Nomad Life - Day 130

It's Friday!  I'd planned to take some PTO to continue my reposition towards the Rockies so, after waking up at 0430 (alarm required), I started teleworking.  I took a short break for breakfast in the lobby of the Quality Inn in Walla Walla but, otherwise, worked continuously through to 0930.  Finished with my work day, I departed the hotel (0945) and drove across town to a nearby Circle K for a gas fillup.  I finally left Walla Walla just before 1000.  The weather was overcast but clear, with temps in the mid 30s.  Overnight, I'd thought seriously about the route I should take towards the southeast and concluded that I'd really like to visit the John Day Fossil Beds NM.  This decision would take be back towards a west a bit but I couldn't imagine having another chance to visit east-central Oregon in the future...  Once committing to the "out of the way" itinerary, I got on US-12 and backtracked (same route as yesterday) towards the Columbia River..  Upon reaching US-730, I followed that highway along the river's edge.  The Columbia passed through a very pretty canyon, with high mountains on the west side and some lower ones where I was driving.  Before long, I crossed into Oregon (near the Sand Station Rec Area at 1035).  I got off the pavement at Hat Rock State Park at 1045 and did a little exploring.  Meanwhile, the temps continued to rise (37 F).   Along the way, I listened to audiobooks.  After getting on OR-207, I passed through the town of Hermiston at 1110.  While in that busy area (lots of businesses and traffic), I tried to find air for my tires (unsuccessful) and redeem cans and bottles I had (unsuccessful).  The sun had come out by that point and it was a pleasure to leave civilization behind as I continued south.  I crossed I-84 and stayed on OR-207 as I crossed over lots of brighly colored fields (green, yellow, etc.).  In several places, I passed Oregon Trail crossing signs.  Some other things I noticed during this part of the drive: Madison Cox Onions and lots of windmills.  As the terrain began to climb,  the weather changed abruptly - suddenly, I was in the clouds!  I made my way carefully to the south until I reached the town of Lexington (1150).  The weather improved as I turned towards the southeast (still on OR-207).  During this period, I saw signs that indicated I was on the "Blue Mountain Scenic Byway".  The weather improved again (sunny and 50) as I passed Anson Wright Memorial Park and entered the Umatilla National Forest.  However, I did encountered a lot of snow on the ground as I reached a high point (4600 feet) on the route.  This, however, didn't bother me as much as the steep, cliff-side roads and the fact I had no cell service...  Eventually, I changed to OR-19 and arrived in the town of Kimberly (1315).  Throughout all the driving to this point, I hadn't seen a single car going in my direction - and I'd only seen a few passing on the other side.  This changed when, with 15 miles to go before reaching the National Monument, I saw a car in my rear view mirror for the first in hours.  It took him a while (due to the curvy roads) but he eventually motored on by me and I was all alone on the remote highway.  At around that time I looked at my Subaru's temperature gauge and was shocked to see 54 degrees!  A bit later, I encountered a Birder walking on the side of the road - he was recording birds for the Audubon Society and I talked with him briefly.  For the rest of my drive, I kept following John Day River.  I soon reached my target, the Sheep Rock Unit of the park, and made brief stops at the following sites: Foree, Cathedral Rock, Blue Basin, Goose Rock and Cant Ranch.  I walked around a bit at the latter location (lots of good views and some historical markers).  Next, I made a stop at the nearby Thomas Condon Visitor Center (1350).  Inside, there were several amazing displays of fossils - they museum also had multiple views of the way the area might have looked between 7 and 40+ million years ago.  I learned about Lake Bonneville, which once covered the entire area, and some of the extinct volcanos that had affected life in this corner of the world.  After a pleasant visit (well worth the detour), I reluctantly got on my car again and continued south on OR-19.  I was in an out of some amazing looking canyons!  This road soon ended and I took US-26 to the Mascall (Formation) Overlook (arrived at 1440).  This area was very pretty and I got a bird's eye view of huge ranch fields and heard the loudly bellowing cattle.  Just before 1500, I reluctantly resumed my drive on US-26 towards the east.  On the way, I passed through Danville - they had signs that said "Our fossils are friendly” (with pictures of old dudes waving).  I reached the halfway point between Danville and John Day by1505 and immediately noticed that I'd entered a busier zone of humanity.  As I drove through fields of cattle, beneath a sunny sky (temp was 55), I had to worry about people pulling out of side roads, slow drivers and farm equipment.  When I finally arrived in town of John Day, I stopped for food at Dairy Queen (1535).  While eating part of my dinner there, I had a fun time talking with local young people (employees and otherwise) about about the town (drama, etc.).  On the recommendation of my new "friends", I drove back to the west for a short distance so I could stop at Chester's Market, which allowed me to redeem the deposits on my can/bottles in a little machine.  After that, I bought snacks with the proceeds ($1) in the little market (1555).  Noticing a tire store nearby, I managed to get help for my tire pressure - the service technician was very nice and there was no charge for the air.  When I departed John Day (1605), I enjoyed the views as I continued east on US-26 - there were lots of snow capped mountains in the distance.  In hindsight, I probably should have done some additional research on the drive I was starting but, at that point, I was still naive and trusting of the mid-50s temps and wonderful weather... I passed through Prairie City at 1620 and then began a slow but steady climb into the Blue Mountains.  Before long, I was crossing the Dixie Pass (5277 feet) and started to get a bit nervous about the amount of snow on the ground.  The temps had also dropped into the mid 30s but I assumed I was about to descend back into a nice, warm valley.  Instead, though, I only lost a few hundred feet before beginning a second climb - when I reached Blue Mountain Pass (5109 feet), I counterdeed terrible visibility (fog and approaching darkness).  Feeling a bit nervous about traction (etc.), I slowed way down, only driving about 25 mph at times.  When the cycle repeated near Eldorado Pass (4622 feet), I began to despair of getting out of the mountains soon.  Overall, I probably spent about 90 minutes driving 40 miles - and it wasn't fun.  There was one more summit (3K+ feet, I didn't catch the name) to cross before the scary crossing was over and I entered the Mountain Time Zone (there was a sign but my phone had no signal to update).  Finally, though, I started a clearly obvious and steep descent!  By 1900, I was clear of clouds.  Throughout the drive, I followed US-26, which joined US-20 in the town of Vale.  Continuing east, I finally got off the US Highway OR-201 and drove into Ontario (used SW 4th Avenue after that).  With all the work completed, I had time to make a reservation for a hotel (at the "new"1955).  After that task was completed, I drove the rest of the way to Motel 6 (next to I-84) and checked into my room (2015).  I forgot to mention that temps had stabilized in the mid 30s...  At 2040, I went walking near hotel and finished my step goal (10K) at 2155.  Back in my room, I wrapped up some things on the computer, watched movies and finally went to bed at (the new) midnight.  Very glad that I detoured in the John Day River Watershed today!