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Nature
Eastern Oregon
Southeastern Oregon
Landscape Photography
Brooke at edge of Little Blizten Gorge, looking west on top of Steens Mt. She's observing
a U-shaped glacial valley unique to Steens Mt.
"If you love geology, you'll love Eastern Oregon. My favorite reference is The
Roadside Geology of Oregon."
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The Other Oregon
Part II
Exploring Abert Lake & Abert Rim,
Warner Lake & Hart Mountain,
&
Steens Mountain
With Jim and Brooke Stone Clement
Photos by Jim & Brooke Stone Clement
Edited by M.G. Hudson
Abert Lake & Rim
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Brooke at Abert Lake
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Driving over the Cascades on Hwy. 58 to Hwy.97, Jim and Brooke jogged
north up to Hwy. 13. They stopped at Fort Rock, a "welded tuff ring" dried
lake formed by volcanic action under lake water long ago. (sorry, no pictures) where
there are plant and animals found no where else, Jim and Brooke continued south on
13 to the Abert Rim.
There are unique ecosystems and landscapes out here. Geologically
and archeologically significant, Abert Rim, a dramatic, long escarpment stands to
the east above Lake Abert. Like most desert lakes, there are no outlets. Abert Lake
became alkaline over time. Not good drinking water, but birds love these desert lakes
as habitat. Soon Brook and Jim realized their idea of canoeing on desert lake(s)
was often not very sensible this time of year due to the lack of shade: "It
was too hot, no shade and lots of mosquitoes You had to cover up." But they
hiked and explored the Rim. "Hard to find a rock for a privacy screen when you
need to go!" Jim said. But the "traffic" was very low.. There is a
major road on the east side of Abert Lake called Hwy. 395.
They turned southwest on 395 to 31, had a taste of civilization at Lakeside about
which Jim remarked "The politest town I've ever been to... We enjoyed the Indian
Village Cafe with a fine collection of arrowheads, traffic really stopping
for pedestrians, and a geyser that goes every one and a half minutes, up fifty feet
in the air... ".
Then they returned north again to catch 140 east to Plush and the Plush Cutoff Road
to the town of Plush and north to Warner Lake and Hart Mt.
Moon Rising Over Abert Rim
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Warner Lake and Hart Mountain
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Warner Lake
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Warner Lake
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Echoing the pattern of basin lake to west, mountain to east, Warner
Lake(s) and Hart Mt. dominated the landscape here with Hart Mountain National Antelope
Refuge to the east. Jim explained the lakes are partly shaped by the Southeast winds.
They found that without a four- wheel drive vehicle they could not get close enough
to the water to launch the canoe. The road was too deeply rutted. (Of course, off
road vehicles may have contributed to the eroded road.) They hiked Hart Mt. and enjoyed
it; Brooke said she thought that too really see it, you'd need more time and perhaps
an experienced guide to explore the many low, lovely green canyons that have water,
trees, and ancient rock art. On to the Steens Mt.!
"Only flushing toilet within 200 miles! Brooke says
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On Hart Mt. looking west to Warner Lake
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French Glen, Fish Lake & the Steens Mt.
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Kiger Gorge at sunset
Fish Lake Camp, no shade typical
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Brooke at Little Blitzen Gorge looking west to glacial
valley
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"This mountain is the only uplifted basalt fault block mountain
in Oregon with existing glaciers. As a result there are plants species here
that grow nowhere else,"Jim said. "The basalt has visible crystals of lava
or plagioclase feldspar There are thistle, sagebrush, wild Mustangs, antelope and
donkeys. There are shaking aspen groves and hanging valleys... We met a family who
had shared their campsite with a Basque sheepherder. In the 1920-- 1940's, many Basque
shepherds came to this lonely, beautiful area. Few shepherds remind today. This land
is really for the critters."
