Looking for desert oddities I spotted via satellite images

Looking for desert oddities I spotted via satellite images | Solo Desert Adventure Part 2

Рет қаралды 15,906

Ай бұрын

After running into some difficulties accessing the public land I wanted to explore, I changed my plan and set out in search of a few oddities I had noticed while looking at Google Maps satellite view.
Part 1:
• Solo Desert Adventure ...
Visiting the A-6 crash site in 2020:
• Epic Expedition Part T...
If you enjoy the content I deliver each week, consider becoming a supporting member on Patreon for as little as $3/month. Members receive access to exclusive extra content, messaging priority, and other benefits:
/ softroadingthewest
Some of the gear I use:
Topo Toppers Mesa wedge camper:
www.topotoppers.com/
Alldogs Offroad/Koni 2" lift kit:
www.alldogsoffroad.com/alldog...
Alldogs Offroad wheels for Frontier/Xterra:
www.alldogsoffroad.com/alldog...
ASFIR 4x4 skid plates:
www.asfir.com/skid-plate-set-...
Recovery gear from Yankum Ropes:
yankum.com/?afmc=softroadingt...
(use code SOFTROADINGTHEWEST for a discount off your purchase)
Reign Outdoor 270° Awning:
reignoutdoor.com/store-2/p/st...
MAXTRAX MKII recovery boards:
adventure-imports.com/product...
Viair 300p compressor:
amzn.to/43b18Fw
Tailgater tire table:
amzn.to/46hABYp
Cast iron propane burner:
amzn.to/3LRJUpQ
de Buyer 9½" carbon steel frying pan
amzn.to/3iwQlky
Wire basket drawers:
amzn.to/3Q6lDP
Coleman Woodsman II camp chair:
amzn.to/38ZfcIo
Mr. Heater Buddy
amzn.to/2UyX3Kw
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases made after clicking one of my Amazon links, even if you ultimately choose another product. Purchases made via my link at Yankum also provides a small benefit to the channel. This costs you nothing, but the small commissions earned on referrals support the ongoing creation of content for this channel. Thank you!

Пікірлер: 161

@metaxaanabeer Ай бұрын

"and thank you for watching" You have it wrong, it is thank you for allowing us to come along on your adventures.

@scottymac5174 Ай бұрын

The absolute truth.. We wouldn't be watching anything without you.

@gerryhartung736 Ай бұрын

Air Force drop target. WWII and later many anomalies in eastern Oregon had been created for cargo drops, bomb runs, etc. Also if you want to watch an air show......go around Silverton, Oregon then you can look up in the sky above the Cascades and watch A. F. planes refueling.

@mtnbound2764 Ай бұрын

i was going to say it was something used for location or navigation for aircraft

@metaglypto Ай бұрын

Myself and BIL have seen the same thing in the skies over Ukiah, Oregon. First time I saw it, I thought, "Is that some kind of secret, new aircraft?" After staring it at a bit, I figured it out.

@jeffrey5961 Ай бұрын

thank you Gerry

@garykieser8160 Ай бұрын

There was a bomber crew training base in Prineville during WW2. That's how Prineville airport was first built.

@Scroll_Lock Ай бұрын

How often are they out there?

@kevinthomson6324 Ай бұрын

Grab a shovel head to the center of the x and start digging. More likely it was a training target for paratroopers or for dropping aid/supply drops.

@MWPdx Ай бұрын

Might be interesting to swing a metal detector around out there and see if the cargo/paratrooper folks dropped anything cool.

@kenbaker4528 Ай бұрын

Donald this is another example of it is more about the journey than the adventure. You stayed with it when you were continually blocked but in the end you found something beautiful to share. Thanks for the journey.

@gerryhartung736 Ай бұрын

Back in 1967 after my Army tour was over, my wife and I would watch Rick Steves Europe on OPB. Now in my late 70s (very late), I seen Casey of Coyote Works, Jason of Primal Outdoors and this channel. I have traveled Eastern Oregon extensively and enjoyed every day of my travels. As much as I like France, (my ex is from there), it less expensive to travel around western US. There is so much to see and visit. Beautiful vistas, quiet and peaceful high desert, Pacific coast large forests.No longer pining for Europe, the West is the place for me. See you at NW EXPO!

