Carol Mathis at the Examiner as this great article about the Fossil Beds in Oregon which is a great place for your family to stop to see on a trip through the Pacific Northwest.
So this year the family is seeking something different to do. How about a trip to the John Day Fossil Beds for the entire family. The entire family will feel as if they have walked back into the prehistoric times of Oregon. The first place on your trip to visit is the Visitor Center at Sheep Rock Unit.
This is located on highway 19 between Dayville and Kimberly. Just a couple of miles from the junction, there are many destinations at Sheep Rock. Thomas Condon Paleontology Center filled to the top with monuments and fossil collections the family can spend literally hours in this fabulous building learning and seeing things that many of us will never see in a lifetime.
Another stop while visiting the John Day Fossil Beds is the Cant Ranch house. This is a cultural historic ranch house museum located ¼ mile down the road from Thomas Condon Paleontology Center. While you visit the Cant Ranch it will transport you to another time and place in the State of Oregon’s history. Learn about the settlement of the area of the John Day Fossil Beds and enjoy feeling as if you are transported to another place and time.
Along the way be sure to stop at the Painted Hills, located 9 miles NW of Mitchell these magnificent hills are naturally painted by the minerals in the soil. There is the beauty of the wildflowers and by walking the trails – both natural and manmade – you can actually get up close to the mineral laced soil. Be sure however that you stay on the trails and do not step off for the health of the countryside.
While visiting the John Day Fossil Beds another stop to take will be the Clarno Unit. This is 1,969 acres of hiking trails and exhibits. Be sure to bring along a picnic lunch so that the afternoon mealtime will be spent in this magnificent area. Take pictures of the breath taking Palisades, which were known to be formed 44 million hears ago by volcanic mudflows called Lahars.
Be sure to walk the trails, watch for signs that will tell where to look for fossils of tiny four-toed horses or crocodilians. Since this now formed desert was once an active tropical environment full of palm trees and even meat-eating creodonts.
Perhaps if this is an overnight trip a stay at Wilson Ranches Retreat Bed & Breakfast at 16555 Butte Creek Rd, Fossil, Oregon is the place to lay your head. Phil and Nancy are your hosts while at Wilson Ranches and will serve you a “cowboy” feast for breakfast. Enjoy a beautiful living room and dining room while sitting in the warm sun on the 400 Sq Ft deck just outside. Four guest rooms upstairs, two guest rooms on the main floor and four guest rooms in the basement area. Wilson Ranches is a working ranch and you can enjoy horseback riding, cattle drives, branding, hiking, mountain biking and fishing just to mention a few activities. Enjoy the hospitality of Phil and Nancy and all of their ranch hands while you let the city melt from your mind and you go back to a time and place where life was an easier pace.
Be sure to stop by in the city of Fossil Oregon and dig for your very own fossils. Located behind the local high school for a small fee you and the family can dig fossils to take home. This is a great end to a fantastic trip into the John Day Fossil Bed area in Oregon.
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