Exploring can be hard work. Sure, the views are always worth it, and there is a certain joy in finding new places, but there are also long miles driven or hiked, extreme temperatures and stress from trying to secure “the shot” from the side of a highway.

Finding a sugar kick along the way is always a welcome addition to heading out to the far corners of the state, especially when that treat comes from one of the most famous places in for cool respite.

Shake it up

I have longed to try the milkshakes found at Fields Station in Fields, located in southeastern Oregon about 20 miles from the Nevada border, especially after hearing they were one of the best, if not the best, in the state. (They are.)

While out on an epic tour of Steens Mountain recently, my dad, Mike, and I added the small pit stop to our route, grabbing a shake and a couple of burgers before getting a hit of the south end of the Steens Mountain Road and the Riddle Brothers Ranch.

Because sweet views call for even sweeter treats sometimes.

Southern accents

Fields sits at the corner of Steens Mountain and Alvord Desert to the north and the Pueblo Mountains to the south, giving its location a stellar view of the geologic specialties of this area of the Great Basin.

Read part one of Makenzie Whittle’s Steens adventure

High-rise thrills: Driving the Steens Mountain Road in Oregon

The Pueblo Mountains are also made from a fault block ridge, but it’s a little smaller than its neighbor to the north, and also looks decidedly different, lacking giant glacial valleys and instead featuring more hills and valleys in its eastern edge, as well as a steeper western slope.

Between the two sits Oregon Route 205, and you can get a greater sense of the scale of both formations as you drive toward the Catlow Valley.

The road then takes you north following the western slope of Steens Mountain which down here looks much more mountainous than its northern section. This is due to both the west and east sides of the southern section of the mountain residing along fault lines.

Through many miles of farmland in the Catlow eventually, the Steens Mountain Road’s southern terminus intersects with the main highway.

This southern section of the road is also fully unpaved and is currently closed due to a rockslide near the steep Rooster Comb area.

Leading up to the closed end is a very different kind of view than can be seen from the northern section of the road. Here, juniper trees abound and there are far more hills to climb and descend as you make your way upwards. You’ll more than likely spot some of the residents of the area, including the wild horses that are a part of the herd of the South Steens Horse Management Area — a thrill for anyone to see but especially the horse girls and boys out there.

Steens Mountain is an open-range area, meaning that you’re also likely to see cattle grazing along with the horses. It’s not far off from the look of things back at the turn of the 20th century and beyond.

Beyond the ranch

Steens Mountain has been home to humans for thousands of years, first with bands of Paiute, then European settlers like Basque and Irish shepherds who would run their herds through this stunning landscape. More recently the area was home to the Riddle brothers who purchased a ranch in 1896 and raised livestock into the 1950s before they sold it to Rex Clemens.

Clemens kept the ranch looking much like it did when the Riddle brothers ran it, making it a kind of time capsule example of the last of the Oregon frontier life.

The ranch is located just off the main mountain road northwest of South Steens Campground. The road has a small marker pointing to the Riddle Brothers Ranch National Historic District, so take care when coming upon it or you may miss your turn completely (if you get to the campground you’ve gone too far). The long, dirt road out is rutted and can be maneuvered easily in most vehicles with higher ground clearance.

The Riddles came from the west side of the state and settled here on Steens Mountain along the lush Blitzen River, building three cabins, one for each brother, along its banks. Benjamin Riddle was the first to come to Harney County and purchased the land along with his brothers, but died by suicide in 1915. Walter Riddle was the business manager and established the Frenchglen School, and Fredrick ran the day-to-day back on the ranch. None of the brothers married.

Once Clemens bought the land, several people ran the ranch for him until his death in 1985, whereupon his widow sold the land to the Bureau of Land Management the following year.

The ranch is open seasonally to visitors and is maintained by the BLM, where a resident caretaker maintains it in season.

This year’s caretaker welcomed my dad and me, giving us a short history lesson before letting us explore on our own. Each of the old buildings made of weathered wood was open for our leisure, with Fredrick’s main cabin still full of those mid-century ranch items and furnishings. The old barn still gets use when people arrive on horseback to visit the district.

Trails lead off from this main area following the river downstream, allowing the same kind of rich solitude that the Riddle brothers may have also enjoyed.

Leaving the district, you can spot Walter’s reconstructed cabin along the other side of the Blitzen from the road, with an incredible view of Little Blitzen Gorge behind it.

Gas tank roulette

This area of Oregon is remote and can give you a great break from everyday life in the more populated centers of Central Oregon. That also means that cell service dips in and out, few potable water options are available and tiny towns are few and far between.

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Steens Mountain and its surrounding areas are full of richness, from awe-inspiring views to fascinating historical stories and yes, even a practically perfect milkshake.

While it is very much appreciated in terms of protections under management areas and historic districts, it is missed by many folks simply because of the remoteness of it all.

So take the journey you may have been missing or return to the reaches of the mountain and soak in all its pristine beauty. Just make sure you do your part to keep it that way.