August 15, 2007: Oregon End Table, Harney County, OR: We are headed due south on Rincon Creek road. Instead of driving into Nevada to connect with US 140 then exiting to the north on Long Draw road we elected to use a shortcut, one of those thin red line roads, indicated on our “Oregon Road and Recreation Atlas” that we use to navigate. If you look closely at the map you will see the route near the 42nd parallel just north of the Oregon/Nevada border. We had been on this road before and knew what to expect. We do not recommend this route except to 4WD vehicles. We use low range and second gear. The road is mostly hard rock so traction is good and our Dodge diesel has plenty of power for hill climbing. This time we were going downhill instead of up but the principle is the same. In second gear low range I don’t have to ride the brakes, saving wear, tear, and possible failure from overheating.
August 15, 2007, Rincon Flat, Harney County, OR: After crossing Domingo Pass the road drops down to Rincon Flat. The test is to your map reading skills to select the correct road to get you where you want to go. As mentioned in the previous article there are no road signs out here. Our route runs North/South along Rincon Creek so we have little problem with navigation.
There is evidence of human occupation in this valley. Fences, livestock, and hay fields line the road. Eventually we pass a ranch house and we finally meet another vehicle. We slow down to reduce the dust plume as does the other driver and we wave as we meet.
August 15, 2007, Fish Lake, Steens Mountain, Harney County, OR: We broke down our camp and stowed the gear. Chris has an exact system for stowing things and it takes a little time to do it right. The disadvantage to tent camping is the time it takes to set up and break down. If you stay somewhere for a week it is not a noticeable loss of time but on a daily basis it becomes a chore. Richard, with his travel trailer, has only to hitch the wagon to the truck, stow the chocks and leveling devices, and he is ready to roll. On the other hand, we are more mobile and can attack the rough, unimproved, roads with greater abandon.
Just a few miles south of Fields on SH 292 one of those rough, unimproved, roads heads west into the Oregon desert. The sign reads “Domingo Pass – Lone Mountain”. If you take this road it is the last road sign you will see for the next 60 miles. It is not the kind of road for ordinary cars (or for faint hearted people)… it is best to have four wheel drive coupled with some power to negotiate the road ahead. It is not wet weather road either. There are no culverts or bridges. What rock and gravel exists is exposed when the sagebrush was scraped away. Fortunately it doesn’t rain much in this country.
The road is basically two ruts about the width of an automobile. If you meet someone coming the opposite direction it is best to pick the widest spot you can find, crowd the edge of the road and let the other vehicle pass. It is easy to spot someone coming, a plume of dust follows each vehicle and can be seen for miles.
We stopped at the summit to take pictures and refuel the truck. The GPS reads 6,363 feet. The view from here is marvelous. A hiking trail leads along the ridge crest and it is tempting to walk a ways but the heat of the sun quickly discourages that thought. Hikers here must be well prepared and carry lots of water. I would walk early and late to take advantage of cooler temperatures and try to hunker down during the hot part of the day. You might have to carry shade. There are no trees. The only shade comes from the shadow of clouds and clouds are practically non-existent.
August 14, 2007: Fish Lake campground, Steens Mountain, Harney County, OR: I awoke early, about 5:00 AM, and it occurred to me that I should start the diesel and let it run awhile. It would be some payback to our late arriving neighbors that came several hours after we had gone to bed. While I’m being grumpy I’ll vent about campgrounds in general.
These spots were originally a little more remote and part of the fun was getting there. Once the feds caught on that folks were congregating they built campgrounds with modern facilities and installed pay stations. People would complain that the roads weren’t in good shape so more money was spent fixing the roads. More people had easy access and soon the lake shore was lined with camps. Camping spots were crowded together to maximize the camping capacity. Toilets were installed, potable water sources provided and pretty soon a small city developed. Folks brought portable TV sets, radios, and the family dog. Drivers roam the roads, vehicles stirring up dust, paying no attention to the posted speed limit. You have more peace and quiet at home in the city.
Richard, grandkids, and Petey Fish Lake 8/14/2007
Richard, our fishing buddy, brought his grand-kids to the lake for a fishing trip. He had a little flat bottomed boat that they fished from and the kids were having a great time. Richard had a little bad luck on the way back to the dock. His fishing pole slipped overboard in about twenty five feet of water and sank out of sight before he could grab it. He didn’t have a spare pole and reel so for him fishing was out of the question. It was too late to suggest a tether for stuff that doesn’t float but maybe that will save the gear next time.
We gathered our two camps together for dinner that evening. Chris was the chef, grilling steaks and burgers on our propane powered Weber grill. Packages of tossed salad came out of our portable fridge and Richard added a pot of baked beans. It was grand eating.
Richard’s grand-kids caught their in-possession limit that evening so they decided to head home in the morning. We decided to cut short our stay at Fish Lake as well. We were headed for remote Oregon desert and unimproved back roads. There are still lonely outposts in Oregon.
August 13, 2007: We are headed for Fish Lake on Steens Mountain in SW Oregon, Harney County, south of Burns. We fueled the Dodge at Flying J in Troutdale. The pumps at many service stations limit a single purchase to $75. That is not even a full tank on most automobiles so it makes no sense to me. Of course you can run the card a second time. The Dodge has a 100 gallon transfer tank so I might have to run the card four times to top off the tanks at those stations. At least Flying J has a $150 card limit. It cuts down on the hassle.
Going through Redmond and Bend on US 97 to connect with US 20 to Burns is a miserable and time consuming experience. We discovered a short cut that bypasses all that urban sprawl and associated traffic. Take US 26 to Prineville, turn southwest on SH 126 a few miles and find the George Millican highway near the Les Schwab warehouse facility. It’s paved highway and best of all traffic is nearly nonexistent. It joins US 20 near Millican.
We managed the 350 mile drive to Fish Lake in seven hours and ten minutes. That’s nearly 50 mph average… not bad.
We found our fishing buddy, Richard, in his boat out on the lake with his two grandchildren. They were catching trout and having a great time. We located a camp site next to them and set our tent planning a three night stay.
During the night, well after we went to bed, a rig pulled in at the site across the road from us and unloaded. If they got up earlier in the morning they wouldn’t have to drive half the night to get to where they are going.
