Caught in a thunder storm at a ghost mine | Overlanding in Central Oregon’s Ochoco National Forest

Join us as we explore a very special part of Oregon. The ruins of the Motherlode Mine had been on our list to checkout for a long time. With many of our favorite higher elevation destinations still snowed in on July 4th weekend we decided this was finally the perfect opportunity to check the area out. Our adventure started with a 6 mi hike, the longest Tessa has done since her Achilles injury. We were mostly excited for the views from the top of Lookout Mountain, which is the highest point in the Ochoco range, but really the abundant wildflowers stole the show!
After the main hike we took a side trail to explore the mining buildings, but the weather had other plans. Not so distant thunder convinced us to move on, which was a good thing since soon we were hit by an intense hailstorm soon after getting back in the truck. What followed was an extended search for a campsite as we encountered numerous road closures, no trespassing signs, and hordes of trailer campers. Despite spending 2.5 hours looking for a spot we still had a great time navigating the Tundra down rough and muddy roads to find a dispersed campsite that others had missed. Eventually our efforts paid off with a beautiful spot on a Ridgeline.

Tips on how to avoid crowds when hiking or camping: https://westernwildoutdoors.com/blog/...

CampChef Explorer 2 Burner Stover Review: https://westernwildoutdoors.com/blog/...