Itinerant Air-Cooled

I know once y'all get there, even if I hafta pile youse into Maybelline and snowplow the road to the lake myself, yalls'll be all like "Daaaayyuuuumm!" and "Sheeeeeeiiiiittt!" and "Werd Bro! Thanx n' shizzz!!!"

There are powerful spirits up there. Powerful, gangstaaa spirits...

And coyotes. Did I mention the coyotes? They sang a chorus up the mountain, around the ridge and back down in a five-minute round the other night, with the steady roof-top tick of the snow keeping the beat and a nearby virtuoso belting out a warbling solo. Then the wind picked up the bass line, making a dramatic groan up the mountainside and swirling above the lake, dropping a barrage of ice crystals, without disturbing a hair on my head, then disappearing in an eerie silence as fast it came.

And one more thing... :P Ham, you'd like this, I was wandering around on sunday morn and found a stump with a nail in it, like a sign once hung there, marking a thin track through the bear grass off the path to the walk-in sites. It led to a cluster of old sites much like the ones at Hambone Springs, with overgrown right-angle two-side fire pits, remnants of it's glory days as a grand 10-or-so-site campground with horses and old Model A's filling the lot and bearded loggers soaking up the beauty one of the only nearby places they didn't want to turn into a total stump-field.

As I often say: history squeals like a hog. The old maps are a great way to track it down.
Hey DJ what time are you planning on being out there on Friday?

So do I have this correct?
From Portland,
I-5 to exit 188 and merge onto OR-58. Go 36 miles until Salmon creek rd. go about 7.5 miles and turn left onto NF 1934. Go 7.5 miles then turn onto NF733 for an additional 1.4 miles?
Better hang some hubcaps.
Mike

Basically. Here are my personal directions:

I-5 to Exit 188, OR58. Take 58 into Oakridge. There is one stoplight in Oakridge, in front of the "Ray's". Turn left there and go over the bridge. Turn right at the stop sign, onto Main. Follow main out of town, stopping at the "Brewers Union" on the left just at the end of town for hand pumped cask ales and tasty vittles if you're wanting. Main turns into Salmon Creek, which is a paved, two-lane forest byway. After about 8 miles, slow for the "One Lane Road Ahead" sign and be careful navigating the walled-off slide it references. About a quarter mile past the slide it's a left onto 1934. Follow 1934 for about 8-9 miles to a right at the fork onto 733, there will be signs pointing towards the lake. 1934 is the obvious "main road" and the only real questionable forks are about 5 miles in @ 1931, stay right, there's a sign too, about 7 miles in @ 730, it switches back and up to the right, stay left, and @ 733, it goes right, 1934 drops to the left, follow the sign right up 733 and into the campground.

If we can't make it to the top, we'll either be right along 1934 somewhere, or we'll mark the turnoff to the backup site with some obvious VW related things. It's most likely that we'll know in advance how likely a successful summiting is via weather monitoring. Right now it looks like there is a few inches of snow at Willamette Pass, which is about 500' higher and pretty close. And the forecast calls for rain most of the week, so the snow should be washed away by then.

Ham, that depends, I would like to get out of at least some work on Friday, So I can head out in daylight to check out conditions. If you'd like to meet up at the shop, or perhaps Skindaddio's house, we can all caravan out there and grab a brew on the way.

DjEep wrote:If you'd like to meet up at the shop, or perhaps Skindaddio's house, we can all caravan out there and grab a brew on the way.

So it turns out Janelle has Friday off.
I am going to see if I could get out of work early as well.
Meeting up would be cool if I can swing it.
Just need a place and time.
Mike

I will be leaving Portland after dropping Eva off at school, 9-ish. Whatzat, 12:00 at Eugene? I don't like to go over 65 MPH with my dainty 1600.
Don't forget that this is the Sausage Festival as well as the "Hunter's Moon" camp.

Hey is there a place out there to get either a Willamette NF map or Oarkridge RD map? It would come in handy.

Hey Sluggo,
From the Blair Lake National Forest website,
http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsint ... Campground
"The lake is small (35 acres) and shallow (20'). It supports a population of brook and rainbow trout and is stocked regularly."
Mike

When is this again? Having major brake issues but hopefully they'll be taken care of today.

November 2 onward. If I can help with the brakes then let me know! Seriously.
I should be putting that booster in the '73 Bus early next week, it's finally on its way.



I did a little research, the trail north of Blair is still active:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/willamet ... 6&actid=50



here's all the trails in the area:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/willamet ... 7&actid=50

Middle Fork Ranger District
Duane Bishop, District Ranger
46375 Highway 58
Westfir, OR 97492
541-782-2283
Regular hours: Monday-Friday 8-4:30

Sluggo wrote:Having major brake issues but hopefully they'll be taken care of today.

Brakes?
Eep says it's mostly uphill

Mike Boell wrote:

Sluggo wrote:Having major brake issues but hopefully they'll be taken care of today.

Brakes?
Eep says it's mostly uphill

Should make for a fun ride on the way down.

We'll just hook ya to the nose of another bus on the way down and take it slow.

I will try to get out of work at lunch, 1pm. Can't guarantee it, 'cuz my coworker might be out of town still, but I'll try.

The Willamette NF website has a really good pdf map of all the roads. I tried to print out the section with Hardesty on it, but the printer here won't print, so I just put a piece of paper on the screen and traced it.