Potholes State Park, Yurt Camping Trip, Day 4

Potholes State Park, Yurt Camping Trip, Day 4

We packed up all our gear in the Ford. Said our last goodbyes to Mick and April. 

Karen drove to Umatilla, I drove to Hood River, and Karen drove back into Portland/Vancouver.

Potholes State Park, Yurt Camping, Day 3

Potholes State Park, Washington State

Potholes State Park, Eastern Central Washington State

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge - Wikipedia

"Birdsong by day, coyote chorus by night. Dramatic cliffs and rimrock sit side-by-side with lakes, potholes, and marshes. Desert denizens and waterfowl sharing the same rugged landscape.

Comprising nearly 30,000 acres, Columbia National Wildlife Refuge is a scenic mixture of rugged cliffs, canyons, lakes, grasslands and sagebrush. The combination of lakes and surrounding irrigated croplands, combined with generally mild winters and the protection provided by the refuge, attracts large numbers of migrating and wintering mallards, Canada geese, tundra swans and other waterfowl."

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge is a scenic mixture of rugged cliffs, canyons, lakes, and sagebrush grasslands. Formed by fire, ice, floods, and volcanic tempest, carved by periods of extreme violence of natural forces, the refuge lies in the middle of the Drumheller Channeled Scablands of central Washington. The area reveals a rich geologic history highlighted by periods of dramatic activity, each playing a major role in shaping the land. The northern half of the refuge, south of Potholes Reservoir, is a rugged jumble of cliffs, canyons, lakes, and remnants of lava flows. This part of the Scablands, known as the Drumheller Channels, is the most spectacularly eroded area of its size in the world and was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1986.

Moses Lake City, Washington, (27,000 Population)

Othello, Washington

Potholes State Park, WA, Yurt Camping Trip, Day 2

Potholes State Park, WA, Yurt Camping Trip, Day 2

Potholes State Park, Eastern Central Washington State

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge - Wikipedia

"Birdsong by day, coyote chorus by night. Dramatic cliffs and rimrock sit side-by-side with lakes, potholes, and marshes. Desert denizens and waterfowl sharing the same rugged landscape.

Comprising nearly 30,000 acres, Columbia National Wildlife Refuge is a scenic mixture of rugged cliffs, canyons, lakes, grasslands and sagebrush. The combination of lakes and surrounding irrigated croplands, combined with generally mild winters and the protection provided by the refuge, attracts large numbers of migrating and wintering mallards, Canada geese, tundra swans and other waterfowl."

Columbia National Wildlife Refuge is a scenic mixture of rugged cliffs, canyons, lakes, and sagebrush grasslands. Formed by fire, ice, floods, and volcanic tempest, carved by periods of extreme violence of natural forces, the refuge lies in the middle of the Drumheller Channeled Scablands of central Washington. The area reveals a rich geologic history highlighted by periods of dramatic activity, each playing a major role in shaping the land. The northern half of the refuge, south of Potholes Reservoir, is a rugged jumble of cliffs, canyons, lakes, and remnants of lava flows. This part of the Scablands, known as the Drumheller Channels, is the most spectacularly eroded area of its size in the world and was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1986.

Moses Lake City, Washington, (27,000 Population)

Othello, Washington

Oregon Desert Road Trip

 

 

Columbia Plateau, State of Washington, USA

"The Columbia Plateau is a geologic and geographic region that lies across parts of the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It is a wide flood basalt plateau between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, cut through by the Columbia River. In one of various usages, the term "Columbia Basin" refers to more or less the same area as the Columbia Plateau."
- Wikipedia, Columbia Plateau

Also:

Great Basin Desert II

Great Basin Desert  I

Travel in the Northwest

Columbia Plateau, Washington

Columbia Plateau Photographs

Great Basin Desert

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Paleontology Center

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Painted Hills Area

Burns, Oregon

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon
We stayed in a motel two nights in Madras, Oregon

Great Basin Desert Realms I

Great Basin Desert Realms II

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

On Sunday we drove north from Burns, Oregon, on US 395 to John Day.  Then we drove west to Madras, Oregon on US 26.  We stayed on Sunday and Monday night in Madras.  On Tuesday we drove to Portland.  On Thursday we drove on Interstate 5 south from Portland, Oregon, to Red Bluff, California. 

We (Karen, April, Mick, and I) explored the John Day and Madras areas for two days.