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Dispatch from Leslie Gulch

Navigating my drone through epic rock formations in Eastern Oregon's desolate and dramatic Owyhee canyonlands.

Near Oregon's border with Idaho, the Owyhee river snakes through canyons on the way up from its headwaters in Nevada. It's a powerful and expansive area. There are efforts underway to designate it a national monument.

Don't mind the creepy AI-generated music. Made it in 2022 - early days for that stuff.

Leslie Gulch Aerial (0:53)

Filmed in June 2022.

The drone caught some fantastic photos too, like this landscape captured at about 300 ft above ground level. The spire on the left probably reaches 450-500ft.

I spent two nights camped under the darkest skies I've ever encountered. You could actually make out the faint orange/red/brown gases near the galactic core.

Here are about 4 hours under the night skies:

Leslie Gulch Nightlapse (0:30)

Filmed in June 2022.

If you get a chance to visit this area, don't miss it. It's remote, but you can do it in a day trip from Caldwell or Boise in Idaho.

Fun fact: "Owyhee" is said to be named after three Hawaiian fur traders who went missing in the area over 200 years ago, back in 1819. "Owyhyee" was an early anglicization of of the name for Hawai'i. If you squint your ears and imagine it said in a old timey rancher twang, you can kinda hear the similarity.