Steen's Mountain - Day 2

Day 2 – Page Springs Campground, near Frenchglen

Before departing Lake Chickahominy, I spent 15 minutes watching a team of chipmunks devour an apple that a previous camper had pitched under a rock.  By the time the chipmunks found it, it had been conquered by ants.  The first chipmunk to find the apple would dive in and snatch a bite, then push his head and chest through the sand to scrape off the ants.  Ultimately, one bold monk grabbed hold of the apple and dragged it out from under the rock and away from the ants.  Smart guy.  It sometimes takes a bold one to lead the rest out of the fog.

Ponderosa Hotel, Hines, Oregon

In passing through Hines and Burns before heading south, I ran across a strange building that looked modern yet abandoned, as though half-finished.  The building clearly wasn't completed because rebar still emerges from the concrete on the eastern side. A little Google work told me that it was going to be the Ponderosa Hotel in Hines (I can't tell where Hines ends and Burns begins). Locally called the Grey Ghost, the hotel concrete was poured in 1929, but the Great Depression brought construction to a halt, and the hotel was never completed.  It's apparently used to store "stuff" now.  Too bad.  It's a cool building.

Page Springs Campground

The drive to Frenchglen was unenlightening, but Page Springs Campground about 3 miles outside the village is a delight.  Each spot is huge compared to other campgrounds – I feel like I have my own lawn surrounding the parking spot and picnic table.  Backed up to a little creek at the foot of a bluff – it's lovely.  I could live here.

Upon arriving, there were very few other campers, but as the afternoon wore on more and more arrived. I can't see my neighbors to the south, but the family to the north is visible, and I watched with feelings of days past as they erected a giant, canvas, army-surplus tent.  I can so strongly remember the smell of those tents when I was a child and forced to lay down to take a nap during the hottest time of the day (mostly to give the parents a break, I suspect).  Canvas has a peculiar odor, and hot canvas an even more powerful one.  The tent triggered smells for me – of the canvas, and of eggs fried in a deep layer of bacon grease and bitter coffee cooked too long in the aluminum percolator.  The smell of woods in the morning, and dust kicked up by young boys doing what young boys do on a camping trip.

Once the trailer was set up, I backtracked into Frenchglen for ice.  Upon entering the store, I encountered a guy about my age, all sweaty, and at his feet a backpack.  I asked for the ice, and picked a six-pack of beer out of the cooler.  While I was getting the beer, the backpack guy asked me if I happened to be going back to Page Springs Campground.  Yes, I was.  He asked for a lift, and when I agreed he offered to pay for the ice.  It turns out that he and a couple of friends had hiked up the Blitzen River the day before and fished, camping on the river through the night. The next morning, this gentleman decided to work his way downstream while his buddies went up.  By 3PM (90+ degrees), he found himself at Frenchglen wanting a ride back to the campground.  I was happy to oblige.

Tomorrow, up to the top of Steen's Mountain.