Early July I traveled to the Pueblo Mountains of Southeast Oregon to visit the area for the first time and hike some peaks. I drove up the narrow and rocky “Arizona Creek Road” for 4.6 miles and car camped just north of Stergen Meadows near the head of Arizona Creek, below the north ridge of Pueblo Mountain. From my camp I enjoyed the views towards Steens Mountain as the shadows gradually lengthened during the late afternoon and evening.
The next day I walked the road up through Stergen Meadows to Ten Cent Meadow. Actually, on the way in I tried a shortcut to avoid some unnecessary elevation gain and loss, but decided it would be easier to stay on the road on the return to avoid minor gullies and brush. I left the road at Ten Cent Meadow and climbed open country up to and through a notch to the ridge just left of the yellow-banded cliffs in the photo above. Cumulus clouds were building and threatening showers, but not yet suggesting the thunderstorms that were forecast.
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