To take this picture, you have to drive about 120 miles off any paved highway, down some brambled trail, across a few washes, and up a canyon. (I know. I did.)

This is what I love about the West.  There are still vast stretchs of wild.  

And one more thing…not a lot of people.

Some folks might look at a scene like that and wonder where are the trees?  Is there a 7-11 nearby?  Who would live there?  What good is barren-ness like that?

That’s fine.  I get that too.  But living in the West, and occasionally needing some Big Sky…you can find it…close by.

For the next week, I’ll be traveling to and from Bend, Oregon.  I’ll be crossing country like this in Northern Nevada, NorthEastern California, and South Central Orgeon – on the leeward side of the Cascades.

You can get lost in that kind of openness. They’ve had a lot of snow this year in those parts, so we expect lots of white-capped mountains.  And if you wanna check back here on the blog the next few days, I hope to have some scenic shots of the wide open West for ya.

Traveling with a mobile rig? Of course!  Zoom H6n, and my MixerFace too…just in case.

But mostly, I’m traveling for my eyes, not my ears.

CourVO

[big family wedding at Sunriver if you know where that is]