Day 1- 343 miles |
Day 2- 263 miles |
Day 3- 358 miles |
| A. Home B. Richardson's Rock Ranch C. Paulina Peak and Big Obsidian Lava Flow- Newberry National Volcanic Monument D. Lakeside Terrace Motel |
A. Lakeside Terrace Motel B. Lakeview, OR C. Plush, OR D. Spectrum Sunstone Mine E. Crack in the Ground F. Lakeview Terrace Motel |
A. Lakeside Terrace Motel B. Fort Rock Natural Area C. John Day Fossil Beds National Park- Painted Hills D. Thomas Condon Paleontology Center and Sheep Rock E. Home |
Richardson's Rock Ranch
Our first stop was at Richardson's Rock Ranch to dig thunder eggs. We had visited before when William was a tiny guy, but this was Henry's first trip and the first that William could remember. We dug in the Red Pit for thunder eggs and then proceeded to the Moss Pit to dig for moss agate.
When Thomas took his first dig at the Red Bed this little frog popped up out of the damp soil. Such a fun find.
William was thrilled to find his first double thunder egg.
Paulina Peak
We drove to the top of Paulina Peak and went from warm sunshine, to rain, to whipping wind, hail, and snow. This flurry of weather led to a beautiful rainbow at the summit. It was a beautiful view below of the Newberry Caldera and the lava flows.
Big Obsidian Lava Flow
The Big Obsidian Flow is the youngest in Oregon (1300 years old). A one-mile trail climbs up and onto the lava flow of obsidian and pumice. Mom walked the 80 stairs to the viewing area, while dad and the boys walked the entire loop.
On our way to our motel we passed Fort Rock with the most impressive sunset behind it. Dad pulled over to get a picture and we plan to visit Fort Rock on our way back home.
Spectrum Sunstone Mine
It was quite a drive, but so worth it! Spectrum mine is Oregon's first commercial sunstone mine outside of Plush, OR. As a result of the Spectrum claim and their 20 acre mine, Oregon Sunstones were legally declared a gemstone by the federal government in the 1970's and then became the official state gemstone of Oregon in 1987. Oregon is the only place in the world where these rare red labradorite gemstones can be found.
The day we visited the skies were gray, but the rain held off to let us dig for about 3 hours. Because we had the boys and this was our first visit, we opted to dig in the free pit. All you have to bring is a bucket, shovel, screw drivers, and rock hammers and you can dig away in brand new unprocessed rock.
William was a great little finder picking a handful of gemstones straight out of the dirt. Using a screwdriver and a rock hammer dad would break out a section of dirt to process, shovel it into the screen, and then we would search for big pieces for sunstone. They were sometimes hard to see, but if you held the screen above your head you could easily pick out the translucent stones. William was not ready to leave and would have stayed to find the beautiful stones all day.
Crack in the Ground
On our way back to the hotel from Plush we stopped to visit Crack in the Ground which is a volcanic fissure over 2 miles long and up to 70 feet deep. Normally, fissures like this one are filled with soil and rock by the processes of erosion and sedimentation. However, because it is located in such an arid region, very little filling has occurred.
It was so much colder down in the fissure. Mom walked quite a ways but eventually came to a place that was impassable with Pearl in her belly-- yep that's right-- the belly wouldn't fit. The boys and dad continued to walk farther while mom stayed back and waited for them to return. It was quite a beautiful sight to be surrounded by rock towering above you and it was so peaceful-- almost a world all its own.
Fort Rock Natural Area
An enormous near circle of towering jagged rocks rise above the flat valley and catch your eye instantly. We stopped on the way home to hike into the fort and get an "inside view". This area is famous for the sandals found in a nearby cave. They are some of the oldest sandals ever found and date back to around 9, 000-13, 000 years ago.
Painted Hills
Due to rain, we didn't spend a lot of time in the Painted Hills. It was an absolute mess with the clay becoming soft and sticking to everything. A very beautiful sight to see though and a place that we would like to return to do some more hiking sometime when the weather is better.
Thomas Condone Paleontology Center and Sheep Rock
The boys enjoyed stopping to view the museum containing fossils found in the John Day Fossil Beds. They got to touch real fossils and see over 500 specimens-- including vegetation, the evolution of the horse, and other now extinct creatures that used to live in this subtropical forest.
Outside of the Paleontology Center rose Sheep Rock-- another beautiful Oregon geological display.
