Alvord Desert/Steens Mtn. Trip July 10 thru July 13, 2009

[Toy Man]

On Monday I am thinking about Denio, Adel, stopping at Three Corners, (Or, NV, CA) Fort Bidwell, to Lakeview. Home on Tuesday.

Sounds pretty good to me. Slight chance we might break off to dig for opals in Nevada.

Dick - Toy Man

[RidgeRunner]

I'm very interested in this trip... its been years since I did the Steens loop! I'm tentatively planning on joining you guys on this trip..... My parents are hiking the PCT this year and july is when they will be coming through Oregon... so it is going to be a bit dependent on that, I will try to get a better time frame from them soon. as this is a trip I would love to be on!


Bob in Eugene, OR
KC7GTQ

Bob, looking forward to meeting you, hope you can make it. Maybe we'll have another ham enthusiast to chat with.

RidgeRunner- Well you can move Mrs. Rupe and I over to the fence list. Mrs. Rupe got laid off last Friday, so we have no idea what our cash flow will be come July. If we can we will be there, if we can't, we can't. Man this economy is killing everyone. Rupe

Bummer, Rupe, sorry to hear that. You're right, it's really getting tough out there. Wish you the best and hope you can make it.

I suppose you can add Casey and my Mom & Keegan to the "fence" list. They both sounded interested but its still a ways out for them.

As for me, I'm so sure I've already started a list of things I need to do before the trip

Hope they can make it, Ryan. They were sure fun to have along last May and they seemed to enjoy the trip.

Mick

[weisergeiser]

wife and i are planning on being their.

[RidgeRunner]

That's great, Randy, looking forward to seeing you again. I've got you covered on P-1.

We'll make this another fun trip.

Mick

[94xj]

A highlight of our trip through Alvord/Steens last summer was the Stonehouse Creek Road. It's a really really steep road that winds up the east side of the Steens, northwest of the Alvord Playa, and ends up in these meadows that just go on for miles.

[Jerry]

A highlight of our trip through Alvord/Steens last summer was the Stonehouse Creek Road. It's a really really steep road that winds up the east side of the Steens, northwest of the Alvord Playa, and ends up in these meadows that just go on for miles.

Using only my Benchmark Atlas the Stonehouse Creek Road looks like it meets an intersection from where it seems to go for miles, both north and south. Definitely good roads to explore. Thanks, 94xj.

[nightfoam]

One thing I should mention is that we'll probably have requirements similar to what Jerry had on the Owyhee trip last year. We'll figure out exactly what we need at a later point but

High ground clearance four wheel drive vehicles are necessary and you must be prepared for 2-foot deep water crossings. Your vehicle must be equipped with front and rear tow hooks firmly attached to the frame, a tow strap (snatch strap), traction tread tires, a full size spare and a working CB radio with an external antenna.

[RidgeRunner]

So I just called the BLM Burns Field Office to ask how much their Burns District South Half map costs.

The very nice lady who answered said they didn't have any but there are three other maps that cover the area we want to visit. I also asked how long of a wait for the Burns South Half which covers all that area and more. She said it will probably be a couple of years until they are reprinted. So I laughed and told her I should probably hang on to my 1994 model of the Burns South Half.

Since we may need the map sooner than two years from now, here are some suggestions.

1. Use Oregon Road & Recreation by Benchmark available at Amazon and many other places, or a similar map of your choice.

2. The three BLM maps that cover the area we will be in.

a. Abberson, $7.50 covers the Alvord Lake area
b. Baca Lake, $7.50 covers the Steen Mtn. Loop area
c. Alvord, $7.50 which covers Fields, Domingo Pass down to Denio

These are part of the Sportsman Series of which there are seven covering the whole Burns South Half.

If you happen to have the huge old Burns map, hang on to it even though there are road changes, mostly because of the Steens Wilderness road changes but those are clearly marked on the road.

Anyone who wants to see one of the old relics (the map, not me) will be able to in Burns, OR on July 10th.

You can call and order The Sportsman Series by credit card or send a check:

BLM Burns District
28910 Hwy 20 West
Hines, OR 97738
541-573-4400
There is no postage charge

Mick

[94xj]

Do you know the name of the BLM map you are looking for? I might have a scanned version. There's a map library at WWU that will scan maps for $2.

The BLM maps for that area have their uses but they are not the most accurate in my experience. If I didn't have USGS 24k maps on my laptop when I was trying to get to Iron Point on the Owyhee I might still be there today, eating someone else's cows.

[94xj]

Using only my Benchmark Atlas the Stonehouse Creek Road looks like it meets an intersection from where it seems to go for miles, both north and south. Definitely good roads to explore. Thanks, 94xj.

I think the NWOS guys who recommended the road to me were there in June and they had to winch through some muddy spots. I was there in July and it was dry and full of flowers. Nothing beats wheelin' through the wildflowers.