A 1,200 Mile Loop of Eastern Oregon

Cottonwood Canyon, on the John Day

A friend and I took a road trip this weekend. We met in Portland and, with no plan other than to "head east' proceeded up the Columbia River Gorge. There is a spot along the John Day River in Cottonwood Canyon which is now our traditional first night stop over. From here we proceeded on to the John Day Fossil Beds, hiked the Blue Basin trail in the Sheep Rock unit of the monument, and continued on south. I think we both had it in our minds that we would end up in the basin and range region of southeastern Oregon all along, because before we knew it we were tanking up in Burns and heading in the direction of Steens Mountain. Our second night found us under the "Pillars of Rome" near the Owyhee River. From here we explored back roads - some of them going somewhere, most ending unexpectedly - until the afternoon found us in Leslie Gulch. I had forgotten what a spectacular place this is. We took a short hike up a side canyon and vowed to come again, this time not waiting quite so long between visits. From Leslie Gulch we went through Succor Creek canyon and then turned back west. Glass Buttes was our final camp site. We missed the main turn-off into the obsidian collecting area and ended up on a more obscure side road for the night. Good thing, it turns out, because the next morning we corrected our error and found a huge, and strange, group camped out along the Obsidian Road. Some sort of organized "primitive living" group. Didn't really look like our kind of people. We collected a handful of rocks and returned to the highway. After lunch in Bend I was dropped off at home in Eugene and my friend continued on to his home in Seattle. As always, good to get out. Despite the enormous carbon footprint laid down by 1,200 miles in a full size American iron pick-up truck. I'll try to do something to make amends...

Near Blue Basin, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

The Pillars of Rome

Hiking up a wash in Leslie Gulch