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

My ex is also French. 🙂 I love France and the French culture and cuisine and (most) French people and do hope to get back over there in the next year or two to see my (ex) in-laws who are still like family to me. And knock the rust off my French. 😄

@TheBayoutransplant Ай бұрын

@@softroadingthewest Yes, grew up out there and roamed over most of Eastern Oregon. It is great to go along on these ventures, brings back fond memories. My USAF service took me to places I'd just as soon forget. Never made it back to live in Oregon. Rest of my familt still does, however.

@KenBexploring Ай бұрын

Love the mood of this episode, and that was some impressive alliteration at sunrise!

@simcoebackcountry5998 Ай бұрын

Possibly an old military air cargo drop training site, or paratrooper training drop zone. In WWII the 555th PIR was posted in Pendleton, OR.

@GeorgeLoch Ай бұрын

It's amazing to see your channel grow. A lot of hard work, consistency, and drive have gone into your content. Well done.

@jeffreypreiss8191 Ай бұрын

"A pallette of peaceful pastels." Always enjoy your videos. I really enjoyed the drone shots with the truck and the horses in them. Definitely gave me a sense of the scale of the landscape. It's easy to forget just how vast it is. Thank you again for sharing, and looking forward to the next episode.

@cbh76 Ай бұрын

Best way to start the weekend.

@louiskudlak2241 Ай бұрын

Great quality definition on the video, really clear

@darrengray2309 Ай бұрын

Hi from Australia i always look fwd to your videos there is just something relaxing watching them. Plus it's nice to watch a fellow Nissan 4wd owner👌👍

@jaystewart9947 Ай бұрын

Donald, I’m always intrigued by the shear open, vastness of this area in Oregon. Hopefully, one day I’ll make it up there to see it first hand. As always thanks for sharing it with us!

@Procooktip Ай бұрын

I love my silver truck, but I really like how the black looks. Actually I really like you’re all set up.

@mountainsmoore3657 Ай бұрын

Another great video about another cool trip! Thanks for sharing!

@andy_an_outdoors_guy Ай бұрын

very cool lake shots with the drone

@24Alisonall Ай бұрын

Wonderful!! Thanks Donald!!!

@Realtor_eliot_portland Ай бұрын

Great episode,thank you!!!

@PrimalOutdoors Ай бұрын

I was going to pontificate that the x pattern has something to do with the military training that is often done out there, but I see you already pontificated that. So instead will also pontificate my opinion on the beauty of the Oregon desert which I believe you did an amazing job of showing. There is nothing like the sunsets and sunrises when the sun is low in the sky casting its light across the sage making it look like fields of gold. Very well done video. Jason

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

...aaaannnnd there it is. When I was reviewing footage from the trip and found that clip, I knew this moment would eventually come. 😆

@tjkrueger2655 Ай бұрын

Love this series so far. Just got back from meandering thru the same area... fully agree, there's just something about being out there, it completely resets my mood and charges my batteries. People either get it or they don't, the solitude, smells, sounds and vastness scratches an itch for me, and I find myself craving it come springtime

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

Haha, after three days of crawling at 4 mph over those cobbled desert trails, I was annoyed and asking myself why I was doing this 🤣 but I know in a year, I'll find myself with the itch to get back out there and do it again. 😄

@AndrewKumler Ай бұрын

I love that area as well. Beautiful footage of Oregon's desert country.

@dalecurrier5631 Ай бұрын

Great video Donald anxious for the rest of the series.

@madcratebuilder Ай бұрын

Perfect way to start my morning, thanks for making these videos.

@NorthwestBronco Ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing your adventure. Enjoyed your finds!

@richardburguillos3118 Ай бұрын

Another great adventure. Thanks for sharing.

