We got a kick out of a portion of the drive though. We left the plush forests of the coastal rain forests and entered the sparse grasslands and arid forests. We’ve been in green so long that this feels foreign to us now. And while driving the wind turbines are more plentiful than weeds. We can understand the need for alternative forms of energy, but these wind turbines are absolutely atrocious and ugly when driving these back roads. I wish they’d just put up a couple more nuclear plants and get rid of all of this garbage. I think that’s about Adam’s in the background.
Today and the next few days are gonna be 200+ mile days. We have planned to meet up with some friends of ours back in Hamilton, Montana, and the weekend is the best time for them. So today we left Eagle Creek campground and headed to the John Day fossil beds. So the first question I had is who is John Day. There’s a town named after him, several rivers named after him, so he must be pretty important. It turns out he most famous for being attacked by Indian stripped naked and forced to walk 70 miles back to Walla Walla. If you’re interested, here’s some info.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Day_(trapper)
This area of Oregon is actually internationally known. The fossils from 50 million years ago and newer that basically tell us what life was like for early mammals on earth are located here. It’s interesting to see the timetable, with all of the plants and animals 50 million years ago up until about 5 million years ago, when humans first hit the earth. This area is one of the richest fossil beds in the entire planet. The visitor center is phenomenal how it is set up and even has a lab behind a window where you can watch scientists excavate the fossils. We got there slightly before 3 PM and were able to spend over an hour in there viewing and reading the exhibits.
A couple hundred yards down the road one of the old Homesteads is also part of the national park, so we stopped by there to take a look. The site is actually closed to the public, but you are able to tour the grounds. They have orchards back there with tons of apples and pears, and there were signs up that said that we could pick the right fruit from the trees. Having some fresh apples, a snack on will be nice since I’ve been eating too many Oreos lately. I’m going to make a pie in the next couple of days.
We have done so many miles, and I’ve seen so many things on this journey, that we’ve missed a bunch. I would recommend coming to this area and doing some hiking and exploring because there’s so much to see in this area. Maybe at some point we’ll get back here before we can’t move anymore.
We found a nice BLM campground along the John Day river about 20 miles from the National Park. It’s only five dollars a night and it’s incredibly quiet. I can hear coyotes in the distance and fish jumping in the river. I appreciate quiet and free (or almost free) campgrounds, as there are way too many of those these days. This site is quiet and beautiful and clear.
here are some additional photos for the day.
https://www.overlandadventureexcursions.com/photos-albums/nggallery/album/20250915-john-day-fossil-beds-np