John Day Fossil Beds: Painted Hills Unit

May 9

Before I purchased by van, Stargazer, I asked my van builder, Derek to provide a referral from someone who had previously purchased one of his vans. He put me in touch with Gretchen. She and I are both solo travelers and ended up talking for quite a while. About eight months later and several adVANtures in Stargazer, she suggested we meet up somewhere between the PNW and Roseville, CA and have an adVANture together! What a great idea! Gretchen, who prefers to stay private has requested that I refrain from posting any photos of her in this blogpost. Her sweet pup, Sage however was cleared. She assured me she wasn’t running from the law.

Day 1: April 26, Heading North

Stopped for lunch near my old alma mater, CSU Chico.

The Trailer Lane Campground in Weed, CA offered breathtaking views of Mount Shasta. I would stay here again in a heartbeat. The owner and staff were extremely friendly and offered me one of two campsites a short driving distance above the main campsite area where hookups, showers and restrooms were located. Ok by me!

Day 2: April 27

Bye bye, Weed. Hello Tumalo State Park, Bend OR

Before meeting up with my flight attendant friend, Lynee. I enjoyed a wonderful walk along the Deschutes River Trail. She picked me up at the campground and took me to meet her super cool parents. Like Lynee, they were absolutely charming and welcomed me back any time. What a treat.

Day 3: April 28

Bye bye Tumalo, Hello LaPine! I met up with my traveling companion at LaPine State Park Campground, OR. This was a really nice campground with hookups and many other amenities. Thank goodness for the hookups. It was forecast to drop to 30 degrees, so I was able to plug in my little space heater and not have to worry about draining by batteries!

Sorry to lead off with such a gross pic, but it’s what happened first. I managed to christen Stargazer’s floor with a big plate of spaghetti! Geesch. What a mess to clean up. Good thing I mad a big batch!

Day 4: April 29

Things always look better in the morning!

Gretchen, Sage and I enjoyed a couple of short hikes today. The snow made it look cold, but the sun made it a perfect hiking temperature. We couldn’t get very far without snowshoes on one of our hikes, so headed off to another one. Sorry I didn’t take pics of the trailhead signs, and now I’ve forgotten the trail names. I was slackin’ that day!

Our night at LaPine was spent cooking in and watching the rain. I love seeing another AdVANture Van parked next to me. It’s so nice to have a camping buddy!

Day 5, April 30th

Here we are at Newberry National Volcanic Monument. What an interesting site! With Gretchen being a geologist, I had my own private docent explaining the forces of nature to me! And yes—it was really cold and windy!

After the volcanic park, we stopped at the High Desert Museum. I don’t recall ever seeing such a diverse mix of exhibits, including regional wildlife, culture, art and natural resources. One of the most surprising exhibits for me was the story of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who started a counter culture in the 80s in Antelope, OR.

After the museum tour, we headed to our reserved campsite, The Crooked River Ranch RV Park. The views from this site were absolutely stunning! And if you’re a golfer, the 18 hole course has earned some great reviews.

Day 6: May 1st

And…drumroll, please! It’s what we came for: The John Day Fossil Beds; Painted Hills Unit—incredibly beautiful!

After the Fossil beds, I decided to take an afternoon hike to Steelhead Falls Trail. The trailhead is just about a 15 minute drive from our campsite. It was so beautiful! What a nice surprise! And sweet Sage was there to greet me when I got back. Then it was on to Dayville, our last stop together on the trip.

We pulled into Dayville about 5:30 pm. I thought it was a charming little town. We had reservations at the Fish House Inn, which I really enjoyed. I took a stroll around the back yard of the campsite and stumbled upon a couple of goats (belonging to the owners of Twisted Treasures), 2 horses, a dog and a super cute human kid (belonging to the neighbors behind the Fish House Inn and Twisted Treasures. This small town made me feel like I stepped back into a gentler time. Wished I could have lingered here a while, but had to get back on the road in the morning. Gretchen and I had a nice breakfast at Twisted Treasures. The owners xx and xx were super friendly. After breakfast they offered to take us out back to get a closer look at the kids.