Thumping the Alvord Playa

[kurtw]

I had a great three-day trip out to the Alvord.

I'm done sorting through photos and need to pick some out and get a writeup posted. While I work on that, here's a preview.

[DogBoy]

Really looking forward to the write-up.

This one looks like a shimmering sea. Amazing.

[kurtw]

Alvord

I don't know why it's taken me so long to get out to the Alvord Desert. Is something that's been on my list for a long time.

Prep:

Gathering my gear and packing was simple since it was all close at hand from the recent Summer Lake trip.

Day One:

It's always great to spoon on new knobbies and then spend almost two hours on the highway...I started the trip by slabbing my way out to Riley, where I topped off the tank. For normal rides, I almost never need to top off the 7.5 gallon tank but this trip I filled it to the rim every chance I got.

From Riley, I turned off the highway followed a dirt route out past Harney and Mahlheur Lakes.

Iron Mtn and some dry lakebed.


At some point, I was making good time down a dirt track around Iron Mtn and missed a planned nav point. I bushwhacked cross-country until I found the road I wanted. Found it.



Grassy high lands above Harney Lake.


A nameless bluff along the edge of Mahleur Lake.


At Narrows, I stopped for gas and lunch. The conversation and the food were both terrific. I HIGHLY recommend a Narrows Burger.

From Narrows, I did more slab down to Frenchglen, situated on the edge of the Mahleur NWR. Appearently, this is one of the hot spots in the nation for bird fanciers. The marsh lands there are an oasis along the seasonal migrations of the Pacific Flyway.





I had been told by some other riders and in Riley that the Steens Mtn Loop from Frenchglen might be recently opened as far as Fish Lake. I must have misunderstood because it was gated just a mile up where it crosses the Blitzen River. The campground there looked shady and inviting so, after mulling my alternate plans and with nobody to please but myself, I decided to call it an easy day and relax.

With such a vast and accessible area as the NWR, the camp was full of people walking around the little campground loop with spotting scopes and cameras with very long lenses. They didn't appear excited by the loud motorcycle pulling in.

[kurtw]

Day Two:

I broke camp early and scooted down to Fields. I was there waiting when she opened the store at 8am. The hotel there looks like it could be a cool place to hang out and basecamp from if camping wasn't an option. I topped off the gas tank and picked up a few things that I thought would come in handy.





From Fields, I took off on a planned loop to the East and then looping around to the Alvord.







Some of the sights along my loop...

Wild horses


Wild flowers - Desert Paintbrush and Bitterroot


Wild... Cacti? Wow I didn't realize that Oregon had native cacti. Blooming, even.



Mysterious rock cairns atop bluffs in the middle of nowhere

[kurtw]

The temps were in the 90s out there this day. My "Core Cooler" (evap cooling neck thing) was keeping me quite comfortable. But still, there was no natural shade. Here's my self portrait taking a break to drink and apply more sunscreen in the only shade around - behind my bike.

I'm not sure if I'm frothing at the mouth or just sloppy with the sunscreen. This photo cracked me up when I got home. I'm not actually clinically dead, I just look that way.



By the way, in addition to the Core Cooler, another thing I wouldnt' be without there is a brimmed hat.

The gate opening and closing routine is much more of a PITA when solo. But I was getting quite practiced and at it and starting to appreciate the finer points of gate construction.

Looping back towards the Alvord and the Steens above it.


The road back down into the Alvord basin was labeled Sand Gap on the map. Some names aren't just names...they mean things. This was the case here...a sandy gap. The trail turned to very soft sand and then wandered down into the dunes that flow up the east side of the Alvord. This was challenging on a big bike loaded with all my solo, multiday gear. Still, no crashes, 3rd gear and the clutch got me through without too much drama or sweat.



I don't know about the "Monkey Butt Powder" that everyone gets as a novelty, but the Fields store had a dualsport sized version of the real deal. I took a moment to freshen up with the cooling, moisture absorbing magic powder.



Now, finally onto the Alvord Playa, I had to stop and take it in.



Ready to go for the land-speed record in the overloaded, overweight thumpers category?

[kurtw]

Jeez, is this too many pictures yet? I'm not even to lunch time of day two!?

On the west side of the Alvord, I headed up into the foothills of the Steens. I found some steep rocky shit and some nice cool, shady spots for lunch.





Cooling off and recharging the Core Cooler. It's supposed to hold water for 5 days. In this arid clime, it was bone dry by early afternoon.



I found a camp spot on the bluffs above the Alvord Hot Springs and dropped off my camping gear before leaving for a short afternoon loop.

A dust devil marches past the Alvord Hot Springs.


A road head off towards the Steens


Mickey Hot Springs



Boiling (yes, boiling) pools around Mickey - at one place, there was a fist sized hole in the ground with steaming water. As I walked within about 6 feet of it, I distinctly heard the sound of a firehose at full force echoing inside a tin a 50-gallon metal drum. I backed up.



Mickey Basin Well - it's amazing what a little water will do around here.

