Weldon Wagon Road / Tom McCall Preserve - 04/30/09

[AlexanderSupertramp]

I took advantage of the weather and did a two for one today. I had never visited the wagon road before, but based on recon I was pretty sure it would be good today. It was beautiful. The Balsamroot was starting to bloom nicely. There were lupine springlets everywhere, but very few blooms. The main meadow reminded me quite a bit of Dog Mountain. After the hike I paid my respects at the Indian cemetery. There were numerous cups and nick nacks adorning many of the graves. Does anybody have any background info on that tradition?

Next I shimmied across the bridge to the McCall Preserve. Not much to add to the other recent reports. Just that it was a great day to visit. The sun was high, but the wind was negligible. If anything, it was a pleasant breeze. Here are some pics.

[anna in boots]

Adam,

Were the cups like drinking cups? I dated a Yankton Sioux man in college. When we were on the way back from attending a major pow wow in Lincoln, Nebraska, he wanted to stop at a town he knew to visit a friend.

We ducked into the local bar to meet some of his old buddies. He bought a bottle of beer and excused himself. I watched him walk out into the hot August night with the open bottle, never once drinking from it.

When he came back, I learned that it is tradition to leave food and drink at a grave site to honor the deceased. The friend he had come back to that town to visit was dead.

anna in boots

[AlexanderSupertramp]

Interesting Anna. That seems like that might be the case here.

[meana39]

I've never even heard of the Weldon Wagon Road. I'll have to give it a try it looks beautiful!