Steens Mountains Alvord Desert November 2011

Approaching Canyon on Western edge of Steens

First Morning after rain and snow

Looking back to East as we head South

Christina with Great Chocolate Milkshake
Fields Roadhouse

Headed North from Fields on Eastern edge of
Steens

The Alvord Desert swings into view

Approaching the dry lakebed of the Alvord 

Heading onto the lake

Not a sound!!!!!
An experience not to be missed

Northwest view as the clouds stack

A bit of wind arrived..and we were ready

Sunset coming!!

Moonrise as we prepare for the
Special Night gift of the Alvord

Sharon preparing us for the evening with
Great Coffee!!  Thanks Sharon!!

Christina fixing breakfast after a fabulous night

Mid-Morning toward the Steens

Just us!!!!

Second Day..we moved to the Eastern edge of the Alvord

 

Mann Lake to the West
Seen on left as we departed North

Nature in her glory!!

East of Bend lies a massive mountain range, the Steens, lying on a fault-line with a sharp upthrust of nearly 5000 feet from the foothills below.  The approaches lie through the desert and sagebrush of Central Oregon and culminate in the lake-lands of Harney County which provide a massive refuge for migrating waterfowl.  Christina, our older daughter, made the trip with Sharon and me...this time in our FZJ80 Landcruiser hauling an AT Horizon trailer.  We camped on night one deep in a canyon at the foot of the Steens and awoke in the morning to snow blanketing the peaks.  Departing from our Western campsite we traversed to the south and passed over the Southern foot of the Steens near Fields, Oregon.  Fields has a small stone roadhouse with a well-known kitchen offering fabulous milkshakes, burgers, and other creative treats.  Don't miss it.  Population of Fields...counting outlying area.....about 80.  So it's a friendly spot and welcome opportunity to fill up with good food and fuel and catch up on the local news.  From Fields we moved North past the old homesteads and Borax works...long abandoned....past Andrews and drove onto the Alvord Desert at the foot of the Eastern Steens.  From here the Escarpment rises sharply upward and is gorgeous in the morning sunrise.  We camped on the dry lake and did our very best to absorb the complete silence.  Not a sound beside the occasional whisper of a breath of wind passing over the lake.  As the sun set we awaited the special show of the Alvord:  an unspoiled night sky with the thousands and thousands of visible stars accompanied by a very well-defined band of the milky way.  The flats of the lake create a visual sense of a huge bowl full of stars...they call to you to lie down on the desert surface and just stare up at the sky, counting the myriad numbers of "shooting stars" punctuating the twinkles.  I marvel that this is the best show on earth...and it is entirely free in every sense of the word.  Don't miss it.  The moon was full until the early morning hours...so Sharon and Christina got up in the freezing cold..and I do mean freezing...to set up a reflecting telescope and photograph this special moment.  This is as good as it gets...and a great reminder of our small size and significance in a Universe of Infinities!!