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Riverside House The Cowboys of the Great West |
   
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Riverside House The Cowboys of the Great West |
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Embarked in Alan's big "truck" carrying 10 calves, we set off to who knows where but in good company. Alan knows where he is going and knows his job as a "rancher" well.
Owner of 2,000 acres and 10,000 acres leased, with 1,000 heads of cattle and 8 horses, he runs his ranch effortlessly, seriously, and always with a smile. His son Jim assists him, very friendly and very strong, driving the other "big truck" in which up to 50 animals can be loaded.
Three slightly snow-capped summits to cross, we arrive in the region of gold and silver mines. A few villages like "Ironside" along Highway 26, but many abandoned houses, which adds a certain charm to our journey.
Alan is interested in everything; driving cautiously, he explains to me that his father, in the 1940s, rented a "placer mining" (place rented from the state by gold prospectors) in Colombia for a few years with his wife's sister. He didn't really strike it rich with gold, but while washing the soil using hydraulic means and the help of a hundred workers, he stumbled upon a good quantity of rare pieces from the Indians.
Most of this treasure consisted of earrings, nose rings, and other pure gold jewelry. After crossing the border with this treasure hidden under a coat, the Jacobs family carefully kept it in a safe, and it is now part of the family heritage.
An hour's drive, maybe a little more, and here we are in a wide valley where, on our right, a series of log enclosures already contain some 250 calves.
As soon as the yellow truck named "Riverside Ranch" completed its maneuvers, the unloading began in a thunderous noise echoing from hooves on metal floors. Once unloaded, the calves, four at a time, were guided to a corridor and then into a strange manual machine where the calf got stuck, just long enough to receive two injections in the neck and a dose of liquid in each nostril.
It's getting cold now, and after an hour by their side, despite the pleasure of being in their company, I take refuge in Alan's truck, where it's warmer, and with a quick turn of the key, I manage to tune in to the local radio station broadcasting country music. No doubt about it, I'm no longer in France, and certainly not in La Bastide-Puylaurent.
On the way back, I ride in Jim's big truck, Alan follows 200 meters behind. It's getting dark, and we narrowly avoid a deer that was about to cross the snowy road. The inside of the truck is worth noting: very rustic with somewhat "tough" seats, a spotlight that is controlled with the left hand above the door, 15 gears, 2 engine brakes, a CB radio, and, of course, a train horn.
Jim has been driving a truck for almost 10 years, and when the heavy truck ahead of us picks up our CB signal on frequency 19, the conversation flows smoothly. He came from California to collect wood at the Prairie City sawmill and is anxious about the slippery road. "He must not have been driving long," says Jim, who knows this region very well.
The trucker will load his delivery tomorrow morning and, until then, will sleep at the back of his cab, with the engine idling to provide some heat as it's getting colder and colder.
You can hear in their conversation the pleasure and motivation for these road loners to chat about all kinds of things, just as cowboys used to do around the campfire, telling a real-life story or asking if they know someone or other...
Every December, there's a meet-up in Las Vegas, Nevada for the Rodeo Championship (one day, I hope to be part of it). Alan, Jim & Justin actively participate in the competitions. Justin, the youngest brother (22 years old), is the champion; he rides the "Broncos," wild horses, and lassos the calf released into the arena. Many medals adorn the walls of the family home.
Riverside Ranch B&B is a former village schoolhouse, complete with its bell, which at first glance gives it a bit of the appearance of a chapel. A large door opens into a huge room with a high ceiling, a small living room, two large beds, and bathrooms. The decor is simple and tasteful, with a few photos of well-behaved schoolchildren from 1934, a small desk, and also a period stove in the middle of the room. No television or phone, just like the old times.
Located about 6 miles from Prairie City, the place is quiet, surrounded by groves, and about 100 meters from the John Day River. The Ranch is on the other side of the small dead-end road. When the Ranch's activity is in full swing and nature awakens, there is no better place to experience the atmosphere of the West.
Judith came to L'Etoile at the end of June 2003 with her colleague Linda Harrington, who runs the "Strawberry Mountain Inn Bed and Breakfast" located 7 miles from "Riverside School House B&B."
Two energetic women, open-minded, and especially very interested in this new way of traveling called "exchanges." I think they enjoyed the Cévennes very much, and Judith is already talking about coming back to spend a month at L'Etoile and the surrounding area.
Riverside School House B&B, Judith & Alan, Prairie City, Oregon - Map 
Former resort hotel with a garden on the banks of the Allier, L'Étoile Guesthouse is located in La Bastide-Puylaurent, nestled between Lozère, Ardèche, and the Cévennes in the mountains of Southern France. Positioned at the crossroads of GR®7, GR®70 Chemin Stevenson, GR®72, GR®700 Voie Régordane (Saint Gilles), GR®470 Sources and Gorges of the Allier, GRP® Cévenol, Montagne Ardéchoise, and Margeride. It offers numerous loop routes for hiking and day-long cycling excursions. Ideal for a relaxing stay.
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