Many people picture Oregon as a wet, rainy place, and while that’s true for the western half of Oregon, a little over 50% of the state is actually high desert. The high desert landscape is made up of sagebrush plains, volcanic rock, juniper trees, canyons, and wide open ranch land. The high desert stretches from the east side of the Cascades and spans all the way into parts of Idaho, Nevada, and beyond.
Some places out here only get 8 to 12 inches of rain a year and rely on the creeks and rivers for water, which are fed from the melting snow in the surrounding mountains. Often the high desert landscape is something people don’t expect when they think of Oregon.
Out here the Western lifestyle is well and alive with many cattle ranches spread across the sagebrush plains of Eastern Oregon. Mule deer, elk, and antelope can often be seen dotting the landscape, along with birds of prey such as hawks and eagles soaring in the wide open sky across the sage brush covered desert. Out here the air is dry, tinged with the fresh spicy scent of sagebrush and juniper.
While it may look dry and brown to some, the more time I spend out here the more I fall in love with this landscape. While it may look barren to the untrained eye, if you spend any time out here you’ll soon discover it’s rich with vegetation and wildlife. The people and animals that call this place home have adapted to this unique environment, and are rugged and resilient!
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