2021 Spring Tour of the Southwest, 3.31.21 - 4.14.21, Part 1 of 11, Blue Basin
For starters, let me state that my dear wife Bridgit is a saint. Maybe not a morning person, but definitely a saint. This trip was about a lot of things but much of it centered around photographic opportunities which required getting up at all hours of the night to be in certain spots at just the right times. But Bridgit loves an adventure and she was game for most everything I threw at her. And we had a blast.
With both of us freshly vaccinated with our first shot, we had a window to go play before needing to be back for the second round. On Wednesday, March 31, we hopped in the Navibahn with the tow car in tow and headed for Oregon. Our plan was to camp at Ochoco Divide but when we arrived the campground was closed due to lingering snow. A quick scan of the RV Life app showed an RV campground in Dayville which was still on our intended route about another hour further. The drive from Prineville over Ochoco Divide and down to Dayville is really nice. We passed by the turnoff to the Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds where we had visited last June, through the town of Mitchell and then down a gorgeous canyon in the late afternoon sunlight to the quaint little town of Dayville where we pulled into the South Fork RV Park. This nice little camp is nestled on the banks of the south fork of the John Day River. We were the only ones there and had the entire place to ourselves that night. It was peaceful and quiet. I think this entire area is peaceful and quiet. We hardly saw any traffic or people in this area.
Really happy to be out on the road for another epic adventure
The next morning we left the RV at camp and took off in the Corolla around 6:30AM. Driving back the way we had come, about seven miles up the road we turned onto 19 and drove north a couple of miles to the Blue Basin Trailhead. This hike is in the Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds where we had never been before. We had seen no other cars along the way and no other cars were in the parking lot. There are two trails here. One is called the Blue Basin Overlook Trail and the other the Island In Time Trail. We started off on the Overlook Trail just as the sun began to hit the top of the hills surrounding the valley of the John Day River.
Starting out on the Blue Basin Overlook Trail
The Overlook Trail is a 3.2 mile loop trail that gently gains a ridge top and then traverses around Blue Basin. Hiking in the cool morning air with no one seemingly around for miles, we were in high spirits. Climbing out of the valley we gained 600’ of elevation before coming to the top of the ridge above the basin and an overlook with a bench. Continuing on we crossed over to the opposite side of the basin and gradually descended to the valley floor where we connected to the Island In Time Trail not far from the parking lot. Bridgit headed back to the car while I ran up the .7 mile trail which goes right into the heart of the basin. The rock there was actually a bluish shade and the strange formations were extremely cool. This is the Oregon badlands and it was well worth the visit.
Climbing out of the valley of the John Day River at sunrise
Beautiful red rock covered the hillsides
Looking across Blue Basin
Blue Basin and red rock
Artsy tree shot
Hiking up the Island In Time Trail into Blue Basin
Several bridges to cross along the Island In Time Trail
Strange rock formations in Blue Basin
Our entire visit to Blue Basin only took a little over three hours. We were back at the campground before 10AM and continued on our journey. It took another six hours to get to the KOA in Jerome, Idaho near Twin Falls. Leaving Dayville and following 26 east we drove through a portion of the Blue Mountains where snow still clung to the hills. It’s a nice drive with no people anywhere until you get to I-84 in Ontario. Then it was just a slog to Jerome.
Stay tuned for Part 2...