The mostly humorous ramblings of my day to day existence.







Sunday, October 23, 2011

A Treasure Hunt With a Map!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Here is a short pictorial journey of a trip I took with my family a couple of years back through the Oregon Outback. It was a quest for the Steens Mountain, the Hart Mountain Hot Spring, and Plush sunstones.

Located between French Glen and Plush in the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge in south western Oregon the Hart Mountain Hot Spring is an oasis in the middle of nowhere, and a welcome refuge in the wilderness to wash off some of that desert dust. We spent a few days at the base of the Steens Mountains fairly close to Frenchglen, and were making the 80 mile trek across the desert to Plush, a so-called town that has a Store/Gas Station/Bar combo.
But Plush is no ordinary place, it's the last place for gas and supplies before embarking on the washboarded road to the sunstone mines. Sunstones can also be collected for free on Federally owned land managed by the BLM. Here is a treasure map so you can find your very own trinkets. We camped out in the desert and picked up stones for an entire day.
On the Steens Mountain road
On the Steens Mountain road
A dry lake bed
Hart Mountain Hot Spring pool
Hart Mountain Hot Spring
Hart Mountain Hot Spring pool
The desert can be beautiful
Entering the Refuge

An Antelope
The road down to Plush

The road down to Plush
A flat just as we hit pavement
Finally at the sunstones
The ground is full of them
My treasure


11 comments:

  1. Great piece, Dan. Never been to Oregon but this makes me want to put it on the wish-list.

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  2. Hey Katy, most people don't realize that half of Oregon is a high desert. This place is one of the most remote places in the lower 48 states and the furthest place from any interstate highway.

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  3. Great post! It makes me want to pack the car up and drive all around Oregon :)

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  4. Thanks Jen! I love treasure hunting in the desert, even in an old minivan. I love that part of the state and I'm looking forward to doing it again sometime in the future.

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  5. It looks like such a beautiful state, Dan. Honestly, I never knew there were deserts there!

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  6. Hey Cher, on the eastern half of the state it's Diamondback rattlesnakes,scorpions,and don't forget the tumbleweeds! Treasure hunts are one of our favorite things to do.

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  7. I wanna visit Oregon!! It's looking so cool. Okay, I need to make my way to the States in general hehe. Loved the pictures! What will you do with your treasure?

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  8. Thanks TJ!
    Ah! what to do with the treasure. I think I may put them in a rock tumbler and polish them up.
    The United States is a very big place, and there are so many places to see. SW Oregon is one of my favorite places on earth; I enjoy being so far from everything.

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  9. Yes, but if we visit you, do we get to meet Daryl? :)

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  10. Absolutely Cher, he's always outside doing something. The better question would be how do you NOT visit Daryl?

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  11. I love your treasure!! hope I can go to the sunstone mining!

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