turbodb
Well-known member
Winter Escape - Hot Springs & the Alvord Playa (Part 1)
"Let's go somewhere." said @mrs.turbodb after I'd been home just a short time from my previous trip. That was of course fine with me, and so we set about finding a place to go. It was going to be cold and rainy on the Washington coast, so we set out looking for somewhere warm.
Now, we only had a few days, so that limited our options - essentially to adjacent states. Oregon was our best bet for warmth, so we started looking for options there - and it didn't take long to fill out the itinerary. Ever since visiting the Owyhee Canyonlands on one of our first adventures, and the Malheur area not long after, we both knew there were places in southeast Oregon that would be great to go see - in @mrs.turbodb's case, some hot springs; in mine, the Alvord Playa at the base of Steens Mountain.
To say we got an early start would be an understatement. We pulled out of the alley and got on I-5 south at just after 5:00am - a long day ahead. Even so, we weren't sure if we'd arrive before dark, the days getting shorter all the time.
Our first stop was several hours south. I'd found a great deal on a set of sliders for our new family adventure vehicle - a new-to-us 1997 4Runner - and with Northwest Trail Innovations only an hour or so out of our way, this was a great time to pick it up. We arrived around 8:30am, and Corey was quick to get us taken care of, as we loaded the sliders from his shop into the back of the Tacoma.
Turns out he's got a second business as well building out remote-controlled Toyota trucks and the jigs made to use them, and he had several on display. Mini AdventureTacos! And AdventureCruisers! Very cool.
From there, it was a lot of driving. We stopped a few times on our way to Snively Hot Springs for food and fuel, but that was about it. Oh, and as we stopped for lunch, I remembered I hadn't cleaned my air filter from the recent trip to Arizona and Utah. So I took the opportunity to do so. Sorry Wendy's.
When we arrived at Snively Hot Springs, it was dark. So, we headed across the creek - it was all BLM land around the springs - and found ourselves a nice perch on top of one of the nearby hills - our hope that the water crossing, gate, and darkness would deter any other campers from our spot.
Then, it was time to eat dinner - cheeseburgers and chips and do a little startgazing before hitting the sack, both of us tired from a long day...but looking forward to the next!
October 27, 2018.
As you might imagine, it was a bit breezy at the top of the hill - the tundra offering what amounted to zero cover - but it wasn't bad and we both slept reasonably well. Knowing that we could have a gorgeous sunrise, I was up early - and that meant that @mrs.turbodb was too - trying to get just the right shot.
As it does, it started out as a deep orange along the horizon, the rest of the sky still mostly dark.
Then, as more light creeps into the sky, clouds further from the horizon pick up some color.
Eventually, the sky beings to brighten - the morning sun now coaxing the deep blue out for the day, the clouds struggling to maintain their pink hue before turning white.
That's the point at which I went back to bed, which had been kept warm while I'd been out of the tent - now beckoning me back inside. We lazied around for a couple more hours - no huge rush to our day (though maybe there should have been). It was 8:15am when we finally both pulled ourselves out of the tent, the sun now warming the area around us, though there were now clouds blowing in.
Even @mrs.turbodb got into the action. I think it was really for my benefit though. ?
Breakfast eaten and the tent put away, we retraced our path down the hill towards Snively Hot Springs, the view we'd wondered about the night before, unfolding before us - typical southeast Oregon - golden hills, a bit of vegetation by the river flowing along their base.
At the base, we discovered the Owyhee Siphon. A tunnel from the Owyhee River to a series of canals, this was part of the larger Owyhee Project that started in 1928 and was completed in 1935. Designed to supply water to eight towns in Oregon and Idaho via gravity flow and siphons from Owyhee Reservoir, the project was not totally successful, and today several pumping plants help move water across the project area.
Also part of the same project, the Snively Siphon was less than a quarter mile away and consisted of entirely different construction - a huge pipeline that hugged the contours of the hillsides, literally sucking water up and down mountains without the need for pumps as it makes its way to lower elevations. This siphon must move a massive amount of water - the truck could have easily driven inside the pipe.
Then, only the river crossing we'd done in the dark the night before stood in our way to Snively Hot Springs, and as it was the night before, the crossing was easy - the water less than a foot deep. Still, daylight made @mrs.turbodb more comfortable as we made our way across and the last quarter mile or so to the springs.
Don't miss the rest of the story, and all the remaining photos - it'd all be included here if I could include more than 20 photos. But until then...
.
