I recently returned from an 11 day trip to the SE Oregon Outback. I had a great trip and thought I'd share a bit about my adventure. Here's a link to a slideshow I made about my trip and a (longish) narrative below.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11kW...ew?usp=sharing
Following a 4-day trip over Memorial Day weekend to the Mt. Hood National Forest with my kids, we returned home, where I did a quick turnaround and departed on Tuesday, 5/26 for Central Oregon from my home in Portland for a solo adventure. I arrived in Bend that afternoon and drove to Phil's Trail Complex to mountain bike on the trails. After riding I proceeded to a nearby spot where I've camped in the past adjacent to the trail system. I met my cousin the next day and spent another day riding at Phil's and one more night in this camp.
The following day, 5/28, I departed and headed towards Paisley, OR. My destination for the evening was Chewaucan Crossing, a small Forest Service campground along the Chewaucan River, where the Fremont National Recreation Trail crosses the river. The next day, I mountain biked a section of the Fremont NRT from camp towards "Government Harvey Pass". This is rough, steep primitive singletrack that doesn't see a lot of riders and I was not surprised to be alone on the trail, a marked contrast to the riding at Phil's.
I departed*Chewaucan Crossing 5/30 and headed for Plush, OR and on to my ultimate destination for the night, Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. I arrived mid-afternoon at Hart Mountain NAR and drove to Hot springs Campground. It was super windy and I had some concerns that my portable solar panel might not stand up to the wind, so I used bungie cords to lash 2 one-gallon water jugs to the panel which held it fast. After the wind died down somewhat, I enjoyed a nice soak in the namesake hot springs. The next morning I awoke and rode up the Barnhardy Road, a jeep road closed to motor vehicles for the season. After another steep climb and some great views, I turned around and zipped back to camp for another round of soaking in the hot springs.
The next day, 6/1, I broke camp and headed for Frenchglen, OR and the Steens Mountain Management Area. I arrived in Frenchglen after about two hours and 40 miles of dusty, gravel road driving. I learned that the North Steens Loop road, and therefore my intended destination of Fish Lake campground, was closed. The proprietor of the Frenchglen Hotel recommended South Steens campground, so I headed there instead. After another 20 miles of unpaved roads, I arrived at the very pleasant*South Steens campground and set up camp. After speaking to a mountain biker in camp, I learned that the Steens Loop road was closed at the second gate, 4 miles above camp. The next day I drove up to the gate and rode in on my bike 5 miles, where snow made the road impassable. I spent quite a while taking photos of the impressive Steens views, before turning around and heading back to my GTRV.
On 6/3, I left the Steens Mountain area and headed towards the small outpost of Fields, OR and reprovisioned at the Fields Station Store. I filled up with gas, filled both my onboard and portable propane cylinders, bought a few groceries and enjoyed one of Fields Station's famous milkshakes before heading to the Alvord Desert. The Alvord is a dry alkali lake bed, roughly 6 x 11 miles and is accessible via a short dirt access road. I'd heard a lot about driving on the desert playa and proceeded to do just that! After experiencing this novelty for myself, I headed over to the nearby Alvord Desert hot springs and enjoyed a soak with the tubs and playa view all to myself. This is a privately managed hot spring that costs $8 for a soak, well worth it. Refreshed and with the day cooling off from the high 80's I proceeded back to the playa and found a spot to camp for the night. I had a great night with mild temperatures and very little wind as I enjoyed a nearly full moon and the solitude of the playa.
The next day, 6/4, it was time to begin my homeward journey. I drove to Burns, OR and stopped the grocery store for a few provisions before deciding on a destination of Emigrant Springs campground for the night. Emigrant Springs was a nice enough Forest Service camp, but the mosquitos were fairly aggressive and I had to "grease up" with bug juice as I set up camp.
I spent only a single night at Emigrant Springs, before breaking camp and heading back towards Hines, OR and Hwy 20. I proceeded west on 20, took the Millican cutoff towards Prineville, before heading over Mt. Hood and eventually home where I arrived about 5:00 p.m. It was a great trip, full of fantastic scenery. I can't wait for the next one!
watchtower, white whale, land yacht, big pig...
Jim Bridger
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