June 18-20, 2021

By Tim Briese

Our family was invited to join my son-in-law Rod’s family for a camping outing on Father’s Day weekend in the Red Desert in central Wyoming. The camp was in a special spot that Rod’s family has come to for decades, which they call "Chicken Camp" because they used to hunt and eat sage chickens, or sage grouse, found in the area. This is a special place to this family that has touched their souls through multiple generations, and I was fascinated to go see what this place is all about. Various members of the family come here at least once or twice a year, and this time 20 or 30 people came, from toddlers to the elderly, with each family bringing their own camper, their dogs, and their ATV’s or dirt bikes to ride about in the desert. It is a very cohesive family experience, which was touching to see. The occasion for this weekend was rather somber, the scattering of Rod’s grandfather’s ashes in a special spot in the desert, which lent a special depth to the experience of this place for me.

our camp, in a valley beside sulfur creek

The Red Desert is a vast uninhabited area of rolling sagebrush-covered hills, with antelope running about everywhere and herds of wild horses, and an endless horizon.

endless wide-open desert, as far as the eye can see

Rod’s Dad Steve took me on tours through the desert with his ATV and enthusiastically showed me many interesting things, like circles of rocks that were old Indian tent rings, and where the Continental Divide Trail crosses the desert. I could tell by the gleam in his eye and enthusiasm in his voice that this place is dear to his heart.

steve and i standing inside a tent ring, a faint circle of rocks about 20 feet in diameter, that he showed to my wife teresa and i

the cdt goes to the right behind the sign

My wife Teresa and I went on several short hikes through the sagebrush desert from camp to explore, and saw among other things a couple of large cairns on hilltops called shepherd’s monuments, spots marked by shepherds from which water sources were visible in valleys below. We saw a herd of wild horses in the distance one evening too.

a shepherd's monument on a hill, with camp beyond in the distance

me on a rocky outcropping on one of our hikes

another shepherd's monument

camp down in the valley below

sunset over the distant wind river range

After a couple of days I began to sense an understanding of the affinity to this land that Rod’s family feels. The vast wide-open desert with its endless horizon and sky draw the soul in a mysterious way, much as my upbringing on a farm in Nebraska had drawn me too. Man’s affinity for land, and to the natural world in general, is a fascinating thing. It is good for a person to have a special place that is dear to their heart. I am glad we went to visit the Red Desert.