I spent the day at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (about 100 miles+ from Bend). It turned out to be a fascinating day. Named for the nearby river, the John Day Fossil Beds expose extraordinarily well preserved specimens. Also remarkable is the great number and variety of fossils: entire communities have been uncovered. The John Day Fossil Beds are dispersed across 20,000 square miles of eastern Oregon. The beds have yielded such a wealth of information that scientists can assemble and reconstruct ancient ecosystems. Eight of these "assemblages" are re-created in the museum gallery of the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center.
The National Monument encompasses 14,000 acres in three separate units: Painted Hills, Sheep Rock and Clarno. Driving routes between units pass by stunning scenery, colorful geological features and abundant wildlife. The trails provide even more.
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| Larger picture is Cathedral Rock - a colorful greenish outcrop of the John Day Formation, capped with reddish ignimbrite |
The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center is located in the Sheep Rock Unit and that is where I started my day. The Center is also the park visitor center and fossil museum. Picture windows let you view the working laboratory and collections room with over 60,000 specimens. In the fossil museum gallery, you can walk through nearly 50 million years of the Age of Mammals. Hundreds of fossil specimens are displayed, along with eight large murals depicting plants and animals of the time. Each display explains the geology then and now.
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| Sheep Rock is the upper left picture |
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I think the monument would be spectacular at sunset, especially the Painted Hills Unit. Even if you think you're not "into science," it is a beautiful place to spend a day. Just to drive through is a pleasant experience to your scenes, even if you don't stop or take any of the walks.
John Day Highway #19 is also the Journey Through Time scenic byway ... an apt name.
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