Hidden geography
There is a little-known place deep in the heart of Southeastern Oregon. It goes by the name of Alvord Desert, and it lies in the rain shadow of the little known Steens Mountain. It’s a miracle that they are both relatively unheard of, because their beauty is majestic.
Steens Mountain is a fault block mountain with an elevation of 9,738 feet. The Western slopes are green and rise gradually from the Eastern Oregon plains. They are also home to the Kiger Mustangs, a herd of wild horses whose ancestors carried the Spanish around. The Eastern slopes are steep, rocky, and magnificent. The snowcapped peak is clearly visible from Alvord Desert and the nearby town of Fields.
It is not a sandy desert. The flats of Alvord are a crusty and dry lakebed. While much of Southeastern Oregon is dry, nothing compares visually to this desert. Upon first sight it takes you by surprise. Driving for miles in the dry ranchland makes you think nothing could be more arid, but then you come across Alvord. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
A great place to soak
There is a hot spring on the banks, so to speak, of the dried lake that is Alvord Desert. Back in the 1940s the spring was engineered to flow into two pools, and guests have been enjoying it ever since. They are called Alvord Hot Springs, and Rita and I visited them during our trip to Alvord Desert.
A caretaker is on site to collect a small fee for access to the springs. There may even be some snacks sold there. After a quick stop there we walked over and started soaking in the pool. One of the pools is fully outdoors, and the other is surrounded by a shelter of corrugated metal. Being so far out of the way it wasn’t busy, and there was plenty of space to soak.
Views of the mountain are to the west, and views of the desert are to the right. Now, I know what you are all thinking. No, we did not soak in the Springs nude. There may be others though that bask in their birthday suits, as the pools are swimwear optional. What is it about water that allows us to bend rules we wouldn’t otherwise do so on land? There’s the drinking and boating, and here, the nakedness and soaking.
Automobile rambling
Another way to think about Alvord Desert is that it is a giant rambling zone. The main form of rambling though is not walking but driving. People take their cars, ATVs, and motorcycle out on to the flats and drive around. Some try and break speed records, others just drive as fast as possible, and still others just drive around. Kitty O’Neill set the women’s land speed world record at Alvord in the ’70s. She hit 621 mph in a rocket car powered by hydrogen peroxide.
We were very tempted to ride down to the desert flats and drive around, but ultimately bailed out. The pathways to get from the road to the desert are steep, dirt, and full of potholes. A four-wheel drive vehicle could make it up and down no problem, but it was a stretch for us. Instead, we walked down and watched the folks driving off far in the distance. Their cars left behind huge plumes of dust.
We rambled on the crusty flats for a bit, staying far enough away from the action so as not to get run over. While we were down there a van pulling a U-Haul drove to the flats and put the pedal to the metal. I experienced a twang of regret for not making the attempt to drive Alvord. Looking around, I felt like a bug given the giant expanse that surrounded me. I could walk in any direction, and it’d just be dried lakebed for what looked like an eternity. We took some pictures, and then headed back up when the heat started baking us.