@stevejenqpnelson9770 Ай бұрын

Beautiful video Donald, thanks for sharing your adventures!

@garya6647 Ай бұрын

Magnificent drone shots

@outlander61 Ай бұрын

Really great video, Donald. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Great work!

@jasonbourne314 Ай бұрын

Another great video... keep them coming!

@garya6647 Ай бұрын

Love finding oddities and researching them. Thanks Donald

@YouTubeTyler Ай бұрын

I met Ursula K LeGuin a couple of times. Once she mentioned how she always tuned in to Oregon Field Guide. She loved it. I bet she'd love your videos for similar reasons.

@scottymac5174 Ай бұрын

Frank Herberts Hellstrom Hive..

@JBlinky67 Ай бұрын

Fantastic serendipitous finds. Excellent, excellent video. Thank you, Don.

@chad4853 Ай бұрын

What a great find, thanks for sharing this video as I have wanted to see it since the previous video. Thanks for taking the time to go out there and documenting this. Take care and have a great weekend.

@scottminshall6420 Ай бұрын

Great video Donald.

@JOHNNY-pr9kv Ай бұрын

Another great video

@Prevailingbucket 13 күн бұрын

Corner marker for the state of Jefferson? 😆

@LivinUTOutdoors Ай бұрын

Great video Donald. Cool to see so many wild horses. X marks the spot.

@denisgauthier3375 Ай бұрын

Great video👍

@misskc94 Ай бұрын

I think you need to come visit the Sonoran Desert for some great adventures!

@thomasreilly4156 Ай бұрын

Nice video Donald

@tdg0101 Ай бұрын

Good stuff. Thanks

@nofear2trek Ай бұрын

Oregon is so diverse and always a joy to explore. Fair Winds.

@steveparsons6324 Ай бұрын

Shhhh

@midnightadventureswa Ай бұрын

Well done well done

@kelsey809 Ай бұрын

Awesome! 👍🤠👍

@masonstruckadventure9368 Ай бұрын

So timeless and beautiful and you didn't have to leave the state! Oregon iz the zzzzbest! Thanks for sharing

@krazedkamper Ай бұрын

Great and interesting video! I'm from Washington, but now that I'm retired, I play in the deserts from Nov through May. I, too, love the vastness, scent, and quiet.

@ThalassTKynn Ай бұрын

I just love how these days you can just send the drone up to have a bird's eye view of things. It's beautiful country out there.

@sagebrushbob2321 Ай бұрын

Your "X" appears to be a WWII era air drop training target. there were many such areas in the Oregon desert during the war, including supply drops like yours, gunnery and bombing targets, and a few paratrooper landing zones located near remote airstrips. EDIT: For those interested in knowing more about the role of Eastern Oregon in WW2, google "The Oregon Maneuver" for a good idea of what actually went on out there in our "empty" desert.

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

Makes sense. Some sort of visible-from-the-air function definitely seemed most likely to me.

@sagebrushbob2321 Ай бұрын

@@softroadingthewest Google "The Oregon Maneuver" for a good idea of what actually went on out there in WW2. ( I edited the post so others could see that, too.)

@sagebrushbob2321 Ай бұрын

@@softroadingthewest Google "The Oregon Maneuver" for a good idea of what went on out there during WW2. (I edited the post so others could see that, too).

@scottymac5174 Ай бұрын

@@softroadingthewest a paratrooper drop site. Before parachutes could be steered.

@slowverlander Ай бұрын

On satellite maps you can spot another symbol about 3 miles directly south of the X. It's a smaller box with one diagonal line connecting opposite corners. Neat that you can see things from the air that aren't discernible on the ground. I remember seeing a post somewhere of Google Earth where a guy had mowed a big arrow in his field pointing to his neighbors house, with 'A-hole' mowed alongside the arrow. Only visible from the air.🤣

@swidahooverlanding2867 Ай бұрын

The desert is a special place for sure. Ever notice that when you are in the forest you can't see very far but you always can see people. In the desert you can see for miles and don't see anyone... Thanks for the video! George.

