High on the Desert

In this podcast, we talk with John Flemming, who created the High Desert Spiral sculpture located at the intersection of Simpson and Mt Washington just at the entrance to Broken Top in Bend, Oregon. We hear about his inspiration and some of the trials and tribulations of building the tallest sculpture in Bend at 39 feet. “There is something universal about spirals,” says the artist. “In the high desert, we find geological examples of lava cooling into spirals.” He also referenced the way traffic spirals around the roundabout in the Archimedean spiral, which features 60 steel blades that move in the wind. Note the inside of the blades are painted a bright yellow-orange, capturing “the glow you might find inside a volcano or lava flow.” This podcast is supported in part by a grant from the Bend Cultural Tourism Fund. Dirty Freehub, is a nonprofit organization that publishes hand-curated (and great!) gravel cycling route guides. Our mission is to connect gravel cyclists to where they ride through stories about culture, history, people, places, and lands with the hope that they will become involved as advocates, volunteers, or donors with organizations that protect and preserve recreation spaces. Our Podcast Channel  / The Connection  Our Route Guides / Dirty Freehub Our Ask / Donate