BLM Dispatch #56 - Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Natural Area
The Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Natural Area just might be the most remote BLM land I’ve ever ventured out to. The closest establishment is the Denio Junction Restaurant and Bar, two hours away, which sits three miles south of the Oregon border at the junction of Highway 140 and State Route 292 (it’s hailed as the only eatery within 100 miles in any direction). I was running low on fuel and feeling unsure about road conditions leading to the Natural Area, so I dropped in for some gas and advice.
I entered through a white door and found two couples eating lunch at thick wooden tables that resembled a log cabin. Mounted pronghorn, mule deer and a bobcat kept an eye on the place and everything from cold drinks to gemstones to postcards were for sale. And standing behind the bar, under framed pictures of bigfoot and Audrey Hepburn, was a middle-aged woman staring at me with a smile.
Welcome in, she said. What can I help ya with?…
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