Day 6: Crack-in-the-Ground
It was another morning of our normal routine that was well established by now: wake up and think about crawling out of a nice warm down sleeping bag in the cold, think about the shock of exposing one's self to the cold and trying to move your stiff limbs, think about how nice a hot mug of coffee would be, think about trying to go back to sleep.
By now, my routine was sleeping in the cold weather Underarmors with socks, having my Duofold longjohn shirt and fleece pants folded into a square with thick socks in the middle, all tucked in between my knees in the sleeping bag (I have to have a pillow between my knees to sleep). They were warmed by my body heat and available to pull on while I slink out of the warm bag. This kept the body heat loss to a minimum. My thick sweat shirt was wrapped around my tiny pillow, also warm, and lined riding pants folded and kept inside the dry bag next to the tent door on my side, along with my boots. It was a process practiced out of necessity, fine tuned and worked well.
We both rose before sunrise and watched the colors develop in the eastern sky, which we faced on the mountainside. Coffee was delightful as we warmed and went through the routine of tearing down and packing the gear. I can't stress enough how simplicity is the key on a trip like this. Pack and carry as little as you can get away with. Yet, those two little camp chairs added a touch of comfort and enjoyment while we sat with coffee and watched life unfold around us, or watched the bright spots in a dark universe while us little dots on the planet spun around the sun.
[
Our morning plans were already set: continue south and stop at another intriguing geological phenomenon called Crack-in-the-Ground. This landmark was less known than the former two we had explored. In fact, the sandy road was not even on Google maps; I hunted for it on Google Earth (where nothing can hide from ). We passed the small area and sign for parking the day before, so we knew exactly how long and where. Again, we had fun on the forest road even in the cold. And it was still cold!
Green Mountain is located in an area of volcanic activity (surprised?), with several craters remaining. The area is called the Four Craters Lava Field. In one of the photos in the previous post, layers of solidified lava can be seen like tiers marching down the sides of the craters.
Crack-in-the-Ground is a volcanic fracture -literally, a crack in the ground- over two miles long and up to 70 feet deep. Nearby eruptions in the lava field were accompanied by a slight sinking of the older rock surface, forming a shallow, graben (depression) about 2 miles wide and extending to the south into the Fort Rock basin. Crack-in-the-Ground is the western edge of this small, volcano-tectonic depression.
Cracks or fissures usually fill in with rock rubble and disappear, so this feature in Oregon is uncommon and rare. The opening of the fissure probably took place no more than 1,000 years ago. Although the crack is open for about two miles, it continues to the NW and SE as a trace and can be best seen from the air (Google Earth reveals most of it). The fissure is 10-15 feet wide at the top in a few sections and resembles a slot canyon. A primitive trail traces along the top for a mile or so and the bottom can be accessed in various sections, but in most places the walls have slumped. Large angular blocks have fallen and formed choatic dark gaps and bridges.
In other sections erosion and weathering have filled the bottom with sandy soil. Here in the depths of the widest parts, grass grows where the bottom remains shaded throughout most of the day. Winter ice is sometimes preserved during the summer in the deeper, more cavernous places where cold air is trapped. Reuben Long of Fort Rock (and author of the book "Oregon Desert") reports that when he lived at Christmas Lake as a boy, he used to explore "the Crack" as it was called locally. He remembers the homesteaders went there for picnics and make ice cream, using ice they found in the caves of the fissure.
Hiking out of the crack, we discovered the sun was high and much warmer than we were aware of down below. Time to peel off some layers.
We had not seen another human since leaving the tower the day before. As for the camper in the little SUV near our site the previous night, he made every effort to remain hidden. He seemed a bit peculiar to us, but everyone has a right to have their idiosyncrasies (within reason). No one passed on the forest service road, no one had stopped at the Crack, either. Not until we rode down to the southern-most end of the forest service road (the last two miles) did we see any signs of our fellow species. By that time, we felt like strangers amongst them, not necessarily a bad thing
When riding this stretch for the third time, everyone we passed -in vehicles or outside their ranch houses (alfalfa is the major crop)- waved. Typical of most Oregonians in central and eastern area. We had discussed plans for the rest of the day, of which wasn't a lot left. We had spent several hours exploring the Crack. I suggested that we forgo our earlier plans to stop at the Sand Dunes and Lost Forest because we were already a day plus behind schedule and based on Mickey's comments. And we both agreed that we would certainly be back in this area again. We can explore there another time. So the rest of the day would be 'catch up'.
Before leaving on this trip and while planning routes, I had tried to find a short cut to go from the Christmas Valley area to Burns area to the northeast. The main roads were south and north, both out of the way. But try as I might, I could not find a back country route with some reliability that did not turn into private roads, did not dead end in the middle of nowhere, did not disappear into mountains or craters, or did not to-and-fro in all directions. In other words, I wasn't sure we could get there from here without disappearing into the complete unknown.
Our first destination was Riley at the junction of Hwy 395 and 20. A straight diagonal route was the best, but you know how that sometimes goes. That straight as-the-crow-flies line flies over craters, mountains and a sea of yellow on the GPS and Google maps. When I questioned Greg about a route through that area, he was unsure as well. Considering that we were behind schedule and it was already mid-day, we decided to just bite the tarmac and take the long way round. We can explore another route the next time (this has become almost a challenge that I do want to tackle next visit).
At the end of the sandy road off the Four Craters area and the paved ribbon heading east-west, we stopped and prepared for a long monotonous haul to make some time. In with the ear plugs, fit the water tube for easy access, and gather my neck buff around tight..... we're ready for take-off. Time to cover some ground.
As it was, the haul was long, but not monotonous after all.