"Let's go somewhere." said @mrs.turbodb after I'd been home just a short time from my previous trip. That was of course fine with me, and so we set about finding a place to go. It was going to be cold and rainy on the Washington coast, so we set out looking for somewhere warm.
Now, we only had a few days, so that limited our options - essentially to adjacent states. Oregon was our best bet for warmth, so we started looking for options there - and it didn't take long to fill out the itinerary. Ever since visiting the Owyhee Canyonlands on one of our first adventures, and the Malheur area not long after, we both knew there were places in southeast Oregon that would be great to go see - in @mrs.turbodb's case, some hot springs; in mine, the Alvord Playa at the base of Steens Mountain.
To say we got an early start would be an understatement. We pulled out of the alley and got on I-5 south at just after 5:00am - a long day ahead. Even so, we weren't sure if we'd arrive before dark, the days getting shorter all the time.
Our first stop was several hours south. I'd found a great deal on a set of sliders for our new family adventure vehicle - a new-to-us 1997 4Runner - and with Northwest Trail Innovations only an hour or so out of our way, this was a great time to pick it up. We arrived around 8:30am, and Corey was quick to get us taken care of, as we loaded the sliders from his shop into the back of the Tacoma.
Turns out he's got a second business as well building out remote-controlled Toyota trucks and the jigs made to use them, and he had several on display. Mini AdventureTacos! And AdventureCruisers! Very cool.
From there, it was a lot of driving. We stopped a few times on our way to Snively Hot Springs for food and fuel, but that was about it. Oh, and as we stopped for lunch, I remembered I hadn't cleaned my air filter from the recent trip to Arizona and Utah. So I took the opportunity to do so. Sorry Wendy's.
When we arrived at Snively Hot Springs, it was dark. So, we headed across the creek - it was all BLM land around the springs - and found ourselves a nice perch on top of one of the nearby hills - our hope that the water crossing, gate, and darkness would deter any other campers from our spot.
Then, it was time to eat dinner - cheeseburgers and chips and do a little startgazing before hitting the sack, both of us tired from a long day...but looking forward to the next!
- - - - -
October 27, 2018.
As you might imagine, it was a bit breezy at the top of the hill - the tundra offering what amounted to zero cover - but it wasn't bad and we both slept reasonably well. Knowing that we could have a gorgeous sunrise, I was up early - and that meant that @mrs.turbodb was too - trying to get just the right shot.
As it does, it started out as a deep orange along the horizon, the rest of the sky still mostly dark.
Then, as more light creeps into the sky, clouds further from the horizon pick up some color.
Eventually, the sky beings to brighten - the morning sun now coaxing the deep blue out for the day, the clouds struggling to maintain their pink hue before turning white.
That's the point at which I went back to bed, which had been kept warm while I'd been out of the tent - now beckoning me back inside. We lazied around for a couple more hours - no huge rush to our day (though maybe there should have been). It was 8:15am when we finally both pulled ourselves out of the tent, the sun now warming the area around us, though there were now clouds blowing in.
Even @mrs.turbodb got into the action. I think it was really for my benefit though. ?
Breakfast eaten and the tent put away, we retraced our path down the hill towards Snively Hot Springs, the view we'd wondered about the night before, unfolding before us - typical southeast Oregon - golden hills, a bit of vegetation by the river flowing along their base.
At the base, we discovered the Owyhee Siphon. A tunnel from the Owyhee River to a series of canals, this was part of the larger Owyhee Project that started in 1928 and was completed in 1935. Designed to supply water to eight towns in Oregon and Idaho via gravity flow and siphons from Owyhee Reservoir, the project was not totally successful, and today several pumping plants help move water across the project area.
Also part of the same project, the Snively Siphon was less than a quarter mile away and consisted of entirely different construction - a huge pipeline that hugged the contours of the hillsides, literally sucking water up and down mountains without the need for pumps as it makes its way to lower elevations. This siphon must move a massive amount of water - the truck could have easily driven inside the pipe.
Then, only the river crossing we'd done in the dark the night before stood in our way to Snively Hot Springs, and as it was the night before, the crossing was easy - the water less than a foot deep. Still, daylight made @mrs.turbodb more comfortable as we made our way across and the last quarter mile or so to the springs.
Keep reading the rest here
Winter Escape - Hot Springs & the Alvord Playa (Part 1)
Winter Escape - Hot Springs & the Alvord Playa (Part 1)
.
, glad you're enjoying. More coming in a few minutes - and of course, tons more if you click through to the full post!
