Eastern Oregon Road Trip: Day 2

Hwy 140 northeast of Lakeview

DeGarmo Canyon hike

Hart Mountain Hot Springs

Page Springs Campground from the nature trail

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

When I looked out the window to see snow covering the car, parking lot, and all visible terrain, I decided to linger in warm environs til mid morning and the promised warming/clearing trend. I took advantage of Internet access for weather and road conditions, pondering whether to stay on my itinerary or bypass Hart Mountain and proceed all the way to the Alvord Desert where it was likely dryer if not warmer.

Car loaded, gassed and groceried up, Tucker and I turned east on 140 toward Denio. The snow-covered terrain was of steep Ponderosa hills with tight, rocky valleys. A few miles east, the snow lightened then stopped altogether and the skies ahead looked a bit more friendly. The road, first buried under a thin layer of snow, was now dry. When I reached the turnoff to Plush and Hart Mountain, it looked invitingly clear, so I took it.

We drove through a little burg called Plush and then the Warner Valley wetlands. I found the trailhead for DeGarmo Canyon, but opted for the short version rather than the adventurous bushwhacking one given the conditions. The canyon was rugged and scenic, but slick with thin melting snow. Gaining elevation on the longer hike would mean deeper snow and more difficult route finding. The waterfall at the head of the canyon was worth the trip—unless you live in Oregon and no longer find waterfalls exciting—but the beauty of the canyon itself was worth the trip.

We finally encountered snowy road after it turned to gravel and began switch-backing up to the Hart Mountain Refuge headquarters, but just for the last couple miles and not so deep as to drag the Subi's belly in it. But from HQ onward was yet untracked. A quick trip to the visitor room and the guy who works there (I'm pretty sure his name is Maury and he's the same guy I called the day before to ask about road conditions and he assured me nothing significant was expected from this storm) said it was only three miles to the hot springs with no significant elevation gain. Sure enough, after the first mile, the road was actually clear of snow. Just enough to keep the riff-raff out, I thought smugly to myself as I parked in front of the vacant bath house. The pool was dissapointingly warm—not hot—making it hard to get out in the icy wind. Soon, though, the sun was trying to peek through, so Tucker and I had some lunch before we left. Two other cars arrived while we were there.

The gravel/snow trip across the sagebrush flats to Frenchglen left the Subi a muddy mess. I kept looking for Steens Mountain, but all I could see were some foothills with the upper flanks blanketed with snow. A dark gray cloud obscured the rest. Suspecting that even if I could reach my goal of South Steens Campground, it would be cold, windy, and wet, I turned left instead and drove into Frenchglen, then right on the Steens Loop Road to Page Springs CG. Sure enough, at Page Springs the road was gated closed. For just $8, I got a great campsite along the Blitzen River, sheltered from the wind, with toilets, water, and garbage. What a bargain! Page Springs is well laid out, exceptionally clean, beautiful, and two trails leave right from the campground. How nice to have camp set up by 5 and plenty of time to relax. T and I explored the Nature Trail, which climbs above the rimrock to overlook the campground. Then dinner of shrimp skewers acquired at the Lakeview Safeway, with salad from home and whole wheat pasta. And a couple plastic cups of red.

In bed at 10, more out of cold than fatigue. Tucker was not thrilled about the accommodations in the back of the Subi, squeezed in amongst our camping gear, but he certainly was not complaining about having his own Thermarest with his fleece blanket on top. We both woke just before one needing to go out. When I crawled out of the tent, I was stunned at the closeness and clarity of the stars!