Christmas Valley Oregon ( ident 62S ) trip.

I decided to make a run to what’s known here in Oregon as “the Oregon Outback” ( I can only hope our BCP Aussie members can forgive us for that one, lol ).



Disclaimer, this road sign is no place close to Christmas Valley. Your first hint is all the trees. LOL.
If you see a tree there in CV, it was planted by man.

It was a good flying day in Christmas Valley ( "CV" ) ( now you can see the lack of trees )


Located in an ancient dried up lake bed, it is the home to the absolute best grade AA+ dairy alfalfa in the nation, shifting sand dunes, lots of jack rabbits, ground burrowing sage rats, a mothballed back scatter radar station, and a boon-doggle failure of a real-estate plan that left many people with worthless lots and unable to build. ( don’t get me started on that last one, this is a flying report. )


Upon landing you will find that just recently the State has added a taxiway to the airport.


The ramp is huge and could easily support a large fly in ( hint,hint ). The ramp was so fresh that not even one airplane has used these new tie down chains yet.


Looks like a heli-spot has been added for medi-vac flights. This was the first time I have seen this type of marking. I’m guessing it means that the airport is 4300 MSL, because it sure is.



A large parking lot with the all important “Port-a-pot” and the beacon is on the North side of the ramp.
According to the sign, all my losing lottery tickets paid for all the new airport work. I'm good with that.



There is no FBO, fuel or transportation. The closest fuel is Bend, Burns, Klamath Falls or Lakeview Oregon.

The days of Mr. Percy Cline ( spelling ? ) being located on the West end of the airport back in the 1980’s are long gone. I know he had moved there from Cottage Grove Oregon and was quite famous for his engine work. His open ended hangar is now a rats nest of junk cars and trash. His trailer house looks like the town meth lab in my opinion. Its so completely sad now, that I can hardly stand to see it these days. Grrrrr.




I remember seeing a Cessna parked in the open end hangar.


Now what? Start an adventure! You can walk to everything in CV that you need.
Go West ( about two par 5’s long ) to the Chevron station/Grocery Store. They have a hot deli inside with the standard food stuff and I was surprised at how well the store was stocked. Note: The little café in the far right of the pic is closed.



Another 100 feet across the road and you are at the CV golf course and the Old CV lodge. The old lodge is closed, but the original sign from 1962 is still there. An investor from NY bought the lodge. He's going to have a long wait to see a return on his money.




But, on the other hand, the CV golf course is alive and well.



It’s a “on your honor” pay system. Slip your money in the slot and head to the first tee. Can you believe it is only $15 for 9 holes or $20 for all day!



The practice putting green has a light pole right in the middle of it. The idea ( in 1962 ) was that you could have a nice dinner in the lodge house and step out for a little practice while enjoying a cocktail and cigar, even if the sun had already set. Works for me, I like it.


( Can't you just imagine Bing Crosby sinking a few puts here? And then ol' Bing says to Bob Hope " How about a nice glass of Florida Orange Juice?".


If you have kids, there is a nice little play area there.




A lake to eat your golf balls when you shank one off the tee is there also.


Nice fairway. It was well kept up and mowed nicely.



On the Southwest side of lake is the Lake Side Terrace Hotel/Restaurant (541) 576-2309.

Just South of the old Lodge and right on the hwy is the Desert Inn Motel. (541) 576-2262. We stayed there and it was good to see our hosts, the Maple family again.




For dinner we decided on pizza at a new place on the West side of town, we had not been to before. The Pour House Brews and Pizza Restaurant (541) 576-2881. It was good and I ate too much.


For Breakfast we walked across the road to The Pines Restaurant (541) 576-2134. This is the hub of the local community.


I was tempted to buy this nice old chev truck. $3000.

We stopped by the visitor info shed and checked out the "local things to do" list, but they all require a car, so that was not on our agenda this time.


Time to leave the Oregon Outback and head back home. Not a bad way to play cheap golf and have a meal. I hope you will make a trip to the Oregon Outback town of Christmas Valley Oregon sometime during your travels. Thanks for reading.

Know before you go.

Great trip report!

Before my flying days I picked up a load of that AA+ alfalfa hay in Christmas Valley. I got there a little too late and had to wait til the next morning to load the hay so I explored the town a bit. Had some dinner and beers at one joint (can't remember the name now) then a local told me about the lodge so we cruised over there for a few more. I think it was the lodge anyways, this was about 15 years ago so maybe it was still open back then...not a soul in there, though, except me, my new local friend and the bartender.

To this day when I think about the "middle of nowhere", Christmas Valley comes to mind

Thanks for posting. Have you landed on the BLM airstrip 15 mile NNW of 62S? I was wondering the what the condition of the airstrip is in.
Thanks

Hey Bart. I see your down in King City. I can remember the smell of onions and garlic from the dehydration plant there. It always made me hungry when I was in King City.

Thanks for your reply about CV. With names of local features and places like: Crack in the Ground, Hole in the Ground, and of course lets not forget, Big Hole in the Ground.....yes, you are in the middle of nowhere when you come to CV. Thanks.


Here is a pic of the CV Lodge in 1962. The landscaping had just been planted.


