Alvord Desert to West side of Owyhee Canyon and crossed the river for more exploration. The photos speak for themselves ! An epic adventure with awesome people.

After 18 months of Covid, the wildfires began in NE and Central Oregon - the trip we had planned, OAS2021, was scuttled due to the vast numbers of trails on the Oregon BDR that were 'closed' by the State. We put our heads together, and came up with a trip idea - Escalante 2021. In mid-August 2021, about 10 rigs converged on Kodachrome Basin-Utah, and the exploration began. I'll let the photos speak for themselves. The trip felt truly wild (crazy terrain while very hot, very muddy), with frightening thunder storms and a bit of an out-of-control vibe. At times, we were extremely remote. What a crew, and what a trip it was. I hope the trip members fill in some of the details. There were some great adventure stories that were made that week in August. Utah is Rad !!!!

March 12 2021 It has taken a while for me to process and recount the story of OAS2020. The nitty-gritty details of the story are best shared by those that were there. Stories abound and we all have the trail damage to show for our efforts. The Oregon BDR Alvord Steens 2020 trip was an idea I concocted after reading about the trials and tribulations of navigating the challenging motorcycle centered Oregon BDR (Back Country Discovery Route). I also wanted to visit Steens Mountain and the famous Alvord Desert that lies like a vast doormat beneath it. I wanted to avoid the 10 hour pavement slog to get down to this ultra-remote part of SE Oregon, and thus, the OAS concept was born. Start in Walla Walla, bash your rig about for a few days on a little used off-road trail designed by motorcycle riders, and then pull off when the time feels right and head down to the Desert in SE Oregon. That’s exactly what we did in August 2020. A ragtag group of PNW adventurers in a mind-boggling array of rigs, all competent and well-built in their own way, met in Walla Walla Washington on a Friday afternoon. We first had some wine at Dunham Cellars and then moved over to Quirk Brewing where the vibe really fit with our group. We ate tacos, checked out each other’s rigs and wondered out loud ‘what the heck is going to happen over the next few days?’. I planned the trip using a three-year old copy of the Oregon BDR trail atlas, which is published (and updated annually) by the Oregon BDR association. This group is quick to assert that it is NOT affiliated with the national BDR association that keeps tabs on the famous WABDR that we all know and love. The OBDR is special – its narrow, often has OHV trail segments that could (or perhaps should not) be used for a truck route and can be difficult to navigate. I put together my ‘interpretation’ of the OBDR for trucks, and then included routes to get down and explore Steens Mountain and the underlying Alvord Desert playa. After beers that evening, we packed our families into the rigs and launched our expedition into the drawing dusk. The goal was a campsite by nightfall, and we soon found one atop a forested knoll, under the open sky. We were alone, but together. As I walked around that evening, the rhythm of our expedition was clarifying – kids running around together, dogs following along, parents chatting and cooking. The laughter and stories flowed like water. It was going to be a great trip. The next three days blended together – we collectively navigated down the route that proved it had more in store for us than a wide forest road with clear points of reference. By committee, we slogged down dead-end roads filled with tank traps, off-camber rock gardens hidden in brush and dubious tracks behind fences marked with ‘Close Gate’ where there were no gates to be seen. Vehicles were recovered. Vehicles over-heated. Seemingly unerring modern vehicles exhibited gremlin-like electrical problems and required off-road towing. Seemingly primitive ‘antique’ vehicles amazed us with their capabilities. In the end, we emerged onto a high ridgeline and enjoyed the views that make the Wallowa Mountains so famous. Views were enormous. The blue sky ran from horizon to horizon. Fire lookouts were visited, some of which were occupied, and others had been mothballed long ago. We put up the drones and took a look around. After 5 days on the OBDR, we decided it was time to enter phase two of the trip. An exit point was found off the OBDR onto the highway and we headed South to Sylvies River Road for a campsite that positioned us just NW of Burns OR, for the next phase of our trip. On the way out to find a camp, one of our members snapped an iPhone shot of our rigs blasting across the dusty river plain. Our night at the Sylvies River camp was ultra-dark, with an uncountable number of stars and swirling bats competing for our attention. After a quick stop in Burns for gas and provisions, it was clear that we were entering a part of OR that attracts adventurers from all over the world. Rigs of every shape and size rolled around town and eyes were set down the road to the SE, where Steens Mountain loomed in the smoky air. We arrived at Steens Mountain Road and raced for the summit on exquisite gravel roads. A long half day was spent exploring the mountain-top and its fabled views and valleys. We camped that evening at a rock strewn flat overlooking the Alvord Desert with a stream rushing in the bushes next to us. The next morning, we were visited by two gentlemen cowboys on their mounts that appeared to have stepped out of time to engage us. We dashed down to the desert floor and kicked a plume of dust for miles as we blasted down Fields-Denio Road with fogs and chase lights ‘on’ and the skinny pedal on the floor. It was glorious. We arrived at Alvord Hot Springs for a soak and witnessed a bit of the ‘rubber tramp’ culture that we were all peripherally a part of. The next few days were spent on the Alvord Playa, drinking milkshakes in Fields, getting buzzed by small aircraft, and allowing children to drive expensive vehicles as fast as they wished. We witnessed a sand-storm. We learned to poop where there is no shelter of any kind. We wandered a vast expanse of wonderful desolation where people congregate together, to get weird, and to be alone. Alvord’s magical hold on the senses and its incredible remoteness affected us all. It was a right-of-passage and it is an unforgettable place. The last 24 hours of the trip saw more exploration on the rocky slopes of Steens Mountain and a group camp high on summit of the Mountain that was coordinated over radio amongst several bands of wandering explorers. It all ended with a camp fire, toasts and gratitude for the friends surrounding us and shouts of kids playing in the drawing dusk. OAS2021 is scheduled for August 13-22 2021, and will depart from Quirk Brewing in Walla Walla on the evening of August 13. Scott Sattler MD

