Tucker cools off in upper Pike Creek
Peeking out at the Alvord Desert
The ultimate camping machine!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Woke up early to a refreshingly sunny day and traipsed across the gravel road for a soak in the hot springs while enjoying the sun coming up across the Alvord Desert. Had a quick breakfast of oatmeal, packed up camp, said goodbye to my campsite mates, and drove two miles to the Pike Creek trailhead for the day's physical outing. T and I were hiking by a little after 8!
Today's hike was the ultimate in spectacular! The trail climbed up a reclaimed jeep road, though a notch, and into a basin below the snow-capped peaks of Steens Mountain's abrupt east face. It followed Pike Creek, mostly from above. Sage and juniper was green with spring moisture. Some early wildflowers were out--lots of balsamroot, some lupine and phlox. We hiked six miles round trip, but you only have to go a mile and a half or so to appreciate the beauty. Second snake of the trip--a small, pond-scum-colored thing. I enjoyed a post-hike soak back at Alvord Hot Springs before driving north.
More great views of Steens to the west. Then we rounded the north side through the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and I finally caught an elusive glimpse of Steens' west slope. Until now, she had been hiding in cloud cover.
I was looking forward to Burns--civilization!--after two days of remoteness. I checked in daily via my Spot satellite tracker, but had no telephone or Internet access since leaving Lakeview. But I arrived in Burns to discover that I really did not miss civilization after all! I got gas and a car wash (the Subi was so muddy you could barely see out the windows) then pulled into the Safeway parking lot thinking I would resupply with ice and other goodies. But after I got off the phone with Scott I decided I really didn't need anything anyway and headed north toward John Day.
The guy at the gas station recommended Starr campground and I followed his advice. Just 15 miles south of John Day, this little Forest Service gem was accessible but had no fee station installed yet. It was deserted and the toilets were clean and stocked with toilet paper. Perfect! I snagged a nice spot with some afternoon sun for warmth and set up Camp 3. Tucker sniffed around and stalked things in the grass before settling down on his blanket. As I sipped a glass of Pinot Grigio and reviewed my plans for the following day, the ultimate camping machine came rattling down the road and moved in a few sites down. It was a log cabin on wheels, complete with front porch! The owners were en route from Bonners Ferry, Idaho to spend the summer at Summerlake.
After a quesadilla dinner and another glass of wine, I packed it in early with no complaint from Tucker. The sky was clear and the stars out, so I left the rain fly off. Lots on tomorrow's itinerary, so I'm hoping to be up early!
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