Willow Prairie Horse Camp

We left the Double H ranch and headed to the Willow PrairieHorse Camp in the Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest. I was surprised that there was no border crossing going into Oregon, so we didn’t have to stop and show the certification papers for our horses.  Normally when we cross state lines, we have to go through a border station where the personnel check our driver licenses and ask for the health certificates for the horses. They normally fill out a form with the license plate number for our trailer and a description of the horses in case they have been reported stolen.

Google Maps has proven to be a major headache so far as it has only gotten the entrance correct for one of our stops.  This campsite was no different. We were instructed to turn left instead of right and ended up having a six mile detour before we found a spot where we could safely turn The Behomoth around.

Once we arrived at the campsite, we were greeted by our Camp Hosts, Russ and Nellie. Russ helped Ari park the trailer. The road in and out is plenty wide and we are in a nice long trailer pad.

The horses are in log corrals which are on the smallish side – especially after leaving a 2 acre pasture. There is no water except for the horses and that has to be hauled using buckets. We forgot to pack a pail, but Russ loaned us one of his buckets. We carry large tubs for water for the horses as most campsites don’t supply that.

Mercy relaxing in his corral...he spread out his hay so all he has to do is lean over a little bit to nibble on some food.

The trail map for Willow Prairie Horse Camp

The trails at this campsite are extensive and it is easy to get lost, so Russ offered to show Ari the trails. I let Russ use my horse. He and Ari went for a ride while I prepped dinner and relaxed.

The next morning, Ari led us on a ride to an area called Porcupine Flats. The trails are nice, not too rocky, pretty flat and easy to ride. 

Riding through Porcupine Flats - but didn't see any porcupines

Our next stop was supposed to be at Fourmile Horse Camp, but Russ and Nellie advised us not to stay there. Apparently, the road is in really bad shape and the campsites are very bad. So, we opted to spend an extra two days here at Willow Prairie. Luckily, the campsite we booked is free until next weekend. It costs us $7.50 per night to stay here, so it is quite the bargain.

Ari making friends with Russ & Nellie's rat terrior

Cell service is spotty as I expected and we aren’t able to reply to emails or texts. I had posted to my horse facebook group asking for recommendations for internet in remote places. Several horse people were a bit accusatory in their response. After all, isn’t the point of camping with horses to get away from the hustle and bustle? Well, yeah, but people seem to feel they should be able to get ahold of us – even when we tell them we are not going to be able to get calls or emails for several days.

My claims adjuster has been trying to get ahold of me for more than a week now. I emailed him a few days ago explaining that we are camping with horses and I will be hard to reach. His response was to send me an email and ask me to respond to that. I can receive emails – intermittently – but sending them is iffy.

Tuesday morning, a fellow camper named Kaylene offered to guide us up to The Enchanted Forest.  It’s a stand of old growth trees – reachable only if you are on horseback or are an avid hiker. Kaylene has a beautiful Paint named Chisholm. Chisholm is 18 yo, overweight, and out of shape. Ari & I were skeptical that Chisholm would be able to ride with us since our horses are Tennessee Walkers and are in optimal shape.  Sure enough, Chisholm struggled the entire ride. We had to stop multiple times to let Chisholm rest and catch his breath. 

Kaylene on Chisholm in a field of Shasta daisies

The Enchanted Forest is indeed quite beautiful. Kaylene told us that she calls the area Huckleberry Flats because there are multiple huckleberry bushes in the undergrowth. She says in August and September the place is a popular spot with bears who chow down on the huckleberries, so she avoids the area during those months.

Kaylene in the Enchanted Forest - took the picture over my shoulder

The Behemoth - at our campsite

We let Chisholm lead us back into camp at the end of the ride and he did better when he was in the lead and heading home. It was a two and a half ride from start to finish.

Tomorrow morning we plan to do another ride with Kaylene & Chisholm to a canyon.

We leave for the Quinn Meadow Horse Camp on Thursday.  This stop will be the longest we have ever camped in one place with the horses. In the past, we have never stayed anywhere for more than a couple of days because we only had so much time off work. Now that we are retired, we can stop and really enjoy each campsite. I may start reserving extra days on the front and rear end of our campsite reservations to give us a little more flexibility to stay longer at each place if we like.

Adjusting to retirement can be challenging simply because we are used to doing things in ways to accommodate our jobs. So, we are figuring things out as we go.