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Post by messi on Jul 2, 2020 13:56:08 GMT -8
The Steens/Alvord is my playground. First time I hit 100 mph with my car. Its also the place in Oregon where there is no light pollution, so you can see the Milky Way bands on a moonless night. Even on a moonless night, the stars create just enough light to let you see your surroundings.
And don't forget the hike to Wildhorse Lake.
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Post by mbabeav on Jul 2, 2020 16:29:53 GMT -8
I love the Steens. The gorges are incredible. The alvord is a fun place to hang out too. Lots of great wildlife and the ridge/basin geology is really cool. Hope to get back there this summer. Did the tram ride up Howard Mt. At Lake Wallowa, and then drove the Imnaha river canyon - I am loving the geology - it might not have been Hells Canyon but there are some 3000+ ft high ridges on a very narrow canyon penning in a tiny river. One ranch was like 7 miles long by 200ft wide. I am so glad I talked my wife into the Oregon Road Trip.
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Post by Beavcat on Jul 3, 2020 9:22:15 GMT -8
When I was 17, I went camping in the Alvord desert... 50 miles from the nearest paved road. No cel phones, GPS, etc, and likely nobody coming by for a long time. I recall even at the time thinking it was somewhat risky... that we might be a flat tire away from a pretty rough time. We came by a well-marked (warned) hot springs that was just below boiling, where apparently a few folks have horribly lost their dogs that ran and jumped in. That area doesn't coddle anybody. That was likely Mickey Hot Springs (just north of the main Alvord mud flat. Just north of the hot springs is another dry lake bed, Mickey Dry Lake I think, where a number of years ago someone (possibly aliens!) did one of those landscape type art installations by disturbing the surface of the mud flat. Here is a link:
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Post by Judge Smails on Jul 3, 2020 15:49:55 GMT -8
I love the Steens. The gorges are incredible. The alvord is a fun place to hang out too. Lots of great wildlife and the ridge/basin geology is really cool. Hope to get back there this summer. Did the tram ride up Howard Mt. At Lake Wallowa, and then drove the Imnaha river canyon - I am loving the geology - it might not have been Hells Canyon but there are some 3000+ ft high ridges on a very narrow canyon penning in a tiny river. One ranch was like 7 miles long by 200ft wide. I am so glad I talked my wife into the Oregon Road Trip. Just got back from Wallowa. The tram was awesome. Didn’t expect 8 inches of snow on top.
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