This part of Oregon is much different than the rest of the state. Oh, there are mountains, forests and a few waterfalls, but there are also large areas of desert and the deepest canyon in the country. The "attractions" here are so remote, very few people actually make the effort to see them.
The Cove Palisades State Park includes lakes from two rivers, the Deschutes and Crooked River. The park offers camping and various water sports. A popular summer spot among locals, the park is almost unknown outside the state.
Sheep Rock is part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.. Fossils found here date back as far as 33 million years and include ancient camels, elephants and giant sloths. There are seven hiking trails, some with exhibits of fossils still in place. The surrounding mountains consist largely of volcanic ash, much of it a soft shade of green.
Baker City was the first town established along the Oregon Trail and became a major trade center. Support for regional mining also played a role in its growth. However, its usefulness was short lived and its current population is only about 10,000.
Much of the mining done in Eastern Oregon was done by dredge, a nasty way of doing the job. Basically, the dredge was "staked" to keep it stationary in water. The working end of it dug huge chunks of earth and conveyed it into the dredge, where everything was crushed and any gold extracted. The spoils, or "tailings", were dumped out the rear in an ugly pile. Once everything within reach was dug up, the dredge was moved and the process repeated. Since there was no requirement to mitigate the spoiled land, that part of Oregon has vast acreage of the "tailing" piles. Clean-up today would be very costly.
On a brighter note, there are a few lakes and rivers to provide recreation and scenic beauty to the desert.
The border between Oregon and Idaho is the Snake River, which flows at the bottom of Hell's Canyon, named by early settlers because it was so dangerous to navigate. The canyon is the deepest in North America at nearly 8000 feet. Parts of the river have been tamed by a dam, allowing for leisurely float trips. Other parts still have rapids up to Class 4 and 5. We enjoyed taking on those rapids in a jetboat designed to handle the challenge.
During a short break that included a hike, we saw our first ever chukars, a type of partridge in the pheasant family.
The small town of Joseph is situated near Wallowa Lake , which was formed by the moraines of eight or nine glaciers. The town is named for the revered Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe that inhabited this region. Known as great horsemen, the Nez Perce developed the famous appaloosa breed. The tribe aided Lewis and Clark's expedition by providing food, giving them horses and showing them the trail over the mountains.
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