CV Lodge aerial view circa 1962


Imagine 10,000 lots all ready for sale. It was going to be the next new town in Oregon. "There will soon be fruit orchards here..."

Here are a few aviation pics from the era promoting the new town:




The Penn Phillips era of CV is really something else to read about. $790 for five acres of land, and only $10 down gets you started! Yeah right....his other big project was at Salton Sea Ca. He spent his last days in court from what I read.

Romaja, living in the other Vancouver I see. Or the "Couv" as some call it. Nice place, I like the park downtown.

The CV airport is in great shape. Right now I count 12 hangars on the field. If your asking about the BLM strip on Derrick Cave road, I'm not sure about it's condition, but as you know its not open to the public anyways. I've been there myself in the 90's, but it was on official gov business.

Re: the strip on BLM land off Derrick Cave road. If it is on BLM land, why is it closed to the public? I don't see any X on the runways from google earth. Just trying to learn.

Steve

Steve, I see your in the Sisters Wonderland. Picture postcard views for sure. A great town.

Sure I'll comment on the BLM strip here,... but other BCP guys...lets please not make this a hijacked post about gov tax dollars and our rights. Thanks

Steve, the BLM asked NOAA/NACO to keep it off the map. Its not in the A/FD. If you call them up, they will tell you "no" that's its for official gov business only. I had to get permission from the manager to land. When I did land, apparently the manager didn't pass along the info to other employees that I was coming. I sat there for almost :30 mins. I noticed people quite a ways away leering at me and really checking me out.
Finally I gave up and walked all the way over to the Helibase pad. "Hey guys!, how are you today?"
Then they figured out who I was. A drug deal had gone down on the runway a week earlier and they thought I was part of that group, back for another load. Yikes!

Guys, don't kill the messenger, I know, I know. My buddy that flies for the feds doesn't agree with it either.

Great writeup, thanks. Drove through last year on a 4X4 trip and made a note to return sometime via air.

-M3X

I love these kinds of trip reports with details about things to do in the area, etc. Great job!

The Silver Lake USFS airstrip is nearby there and is a good place to find obsidian. It's strewn all over the ground out there.

M3X, thanks for your reply. Ahhh, Livermore Ca... I remember skirting around the little restricted area ( R-2531 ) near the Altamont Pass and heading to SUNOL intersection every night to get in to KOAK Oakland Ca in a Piper Lance with bags of bank checks. Those were some lean days of low pay and junk airplanes.

The next time you are in the Oregon Outback and are in your 4X4, be sure and check out:

Fort Rock State Park


And the A6 Intruder, and P38 Lightning crash sites ( both are within about 1/2 or maybe 3/4 of a mile from each other ).


Photo credit: The interwebs.

Oregon 180: Hello to you down in Ashland Oregon and thanks for the info.
Did I mention that I think I found Jaba the hut while in CV? Not an arrowhead, but still a nice find.

Next to Alaska and BC...

Oregon is one of the best States to fly, The Oregon "Outback" is still backcountry. Love the stoke Blade!

(BTW Nevada and Utah are great too)

East of the Cascades...Watch out for Summer late afternoon convection. I got the ... Kicked out of me crossing the Steen Mountain range last year (CAT). Early morning is best in the Summer.

LATE AFTERNOON + Summer + High Desert = Turbulence

Carry on Mate.

Silver Lake FS strip? As of May 8.... Good shape, dry, weeds and brush growing on strip. The weeds and brush are small enough to land on. Newer windsock. Use caution after rain, southern (low end) can get very gumbo muddy with the rest of the strip being dry. I avoid the southern 1/3.

8GCBC, thanks for the shoat out.
Be sure and visit the Oregon Outback in your car also.
Check out:

11,000 acres of sand dunes that are open for riding ATV's on.

I have not read any comments on a sand landing out there, but ATV's are fun also. Id think there might be a lack of flat spots but seeing some of the videos posted here....well, you know

Also see geological wonder "Crack in the ground"


Wingnut, thanks. See if you can add that to Silver Lake info for all to see.

="BladeRunner"]8GCBC, thanks for the shoat out.
Be sure and visit the Oregon Outback in your car also.
Check out:
....

HWY 20 and down HWY 395 ( plus many various other routes) is a drive everybody should do at least once if you like "Outback" sceneries. I loved it.

Thank you Blade for the stoking.

BladeRunner wrote: ...And the A6 Intruder, and P38 Lightning crash sites ( both are within about 1/2 or maybe 3/4 of a mile from each other ).

I'm surprised that all the smaller pieces haven't been packed off by souvenir hunters.

Hotrod180, yes your right. For quite a while there wasn't even directions or a lat/long posted on the web as to where the A6 exactly was. I read a blog by a 4X4 group that said it was near CV, but thats all. Most things I've read have included a statement that basically says "...please don't pick up any of the little parts and things, this is a monument to the fallen and should be left as is.."

I know that the internet give us all a chance to find new things in the world, esp here on BCP. It took me years to find somebody that could tell where a little known water fall was in the cascades back in the 1980's. Now,...about 3 minutes of digging and you have a map right to it.
And of course, its flooded with drunks and broken glass now.

As for the A6...of course, some jerks will come along and mess it up.

Modern times.

(deleted, bad joke)