The Narrative Image

Rico passes beyond the confluence of Dago Gulch and Leslie Gulch. Perched at the head of Leslie Gulch, I try to temper my anticipation. I also put on the best poker face I have at my disposal and try to minimize any role I might have played in lobbying for this excursion during the planning stages of this trip. I’m keenly aware of the let-down I felt at The Pillars of Rome and if this turns out to be a bust, I’m hoping I won’t be blamed. If you were to start researching Leslie Gulch today, you might find positively spun comments like, “...Situated amongst one of the most stunning landscapes in Oregon…” or “...one of the most jaw-dropping geological formations in the Pacific Northwest…” But you can also find more tempered expressions like, “But of all these non-disappointments Leslie Gulch, by far, has been the most impressive.” One comment, because of its awkward placement within its respective article reflected a positively cynical perspective. “Things to do near Leslie Gulch…” it beg...

There used to be a ‘reality’ show on television called Alone. The concept for the show was that the producers would select individuals to abandon in the great outdoors with limited supplies, each completely isolated, and under challenging environmental conditions. Then, each, isolated, abandoned person would have to document their day-to-day experiences with selfie-camera-kits. The audience would check in each week to see who was finding successful survival strategies, and who was not, and only the person who stayed out the longest would win the substantial prize. I was struck by the difference between two contestants in particular. One guy, when he ‘did the math’ decided that the best way to win would be to avoid risk and conserve energy. He ended up burrowing under a log and kind of sleeping in there all day, occasionally finding slugs or bugs to eat. His existence was grim.  But another guy worked at making a boat so he could reach a likely spot to trap fish, and he built a comf...

As near as I’ve been able to calculate, the red arrow points to our base of operations on the Owyhee River. This location is at the bottom end of about 48 miles of class II and III rapids - that is, if you happen to be there in the middle of May. If you’re there at the end of August and maybe during a season of drought, traveling by raft is rumored to be problematic. Sitting in the shade, fishing and drinking beer is nice, but you can’t do it all day. Well, actually, you can do it all day, but we were also cognizant of other points of interest in the canyon.   One such site was archeological in nature, but the people who know of such sites tend to be protective of them - and for good reason.   (LEFT: pictogram peppered with bullet scars. RIGHT: Same image modified with Jon Harmon’s DStretch to better delineate the original art.) For instance, this antler man that appears near Maupin, Oregon appears to be the victim of fairly intensive target practice.   (TOP: Various car...