Photo Assignment: Flying High over the High Desert in Central Oregon

Exploring central Oregon’s high desert with a drone, some radio pals, and a long memory.

Last week, I spent four days camped out on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation with a bunch of pals, many of them from my radio days. It’s a thing that’s been going on for over fifty years, although I didn’t start going until 30 or 35 years ago.

Just over a year ago, I had a new drone, along with an FAA license to fly it commercially. So, I’ve taken it to the campout both years. I thought it might be fun to share a few images of the area, since many of them turned out great, and show the high desert of central Oregon.

Let’s start with a 360-view of the entire area on the Deschutes River:

It takes a minute or two for it to snap all angles and then stitch them together into a single image.

Morning shots of the area around the campground.

Next up, a cool rock formation that dominates the western skyline. I have seen a similar formation at the Devil’s Postpile in California, so I was familiar with it. I looked it up and here’s what I got:

This striking formation of columnar basalt lies on the Warm Springs Reservation near the Deschutes River in central Oregon. These towering, vertical columns were created millions of years ago when thick flows of basaltic lava slowly cooled and contracted, forming the distinctive hexagonal patterns seen today. Part of the vast Columbia River Basalt Group, this landscape tells the story of ancient volcanic activity that once covered much of the Pacific Northwest. The dramatic cliffs and fractured rock faces offer a vivid look at the raw geologic forces that shaped this region.

Columnar Basalt

On the way out of the campground, which is down a single-lane dirt road, there’s a spot where the view of the canyon is remarkable:

Deschutes River near Madras

After camp broke Sunday morning, I decided to take the long way home through The Dalles, where I started my career in radio just over 50 years ago. I visited a friend who, after we got to talk about my drone habit, suggested we do some aerial photos of the Imagination Garden that she’s been involved with for a decade or so. It sits right on the Columbia River, right next to a Google data center:

The Dalles Imagination Garden and surrounding area.

It was a fun and fruitful week. Hope you enjoyed the images!