DESTINATION  Silvies Valley

SENECA, OREGON | As you might expect from a place that prides itself on being part of Frontier Oregon, Silvies Valley is a bit off the beaten path and takes some time to reach. For my visit, I flew to Boise, Idaho, which is about 140 miles east of the resort, and then rented a car for the roughly three-hour drive. It’s a long but extraordinarily beautiful trek on an often-twisting, two-lane blacktop that takes drivers through hilly, semi-arid cattle country and “wet meadow” valleys as well as parts of the Malheur National Forest, which is replete with stands of ponderosa pines as well as cedars and several types of fir.

Flying into the central Oregon town of Redmond, which is west and just outside the town of Bend, is another option, and the trip from there to Silvies is just as scenic and perhaps 30 minutes shorter. The only problem with that airport is that it is not nearly as well-served as the one in Boise.

Those able to avail themselves of private aircraft can fly in and out of the resort’s airfield, which is 5,000 feet in length and able to accommodate any and all prop planes as well as some jets. In addition, the nearby towns of John Day and Burns, approximately 25 and 38 miles away, respectively, have fixed-base operators capable of handling bigger aircraft.

To carry clubs for rounds on McVeigh’s Gauntlet, the goat caddies use custom-made backpacks from Seamus Golf, the stylish golf accessories concern based outside Portland, Ore. Each piece is made to hold six golf clubs and six cans of beer as well as a handful of golf balls and peanuts, which are traditionally offered to the caprines as tips for jobs well done.

Even though the spa at Silvies Valley had yet to be completed by the time of my visit, a tour of the construction site for that facility made me pine to return to the resort just to see how that facility turns out. The half-size Olympic pool was reason enough to do that, and so were the massages that will be offered in the seven treatment rooms. The menu also will include facials, pedicures and manicures and various rubs and scrubs. As for the fitness center, it will be a great place to get in a workout, if you are not already worn out by all the golf and hiking and riding you can do here.

As isolated as Silvies may be, I was delighted to discover that my Internet connections in the main buildings of the resort as well as the cabins and ranch houses were quite strong and consistent. And there is solid cell service available wherever you can latch onto Wi-Fi. But once you get out of range of those spots, you have to rely on hand radios for communication with members of the Silvies staff and fellow guests.

Mosquitoes can be a bit of a problem at sundown, especially around the lake beyond the multi-level terraces behind the lodge. But ranch and resort owner Scott Campbell and his wife, Sandy, are trying to control the pesky insects through the installation of hundreds of bird and bat houses around the property.

Silvies boasts a solid practice facility with lots of room both long and wide to hit shots and proper reminders of Old Oregon. Such as the vintage wagon by the tee, in which bags of golf balls are stored. And the wagon wheels serve as markers on the range itself.

J.S.