I grew up in Southern Oregon. Despite being an Oregonian there are a number of regions in Oregon that I have not explored. The northeast corner of the state is one of those areas. This region has a number of unique features. Since Silvette had a week of vacation to use up, we decided to take the opportunity to check this area out. My research indicated a number of scenic byways crossed the area so we used those as a guide to see what the region had to offer.
The Journey Through Time Scenic Byway was our first guide to the area. The byway starts in Biggs Junction on the Columbia River and ends in Baker City. Because of its length I decided to shorten the day and stay in John Day instead of continuing on to Baker City.
Leaving Biggs we climbed up out of the Columbia River canyon pretty quickly. Initially we passed through some rugged canyons, but eventually the area widened out with sage brush and grass fields. We also saw a lot of the windmills in the area. Mt. St. Helens was quite clearly visible as we climbed higher.
Eventually the sage brush gave way to wheat fields. It turns out that growing wheat is a major part of the economy in this region of Oregon.
The first town we came to along the Journey Through Time Scenic Byway was Moro. We didn’t see much in the way of stores here, although they seemed to be refurbishing the hotel. However, they had a small visitors center and a nice park and museum.
Although we don’t normally check out museums, we decided to see what we could learn from this one. The Sherman County Museum has exhibits on the local Native American tribe, as well as the Oregon Trail and early settlers. It was here we learned about the importance of wheat to the local economy. I enjoyed seeing the various equipment used in the harvest of wheat over the years.
Our next stop on the Journey Through Time Byway was a unique location. Our guide book described Shaniko as a living ghost town. We wandered around the town and hardly saw anyone. Many of the buildings were obviously no longer in use. Others seemed to be used, but no one was around. In a field we discovered a number of old cars and agricultural equipment. It was definitely an unusual town.
When we were at the Sherman County Museum, the ladies there suggested a location for us to visit. Although it was near Shaniko, it was a few miles off our byway route. However, we decided to check it out anyway. The location was a spot where one can see many of the mountains in the Cascades. It offers views as far north as Mt. Rainier and as far south as Oregon’s Mt. Washington.
When we arrived at the spot, I Initially thought we needed to drive farther down a road as I didn’t see any signs. It tuns out the markers are in the ground forming an arc. One stands in the center, and arrows point to the indicated mountain. Oregon’s Mt. Hood is particularly prominent. While the sky over us was clear, clouds had unfortunately settled over some of the mountain areas making the peaks more difficult to see. Nevertheless, it was a worthwhile spot to visit.
Going back to Shaniko we turned south on Hwy 218 heading towards the town of Fossil. This was a rather long drive that went up and over a mountain area. Coming down on the other side, we had a wide view of the valley below. Here the landscape was fairly brown but dotted with trees.
Farther along the way on the Journey Through Time Byway we came to the first stop of three for the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. This was the Clarno Unit. The main point of interest is the large palisades in the rocks above. It was pretty impressive. A short trail travels below the rock formations. Along the way one can see fossils embedded in the rocks. However, we decided not to walk the trail as the sun was pretty intense, and there was no shade.
Back on the road we continued on to the town of Fossil. This town was fairly large. They have a center to learn about fossils, but it was closed. We passed by their county government building, and it was very impressive. There was a tree filled park in front which looked very inviting in the sunny weather. The town also has a location where one can apparently dig for fossils. We drove by the location, but digging isn’t our thing.
Continuing on from Fossil we reached the intersection of Service Creek. Here we had a choice to make. We could either continue east for a while and then turn south to the Sheep Rock unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument or turn south and go to the Painted Hills location. I had heard about the Painted Hills and really wanted to see them so we turned south. However right after the turn we had a nice stop at the John Day River boat launch. The river was very calm and peaceful and surrounded by interesting rock formations and hills.
Continuing on we drove up another mountain. Here the area was mostly yellow and dotted with trees again. It is amazing how much the terrain and landscape changes over this byway. I expected it all to be desert and sagebrush, but that has not been the case. Here there are some jagged peaks of interest, but otherwise the landscape is somewhat typical.
We reached the town of Mitchell and turned west then headed six miles down another road to reach the Painted Hills. Silvette mumbled, “It better be worth it.” It was. About halfway down the road, we turned a corner, and right in front of us was a hill with bright red stripes. It was rather shocking how intense the red was. This was only the beginning. When we reached the main center, we were looking down into an area of domes and hills with red stripes on them. It was quite the sight. Red rocks we have seen a lot of in the southwest, but this was more layers of red dirt.
We did take a short hike up higher to get some different perspectives on the Painted Hills. It was good to get out and do some exercise after so much sitting. The Painted Hills must be viewed in person to really understand how striking they are. Pictures do not do it justice.
Finally we left as it was getting late. We were still quite a ways from John Day, our destination for the night. Again we traveled over and then down mountains with varied terrain. Encountering forests along the way still seemed unexpected to me.
Eventually we reconnected with the other leg of the Journey Through Time Byway which we could have taken. A sign indicated that the Sheep Rock Unit was only two miles away. It would have been possible to see it. However, it was already after 6:00, and we needed dinner so we didn’t stop but chalked it up to another missed opportunity that sometimes happens during travel.
At this juncture we were going between two tall walls of a canyon with the John Day River flowing beside the highway. Of course I needed to stop and grab some photos. We finally arrived in John Day at about 7:15. Most restaurants closed at 8:00 so we just grabbed a pizza before settling into our room for the night after an interesting but tiring day.
Has anyone else seen the Painted Hills in Oregon? I think they are a hidden jewel that more people need to visit. If it’s not on your bucket list, be sure to add it. That will give you a good excuse to keep traveling.
Beautiful views and pictures of the landscape along the Journey Through Time Byway. The living ghost town looks so cool. And how fun to have it mostly all to yourselves. Love the red rock formations and Painted Hills. I never would have guessed this was in Oregon. We went to Oregon last spring but mostly explored along the coast. This is something to add to our list for when we return someday.
Oregon has various climate regions. The coastal areas are more popular, but the eastern side has many unique places as well. I’m still learning about those myself.