[kurtw]

Heading back to camp, I stopped at the Alvord Hot Springs. There's a warm pool and a cool pool so it's possible to take a refreshing dip even on a hot day.







I had it to myself for a while... Gopher snake


Camp

[kurtw]

Now is it too many photos?

In the morning the wind was down and the mosquitos were out. I broke camp as fast as I could and got to riding.



Back on the Playa headed north.







I took an overgrown track west into a gap in the northern foothills of the Steens. Antelop were all over the lower reaches, and wildflowers covered the top. I was expecting a water crossing up top but that turned out to be dry at the crossing.



There were lots of antelope, including babies, up in the high country also, but they were much too quick for the short lens I had along. I followed this route down to some ranches and well graded gravel roads that took me out to Hwy 78. About 20 miles from Burns the bike sputtered and died. I guess the land-speed record attempts and sand dune riding weren't really great for my gas mileage. I made it to Burns on reserve with plenty of gas left when I filled up (38 mpg from Fields).

It would be hard to believe that anyone would want yet more photos, but just in case: http://kurtwindisch.smugmug.com/gallery/8268038_Fye8E

[bubba zanetti]

 

Oh yeah that is looking wonderful. I love the photos and there can never be too many !!  

I must do this ride. I see you have your GPS are you saving a track from this trip that you might post or share ??

[MisterSmooth]

Awesome stuff, Kurt.  Great photos!     Thanks for sharing your trip with us all.    

[DogBoy]

I agree with Bubba. Never too many photos.

Thanks for the report. Really enjoyed it.

[kurtw]

Goofing around with video:

[bubba zanetti]

Goofing around with video:

 

Well done ... one of my favourite Bruce Cockburn  

[XLR8]

Kurt, wow, just wow. And I love this one



So do you think the 990 would play well up there?

[kurtw]

So do you think the 990 would play well up there?

Absolutely. There is quite a range of possible rides available in that area.

The main drag through the Alvord Basin is a well graded gravel road and worth doing even if you never turned off of it. I chatted with two guys in Riley who had just done it on an FZ6 and VStrom (w/ street rubber).

The playa itself is great fun and would be on the 990 for sure.

The routes up the east flank of the steens, to the creek and my camp, were all easily doable until the higher, steep sections where I turned around (I could have made it but descent was looking sketchy and I ride fairly conservatively when solo in the middle of nowhere).

The loop up around Mickey Basin would be no problem at all but would be more fun for you with some knobby tires since it had some soft spots.

The big loop east of the Alvord that I did would be something I would be hesitant of, myself, on such a big bike. There was definitely nothing that the 990 couldn't handle, especially with knobbies, but it was really out there and had the trickiest, rockiest, softest, steepest (other than the flanks of the steens) riding.  But that was just my particular loop. There is endless riding, even over there, that would be terrific fun on the 990.

One thing I will say is that later in the summer, a lot of the stuff that was hard pack for me in May will be silt beds or very dry and soft. It's totally worth spooning on some knobbies even if you are going to be doing significant road miles to get there.

There is definitely stuff there that I wouldn't recommend for the average 990 rider, but there are just so many options that it would take many trips to exhaust them given the capabilities of any specific rider+bike.

And of course the Steens Mountain loop (road conditions and description) will be perfect for the 990. I wasn't able to do that due to the winter closures.

I have some other loops already in mind for my next trip out there...  

[XLR8]

I looked at your smugmug gallery too. Really nice pictures and thanks for putting them up for us to see. I've got to get out there but I need to by some camping stuff first.

[kurtw]

I looked at your smugmug gallery too. Really nice pictures and thanks for putting them up for us to see. I've got to get out there but I need to by some camping stuff first.

The motel in Fields could be fun.

[sagerat]

Great, I just shorted out my keyboard from drooling over the pics on my monitor.  

Excellent report, sir.  

[bubba zanetti]

Kurt .. if you want to turn that into a ride in late September ... I know a couple of guys round here would be on it in a minute.

I have lots of time in late september if .. if ... you can tolerate a farkled KLR ???  The motel sounds like a plan but camping is also a great idea.  

[sagerat]

I can think of at least three and maybe as many as five KLR riders in Central Orygun who'd be interested.

Who knows, I might even have a new fairing on mine by then after yeserday's oops.  

[kurtw]

Kurt .. if you want to turn that into a ride in late September ... I know a couple of guys round here would be on it in a minute.

I have lots of time in late september if .. if ... you can tolerate a farkled KLR ???  The motel sounds like a plan but camping is also a great idea.  

Unfortunately, all my time off choices are being made for me this year by my company for company-wide shutdown weeks (damn economy). This was one. The other one is early Sept. But we'll see. This ride was just a 3-day trip. I can always do 3-day weekends. The motel, BTW, has just two rooms. But if we wanted to basecamp in Fields with a bunch of riders, some could camp there too. Camping up in the Alvord is cool for sure.

Sagerat, what happened yesterday?! (going off to look for a report)