Thursday, October 13 – Sunday, October 16
Last year in mid-October I rented the Fry Meadow Guard Station in the Umatilla National Forest. It was a lovely fall trip and I decided to do it again. This time I booked the Short Creek Guard Station in the Malheur National Forest.
Exterior:
Because this is cattle grazing country the cabin has a fence around it to keep the cows out:
This cabin was constructed at the nearby Crane Prairie Work Center in 1954 and moved to this spot in 1970. It served as a summer home for fire prevention guards. The front room has a kitchen with cookstove, a sink with running water, and a propane-powered fridge!
The cupboards and drawers are full of plates, cups, utensils, pots, etc.:
The front room also includes a living room with a couch and armchair:
The cabin was pretty clean when I arrived except that both the couch and chair were covered all over in dog hair. Yuck!
The rear room has a bedroom:
There’s a utility room with cleaning supplies and two cots:
And – luxuries of luxuries – an indoor bathroom with a toilet and flush toilet! Very unusual:
Outside is a new-looking picnic table and a fire ring:
Although I was surrounded by trees I could still see stars at night. This is a LONG way from any major light pollution and the stars were amazing:
Some things to know if you go:
- The road to get here is paved and doable in any vehicle.
- Unlike most Forest Service cabin rentals this cabin has plumbing. There’s a shower, flush toilet, and sink in the bathroom. The kitchen has a sink as well.
- Propane powers the living room heater, refrigerator, cookstove, and lamps. I had no trouble with any of these appliances during my stay.
- The windows have screens so you can open the windows without letting bugs in. However neither the front door nor the back entrances have screen doors.
- There is a fire pit outside, but firewood is not provided. Bring your own.
- This cabin is right by the road but there is a locked gate at the start of the short driveway so people can’t drive in and bother you at night. The combo for the gate and the door were the same, and provided to me in the confirmation email.
