John Day Fossil Beds winter color
I was attracted by the reflective mica or schist rock on the closest top cliff face of this formation. As with many other landforms in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, the colors stand out in the clear air of a sunny winter's day.
This photo was taken between the Foree and Blue Basin Areas of the Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day.
Thanks to a good friend of mine in Arizona, the plant seed head in the foreground (to provide scale and depth of field with the landscape) is TEASEL. I had never heard of it and wouldn't have known what it was. Seems it is of the Genus: Dipsacus and I have zero idea what species this might be (perhaps sylvestris) or whether it is an invasive plant in Eastern Oregon or not. Some believe Teasel can cure Lyme Disease or will work as an antibiotic. A cultivated version of Teasel was used to nap textiles and especially useful when working with wool. The seed head was used as a sort of "comb" to perform that function. Thanks Troupial for your ID on this one. Now I will watch for it when it is in bloom.
USDA shows three species of Dipsacus in Oregon: fullonum (Fuller's); laciniatus (cutleaf); and sativus (Indian).
Friday 3 Feb 2012 fog as thick as potato soup hugged the road over Eastern Oregon from Biggs to Spray, Oregon. Then the sun broke through. Great day for a hike!
There are three units of the John Day Fossil Bed National Monument: Sheep Rock; Clarno; and Painted Hills. My wife and I stopped and hiked at the Painted Hills and Clarno unit in December of 2011.
These photos were taken on hikes in the Sheep Rock Unit: First two short walks in the Foree Area; then a 3 mile loop trail in the Blue Basin and a short up and back hike in the middle of the loop of the Blue Basin hike (called The Island in Time hike).
After the hiking it was a quick trip over to the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center to look around and learn there (I learned a lot).
No other hikers were on any of the trails but at the Foree Area there were two scientists down on hands and knees, looking for, finding, carefully removing, and using GPS and other modern methods, listing where each and every fossil is found and what type of strata.
One of the scientists (who turned out to be Joshua X. Samuels), stopped his field work and walked over for a visit. Joshua is the Museum Curator and head paleontologist at John Day. He got his B.S. in Idaho and PHd in L.A.
What a bright articulate man he was to talk to. He fielded every question I came up with and I felt privileged to be able to learn so much standing right in the middle of the area where some of the current field work is being done.
One side note, is that there was a poster placed at the trail head of the Blue Basin hike alerting hikers to the "active presence" of a cougar. I didn't see any track or other signs of a big cat, but it would have been great to have caught sight of him.
I hope you enjoy the photos from this hike. The winter weather was terrific, and if you haven't yet visited all three units of the John Day Fossil Beds, I encourage you to do so.
Note: I had always thought that the blue green colors of the John Day Fossil Beds formations, was a result of copper content (Cu) BUT a helpful lady ranger at the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center was kind enough to correct me, as she say she has done with MANY other (that made me feel better).
The pleasing aqua marine color of the John Day Fossil Beds formation is not because of any copper content but of "Celadonite" ~ pronounced Sell-a-don-ite (al, si,o,h,k, mg,fe,oh) - a high iron content, blue-green clay mineral. Never too old to learn something new
Comments and faves
jimgspokane (4 months ago | reply)
Good shot of of great place!!!
coachsingleton (4 months ago | reply)
OMT, ove your shots and information
dbushue (4 months ago | reply)
what a fantastic pov
troupial (4 months ago | reply)
Beautiful, Steve. Haven't' seen teasels since we left Oregon.
troupial added this photo to her favorites. (4 months ago)
israel as i see it (4 months ago | reply)
Awesome PoV and depth of field, great!
oldmantravels (4 months ago | reply)
Jim, Mark Darlene, Troupial, and israel - - Thank you all for your comments and especially yours troupial. I learned something. Had no idea it was "Teasel" I was using for a landscape foreground. Interesting plant! I added some text about it after your comment. OMT
ashallowtown added this photo to her favorites. (4 months ago)
grlemond (4 months ago | reply)
Great idea!
OldDogNewTrick (4 months ago | reply)
A lovely and most interesting area. Quite different characteristics from our badlands.
oldmantravels (4 months ago | reply)
Thanks Jack - - I have a habit of finding plants, rocks and anything else to frame landscapes, so it pleases me to hear some find the habit to their liking as well. OMT
oldmantravels (4 months ago | reply)
Bernie - - This hike had a lot going for it and I really enjoyed it. There were some spectacular and artful land forms; I met some nice people (Joshua and the ranger at the visitor's center). The weather was great for the first of February....and only a small portion of the trail was muddy and a short section of slippery frost covered boardwalk...the rest was as good as it gets and no other hikers on any of the trails (nor pumas). OMT
dwight g (4 months ago | reply)
Great shot. Really like the comp you chose.
oldmantravels (4 months ago | reply)
Thank you Dwight. Just wanted to give a little "air time" to the weeds and the seed heads. They are interesting but lost to most landscape viewers. So I forced their participation. HA. OMT
Sky Blue~Red Rocks & Jeep and subarcticmike added this photo to their favorites.