by LINDA GALLOWAY Cascade AE FeatureWriter

Take a journey into the rustic Oregon outback country. Within two hours you can be in the rugged countryside, where you will find Summer Lake Hot Springs, petroglyphs, caves, fishing, hiking and much more.

Summer Lake Hot Springs with an elevation of 4,200 feet is located in Paisley and sits on 145 acres with 21 RV hookups, two houses and four cabins, two of which are brand new structures. The property has been owned and operated by Duane Graham since 1997. It boasts four natural hot springs. The bath house is covered and has showers and dressing rooms. Just outside the bath house are two rock bathing pools, which have a peaceful view of the lake.

The houses and cabins are heated by radiant heat in the floors which is supplied from the hot springs. There is no television and no phones. So bring your cell phone in case of emergencies, but you won’t want to use it as this is a place for relaxing and getting away from the daily grind.

Watching nature is a perfect way to unwind from your hectic everyday life. There is a wildlife preserve for those who love to bird watch. The night sky is full of magnificent stars and watching the sun come up or go done in the wide open space is spectacular. Don’t forget to watch the clouds as they come in many forms.

Other Attractions

Petroglyphs are found in Basalt outcroppings, caverns and boulders along the Oregon Outback Scenic Byway, these images are close to 10,000 years old. Lake County has some of the finest examples of Neolithic art in North America. These images are an important form of pre-writing and expressionism. The petroglyph sites are found between Silver Lake and Summer Lake in Picture Rocks Pass. Some of the designs you will find are of human figures, concentric circles, rectangular grids, horned humans, coyotes, horses and mounted humans.

The preservation of the elements varies and suggests that the elements were drawn or cut at different times. Information: www.ohs.org/education/oregonhistory/historical

The Summer Lake Basin is home to The Paisley Caves which are located just north of Paisley in south-central Oregon. There are eight caves and rock shelters in a west facing ridge. Information: pages.uoregon.edu/ftrock/paisley_caves_description.php

Harvey Pass is a great hike to view pristine mountain lakes, pine forests and amazing panoramas of the Summer Lake basin and the hot springs.

Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge has all kinds of migrating birds from humming birds to four-foot cranes.

Biking and mountain biking is available in the area. In Paisley there is a perfect ride up the Chewaucan Canyon along the river.

Rock Hunting at The Dust Devil Mine allows people to collect semi-precious stones for a minimal fee. This is the state stone for Oregon and considered an alternative version of a diamond. Information: www.dustdevilmining.com.

Music Festival: The Coyote Music festival will be held in June 2011.

Information: www.coyotemusicfestival.com www.summerlakehotsprings.com, 541-943-3931, 41777 Highway 31, Paisley, OR 97636 mail.