@barnetts9812 Ай бұрын

Gooood morning ☕️ 🇨🇦

@Procooktip Ай бұрын

I did find your videos of the area near Leslie Gulch. I really enjoyed them and have watched them several times.

@KnittedSchnauzer Ай бұрын

Fantastic storytelling as usual. The drone video of the horses traveling along the ridge was super special. What a catch,

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

Thanks Bill!

@VideosOffRoad Ай бұрын

Possibly an old small aircraft landing strip. Maybe even a private one specific to a ranch or mine?

@scottfranson4215 Ай бұрын

Very Nice Video , music goes good with it . Peaceful

@courtneychambers9214 Ай бұрын

Absolutely incredible Oregon has so much unique open space to discover. And as always great to see you at the dinner tree!

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

Nice to see you guys and have time to kick back and catch up!

@KristopherEbarb Ай бұрын

Some curious finds on this trip!

@davec9244 Ай бұрын

Good job thank you

@GunPilot3000 Ай бұрын

Such an alien landscape. Your like Mark Watney in the "Martian" heading to Schiaparelli crater. So jealous!

@terratrodder Ай бұрын

Another awesome video! I do more two-wheeled exploration in Central and Eastern Oregon and it's fun to pick a spot and try and get to it. So many things to discover out there. Of course it sucks when it's super windy.

@user-py9lg4tp1n Ай бұрын

Old time marker for Air Mail.

@BackcountrywithShaughn Ай бұрын

Thx for the content post. Its the open spaces and the smell of the sage that are such appealing pieces of the desert for myself as well. I know that feeling of running into roadblocks trying to get to some public land, it can be quite frustrating at times. Looks alot like a target to me. Don't really think that'd make the best drop zone due to the sage bushes. Off Hwy 20 south down 395 or over through Burns and down towards McDermitt, over to Fields, the Steens and over to Hart Mt is such an excellent cross desert trek IMO. Thanks for sharing your adventure.

@stills46 Ай бұрын

I think you answered your own question. You are probably on or close to the Boardman Bombing range. I was stationed at the Umatilla Army Depot near Hermiston from '74 to '76 as a Med Lab Tech. That '73 crash was all the talk then because if there were any more, it would be part of our duties to recover any body parts. Never a good thing. All the white circles within that X, appear to be practice bomb hits. While I was there, most of the action in that area was stopped, Thanks Be, I did not look foward to any extra duties!!! Good Find and Thanks for sharing.

@tjkrueger2655 Ай бұрын

Boardman isn't really close to this location, which is in S Central Oregon

@stills46 Ай бұрын

@@tjkrueger2655 No, actually closer to the Columbia River... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Weapons_Systems_Training_Facility_Boardman#:~:text=The%20Naval%20Weapons%20Systems%20Training%20Facility%20Boardman%2C%20informally,testing%20EA-18G%20Growler%20aircraft%20and%20for%20drone%20testing.

@aaronthedj12 Ай бұрын

X marks the spot!! Go to the middle and start digging! !

@erickaesman4001 Ай бұрын

Have you ever come across a cement aviation 'Beacon Station' arrow from the late 1920s to early 1930s ? I have one just South of Boise and another one N/E of Mountain Home. Very cool history.

@sheerkhanful Ай бұрын

Reminds me of those markers out in the southwest desert that were put there for the purpose of calibrating spy satellites.

@artem1085 Ай бұрын

Magic 🪄

@johnbob4545 Ай бұрын

It was a training area for jousting. They would ride the horses along the square and try to figure out which diagonal their opponent was going to attack from. You had to be quick to beat them to the center X and get the hit.

@thomasquigley7040 Ай бұрын

🤣

@kingofbaja5b Ай бұрын

hahha. the signs 2002 movie. that came to my mind.

@johndej Ай бұрын

Another great video! At 6:48 I notice a number of things that look like small craters in the lower left and upper right. Practice bombs perhaps? There are even more near your truck. Might be worth exploring with a metal detector. I guess X marks the spot, whatever spot that is of course. :) Looking forward to more!

