Southeastern Utah Tour, March 17-18 2026

I was expecting to leave around noon on Tuesday, but it took me until almost 2pm to get the camper fully provisioned.

I drove over Snoqualmie Pass to Ellensburg and then south on U.S. 97 toward Goldendale. A bit further on, I saw signs for Maryhill State Park. Since it was late in the evening, I thought that might be a good place to stop.

I arrived at the park, which covers 80 acres right next to the Columbia River. It is a short distance upstream from Miller Island, which I had admired from the Amtrak train on the first leg of my Lethbridge Viaduct adventure. There were a few RVs scattered about, but the park was mostly empty. So I selected a site near the river and hooked up the power, water and waste.

When I tried to register, I found that the pay station was locked and there were no registration forms available. So I just said, "Oh, well. I will pay if challenged."

I had cleaned out the refrigerator before leaving Seattle, so I had plenty of leftovers. I sat right next to the river and consumed my sandwich and chips.

The park is a train-enthusiast's paradise, since there are active rail lines on both sides of the river. Several trains went by in the gathering dusk. I decided to see if I could find a vantage from which to view the next train passing on the north side, so I walked out to the entrance of the park and along U.S. 97 toward the overpass.

The highway is fairly busy, with large trucks rumbling down the grade toward the river, so I didn't like the idea of standing on the bridge. Instead, I found an access road that ran below the fill on the north side of the highway. By then it was dark, and I had to pick my way by feeling for the next step. Before reaching the rail line, I abandoned the quest and walked back to the campsite.

The next morning, as I was driving toward the exit, I noticed a State Park service vehicle parked near one of the restroom buildings. I met with the groundskeeper, and explained that I had been unable to pay for my stay. She said that someone had mistakenly left the pay station locked, and accepted my payment.

After taking on fuel in Biggs Junction, I continued south to Shaniko on U.S. 97. On the plateau, I had nice views of Mount Jefferson and The Three Sisters.

Mount Jefferson

The Three Sisters

 

 

 

 

 

 

I then took S.R. 218 to Antelope and points east through the John Day watershed. I stopped at the Clarno Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds to see what it had to offer. There was a short hike along the base of some towering sandstone cliffs to a place where numerous plant fossils were supposed to be found.

Camper at the Clarno Wayside

The fossils in the Clarno Unit were formed when ancient forests were inundated by lahars between 54 and 40 million years ago. The suddenness of these natural catastrophes means that there are snapshots of life at the time that are remarkably well-preserved. The mudflows were compressed into rock by overlying layers of sediment and ice, and later exposed by erosion and weathering.

On visiting the site, I found some of these specimens. But also, found evidence that many of the exposed fossils had been chipped away, and presumably carried home as souvenirs. The scars on the rocks are mute proof that it takes far less care and effort to destroy than to create. The lack of reverence for the forces of creation that made these fossils and exposed them to view is almost incomprehensible.

But Nature will again have the final say on such witless plunder. If the age of the rocks were scaled down to a single year, the entire lifetime of these pea-brained vandals -- from drooling infancy to incontinent senility with every imbecilic moment in between -- would pass in scarcely more than a minute.

It may also be by design that the Department of the Interior (such as it was) focuses the attention of tourists on only a small portion of the fossil beds, so the rest of them remain untouched and available for serious, rigorous academic study.

After that disappointment, I resumed my eastward drive. On reaching Fossil, I continued along S.R. 19 toward Dayville. I stopped near Cathedral Rock for lunch. The pullout was separated from the John Day River by a barb-wire fence. But a bit further on the land on the east side of the highway lies within the Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds. When I reached the Snake River Valley, Google mysteriously routed me away from the Interstate. It purported to be avoiding construction on I-84, but going that way would probably have been faster anyway. After visiting Nyssa, I considered driving to Lake Owyhee State Park. But since it was getting late, I turned around and headed to Eagle Island State Park instead.

Many of the spots were taken when I arrived, but I managed to find an open one. That park takes online reservations only, so I registered for the spot and stayed the night. The fee for the night was $45, but the online reservation service adds an exorbitant $8 to that. (Note the significant opportunity to introduce a competing reservation service and undercut the current provider while still making a very attractive profit. More on that later.)