Southeast Oregon photos
- Thread starter High Desert
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Need some local advice. I'm transferring from the Northwest to Va in January and am looking for interesting routes off the interstates. Is 20 from I-5 to Boise doable in late January? I-84 is my back-up if I need it but I've gone that way once before. Thanks in advance.
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- #23
Oh yeah, even in bad weather it's not that bad..they sand (cinder) the hell out of it if the weather is bad..no worse than the passes on 84. several nice stop offs on the way to Burns from Bend..Glass Butte being one of the neatest and easiest Mile post 73 or so. the only big buttes in sight on the right, south, side of the road...nice double track to the top and lots of obsidian all over the place.
Big sky country it is..Only weather issue, unless it's a really big ass storm, would be the passes form the Valley to Bend..but that's nothing any good AWD or 4 wd can't handle..It's the dumb asses you gotta watch out for..that's the danger over here...the SUV driver that don't know crap about physics...
Big sky country it is..Only weather issue, unless it's a really big ass storm, would be the passes form the Valley to Bend..but that's nothing any good AWD or 4 wd can't handle..It's the dumb asses you gotta watch out for..that's the danger over here...the SUV driver that don't know crap about physics...
Love the Steens and surrounding area. I've been jonesing to go back since my first trip out there two or three years ago. I drove up from CA to meet my dad for some grouse hunting, came via Hart Mtn Antelope Preserve. Just an incredible drive.
These are my favorite types of trips and the whole reason why own an LC. Back country exploration, wilderness camping, near total solitude. None of the rock crawling, mud whole stuff.
On my way back via Hart I blew a tire out on that washboard (didn't air down). Discovered that the PO had installed two different size lug nuts on my wheels and I only had one size tire iron
I crawled on my rim ot the BLM station there and borrowed some tools, very lucky. I can't wait to go back.
These are my favorite types of trips and the whole reason why own an LC. Back country exploration, wilderness camping, near total solitude. None of the rock crawling, mud whole stuff.
On my way back via Hart I blew a tire out on that washboard (didn't air down). Discovered that the PO had installed two different size lug nuts on my wheels and I only had one size tire iron
I crawled on my rim ot the BLM station there and borrowed some tools, very lucky. I can't wait to go back.
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- #26
MarkW would save that tire and patch it
..in the field..
..in the field..
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- #27
Ain't it though? nice photo. Yep it's nice to wheel around down there, I usually pick up garbage when I'm out and about. Picked up very little this last trip, low use and high respect seem to rule..
The roads are washboarded..but the guys at the Hart Mt. Headquarters grade the hell out of the Refuge roads..Most always good unless it's been really busy between gradings..I hit all the roads coming and going in good shape this trip..50mph no harm done...I was gonna air down and forgot..didn't notice until coming back across Glass Butte country...then I shudda and still didn't
Next time...
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don't have a pic, but if you can believe it mine was worse. Burnt thru tread, almost swore the ******* belts were showing...
you mean like zis?
Auxilary Fuel Tank & Diesel!! Kdding - but not really, except I usually am very happy to pay $5/gallonn in the middle of nowhere just to support the local economy.
Owhyee = SEC OR, SWC of Idaho. Blackrock = NEC of Nevada, which is south/central extension of Oregon, or vise-versa depending on which direction you are travelling to/from. BOB
Now lets see, hmm!!! I'm thinking about 2002, weekend before Memorial Day, Saturn passenger car, kids, Alvord Lake basin with higher water table than expected, hot springs about a mile away.
Picture sitting in the hot springs watching a passenger vehicle out on the "dry" lake bed. Fast forward 10 minutes. Picture a Saturn 4-door, buried to the hood in mud; about 6 people thoroughly enjoying the nearby hot springs, & one pair of binoculars to watch it all. Fast forward - 1-backhoe, 3 legths of chain, 1 pickup & about 4+ hours of labor. Fast forward to the next morning - the idiots washed everything off in the hot springs.
Where the cruiser is parked is not accessible currently. Amazing how 1-2" of water table increase can flood 1,000's of acres.
Flip side = the dry lake bed is the only mosquito free camping area I have found in the immediate area - just don't add water. Bob
Been there done that - - once. 17 degrees, two flats.
The really scary part - - fast forward about 15 years, and I go out there w/1 spare again & a tire patch kit buried somewhere in my supplied. I do pay more attention to my tires these days, and haven't had an issue since that one very, very cold morning. BOB
cool thread~
Man I want to explore this area!
