Bend and John Day Fossils Beds National Monument

---

Howie and Judi very kindly let us use their bach for a night which was situated on the Little Deschutes River, south of Bend. Driving over the Cascades to get there was an interesting experience as it was pouring rain and we were a bit worried about the amount of snow over the pass. Fortunately, although there was quite a lot of snow on the ground, is was quite warm and only raining. The road was really busy though so it was still a slow drive and we arrived in Bend well after dark.

Morning revealed clearing weather so we headed into central Oregon much happier that the rain had stopped! We took a slight detour to Smith Rocks State Park, just outside of Bend which was well worth the look and a really nice place to stretch the legs.

After getting slightly befuddled by trying to take a shortcut to the road east that didn't work we headed off to the Painted Hills Unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. The Painted Hills are beautiful! The hills are coloured in red, yellow, pink and black and are exposed bentonitic clay deposits created from the volcanic ash that settled in a basin from ancient eruptions. The John Day Fossils Beds protect three units (Clarno, Painted Hills and Sheep Rock) which incorporate numerous ash, ignimbrite and basalt lava deposits, lake/swamp deposits, and a heap of fossils. We drove down the road to the Sheep Rock unit also and visited the John Condon Palentology Centre where they had great displays of the various skeletons and plant fossils discovered in the monument. Most of the skeletons consisted of a variety of ancient horse species, cats (similar species to a sabertooth), small rodents, boars and other mammals.

We stopped near the town of Crane for the night at the Crystal Crane Hot Springs near Malheur Lake Wildlife Refuge. The hot water has been used for heating and power at the campground but there is a wonderful large hot pool and little private pools. Their method of cooling the water was pretty neat, with a homemade waterfall-type contraption over the well!

(Have been having a little difficulty getting an internet place that uploads photos and we are now heading into more remote areas after spending some great days in Arches and Canyonlands so it may be some time before I am able to update again - cheers!)

---

Comments

[sam]

fantastic
befuddled is such a great word, it doesn't get used enough

[sam]

another
god you guys, what are you doing over there? didn't you know the USA is so passe now? doing NZ is the 'in' thing these days... oh can you email me the contrast detail - painted hills photo? that is an amazing photo! sweet thanks. oh don't ask strangers for directions while you're there, they'll probably shoot you - damn americans and their guns...

[Mum/ Rose]

Sounds like you are seeing some really interesting and special places- much more interesting than the usual city buildings and monuments! - the sort of places i'd like to be nosying around also. The photos are great - keep on enjoying !