When I was down in the Owyhee Canyonlands a few weeks ago, I set up my Canon 70D with 50mm lens and booted up Backyard EOS, a Windows based camera intervalometer that wakes the camera up and executes a planned series of exposures while the photographer is sleeping.. these shots were on a moonlit night, not ideal for long exposures, but I did get some interesting 'light painting' effects on the canyon walls from these long 20 second exposures. I'm looking forward to getting back out to the desert and doing more astrophotography. My next project is to photograph some deep sky objects with a tracking mount like the Ioptron SkyTracker... Anyone else into astrophotography ?

In April 2020, in the midst of the Covid lock-down in Seattle, with my business shuttered and my home life in meltdown, I made two trips to the Lower Canyonlands of The Owyhee, in SE Oregon. The first trip was solo, and the second trip two weeks later, was with Nick and Dania Parsons (NWOL members) from Seattle. I've put together two videos of my trips on my YouTube channel 'Lonesome Realms'. I hope you all can get down there sometime and explore this amazing place. It looks like Dan Cronin has a trip planned down there in late August 2020. If you are headed to Alvord desert with me in mid-August, you could continue on over to the NE and meet up with Dan's trip ! Trip 1 (solo) https://youtu.be/9Dkq8utZ0vo Trip 2 (with The Parsons - NWOL members) https://youtu.be/2XxN3xr3-0o Enjoy ! #lonesomerealms -Scott

The wife and kids were down in Texas, so I ran down to the Oregon coast with Kai and met up with the crew from PDX Overland (a Facebook group...) - we met at Sand Lake ORV area for some sand wheeling and then moved on down the coast to Cape Kawanda for some beach combing and a visit to Pelican Brewing. Drones were flown, dogs ran amock, a campfire was built and soon the whiskey emerged. We watched the sun go down and the group splintered apart - I headed into the hills above Hebo with Matt and Randy and camped up by the radio towers (a habit of mine....). The next day, we did a little exploring around Mount Hebo and emerged at Wolves and People Farmhouse Brewing in Newburg OR. The PDXO crew was, without exception, friendly, funny, knowledgable and passionate about off-roading. The showed me the goods and I hope they head up North sometime so we can reciprocate.

