Posted by Marc Adamus on March 17, 2006 at 6:23 PM
The Alvord Desert ranks near the top of my list of favorite places anywhere. A mostly dry playa covering roughly 50 square miles at the foot of the ten thousand foot Steens mountains. The region is the least inhabited of any in the lower states and offers incredibly vast and unique geography. Numerous hot springs, dunes and snow capped peaks compliment are just a few of the regions wonders.
I've never been all that fond of this old Velvia slide, but others seem to enjoy it quite a bit. I'm visiting the region for a week soon and was inspired to post it. I would have liked a closer perspective to the mountains, but the clouds really made the shot.
For anyone who hasn't explored SE Oregon and the Black Rock desert in Nevada, you don't know what you're missing. An amazing place!
Posted by Zack Schnepf on March 17, 2006 at 7:02 PM
I love this image, the texture of the playa, the dramtic sky, and the mountains in the distance really come together in a powerful composition. I'm planning on heading out this direction in teh near future, I've never been out there, and this image is fueling my curiosity.
I love the rough foreground, balanced against the peaceful mountains in the background. Looks like a very interesting spot to shoot.
Posted by Harald Rust on March 17, 2006 at 8:26 PM
Great shot. Love the foreground wide angle view and the clouds. I agree the Alvord Desert is an amazing place. Last time we were there, it was July and 105 degrees with cloudless blue skies. This shot makes me want to go back again.
Harald
Posted by Erik Lundh on March 17, 2006 at 10:32 PM
Marc,
It is a nice foreground and a very cool image. There is one thing that I wonder about. Excuse me if it's something that everyone does and doesn't matter. But I, what kind of impact does the walk out on the desert have when it is wet like it is in this image? I would think that you would leave footprints that would be there for a long time. Unless this was taken right on the edge where you didn't have to venture out onto the erosion.
Posted by Rick Lundh on March 17, 2006 at 11:20 PM
I like it Marc, thanks for sharing. I dont think there's many people who visit this region, so hapening upon footsteps would be rare I imagine.
Posted by Marc Adamus on March 17, 2006 at 11:44 PM
Erik, it would be impossible to leave footprints or even tire tracks in this desert for long. It is actually a playa, not a desert, meaning it fills with water every spring which then receeds in the summer. I was out there at the lake's edge once, watching the water level expand at a rate of a few inches per second! I could not tell where the water was coming from either. It was a lake 2-3 miles accross and 1 inch deep that was rapidly expanding as snow melted in the Steens! Additonally, sand storms are common in the summer and shift the soils around quite a bit. Dozens of people drive onto the playa every year (I've been know to do 120mph out there - just watch out for mud in spring) and yet I rarely see anything more than a few tracks with little trace of their passing. Death valley racetrack it is not.
Your pics seem to say to me "this is nature, how I found it." I would like to incorporate this more into my work.
Kevin
Posted by Mark Hudon on March 18, 2006 at 11:16 AM
Hard to beat, Marc, it's wonderful. You sure do have a knack for being in the right place at the right time.
Posted by Marc Adamus on March 18, 2006 at 11:27 AM
Maybe, but if you spend 300+ sunrises and sunsets every year photographing beautiful landscapes, things are bound to come together once in a while. I miss most of them and capture only a few. In other words, I spend too much time at it.
The public is commonly on Alvord Lake with wheeled vehicles, both motorized and wind powered. I was there in September and there were about three people on the lake with some wind powered vehicles. Driving over the lake bed when it is dry barely makes a dent in the surface, and the sheer size is hard to comprehend if you haven't been there. Also, absolutely no life can grow on the lake bed due to the alkaline content, so plantlife and wildlife is not displaced when driving on the lakebed.
That part of oregon is absolutely wonderful to visit. The photo I have from there is not nearly as dramatic as Marc's, but it is a place every northwest nature photographer should visit, IMHO.
Posted by Harald Rust on March 18, 2006 at 4:10 PM
Ryan, I really like your shot in b&w of Steens Mountain range from the Alvord Desert.
It captures the scale and the size of the mountain range, and shows how abruptly they rise from the desert. Another amazing view is from the top of the mountain looking down onto the Alvord Desert.
Btw for anyone visiting the area, the little cafe in Fields has the best milkshakes, and the general area is famous for hotsprings. The distance between gas stations is far, and we kept getting low on gas. Next time we'll take along a spare gas can.
Harald
That Fields store does have some excellent milkshakes! You don't want to have to fill up with gas there though, as their price is 1/2 gallon of gas for about the price of a gallon in more populated areas. Taking the road to the top of Steens is worth it. The way it drops off toward the mountain is awe inspiring, and can hardly be described..
Posted by Marc Adamus on March 18, 2006 at 9:54 PM
Glad you posted that Ryan! A great sense of the place presented in your image. Glad others have tried their milkshakes too! Having driven to the Steens summit in summer and climbed to it three times in Winter I must concur that it is also time well spent. What a view from a vertical mile above the desert!
Posted by Vincent Loi on March 22, 2006 at 8:40 PM
I love this. I wish I do have a chance to go there and shoot for the whole week..
Discussion
17 repliesI've never been all that fond of this old Velvia slide, but others seem to enjoy it quite a bit. I'm visiting the region for a week soon and was inspired to post it. I would have liked a closer perspective to the mountains, but the clouds really made the shot.
For anyone who hasn't explored SE Oregon and the Black Rock desert in Nevada, you don't know what you're missing. An amazing place!
Awesome image Marc.
The desert dries to an absolute flatness in the summer, and the clouds make patterns over it. I was there & wished I had brought my wide-angle.
Harald
It is a nice foreground and a very cool image. There is one thing that I wonder about. Excuse me if it's something that everyone does and doesn't matter. But I, what kind of impact does the walk out on the desert have when it is wet like it is in this image? I would think that you would leave footprints that would be there for a long time. Unless this was taken right on the edge where you didn't have to venture out onto the erosion.
I was thinking about the race tracks in Death Valley. It looks like a very similar landscape. Thanks for the explanation.!
Your pics seem to say to me "this is nature, how I found it." I would like to incorporate this more into my work.
Kevin
That part of oregon is absolutely wonderful to visit. The photo I have from there is not nearly as dramatic as Marc's, but it is a place every northwest nature photographer should visit, IMHO.
It captures the scale and the size of the mountain range, and shows how abruptly they rise from the desert. Another amazing view is from the top of the mountain looking down onto the Alvord Desert.
Btw for anyone visiting the area, the little cafe in Fields has the best milkshakes, and the general area is famous for hotsprings. The distance between gas stations is far, and we kept getting low on gas. Next time we'll take along a spare gas can.
Harald