We recently set out to Central Oregon to visit Shepards Flat Wind Farm — one of the world’s largest — just upstream from our neighborhood in Portland. A veritable orchard of turbines, the place evokes a mix of awe, peace and some nascent anxiety about a future we can hardly yet recognize. Shepards Flat has drawn ire and scrutiny about its federal and state subsidies, including funds from the controversial Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit. Turn the dial slightly and you’ll hear praise from the Department of Energy for the project’s job creation power as well as its huge impact on clean energy efforts — equivalent to keeping over 360,000 cars off the road each year. We’re not quite sure how to feel about it — but we think it’s beautiful, otherworldly and worth a visit the next time you’re jonesing for sagebrush and big, Bladerunner horizons.