We completed the WABDR from South to North, all of the six sections, including the Beehive washout and the Jungle above Lake Chelan. It took six days and was incredibly fun and safe. Folks joined and left the trip using a system we worked out with a Garmin InReach. Hopefully this video tells some of the story.

I've finally got 15 minutes to put pen to paper and record some thoughts about the NWOL trip to Montana and Idaho that Nathan Thomas, his friend Patty (from Stehekin WA), the Hubert Family (Kevin and Terrill and their four wonderful children) myself and my two kids embarked on. Here is the route we did - a long arc through Idaho and Montana, traveling through the Clearwater, Nez Perce, Frank Church and Bitterroots Wilderness areas. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29012762 We met up at the Fernan Lake Ranger station in CD'A and rallied to the start of our adventure in Superior MT. We headed south on FR 250 and summited Hoodoo Pass, which marks the border between MT and ID. Our group included a Toyota Tacoma pickup, a late model Toyota Landcruiser and a classic 1973 Series III Land Rover (88 inch). We made it into the beautiful Hoodoo Valley and found our first camp spot off a side road near Hidden Creek. It was little cramped. Camp was set, the fly rods came out and trout were stalked in the Clearwater River. The next morning, we packed up and headed down FR 250, along the Clearwater River. Stops for lunch and swimming punctuated the day. All the kids and the dog swam in the creek and the serene relaxation of a vacation began to set in. That afternoon, we headed toward Pierce Idaho, where we pulled off the trail for provisions and gasoline. Kevin Hubert encountered transmission problems with the Land Rover - unable to engage a gear. He efficiently tore down the transmission cowling from the interior of the car and diagnosed the problem, which could not be repaired road-side. We flagged down a local in a DeSoto who helped organize a flat-bed transport back to Spokane Valley (their home town). We said our good byes and were back on the trail looking for a campsite. That evening, we found another side-road camp site in what appeared to be a pasture with a salt lick (elk ? cattle ?) and settled in. My kids gave Nathan a few pointers on archery and a few beers were consumed later that evening. The next day, we wended our way South toward Syringa ID, re-routing a couple of times due to excessively overgrown trails. We eventually emerged onto Highway 12 and headed East along the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River to Syringa, where we stopped and had lunch at the cafe, and learned about the history of this remote part of Idaho. We turned South onto FR 651 and ran along O'Hara Creek into the Nez Perce Wilderness. We climbed the Elk Summit Lookout trail, climbed the tower and flew the drone around the 100 foot unmanned lookout tower erected in 1939. That evening, with the help of some Forest Service workers, we found a warming hut built by the local snowmobile club. We had the structure all to ourselves, and fired up the wood-burning stove and enjoyed the evening. The next morning, we headed into Elk City, located 175 miles into our route. This is the Westerly end of the fabled Magruder Road, which connects Elk City ID to Darby MT through 115 miles of wild, desolate country and separates the Nez Perce and Frank Church wilderness areas. These two wilderness areas are massive, remote and both amongst the largest in the lower 48. In Elk City, we gassed up and bought groceries for the next couple of days. We visited the local graveyard to pay our respects and then launched onto the Magruder Road (also called the Nez Perce Road, the Montana Road etc etc). A quick stop at Red River Hot Springs was delightful and we found a forest service campsite next to the Red River for the evening. Several nice trout were caught that evening. The next day, we were back onto the Magruder Road, which climbed high in the mountains and became progressively more remote. You don't want any mechanical issues out there. We took a side trip up Burnt Knob to the lookout station. This trail was steep and technical and was a real adventure. That afternoon, we worked our way back down Burnt Knob and made our way to Observation Point Ridge at mile 240, which is the highest point on the trip - around 8200 ft. We found a great campsite right on the ridge and watched the fading light play off the lonely expanse of wilderness far below. The next day, our trip concluded with the remaining 50 miles on the Magruder Road, and ended in Darby MT. For those interested, I'm planning a trip back to Idaho in 2020, and want to link the Magruder Road and the LoLo road together into a 4-5 day adventure. I look forward to Nathan's edits, as I'm sure I've left out lot of details...

