No, really, I mean literally–Oregon rocks.

While week one was spent in mostly familiar places, week two has been all about the unfamiliar and unknown. Well, unknown to me anyway. Most of this week was spent exploring John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Eastern Oregon. I had seen photos of this place, but never visited. And, I see why few people ever do visit. Besides the remote location, there is no easy way to get there as far as I can tell. All the roads seemed to be narrow and twisty with an average traveling speed of about 40-45 miles per hour. And once you finally get there, the choices for accommodations are pretty slim. I think I saw maybe three motels in a stretch of about 40 miles and two RV parks. There are also a handful of primitive campgrounds. I guess I got lucky because the campground I stayed at was beautiful, clean, well-maintained and affordable. They only have six spaces, but that didn’t seem to be much of a problem. The Fish House Inn and RV Park is highly recommended, should you ever need a place to stay in Dayville, Oregon.

The National Monument is actually three different areas, or units, as the Park Service calls them. Closest to Dayville is the Sheep Rock Unit, named for the prominent landmark of the same name. The historic Cant Ranch serves as a museum and visitor center in this unit. Also in this unit, you will find the Blue Basin. Yes, it really is blue. Although a little more toward the green end of the spectrum the day I visited. I suppose it depends on the light.

Cathedral Rock is just a little farther up the road, and even more spectacular than Sheep Rock in my opinion. But, hey, I didn’t name the unit.

Probably the most well-known and most photographed unit of this National Monument is the Painted Hills Unit, which is about fifty miles from Dayville. That doesn’t sound very far, but take my word for it, it is. See above note about narrow, windy roads. I went there in the late afternoon, hoping for a great sunset. The sunset was lackluster, but the constantly changing cloud cover provided some really nice light that was different from one minute to the next. The Painted Hills are spectacular. When the light is soft, they look like velvet.

On the drive back, in the dark, an owl nearly flew into the windshield of my car. So, I guess I do have some kind of connection with them. Maybe someday I will find myself in a situation where I can actually photograph one.

And since I’m now at the Columbia River, I hope to get an opportunity to do some more wildlife photography.

I’ve heard these guys like to hang out near the Columbia, and bald eagles, too. I spotted a bald eagle near the Deschutes River in central Oregon, but it was too far away to get a shot. I’ve also seen a couple of amazing sunsets since I’ve been in Washington, so I hope to find a scenic spot to capture one while I’m here.

The RV has been reorganized at least three times since the journey started, and it’s not done yet. I’m starting to think it’s just going to be an ongoing process. More on that in a future post. So, I will be here in southeastern Washington for several more days, then plan to move farther west along the Columbia. Keep your fingers crossed for a colorful autumn in the gorge!