Winter finally made it to Oregon and 2024 came in like a lion weather-wise. We had high winds, ice, snow and temps near 0°F. Needless today there was a lot of storm damage and hardship with electricity, water and phone/Internet disruption many people were in survival mode for at least a week in the area that I live. We stayed at home for the first four days but eventually decided to travel from our home near Mount Hood to stay in Central Oregon with my mother.
Along with the weather came some great conditions for photographs. As is the case most of the time bad weather makes good photos. With that thought in mind, and a beautiful post storm day, we decided to go for a ride to The Painted Hills near the town of Mitchell Oregon.
The Painted Hills is a part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. It’s an amazing place that will give a photographer, no matter their skill level, excellent and unique photos. It’s easy to get to. While I’m there I always take photos with my wide angle as well as my long lens. On this day I made photos from 24mm to 600mm. I was able to get some classic wide angle territorial views to some unique abstract images.
When you arrive you can immediately find views to your left. I always stop there either coming or going. From there travel up the hill to the turn off to the viewpoint. There’s a covered bench that you can sit and take in the view as well as a short trail that will take you to a different point of view further up the hill. I recommend taking the trail for more views of this amazing place.
If you have the time you can continue along the road to a place called the Painted Cove. This is another otherworldly place where even more unique photos can be made. There’s a boardwalk there to protect the fragile soil. It’s important to stay on designated trails to protect this sensitive area, especially considering the shear amount of people who visit each year.
I’ve been visiting The Painted Hills for many years and each time I go the conditions are different it seems. The time of the year, the weather, the kind of light that is projected on the hills, all make the place worth visiting as often as possible. I’d like to think that I’ve seen the hills in most every condition possible, but I feel that the next time I go I’ll create more photos different that I have in the past.
