Description

Dramatic clouds appear to burst out from behind hills striped with orange and white claystone at Painted Hills in eastern Oregon. We stumbled upon this amazing scene in late afternoon after visiting the Sheep Rock Unit to the east. This exact hill formation is a few miles down the road outside of the official Painted Hills Unit, and was the only spot to get this photo with the huge cloud formation in the frame. This photo also really shows the impact shadow has on the appearance of the colors in the hills. If you took a handful of the orange-looking clay from the hill on the right and a handful of the dark red-looking clay from the hill on the left and held them side by side they would actually be the same color.

To visit John Day Fossil Beds:

https://denphototravel.com/2024/john-day-fossil-beds-national-monument/