Hey everyone - let's start planning the full South to North WABDR run Time: 0900 Friday August 16 until August 22 (roughly) - please note the change in start date Meet-Up: Toll House Park on the Oregon side of Bridge of the Gods Who: I've got five confirmed trucks (as of 7/31/19). Including 5 dogs (!). Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/30659388?privacy_code=7O5xx1F6fuFZR8KU Scenario: I'm personally planning on running the whole WABDR. If folks want to come and go off the route, that's fine with me. If you want to join the group later in the route, find my location here on this link and come meet us. https://share.garmin.com/scotsattlermd Vehicle Equipment: All-terrain rated tires are mandatory. Front and rear recovery points are mandatory. Bring a tow strap, snatch recovery strap and a 3/4 inch rated bow shackle. A full size spare tire is mandatory. A reliable, high clearance vehicle that you are familiar with is mandatory. Communication: 2m Ham 146.460, if you are not licensed, let me know and we will sort it Camping: In my experience, most of the good remote campsites on this route are 'dry', so bring a way to carry water. Gas: There are plenty of towns with gas stations on and off the WABDR. I think the longest stretch with no gas is about 150 miles or so.

Thanks for leading the charge, Aaron ! Runnin Family Road Wandering Airing

For Sale: FOUR (4) BFG K02 265/75-16 E rated AT tires with 8k miles. Tread depth excellent. No repairs. Typical use pattern. $300 takes all, and you pick up at my place in NE Seattle.

We're all interested in vehicle-dependant travel - this includes trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, and even bicycles. A new back-country cycling route called the 'Wild West Route' has been designed by bikepackingroots dot org. It stretches from Rooseville Canada all the way down to Mexico. I was fortunate to be a test rider for the Idaho section of the route. I rode 550 miles of it, mostly off pavement, during a seven day cycling adventure in early August 2018. The reason I bring it to NWOL's attention is many of these roads are accessible to trucks (ie, not closed to motor vehicles), and would make a superb overland trip next Summer 2019 (I plan on hosting the trip for NWOL, stay tuned). The route encompasses the Magruder Corridor, the Custer Motor Road, crossed unbelievable fishing streams, high mountain passes, desert wastelands, lonesome realms and lost highways. It was truly incredible. During my trip, there were a number of wildfires that choked the air with smoke, and the heat index became quite savage as I moved South toward Utah. I'll post a few photos and circle back in a few months with a proposal for a NWOL trip this area for next Summer.

I've learned a lot from scoping out other people's rigs - its a great way to gather ideas. Here is the lowdown on 'Clarence', my blue 2016 Tacoma 'Off Road' DCSB. 1. Dual battery system with a RedArc charge controller, wired for solar (I've never used solar) 2. Wiring runs to front and rear bumper for a winch (don't have one yet) 3. Fuse block in passenger side bed 'cubby' for power in the truck bed 4. DIY cupboards and drawer system with a 'split' bed slider 5. Radio cupboard with dedicated APRS radio, Kenwood dual-bander and an Android tablet 6. Full set of steel Mobtown skids (heavvvvvvy) 7. OME coils and struts with a heavy rear leaf pack - about a 3 inch lift 8. 15 gallon water tank with an on-demand pump integrated into the drawer system 9. ARB single stage compressor, integrated into drawer system 10. Dometic fridge in the bed on a slider 11. Hardshell 'Doom' tent from Tacomaworld.com group buy 12. Prinsu rack fitted with low profile LED rock lights ($6 on AMZN) for camp lighting 12.5 CaliRaised 30 in light bar on the front of roof rack 13. AluCab canopy 14. Too many pinstripes to count....