WOO HOO, started my vacation the weekend before WCSS8 so i could make sure i had that weekend of WCSS8 off. Well we took a trip into part of the Oregon Outback, mostly back roads with some highway connecting roads. Started out east of Bend, Oregon at Pine Mountain and went into the Fort Rock OHV area, did a little exploring looking for an ice cave but would like to come over here and do much more they have a trail system in this area and maps showing them. well went through the OHV area on our way to Fort Rock then made our way over to Christmas Valley, Or. to camp at the Fossil Lake Sand Dunes ( not sure if this is the official name all i could find) on the edge of The Lost Forest again didn't get to do as much exploring as i would like to have done. From here we made our way to the Hart Mountain Antilope Refuge to get to Steens Mountain area, was planning on camping on it but do to wildfires all over the area from lightning strikes the day before we had to camp outside of French Glen, Or. at the Steens Mountain Resort. from our campsite you could see the fires burning WOW what a site. ended up finding a way to the top from the southend of the loop road. well anyways here are some pictures of the trip that i put into some albums, will add another album with a couple of more pictures later.

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/photos/showgallery.php?cat=913

 

the pictures are backwards in the gallery from the way the pictures we're and the way trip went, we started at The Pine Mountain Observatory.

I love Christmas Valley! Last time I was there we saw a couple Subies flying around the dunes. Good to hear theres some USMB'ers heading out there. Sounds like you had a pretty sweet expedition going there. Cheers.

awesome! i wish i could have gone. did u see the pics we got u guys muddin? o and my car is runnin barley any more some wierd vacuum leak or pluged or something.

Dang, all that is like half an hour to an houre from my house, havn't taken any of my subies out there yet tho, I'll be taking my newly lifted monster there very soon tho.

 

~CHIM~

thats sweet chaz.10 horsepower for the xpploration.i gotta get down there.brian

did u have a chance to get out to the alvord desert? i took my 87 wagon there last year. like the friggin salt flats out there!!! if u went out through frenchglen keep goin south to fields and the desert is like 25 mi from fields store.. HUGE antelope! and there is a hotsprings out there too!!!!

Been there before and spent the night about in the middle of the Alvord, been going over there off and on since the mid 90's. Done some trail riding with motorcycles in the Steens and Puablo Mtns. until they closed it all off to motorized vehicle use. But, i have done alot of backpacking in some of that backcounrty too.

 

This trip the wildfires kept us from going over to that side of the mountain they had the highway closed south of Frenchglen. From the top of Steens Mtn. all you could see was smoke to the south. The town of Fields was almost evacuated do to the fires jumping lines down there.

 

So all we got to see of the Alvord Desert was from the top of the mountain.

that was a great story with pix.....thanks for sharing....