A buck mule deer contrasts against the rye grasses of the Alvord Desert in southeastern Oregon. Few inhabit this bleak expanse; in fact, early settlers found it so inhospitable they called it "Malheur," or misfortune.

Today's residents enjoy the desert's challenges. Few and far apart, they appreciate how its environment denies most features, such as congestion, of modern life.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "A Special Place: Oregon's Outback," August 1997, National Geographic magazine)