2023-04-29 42 -118

Location

In sagebrush a mile and a half southwest from Highway 78.

Participants

Michael5000

Expedition

There aren't many roads in the southeast corner of Oregon, and the terrain can be pretty stark, so it's a pretty challenging geohashing environment. On the plus side, though, it is almost entirely public land held by the Bureau of Land Management, so although the hashpoints aren't necessarily inviting, they are usually legally accessible.

So it was that I pulled over to the side of State Highway 78 and walked into the desert. It's hard not to feel conspicuous and self-conscious, since someone walking off across the sagebrush is easily the most noteworthy thing happening as far as the eye can see. Except, there's no eyes watching. Somebody drives by on Highway 78 every two or three minutes, maybe.

The hashpoint was about a mile and a half from the road, generally upward, and there was some variation along the way. The sagebrush got denser or thinner, the soil rockier or smoother, cacti were present sometimes and not other times. But basically, it's a very big sagebrush desert, and there's a whole lot of sameness to it. I found a hashpoint out there.

Then I walked back the way I came, got to the truck, and continued on to 2023-04-29 42 -117.