The Painted Hills Unit is part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Park, which lies about 2 hours northeast of Bend, through the beautiful Ochoco Mts, and not far from Mitchell :-) The colors of the clay layers that create the painted effect can vary depending on how much moisture has been recently received.
I did not get a good picture of Ranger Scott Rinker (?) who led us up hills and down, but here are the two group leaders from Bend Parks and Rec, Leslie and Ron.
You had to keep your eyes open for rattlesnakes and cactus (this should sound familiar to my Nevada hiking pals). The hedgehog cacti were just starting to bloom.
We saw several other types of wildflowers, including Yellow Bee Plant (cleome):
Chaenactis:
Larkspur:
Pink and White Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva):
Getting pictures of the latter were responsible for me spraining my ankle - sigh - but they were indeed beautiful and amazingly delicate looking amidst this harsh landscape.
Saw an interesting antler along the trail that had been dyed pink, maybe by the minerals in the soil??
We went onto BLM land (out of the park) under the guidance of Ranger Scott and were able to pick up rocks with petrified leaf fossils.
The spans of time revealed in these geologic formations are truly mind boggling.
And isn't it nice to know where some of the basic ingredients for your toothpaste and your kitty litter come from?!
Saw an interesting antler along the trail that had been dyed pink, maybe by the minerals in the soil??
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