Fossils and pioneers

Sunday, May 13

We awoke to another beautiful, sunny day.

Our camping neighbors had a good day fishing. 

 

 The bluff across the Snake River from where we're camped is part of the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument. The bluff at water level is about 3.7 million years old and 3.15 million years old at the top. Per a brochure “No other fossil beds preserve such varied land and aquatic species from the time period called the Pliocene Epoch (from 2.6 to 5.3 million years ago*). More then 180 animal species of both vertebrates and invertebrates and 35 plant species have been found... Eight species are found nowhere else, and 43 were found here first.”

*As a point of reference, the extinction of the dinosaurs occurred about 65 million years ago. The great Bonneville Flood was “only” about 15,000 years ago.

We toured the very interesting Visitor Center located in Hagerman. On Sunday morning, it was just us and the National Parks staff.

Then we continued west along US 30 to the Three Island Crossing State Park in Glenns Ferry. There is an Oregon Trail History and Education Center that we visited before going to our campsite. ($23/night with water and electric at the site) The History and Education Center has a very informative movie and a good collection of relics from the Oregon Trail.

 This is a page from a pioneers journal.

Shoshone Indians

We were sitting outside earlier discussing where to head next. We're both about Oregon Trailed and fossiled out for now, plus the temperature is supposed to get into the high 80's,  so we decided to head for the mountains of Oregon. The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is in eastern Oregon; that's our next destination.