Note: This is a continuation of our California trip from here: https://www.occidentalist.org/wandering-ca-395-2018-part-2/ After departing the Alabama Hills we struck off ever southward toward Joshua Tree National Park. It was a transition day as the Sierra came to an end, and cholla cactus, creosote bushes and eventually Joshua trees filled the landscape before us. It took the better part of the day to get there, but we did arrive in time to do some initial looking around. …
Every once in a while plans change. This time around we’ll blame it on the weather. We were all set to head to the lake and then the weather forecast came along saying snow. Well, yeah, it’s possible to fish in the snow, but I know when to cut my losses. And just like that we were off to the southeast corner of Oregon.
A trip to begin exploring the Trout Creek Mountains has been on the list for quite a while, but it takes a while to get there, and time is the typical limiting factor. But we had a tree day weekend on our side, so off we went. The first night we made it as far as Steens Mountain and enjoyed a good camp surrounded by yipping coyotes. Then we were off to the Trout Creeks.
It’s tough to find a lot of information on the Trout Creek mountains. It’s actually a bit of a challenge to even find an accurate map showing which roads are open and passable. But we managed to improvise and get around. This was after all and exploratory mission.
Sometimes a weekend just means getting out of town, soaking in some sun, listening to the birds, a campfire, and getting up in the middle of the night to look at the meteor shower. What do you have planned for the weekend?