ALVORD DESERT ROAD TRIP
Last week I drove seven hours to the little-known Alvord Desert in southeast Oregon to meet up with friends. Some of these folks have been going here for decades, most for the past decade. This was my first time. I brought with me, my Fujifilm X-T4, DJI Mavic Air 2, and my iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Alvord during the spring is a dicey place to be, you can get rain, high winds, mud, dust, and more. For us, we mostly dealt with high winds, dust, and cold. I spent 3.5 days and 3 nights living in my truck, save for one night in a ‘nearby’ motel due to the 28-degree, windy night. A friend had set aside a room just in case anyone called ‘uncle’ out there. I was one of the few ‘camping’ out of my truck, most had trailers. Tents were out of the question.
On day two we did some off-roading up to Coyote Lake, about an hour's drive by 4x4 only. That drive was one of the highlights of my trip out there because we took remote up yet another notch.
Day three, we visited a farm that is adjacent to the desert itself, where they are working to be as close to self-contained as possible. Now that was an education; to see all their animals, their planting, and to learn about how they exist in such a desolate area.
Three nights in and we were treated to a gumbo dinner made by a legit Louisiana chef and driven 4 hours out to the desert to heat, serve and hang out with us. It felt like a miracle was happening, and we were all spoiled that night!
This was a well-needed escape and a great gathering for (mostly) photographer friends. I look forward to the next time I can get back out there.
