in the water (making quite a racket for their size).  We’ve named the one that lives under our bridge Troll.

One morning during our last visit, we heard scurrying in the brush and out scampered a pair of long-tailed weasels – about a foot long – not ten feet from our camp.

An example of a Long Tailed Weasel (aka a Stoat) living a few steps from our camp site

During the last full moon, we heard a strange screeching  resounding in the forest.  It seemed to be coming from the treetops and we spent the weekend trying to guess what it was.  Based on the movement and location of the noise we determined it was some kind of bird (or possibly a flying squirrel) and when we got home, we listened to the calls of nocturnal birds on the internet, and narrowed it down to the terrifying calls of the barn owl.  This makes sense given that there are several barns in our neighborhood and barn owls like to hunt on the edges of pastureland.

Our neighbors reported spotting bear droppings in their driveway the day before we arrived, and we confirmed their sightings when we saw this nice little pile of bear poo along the canal not far from our homestead.  While this information was a little unsettling to some of our friends, we can’t wait to have our first sighting (hopefully not rummaging in a tent or coolers).

Black Bear droppings on the canal trail

Improved Camp Amenities

With the danger of forest fire at an extreme level, we can no longer cook over an open campfire, so we invested in a propane gas grill and viola! Our hobo camping just got a lot more posh.

We also found sweet little spot to hang our outdoor shower – perfectly nestled in a grove of Ponderosa Pines, and totally hidden from neighboring houses and  trails.  There’s grass at your feet, wildflowers all around and even a nice little spot for your soap dish!  Unfortunately we managed to puncture our shower twice in two days.  Good thing we own several raft patch kit.

Exploring the Surrounding Foothills

With all the focus on cleaning up our property, we’ve spent almost no time exploring the foothills around our property.  So we organized a few expeditions that had us scrambling up uneven slopes in search of adventure.

We discovered this crazy high deer blind in a  pine along the spine of a ridge.  Remind me not to go walking here during hunting season.

See the deer blind? Neither can the deer.

Amanda stumbled upon these droppings during one of our outings.  They’re full of fur and quite large – so we’re guessing coyotes or possibly cougar (do cougars bury their droppings like house cats??).

We made our way to an eroded section of hillside overlooking the dell and the back of Osprey Acres.  It’s got a pretty sweet view of the valley, the town of Plain and features a nice grassy meadow at the top.  We are already planning on backpack camping up there once Ian gets old enough to handle the hill.

Summer Float Trips

Possibly our favorite summertime activity is floating the Wenatchee River – now just a short drive from our doorstep.

Camille trying to look as American as possible on the 4th of July

We hosted our annual rafting trip a bit early this year due to concerns about the low water level.  With no snowpack in the mountains thanks to an epic low snowfall this winter, the river was a good two feet lower than the same time last year and significantly warmer.  We didn’t run aground but it won’t be too long before the river isn’t any good for floating.

But for now… ah, there’s no better way to spend a hot weekend.