@1FiftyOverland Ай бұрын

Alien landing area!!!

@mrkakeg1 Ай бұрын

That looks like a WWII bombing target. It appears that there are pock marks around the area as well. I found a similar one {it was a circle with an X through it) out in the remote Utah desert back in the 70's. My dad told me that it was a bomb training target and that they would drop wooden bombs that had the same weight and flight characteristics as the live ammo would in the war zones. Still just a guess.

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

I think this makes the most sense and multiple commenters agree it's something along these lines.

@reidcrosby6241 Ай бұрын

Cool, I want one if those wooden dummies now. !!

@TyMoore95503 Ай бұрын

Hey Donald, I love your adventures. You have a knack for finding interesting things. That symbol, the "Box X" looks a lot like symbols the military uses as symbology to designate an armor or mechanized unit on a map. So it is probably a practice target for aircraft practicing bombing or strafing runs. The size of the box is about consistant with a typical armor formation, so for my non-military, lay person's eye, that would be my guess.

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

This is definitely the prevailing opinion, I think something along these lines makes the most sense.

@GreysonPlaisance Ай бұрын

X marks the spot!

@scottfranson4215 Ай бұрын

Good advice no Fires, Note to selfs. O ya , God Bless The Drone ,

@user-zl5gi8sv7u Ай бұрын

thats where they are going to drop the anvil

@eddehne887 Ай бұрын

Well not sure about that one particular spot there are a few in Idaho that planes would use to navigate by.

@mjl9702 Ай бұрын

you found the treasure! X marks the spot right? lol

@OverlandUnderground Ай бұрын

Clearly an alien landing zone.

@thomasquigley7040 Ай бұрын

It's May 11th. Hope you're out somewhere trying to catch the Northern Lights this weekend. I heard it might reach as far as Portland. That Oregon Desert would be perfect; dark skies and low chance of rain.

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

I saw them last night and didn't have to go out anywhere, it was visible all the way down here in Eugene. Didn't even need dark skies, I walked one block to a nearby clearing just to get out of the trees and it was filling the sky. Even my friends further south in Coos Bay got some amazing views. It was my first time to witness this, I was absolutely giddy! 😄

@johnbob4545 Ай бұрын

We saw them in Las Cruces. Maybe tonight too.

@zackdemundo Ай бұрын

I love the desert! Good UFO country 👽

@carlosdiaz3518 Ай бұрын

Thanks for the video. I like everything about it. Favorite line - "The pre-dawn light often paints the sky in a pallet of peaceful pastels". Great job!

@KenBexploring Ай бұрын

“Soothing strokes of sunlight soon to show” right after that was pretty good as well!

@scottymac5174 Ай бұрын

A choice you have to make. Being able to live inside your truck, or living outside of your truck. It's everybody's personal choice.

@richardburguillos3118 Ай бұрын

Possibly an old remote antenna installation site where they removed everything but the scars on the land?

@TacoSyndicate Ай бұрын

I love that camper. Are you happy with just the one window? I can see you use the door on the other side to access your stuff. If you had to do it all over again would you do two windows?

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

No, personally if I had it to do over, I wouldn't change that. The practicality of what I've been able to build around that cargo door is probably my favorite part of how I've built out the camper and I would not want to give that up. Ultimately the vast majority of time I spend in the camper, it's after dark and I can't see out anyway. On the rare inclement days I sit inside during daylight hours, the side and rear windows have felt adequate to allow me sit and enjoy seeing the location I'm in. I wouldn't want any fewer than that though. 🙂

@TacoSyndicate Ай бұрын

@@softroadingthewest Thanks for the info. I am headed to overland expo this weekend hoping to see one in person there.

@user-pd9uv1hn6k Ай бұрын

Maybe that is where the treasure is buried. @5:30

@FarrellMcGovern Ай бұрын

It makes sense what @sagebrushbob2321 says about it being an air drop target for practicing air drops from planes. Initially, I was worried it was a new ad campaign from On X Offroad! LOL!

