This has sorta become a trip report for my first post-retirement trip, so I might as well add a little more to finish it up as a trip report.
Saturday late-afternoon, just before sunset, I got inspired to be more creative...a friend says that retirement has "enhanced" my right-brain (which doesn't get a lot of use as a chemical engineer):
Sunday midday, after spending 2 nights camped at what is usually the main access point to the Alvord playa -- but no access possible because of all the water, I moved to my long-time (like, 20 years) favorite camping spot in the area, Pike Creek, which is one of the creeks which drain the east side of Steen's Mountain.
Spring -- or late-winter -- runoff caused Pike Creek to erupt from it's normal channel and erode access to my favorite spot. It's worse/deeper than it looks in the photos, but not bad enough to keep out high-clearance vehicles...maybe Subarus, though.
Finding optimum levelness was a little tricky this time -- I had to add a natural shim to my standard arsenal of 6 2x10s:
Looking west up towards Pike Creek canyon on the east side of Steens:
I've taken this shot many many times over the years, though not too many times with my current rig. An old jeep road leads up the narrow mouth of the canyon to an old (long-abandoned) mine. Past there the jeep trail turns into a foot path which leads up the valley, which opens up to a huge bowl, wet with springs...but I didn't go up there this time.
Monday morning, as a storm front moved in with high winds, there were some cool clouds coming over Steens Mt from the west:
I packed up around 11 Monday morning, stopped at Alvord Hot Springs for a quick, but hot-and-relaxing, soak, then headed south the 25 miles to Fields for fuel for my truck and for me.
The traditional lunch:
In the old days they used to offer seasoned curly fries...man that was good eatin'! But not any more, for some reason. Milkshakes are superb -- using actual ice cream, not soft-serve...when served they're too thick to drink with a straw, thus the spoon. Eventually they warm/soften enough to be straw-suckable.
The Cafe keeps a running tally (and has for decades) of the total milkshakes and hamburgers purchased that year:
I'm glad I could contribute equally to both tallies!
), looking north toward Mickey Butte and Basin.