It was another morning of our normal routine that was well established by now: wake up and think about crawling out of a nice warm down sleeping bag in the cold, think about the shock of exposing one's self to the cold and trying to move your stiff limbs, think about how nice a hot mug of coffee would be, think about trying to go back to sleep.
By now, my routine was sleeping in the cold weather Underarmors with socks, having my Duofold longjohn shirt and fleece pants folded into a square with thick socks in the middle, all tucked in between my knees in the sleeping bag (I have to have a pillow between my knees to sleep). They were warmed by my body heat and available to pull on while I slink out of the warm bag. This kept the body heat loss to a minimum. My thick sweat shirt was wrapped around my tiny pillow, also warm, and lined riding pants folded and kept inside the dry bag next to the tent door on my side, along with my boots. It was a process practiced out of necessity, fine tuned and worked well.
We both rose before sunrise and watched the colors develop in the eastern sky, which we faced on the mountainside. Coffee was delightful as we warmed and went through the routine of tearing down and packing the gear. I can't stress enough how simplicity is the key on a trip like this. Pack and carry as little as you can get away with. Yet, those two little camp chairs added a touch of comfort and enjoyment while we sat with coffee and watched life unfold around us, or watched the bright spots in a dark universe while us little dots on the planet spun around the sun.
[
Our morning plans were already set: continue south and stop at another intriguing geological phenomenon called Crack-in-the-Ground. This landmark was less known than the former two we had explored. In fact, the sandy road was not even on Google maps; I hunted for it on Google Earth (where nothing can hide from ). We passed the small area and sign for parking the day before, so we knew exactly how long and where. Again, we had fun on the forest road even in the cold. And it was still cold!
Green Mountain is located in an area of volcanic activity (surprised?), with several craters remaining. The area is called the Four Craters Lava Field. In one of the photos in the previous post, layers of solidified lava can be seen like tiers marching down the sides of the craters.
Crack-in-the-Ground is a volcanic fracture -literally, a crack in the ground- over two miles long and up to 70 feet deep. Nearby eruptions in the lava field were accompanied by a slight sinking of the older rock surface, forming a shallow, graben (depression) about 2 miles wide and extending to the south into the Fort Rock basin. Crack-in-the-Ground is the western edge of this small, volcano-tectonic depression.
Cracks or fissures usually fill in with rock rubble and disappear, so this feature in Oregon is uncommon and rare. The opening of the fissure probably took place no more than 1,000 years ago. Although the crack is open for about two miles, it continues to the NW and SE as a trace and can be best seen from the air (Google Earth reveals most of it). The fissure is 10-15 feet wide at the top in a few sections and resembles a slot canyon. A primitive trail traces along the top for a mile or so and the bottom can be accessed in various sections, but in most places the walls have slumped. Large angular blocks have fallen and formed choatic dark gaps and bridges.
In other sections erosion and weathering have filled the bottom with sandy soil. Here in the depths of the widest parts, grass grows where the bottom remains shaded throughout most of the day. Winter ice is sometimes preserved during the summer in the deeper, more cavernous places where cold air is trapped. Reuben Long of Fort Rock (and author of the book "Oregon Desert") reports that when he lived at Christmas Lake as a boy, he used to explore "the Crack" as it was called locally. He remembers the homesteaders went there for picnics and make ice cream, using ice they found in the caves of the fissure.
Hiking out of the crack, we discovered the sun was high and much warmer than we were aware of down below. Time to peel off some layers.
We had not seen another human since leaving the tower the day before. As for the camper in the little SUV near our site the previous night, he made every effort to remain hidden. He seemed a bit peculiar to us, but everyone has a right to have their idiosyncrasies (within reason). No one passed on the forest service road, no one had stopped at the Crack, either. Not until we rode down to the southern-most end of the forest service road (the last two miles) did we see any signs of our fellow species. By that time, we felt like strangers amongst them, not necessarily a bad thing
When riding this stretch for the third time, everyone we passed -in vehicles or outside their ranch houses (alfalfa is the major crop)- waved. Typical of most Oregonians in central and eastern area. We had discussed plans for the rest of the day, of which wasn't a lot left. We had spent several hours exploring the Crack. I suggested that we forgo our earlier plans to stop at the Sand Dunes and Lost Forest because we were already a day plus behind schedule and based on Mickey's comments. And we both agreed that we would certainly be back in this area again. We can explore there another time. So the rest of the day would be 'catch up'.
Before leaving on this trip and while planning routes, I had tried to find a short cut to go from the Christmas Valley area to Burns area to the northeast. The main roads were south and north, both out of the way. But try as I might, I could not find a back country route with some reliability that did not turn into private roads, did not dead end in the middle of nowhere, did not disappear into mountains or craters, or did not to-and-fro in all directions. In other words, I wasn't sure we could get there from here without disappearing into the complete unknown.
Our first destination was Riley at the junction of Hwy 395 and 20. A straight diagonal route was the best, but you know how that sometimes goes. That straight as-the-crow-flies line flies over craters, mountains and a sea of yellow on the GPS and Google maps. When I questioned Greg about a route through that area, he was unsure as well. Considering that we were behind schedule and it was already mid-day, we decided to just bite the tarmac and take the long way round. We can explore another route the next time (this has become almost a challenge that I do want to tackle next visit).
At the end of the sandy road off the Four Craters area and the paved ribbon heading east-west, we stopped and prepared for a long monotonous haul to make some time. In with the ear plugs, fit the water tube for easy access, and gather my neck buff around tight..... we're ready for take-off. Time to cover some ground.
As it was, the haul was long, but not monotonous after all.