John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

[Scrumhalf]

In the Clarno unit of the JDFB NM.

On the trail to the Palisades formation.

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Fossilized leaf in the Clarno unit.

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All good things must unfortunately come to an end.

On the road back home driving through the Columbia River Gorge. Washington state can be seen on the far shore of the Columbia River.

[Bouncer]

Beautiful. How far is that from where you live?

[Scrumhalf]

About 250 miles, 4.5 hour drive. About 100 miles of interstate, the rest on 2-lane twisties.

[Bouncer]

where you live do you have views or is it a dump like jersey? :D

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Well, I live in the middle of the city, so it is nothing fancy, but I do have nice views... I can see Mt. Hood from my deck. I am a 10 minute drive from the largest park within a city in the US - Forest Park (eat your heart out, Central Park). Skiing 1 hour away, Mt. St. Helens 2 hours away... tons of water and rivers and forests all around within 1 hour's drive. The ocean is 1 hour away, which is my only regret - would have liked to live right on the ocean, but I guess we can't have everything.. :)

[Bouncer]

Scrum, how is Portland compared to Seattle? We really liked Seattle, it didn't seem like an American city somehow.

How is the food scene? Might take a 3-4 day quick trip out there.

[Scrumhalf]

Portland is a pretty small city compared to Seattle. For a long time, it was boxed in both literally and figuratively by San Francisco in the south and Seattle in the north but I think it has grown up and found its own character now. I think it Seattle-ish but smaller and more of a small-town feel to it.

Food scene is supposed to be pretty good (see some articles here and here) and lots of microbreweries and vineyards around town.

Great place to visit - lots of stuff to do around town and within a 1-2 hour drive.

[Bouncer]

Sounds like my kinda place. I wonder if it would be an expensive or cheaper place to visit?

[Scrumhalf]

Since it is much smaller than Seattle or SF, I suspect it is going to be cheaper to stay and do stuff in, although flights may be more potentially expensive from the East Coast because due to the size, the demand is probably lower than flying into Seattle. Not 100% sure on this though, as pretty much every time I have flown, the flights are packed. It is just that I've rarely seen "deals" on the airline web pages or expedia or whatever whereas I always see the discount deals for flights out of Seattle.

[Bouncer]

Best time to visit in terms of weather?

[dna9488]

Beautiful pictures Scrum. Love the fossil pics. I have read and seem them in Evolution books and classes. Would love to actually go dig one up and view it.

[Scrumhalf]

Best time to visit in terms of weather?

July, August and September are pretty much rain free. If I had to pick, I would say early September. It is usually beautiful and cooler, in the seventies.

[Scrumhalf]

Beautiful pictures Scrum. Love the fossil pics. I have read and seem them in Evolution books and classes. Would love to actually go dig one up and view it.

Go West, young man! Lots of beautiful country to see and experience. If you haven't been, once you cross the Rockies, it is a different world. The people, the landscape, everything... you can feel it in the air.. :thumup: