Crystal Crane Hot Springs, Oregon

Crystal Crane Hot Springs is a virtual oasis in the high desert of eastern Oregon.  It’s located in Harney County, the ninth largest county in the country, and the area is known as Oregon’s Outback.  In my opinion, it’s a great place to have as a home base for everything to see in the surrounding area.  It’s billed as being a rustic get away, and that it is.
There are only seven RV sites, two with full hook-ups, and five with 30 amp electric and water.  There is no dump site here, so come with your tanks empty unless you stay in one of the two full hook-up sites.  The five water/electric sites are $18/night, and the full hook-ups are $20.  The rates are based upon two people/rig.  If you have pets, expect to pay $3/night extra for each pet.  This is the first time I’ve ever had to pay an extra fee for Emma since I’ve had her!  Since I travel solo, I asked if she could count as the second person, but it was a no go.  :(  If you have cats that stay inside the rig, there is no extra charge.  They also accept Passport America for the first night of your stay, so two nights here cost me $33.
There are also small cabins available with a camp kitchen across the driveway for fixing your own meals, and rest rooms a short walk away.
The best part, of course, is the hot springs.  Soaking rights are included in the nightly fees.  You can also soak in the springs for a $3.50 day use fee.  They even have a frequent soaker plan for local folks!
When I went to soak last night, I had the whole pond to myself.  What a relaxing way to end a long day!  The scenery is not bad either!
If you’re so inclined, you can do a private soak in a cedar lined tub enclosure (clothing optional  :)), for $7.50/hour.  They say that’s it’s for up to seven people, but I’m not sure how seven bodies could fit in that tub unless they were really, really good friends!  :)  I’m thinking it would kind of be like a can of cooking sardines!
I almost forgot.  You can also choose to sleep in a teepee overnight, or pitch a tent in the no hook-up area.  Seems like they have all their bases covered for rustic accommodations!  The staff is friendly and they give a run down on the best places to enter the hot springs for soaking, depending on your ability to handle the temperatures.  The water entering the spring is 160*!  Way too hot for me!  I walked in from a much cooler spot.  The average temp today was 99*… just perfect.  The gal in the office tonight said she was going to check out my post, since I had to stop there to get a key to take a pic of the private soaking tub.   I know if I’m ever in this area in the future, I’d stop here again.  So, it’s a thumbs up for this little “hot” spot.  :)
I did take a drive over to Malheur NWR this morning to see where and how I’ll move the rig tomorrow.  That’s another interesting tale that I’ll save for later, but I’ll leave you with this picture that I took while I was there.  Any guesses as to what bird this is?  It really did blend in to it’s surroundings.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Along the Oregon Trail

Ever since I left Yellowstone, a good share of my traveling has been along the Oregon Trail that the pioneers took back in the 1800’s.  I’m thankful that I’m not traveling in a wagon, and that today’s trail is paved in asphalt.  :)

It was a drive of 160 pretty barren miles today to get to the Crystal Crane Hot Springs.  I took all two lane “blue” roads, and I must say that I never had one bit of a worry about too much traffic.  Actually, I kind of wondered the opposite were I to have a break down.   After 25 miles in Idaho on a roller coaster like drive on US 95, I finally entered Oregon.  Not any more people here, but the road surface improved dramatically.  As I neared my turn onto OR 78, I pulled over for some lunch.
I was coming down from the East Steen Mountains when this pull off magically appeared.  Below us was the Owyhee River Valley.
What a delightful place to stretch our legs, get a little relief, and enjoy the view along with lunch.
You can sure tell by the green where there’s water in this very arid region.
Of course, I went up the other side of this lush valley and continued on through the high desert of Oregon.  Thirty-four miles after my  turn onto OR 78, the Australian chap in the box, told me I had reached my destination.  Ha!  Not so fast, mate.  At that point we were smack dab in THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! 

Since I had done my own calculation of where I thought the campground was last night, I ignored his “recalculating” admonishments and continued on another thirty some miles, and Viola!  I came upon Crystal Crane Hot Springs.  Just before I reached the crossroad of Crane, OR, I was able to see a golden eagle perched on the top of a telephone pole.  Being that it was a two lane highway with no shoulder, and I was chugging along in a behemoth of a motorhome, I didn’t get a picture.  However, I took it as a good omen of his welcoming me to his homeland.

So now, enough of this traveling drivel!  It’s time for me to go soak in the hot springs.  I’ll tell you more about this little seven space campground tomorrow.  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy 
PS  After only two attempts, the awning went out and stayed out.  Wahoo!!