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

Ha! 😆

@keithhumco Ай бұрын

Are there wild horses in that area could be possible? That's where they corral them, and the x makes it possible for the helicopter to see where to chase them to.

@mattvanbogart Ай бұрын

You can see the marks left by bomb drops

@jakehelfrich3756 Ай бұрын

Its probably a bombing range. You can see the pock marks all over the ground from the ordinance.

@stretch9952 Ай бұрын

The "x" box was an experiment in developing a more complex version of Baseball, incorporating diagonal shortcuts from first to third, and second to home. The very large field insured that nearly all hits will be infield hits, possibly classifying the few that would land beyond as fouls., placing higher value on infield hits, and bringing more active motion to the game. Imagine choosing to run one of the diagonals on a hit., and the consequent choices of where to throw, not to mention the scramble to field the ball. Of course such an experiment would be conducted in the middle of nowhere, given the massive commercial interests that own Baseball and determination to keep it in its present state. Well, its just a thought.

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

🤣👏👏

@thomasquigley7040 Ай бұрын

Does that make the box above it, the grandstands? Or the hod dog vendor area? 😂

@tommysimmons5266 Ай бұрын

Looks like a WWII camp for the Japanese

@marcericdavis Ай бұрын

An old airstrip? But I've never seen one with the box around it. Also didn't seem like a level enough area.

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

Yeah hard to tell from above but it sort of wrapped over a rolling hill, and the swaths weren't very wide. I did actually stumble upon a couple of airstrips on this trip though.

@DennisButterworth-ug4rk Ай бұрын

So apparently there was something called. The oregon maneuver of 1943. About 100,000 troops and equipment. Where stationed in central oregon. Among them was the air support personnel. Look up. Those Were the Days. An Oregon airman remembers the Oregon maneuver of 1943. 10,000 Square miles was used for training of all sorts.

@bghall1643 Ай бұрын

Hey Donald, you may have addressed this at some point and I missed it, but I'm noticing several overlanding upgrades to the truck to the point I'm curious if the truck is your daily driver (or ever has been). Hope all's well

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

I have gradually tweaked the truck to improve its backcountry performance, but yes it is my daily. I work from home and now that my daughter is driving herself to school with another car, it's not uncommon for me to not drive anywhere for days at a time, depending on how thorough I was grocery shopping. :-) And when the weather is nice, I often run my around-town errands on an e-bike instead of driving. I did recently buy a second little (quite old) pickup for the purpose of around-town use and the ability to haul yard debris and dirt or whatever, however I am currently chasing some mechanical issues and unable to use it at the moment. I'd like it to become my daily so I'm not burning gas moving my entire camping rig around town and putting wear & tear on my big expensive all-terrain tires, I just need to get it running reliably again (I'm trying to DIY repairs but am not very comfortable under the hood LOL). I did make a video about the second truck: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pquBhayVudiocZ8.html

@iheartlazers2 Ай бұрын

X marks the spot! Go look for the buried treasure in the middle.

@paulziesel451 Ай бұрын

St. Andrews Cross

@marcericdavis Ай бұрын

I wonder if it was some kind of datum for calibrating aerial or satellite map imaging? Are the GPS coordinates at the center an even number? :-)

@estruble Ай бұрын

If you look at the Google Earth image Donald put up, there is a color change right through the center if that point. Looks like a calibration point. I know there is a target on Beale AFB down south that the U-2’s calibrate their cameras on after takeoff.

@pellcio Ай бұрын

I've watched just about all your episodes, but missed the one on the antenna on the front of your truck and what it's for. Is there one? Thanks.

@softroadingthewest Ай бұрын

No, I haven't made a video. It's a 6db boost antenna for my GMRS radio, made by Alamosa Antenna. I haven't done any dedicated scientific testing or side-by-side comparisons with the little magnetic antenna that came with my Midland radio, but since getting this I have not had any of the issues with signal occasionally breaking up that I was experiencing with the original antenna.