Steens Mt. Aspen Belt
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Our intrepid travelers decided to cut across the Hart Mt. National
Wildlife Refuge on Rock Creek Road, fifty-two miles on a "washboard" gravel
road ( average speed ten m.p.h.) through Catlow Valley to French Glen, the gateway
to the Steens Mt. "It is pretty harsh travel, especially in the summer,"
notes Brooke. "Probably going the northern route through Burns is more pleasant,
especially this time of year." But they saw a cattle drive across the road at
Silver Lake. French Glen is the only town for many miles around. It lies at the foot
of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge marsh, famous for the birdlife there. It
has the historic French Glen Hotel (reservations six months in advance) and an expresso
stand for caffeine junkies on the road. (There is a hotel at Diamond, also or else
you can go to Burns.) Jim and Brooke camped.
There are very few improved camp sites and you must be well prepared to bring everything
you need, especially water. They drove on the Steens Mt. Loop (Fish Lake Rd.) stopping
at Fish Lake to camp. The higher elevation keeps the mosquitoes down a little. The
North Loop -- a good road-- brings you close to the top of the Mountain. Steen Mt.
itself is a thirty mile long fault block of uplifted slabs of earth, one mile above
the Alvord Desert to the east. They could see the gorges to the west, u-shaped by
glacial movement: Gorges like Glacial Gorge, Big Indian, Kiger and Little Blitzen.
At top of Steens Mt. looking at a gorge
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Jim at crossroads at Kiger Gorge
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Jim at "crossroads" on top of Steens Mt. - directionals far and few between
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"There are no designated campsites, no trail maps, no designated
trails which is a problem because some of the fragile soils are crusts of desert,
obviously eroding," Brooke said. "There needs to be better signage. People
need to be educated -we had no clue where not to explore."
"This area makes me think of the world as sacred geography, " Brooke explained.
"The sun is harsh, more penetrating. You get easily dehydrated. There are scratchy
plants and lava rock. You must be very aware of where you are."
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Much of this area is not accessible. Vast private ranches and public lands make a
patchwork quilt of ownership on very rough terrain. Livestock survive in green canyons
and on "fossil" well water- ancient water far below the surface. There
is a Steens Mt. National Recreation Lands area to the east of the actual mountain.
There are ongoing negotiations among ranches and public agencies like Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) and Oregon State agencies to have the Steens Mt. protected in some
manner.
Denio, Nevada
Our travelers drove the South Steens Mt. Loop to Hwy. 205 to Fields and cut over
southeast on Catlow Valley Road. Fields has a post office, Brooke said, and not much
else. There they picked up the Catlow Denio Road. to Denio, Nevada where they visited
an opal mine or two open to the public. They enjoyed talking to miners in a local
tavern about rocks. (Jim and Brooke use rocks in their jewelry). Brooke said the
heat is pretty bad this time of year. They longed for the coolness of the Coast.
They saw no green grass until they hit Adel on way to Lakeside, Oregon again.
Eel Lake
Jim and Brooke headed back west on 140 to friendly Lakeview.
It was 97 degrees in the shade. On to Klamath Falls (...the Lake didn't look low
to me," Jim said referring to the water crisis in the Klamath Basin that has
farmers, neighbors, friends and government agencies in a spin. See Home Is Where They Lay Me Down), on to Cave Junction, Oregon to Crescent City, California. They drove
to Prairie Creek and hiked Fern Canyon. They camped in the redwoods, then they headed
north back to Oregon on US 101 to Coos Bay. Nearby is sweet little Eel Lake. Cool,
a little foggy. Out came the canoe. . . ah, shade! Brooke and Jim remarked how green
everything seemed this side, west of the Cascades. Yet it is good to remember there
is an other Oregon. A place where the sun is fierce and fresh water is a precious
resources for all creation. A place where you can see the hand of change working
in slow motion. A place where you feel the sacred geography of the world.
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Eel Lake on the Oregon Coast
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Eel Lake from the canoe
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Sections of Maps from the Oregon Atlas © DeLorne
See Interview with Jim & Brooke in Conversations with Artists
Back to Part One of Other Oregon
Related Links:
Native
American Native Fish Association -History on Klamath Basin
Oregon Field Guide on Ancient Tree Art
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