NW-NV and SE-OR, a 2000 mile exploration trip


 
  Black Rock Desert Playa looking north from <A HREF=Casey Jones GeoCache" title="Black Rock Desert Playa looking north from Casey Jones GeoCache" border=0> <A HREF=Casey Jones GeoCache" title="Casey Jones GeoCache" border=0> View back to my 4Runner from the GeoCache Thunderstorms forming over the ridge to the south of Black Rock Desert 60 miles north of Gerlach, NV, are the awesome hot springs at <A HREF=Soldier Meadows" title="60 miles north of Gerlach, NV, are the awesome hot springs at Soldier Meadows" border=0>  
 

 
  Had to take a dip, while watching lightning on the southern horizon Leaving Soldier Meadows in the morning, heading up Fly Canyon Lassen-Applegate (LA) Trail sign A-17 Entering High Rock Canyon A herd of wild horses ran across the road in front of me  
 

 
  LA Trail sign A-19 The <A HREF=Desert Peach GeoCache on the eastern flank of Steens Mtn. in Oregon" title="The Desert Peach GeoCache on the eastern flank of Steens Mtn. in Oregon" border=0> View from the cache overlooking the Alvord Desert and dry lake bed Looking from the cache back to the old fruit orchard (apples and peaches) that gives this cache its name Some interesting roads across the canyon from the cache lead higher up into the mountain to the west  
 

 
  An old homestead along the Alvord desert Closeup view of the old stone cabin Crowley Oregon, after passing a sign to the Crowley Airport and the Crowley Guard Station, this is Crowley (trespassers are likely to be shot on sight according to the signs) This turn is about 100 miles from leaving the pavement at Denio and its another 50 miles north to Harper Oregon, with only 1/2 mile of pavement A new road cut on the way down into the Malheur River valley  
 

 
  The <A HREF=Howard Heights GeoCache at the top of the Mt. Howard tram at the end of Wallowa Lake in NE ORegon" title="The Howard Heights GeoCache at the top of the Mt. Howard tram at the end of Wallowa Lake in NE ORegon" border=0> One of MANY ground squirrels on the top of the mtn. My nephew feeding a friendly squirrel On the way back south from Burns OR. turned east at Frenchglen and headed up Steens Mtn. to find the <A HREF=HoneyMoon GeoCache and the GeoGATOR!" title="On the way back south from Burns OR. turned east at Frenchglen and headed up Steens Mtn. to find the HoneyMoon GeoCache and the GeoGATOR!" border=0> The cache is just above this normally dry lake at ~7500', full of water after the recent rains  
 

 
  Looking west down Big Indian Canyon towards Frenchglen from ~9000' At the East Rim overlook at 9700' elevation, Alvord Desert is over the edge Looking north up past Mann Lake in the direction I travelled on the way north a few days before Looking east and south over the Alvord Desert playa The view to the west almost doesn't seem like a mountain, but its 5000' down to the valley floor from here (on either side)  
 

 
  From the ~10,000' summit of Steens Mtn. looking back to the end of the road where I parked Wildhorse Lake lies about 1000' below the summit to the east, down the valley a bit is the Desert Peach GeoCache On the road south of Frenchglen, recent rains left lots of mud puddles to cross The only road sign in about 50 miles, looks like some interesting roads off that intersection, I was just headed south (with my trusty GPS) There were probably a dozen or more intersections like this (albeit unsigned), had to do some route finding with the GPS to find the right road to take  
 

 
  This it the view looking back to the north, the direction I drove in from This is the view to the west And the view to the south, at a remote rain gauge out in the middle of nowhere Back on pavement at the OR/NV border, I find the <A HREF=Take Ten and the Border GeoCache and luckily had a dime not already marked off the list to put in the cache" title="Back on pavement at the OR/NV border, I find the Take Ten and the Border GeoCache and luckily had a dime not already marked off the list to put in the cache" border=0> After a few miles on pavement, I see a faint trail to the right that heads south, the direction I want to go, so take it instead of the round about way on pavement and gravel roads  
 

 
  A few Pronghorn Antelope on the horizon, inside the Sheldon Wildlife Refuge in NW Nevada This is my kind of road!!! Another small Pronghorn herd One of many dry lakes heading south toward Vya And a remarkably steep hill as you drop out of the 6-7000' table of the Sheldon Reserve onto the 4000' valley floor. All in all about 2000 miles of driving from San Jose CA to Joseph OR and back over 4 days at an average speed of just 40 MPH.  
 

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