A few years back I camped out on the Alvord Playa in this part of Oregon on a clear, moonless, summer night: it was spectacular!

I've been to quite a few remote dark sky sites, but this place was something else.

Later that night a storm rolled in and I had to get off the Playa due to the strong winds and blowing sand and dust.

I ended up sleeping in my Jeep next to a power substation since I only had a half tank of gas and that wasn't enough to get me to the nearest open gas station. At this time in Oregon even the rural gas stations were full service only so I had to wait until morning when the store at Fields Station opened up and I could gas up and get back home.

It was a memorable trip.