2004 Memorial Day weekend trip – John Day (JD) Fossil Beds, OR, and Mary Hill Art Museum, WA

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument: http://www.nps.gov/joda/

Mary Hill Art Museum: http://www.maryhillmuseum.org/

Pictures [Sat Hike] [Sun John Day] [Sun Mary Hill]

Sat 5/29/04 (Indian Butte Hike near John Day)

We hit the road around 4:30am, with the wishful thinking to get to the 10am ranger tour at JD. Well, it was a solid 7-hour drive. We had a book with us “101 Hiking Trails in OR” so we changed our direction once we realized we weren’t going to make the tour, and headed for a long hike at one of the nearby trails south of JD, named “Indian Butte trail” (18mi). We started the hike at 12:50, and decided we’d go as far as we could and turn around by 4. It was cool and sunny (while it was supposed to be raining in Seattle the whole weekend). The biggest difference of hiking there compared to in WA was that it was so in the middle of nowhere. We didn’t see a soul the whole way except two camping tents with their camp-fire going. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. There was a winding stream all the way along the trail, crystal clear to the bottom. The air was cool and fresh, almost had an autumn felt to it.

We settled at a local lodge called “Little Pine Inn”. We were very satisfied with the room. The bed was comfy, the carpet was thick and soft, and lots of cable channels (but we were too tired to watch). The best part was the hot breakfast at the neighboring restaurant that was included with the room!

[Sat Pictures]

Sun 5/30/04 (John Day and Mary Hill)

I woke up before 7 all excited about the breakfast. We eventually got all packed, checked out of our room and headed to the restaurant around 8am. They had a menu of choices there, pancake, muffin, bacon, etc. I had scrambled eggs and a warm bagel and Joe had hot oatmeal and hearty toasts. We stopped by a lookout scenic stop first that was overlooking a unique white stone formation known as Sheep Rock. The area was wide open with a desert landscape and flora. The mountains at far looked grand. It had an Arizona feel to it, probably because of the surrounding short shrub vegetations and red rock mountains.

We got to the Sheep Rock site of JD (the main site) a little after 8, toured the visitor center and went on a 3.3mi hike around the blue basin. The basin was a little greenish. As the ranger guide told us later, the color resulted from the composite of two chemicals (one yellow, and the other blue). It was a peaceful morning: we had the trail entirely to ourselves and the only sounds were from the birds and crickets. We finished the loop trail at a perfect time, just in time to run down to the bottom of the basin to join the 10am ranger guided 1mi walk. They had a big crowd of close to 30 people, biggest crowd we’ve seen the whole time in OR. It was a family type crowd and the ranger was very informative. The ranger stopped every few feet explaining about geological formations, ongoing research in the area and fossil related knowledge. We loved the educational tour. We learned how to identify and trace a rock layer that is found throughout the site and used as a marker for dating fossilized remains. We also got to see a couple of representative fossils of a saber-toothed tiger and a sea-tortoise that were preserved in the stones. It’s like going to a museum to see artifacts; it’s so much more meaningful when you learn the stories behind. And it was a great opportunity to learn about a different discipline. Lots of kids were there; what a wonderful way to learn about fossils!

We then drove to another JD cite half-hour away, the Painted Hills. The slow rising hills had layers of burnt sienna color to them, quite a spectacular phenomenon. They also had a “Painted Cove” scenic point. It was a magnified ants hill, in red. It really felt like we were walking on a Martian landscape in some places. Another nature’s wonder. One thing that can be said about Oregon is that it seems to have all types of landscapes imaginable.

[Sun John Day Pictures]

We were in full motion heading back around 2:30. We made it to the Mary Hill Museum 20minutes before closing at 5. It was an art museum hosted in a mansion built by entrepreneur Samuel Hill in 1920’s. It is situated high on a plateau overlooking the Columbia River from the WA side. It had a gorgeous view, but was quite windy. It had a good collection of European and American paintings, and a collection of Rodin’s sculptures to my surprise. I learned a bit more about Rodin – he did quite a bit of figure drawings in his late years. And I learned about this dancer Loie Fuller who was quite an interesting and admirable character. I did some homework on her after the trip. A summary on a book “Loie Fuller, goddess of light” worded it well: “A tall and lovely sylph in posters and sculptures, she was in reality a rather plump woman with a plain face; a dance innovator, she had no training in choreography; a co-founder of art museums, she had never seen an art exhibit before arriving in Paris; a close and respected associate of the most learned men and women in the world, she had no formal education. Loie said that she was born in America but made in France”.

A couple of miles across from the museum is Washington’s version of Stonehenge. It stood on a cliff on the same side of the Columbia River. It was a replica of England’s original, built as a tribute to soldiers killed in WWI, again by Samuel Hill. The entrepreneur quite literally built his own town around his Mary Hill estate. His fascination with Stonehenge compelled him fund the construction of a life size replica complete with the astronomical workings that many believe are intrinsic to the original. I had imagined the original Stonehenge bigger, but it was interesting to walk among the stone formations nevertheless. The overlook at the river was amazing.

[Sun Mary Hill Pictures]

The trip reminded me the magnificence of nature. It’s a feeling that I couldn’t quite describe: there are something so majestic and all encompassing out there, and we are all only a small part of it, and yet it was wonderful to be a part of it. It put me in a different mindset: it’s a humbling experience to realize how tiny we were as individuals, both in time and space. It made me appreciate things more, and got me to see a bigger and more open perspective.