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I-84 was quite a change from Logan Canyon and the Lumina and I made good time. Took a short stretch of the Thousand Springs Scenic Byway from Wendell to Bliss and left the interstate for good at the Hammett exit for Utah 78. The goal was to camp in Bruneau Dunes but the campground was full.
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Within about 15 miles found a free campground run by the Idaho fish and game department -- Cottonwood Campground along the Snake River. The facilities were primitive but the sunset was striking.
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Routing information: Continued west on I-84 from Tremonton, UT to Wendell, ID. Followed secondary road to U.S. 30 and rejoined the interstate at Bliss. Continued West on I-84 only as far as the Utah 78 turn-off just past Glenns Ferry (Hammett exit). Tried to camp at Bruneau Dunes but there were no vacancies. Instead camped at Cottonwood Campground by the Snake River (night of 6/9/00) -- between Bruneau and Grandview. Next morning stayed on Utah 78 westbound to Homedale (after joining U.S. 95 just out of Marsing). Took Utah 19 to Oregon 201 through the town of Adrian. Used local roads over Keeney Pass (Oregon Trail site) to Vale. From Vale it was U.S. 26 to Portland with two short side trips -- John Day Fossil Beds National Monument -- stretches along Oregon Highway 19 and a five mile side road leading to the Painted Hills segment west of Mitchell, Oregon.
Caught a little rain after crossing into Oregon and it was never totally sunny the rest of the day. The sun did peek in at times, but only for the briefest moments. The title shot for Part One was captured about two hours into Oregon where there is a good viewpoint of the Strawberry Range. About another hour beyond that was the dramatic entrance into John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Mountain Creek meets the John Day River and allows Highway 19 to head north to the Monument Headquarters.
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The "showpiece" of the Fossil Beds is Sheep Rock which is capped with the basalt similar to the previous picture and the three layers that make up the John Day Formation. Buff, green, and red are the three predominate colors. The "green" does not really show up well in photographs and almost looks biege rather than green. The erosion of the softer layers is often dramatic.
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The Sheep Rock and Picture Gorge sections of the monument were enjoyable and I hiked on the Island in Time Trail that wound its way into the Blue Basin -- eroded badlands that left storm runoff looking as if it were paint of blue and green hues. A picnic lunch was enjoyed in the Foree area where my companions included yellow birds and squirrels. However, some of the most dramatic views were in the painted hills.
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The sun even came out for a moment and shone on the hills even though Sutton Mountain in the background remained in the shade.
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The afternoon had gone quickly, but there was still enough time to make it to Portland without being overly late. I called Ted from Madras about 5:00 p.m. under mostly sunny skies, but by the time I approached Government Camp it was raining in earnest and snowflakes were sometimes intermixed. That was quite a contrast from the 100-degree temperatures in Nebraska. Fortunately the sunny disposition of my hosts in Portland made the rain tolerable.
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Ted, Mary, and I had fun exploring Portland on Sunday. Went to the movies and generally just took it easy.
For the more of this trip see: More...Part 3