Rock On

Winding along a two-lane highway into Eastern Oregon is like traveling back in time. Windmills and weathered barns tell tales of the Old West, while massive rocks jutting from sage-covered hills speak of more ancient upheavals.

Families eager to uncover geological history will find that a trip centered on the aptly named Fossil area offers plenty of adventure.

This loop through local history starts just off U.S. Highway 97 with a stop at Shaniko. A century ago, this town bustled with activity as the wool capital of the world. Today, visitors' footsteps almost echo while wandering on wooden sidewalks that link the town's picturesque buildings, which now house museums, antiques shops, an ice cream parlor, a cafŽ and a restored hotel.

From Shaniko, state Highway 218 veers off through Antelope to Clarno. The tawny-colored hills here are dry and dusty. But a stop at the Clarno Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument offers proof - in the form of fossil-laden boulders - that a near-tropical forest flourished here some 44 million years ago. Fossils in the national monument's three units are protected and cannot be removed.

But in the nearby town of Fossil, artifacts are free for the digging. Just behind Wheeler High School's football field, amateur paleontologists clamber over a shale-covered hillside with buckets in hand. A garden trowel and a little patience are all that's needed to uncover bits of fossilized leaves and other flora.

After a cold drink from the old-fashioned Fossil Mercantile, many fossil hunters wander around the corner to the City of Fossil Museum, where an eclectic collection includes everything from calendars to military uniforms, jewelry to ranching equipment. And, of course, there are fossils.

Just north of Fossil at Wilson Ranches Retreat, a bed-and-breakfast on a working cattle ranch, would-be cowboys may saddle up for a cattle drive or simply ride along with Phil Wilson, a fifth-generation rancher, to check on the herd.

From Fossil, state Highway 19 leads motorists along the scenic John Day River, a popular spot for smallmouth bass fishing. The road runs through Spray to Kimberly, where early fall means pears, apples and prunes are ripe and ready at the Kimberly Fruit Company.

From Kimberly, it's less than 20 miles to the monument's Sheep Rock Unit. More than 2,200 species of plants and animals have been identified in the John Day Fossil Beds. The visitor center, located in a 1917 ranch house, displays some of these, including some from rhino-like brontotheres, plant-eating oreodonts and carnivorous creodonts. It's just a short walk down to the river, where steelhead pass through in early December. For a longer hike, the Blue Basin offers trails with views of the John Day Formation, known for its ever-changing blue-green color.

From the Sheep Rock Unit, U.S. Highway 26 leads west through Mitchell, past the monument's Painted Hills Unit. Both the Overlook Trail and the Carroll Rim Trail offer views of hills with smudged pastel stripes of red, yellow and green, the colored rocks a result of weathering volcanic ash.

Leaving the Painted Hills, Highway 26 winds northwest through Prineville and up to Madras. For one last souvenir, follow Highway 97 north to Richardson's Recreational Ranch. Here, adult and kid rockhounds can find treasure by unearthing thundereggs, the official state rock. When sliced open, each craggy stone reveals a colorful picture that's as unique as this part of Oregon.