Memorial Day Weekend found me leading a group of Mountaineer Photo Geeks to the Painted Hills in Eastern Oregon. The Painted Hills are one of three units that make up the John Day Fossil Beds national Monument. Located along the John Day River, the monument contains the highest concentration of mammalian fossils in North America. In fact several species were discovered among the fossil beds since their discovery in the 1800's.
Each unit is special in it's own right, but admittedly the Painted Hills unit is the most spectacular to behold. The claystone that make up the hills contain several different mineral deposits that create yellow, gold and red bands across the hills with black spots. As the are clay erosion takes its toll as rivulets of water carry the particles of clay away to make smooth mounds and contours of what's left behind.
The best viewing is in the afternoon when the sun has that late afternoon glow and the hills light up against the dark background of green hills and forests. But I had also heard the morning can be pretty spectacular too, so our first morning we watched as the sun rose behind clouds only to peak out once in a while to tease us with the saturated colors of the hills. We came back for the afternoon sun and were not displeased to find the clouds had mostly burned off - and the hills aglow with the afternoon sun.
Another day of colors and curves and I was ready to head home - overly saturated myself with the wonder.
No comments:
Post a Comment