Many of the great places we've seen this summer have been fun surprises, found because they were en route to somewhere else.
Others have been destinations we were looking forward to. One of those is John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Eastern Oregon. Bill majored in Geology, has a small collection of fossils he dug himself, and we both love interesting earth art.
There are several places to stay in the area, and I originally had us at the state park in John Day. While visiting with Allison and Tom in Snoqualmie River, she told us about a small park in Dayville, just 8 miles from the monument. I called and booked four nights.
Fish House Inn and RV Park is a small craftsman-house-turned-lodge, and six FHU RV sites in a beautiful park-like setting. The owner, Mike, has a lovely and peaceful spot here in this little town. Level gravel sites with 50 amp hookups, large laundry room, immaculate restrooms with big, free showers, and a lot of green space. There's even a hammock with pillows hung between a couple trees :-) Fairly good WiFi, half of the sites pick up satellite, but we have no AT&T service.
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| Easy access to six gravel sites |
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| Shade and satellite :-) |
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| Lawn love |
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| Pretty park in Dayville, Oregon |
Photos and descriptions from other bloggers are why I want to see this amazing place. But they can't compare to seeing it in person. We spent all Saturday saying "Wow!"
The monument is three different "areas", the closest being Sheep Rock. This is also the only area with a visitors' center. More than just a VC, the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center tells the 44 million year story of the area through fossils and geological layers.
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| Fossils are displayed with murals called "visual hypothesis" |
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| On-site lab continues to make new discoveries |
By mid afternoon the temps are in the 80's so I figure the next morning will be a better time to take the walk back into the Blue Basin. This turns out to be a bad decision....
Without satellite last Sunday we missed the first week of the NFL season, so there is no doubt that this week our Sunday will be spent watching every game!
We're out the door by 8:30 AM heading to the section of the monument I am most looking forward to - Blue Basin. The hints of blue from yesterday's drive have me even more excited about this earthly marvel.
About half way up the trail it becomes apparent the lighting is all wrong this time of day. Some small spots of light blue are visible along the way, but the basin is very disappointing. What should be creamy blue walls are more dull gray. Still interesting, but not what I was anxious to share with Bill.
Although I'm sorry to miss the real blue, it's nice to get out for some fresh air early on what will be an "indoors" day. And the drive through the monument is beautiful in any light.
I'll bet that blue is pretty spectacular. Very interesting place! The campground sound like one of those little gems we all love to discover!
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to tell what time of day to capture it, the angles in the basin are weird :-) The park has seen a lot of one-nighters while we've been here, so I suspect people see it passing by and stop because it's convenient. It's definitely a gem!
DeleteWhat fabulous scenery. Really looks amazing. You definitely got some blue in your pictures. What time of day do you think you should have been there for the full show? This is definitely a place I've been wanting to visit too if I can EVER get to Oregon.
ReplyDeleteThe good news is it will be here when you make it :-) I think maybe if we had done the hot hike the first day the light might have been better - but I also think a cloudy day would be best. I was surprised to see the blue pick up in the photos :-)))))
DeleteWe're glad we have a mobile satellite dish! Sounds like a neat little RV park.
ReplyDeleteThose tailgaters are looking better and better :-)
DeleteWhat a great place! I just love rocks of any kind. I can see the powder blue color in several spots, especially the blue rock by the water. Photographing the actual colors we see is so difficult for me. Love Cathedral Rock and that blue strip. What is the blue rock? Some of the greener rock looks like Chinle. Looks like a nice little campground. Must have been quiet with only six spots.
ReplyDeleteIt's called blue-green claystone, a layer of ash apparently. We really need a week to see all the areas of the monument, and all the rocks! So quiet here (except us yelling during the football games - bad neighbors!)
DeleteYou really must be doing your research to come up with all these places.
ReplyDeleteIt's been mostly luck and some good recommendations. Every time we're headed to a new spot my fingers and toes are crossed :-)
DeleteRon has bought NFL Game Day for a few years now. He can watch ANY game he wants (after it airs) but it is streamed so you'd have to have some great wi-fi.
ReplyDeleteNice for Tessa to have some green grass to stretch out on :-)
We have it too - for the first time. Had a great time yesterday watching multiple games live :-) Apparently our in-park free wifi handled it.
DeleteTessa was loving the lawn so much we put on her long lead and kept the door open for the first time. She hung out for a couple hours :-)))
We loved exploring John Day! It was our first destination two years ago in June when we took off on our full-timing adventure. :-) You captured some wonderful images -- and yes, it's amazing how the light makes all the difference. We were lucky to have a cloudy day, and that made the colors really pop.
ReplyDeleteI suspected cloud cover would be the best time to see the blue! We loved the whole area along the river :-)))
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