Eastern OR / ID?

[pods8]

I haven't tracked through these areas at all (Bend area is the farthest east in OR I've wandered) and am looking at them on the map wondering about possibilities. Throw some broad knowledge at me for those in the know. Have interest in Hells canyon but I'm sure there are tons of gems that are glossed over in that large swatch of area.

 

[DirtyDog]

I wish I had a wealth of information for you - but I have been pretty slack when it comes to exploring my home state. I can tell you that SE Oregon is a vast and mostly empty desert that I need to spend more time in.

I have been to Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge which is a great place to camp and there are hot springs. From there you can take a backroad directly to Steens Mountain - which is the must go destination in E. Oregon. On the East side of Steens is the Alvord desert with plenty of good primitive camp spots and nice hot springs.

 

[pods8]

I hear you there are some places in WA I should hit too...

Right on I'll look into them some. Yeah OR and ID have some good spring potential which is always a fun destination as well.

 

[gsbfree]

Idaho has incredible, diverse areas to explore. We love to head out and explore the Owhyee Mountain range during Spring before it gets HOT. There are areas in the Owhyee Mountains that are similar to Southern Utah with amazing rugged and red canyons. There are historical sights to checkout as well such as Silver City, a great ghost town. www.historicsilvercityidaho.com/ Silver City can be accessed coming east from Oregon or south of Boise 40-50 miles, it's always best to check on road conditions in the Spring...snow, mud, etc. This year it's likely to dry out early.

We have a 3 day trip planned over spring break for the south end of Hells Canyon. We're planning to stay in one of Idaho Power's (utility company that operates dams in Hells Canyon) developed camp grounds. This will be a new area for us to explore and great for early season camping. Check out www.idahopower.com/riversrec/parksrec/hellscanyon.htm for an overview.

 

[zonker]

I have wandered about eastern Oregon a pretty fair amount over the years. Lots of great "No Crowds" kinda places.

If you want a great view of Hells Canyon... go to Imnaha and take drive up to Hat Point. If my memory serves me correct the road to the top from the bottom is 22 miles of winding dirt with some pretty cool overlooks and 'er drop-offs depending on how you want to look at it. At the top is Fire Tower that is still in use but you can go virtually all the way to the top.. great view. Then take the Forest Road from the bottom over to Halfway. Explore the area NW of Halfway. Beautiful camping and mountains are gorgeous. You are pretty much on the SE side of the Wallowa's.

From Halfway head over to Baker City and dig around in the Elkhorn Mountains. Quite a few ghost towns in the area and just some cool dirt roads to travel. Look NW of Sumpter, in the Galena area and the ghost town of Greenhorn.

If you find something specific and you are looking for info.. post it as someone has probably been there or drop me a note. I used to wander around on a BMW GS and a Land Rover.. so I had a tendency to look for out of the way places and something I could do on a weekend (in Oregon).

 

[DirtyDog]

If you want a great view of Hells Canyon... go to Imnaha and take drive up to Hat Point. If my memory serves me correct the road to the top from the bottom is 22 miles of winding dirt with some pretty cool overlooks and 'er drop-offs depending on how you want to look at it.

I'm glad you reminded me of that road. I rode my bike up that back when I was tough. Brutal ride! Looking back I remember that there was a lot of opportunity for exploration and camping there. Gonna have to head out there this summer.

 

[pods8]

Thanks for the info guys, I'll have to do a little research based on your suggestions to see about narrowing down some potential paths to get more info on.

Big thing that is in the air is some buddies wanted to hike Whitney this year so we said we'd go along if they got a permit, just waiting to hear on that. If that goes through that might be the direction of a bigger trip this year. If not, we're talking of heading towards Denver to check it out some as we are potentially considering a move there in a few years (and obviously seeing stuff along the way).

 

[davinski]

Pod8:

We should arrange an old Eyeball meeting one day. I'd love to see your mockup for the couch bed and I can show you maps of WA, OR and some cool places to go. Would be fun.

I am out of town this weekend, but next might be cool. We can think about good times in the hills and maybe have a few beers....

What say you?

Dave in Seattle

 

[pods8]

Pod8:

We should arrange an old Eyeball meeting one day. I'd love to see your mockup for the couch bed and I can show you maps of WA, OR and some cool places to go. Would be fun.

I am out of town this weekend, but next might be cool. We can think about good times in the hills and maybe have a few beers....

What say you?

Dave in Seattle

Oh yeah fine with me, no need for an "odd ball" meeting if I'm around you're more than welcome to swing in to meet up/check things out. We're planning to take the rig out this weekend as well, next weekend I should be around at least during the day I'd say at this point.

So far I had only done the card board mock up of the couch, but I've struck off almost all the other little things on my list that I wanted to get fixed up on the camper before taking it out again so I'll start focusing some more effort there again. Would be nice to figure something out sooner than later so I can arrange for foam and upholstery work for the couch at the same time as the bed.

Traditionally I'd say I have the beer end covered but with all the house work I've done over the last year and now the camper project I've been rather lax in brewing and most of my taps runith dry without backup kegs waiting... Good thing there isn't a shortage of commercial guys to pick up my slack.

 

[zonker]

Dirty Dog....

If you rode up to Hat Point on a Mtn. Bike and thought it was only brutal... rest assured that we WON'T be riding together anytime soon.. as you would squash me like a bug! I would have to say that it was just short of of a death march which had me in the pain locker the whole way!! Well maybe I embellish once in awhile.. but it was definitely more than brutal.

But hey.. how about the trip down? A few puckers on the way down.. but definitely a hoot. Looking forward to it in a 9,000 lb truck ('06 Dodge CTD w/auto trans and Hawk). Good idea to keep 'er moving slow and not letting the weight get ahead of you.