Oregon is a big state, at about 98,000 square miles the 9th largest in the U.S., but with a relatively small population (a bit under 4 million). The great majority of the inhabitants live in a north-south strip west of the Cascades mountain range. This is the temperate coniferous rainforest region that most people associate with the state.
The two-thirds of Oregon that lies east of the Cascades is much less well known. It's a lot drier, with a greater seasonal and daily temperature variation, and a totally different character than the western valleys and mountains. A few weeks ago I posted an image of the skies and fields ("Top of Spanish Hollow") of central Oregon, or "CO" as the locals call it, an area that is just east of the Cascades and is known for its outdoor recreation and ranch life.
But to see the part of Oregon that looks like the "real west"--the kind of terrain that often appeared in old western movies and TV shows--you have to travel farther east. The photo that I'm sharing today portrays an area that would be completely in place in one of those movies. This is John Day country, home of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and the John Day River, which is just over the central hill in the picture. Arid high desert country, where water is at a premium.
I shot this image some years ago, but just recently I've come back to it and rendered it anew in a monochrome version.
