Diamond Craters Oregon

Diamond Craters is an designated Natural Area comprising of 17,000 acres and has some of the most diverse volcanic features in the nation clustered within a small, accessible area. Diamond Craters is located in the high desert country about 55 miles southeast of Burns, Oregon.

Named for rancher’s Mace McCoy’s diamond brand, Diamond Craters displays an entire range of eruptions possible in basaltic volcanism and was formed in the past 25,000 years, with some of the eruptions taking place as late as 1,000 years ago.  Geological features include craters and vents, cinder cones, spatter cones, lava tubes, driblet spires, a graben, and water-filled maar.

It’s an isolated place and some precautions should be taken when traveling in the area. First, Diamond Craters has no tourist facilities. The nearest places where fuel is sold are Diamond and Frenchglen. Keep your vehicle on hard-packed road surfaces and obvious parking areas. If you go hiking, carry drinking water. Watch out for rattlesnakes.

Diamond Loop National Back Country Byway

The BLM or Bureau of Land Management has several routes within public lands as Back Country Byways. These are typically unpaved and more remote than other byways and are noted for their scenic attributes. Most of the public lands found along the byways are distant and provide both solitude and recreational opportunities.

Designated on March 14, 1991, the Diamond Loop National Back Country Byway offers a variety of wildlife, historical landmarks and fascinating natural formations. Traveling the 69-mile byway takes you through a patchwork of high desert terrains – from the deep blues of mountain vistas and the dusky sage-covered hills to the red rimrock canyons and the grassy reaches of marshes and valleys.

There are two places to access the Diamond Loop Back Country Byway: near the town of Princeton on State Highway 78 (north), or at the junction of State Highway 205 and Diamond Lane (west). We recommend filling up with fuel and food in Burns or at the Narrows before venturing around the byway. Lastly, remember much of southeast Oregon is open range – be prepared to share the byway with cattle and wildlife!

 

March 14, 2016March 14, 2016 by northwestbysouthwestphotos Categories: oregon, scenic landscape, wildlifeTags: central oregon, oregon, outdoor landscape, photography, travel Leave a comment

Greaser Rock Art Site, Oregon

Greaser Petroglyph Site – Prehistoric Art

Native Americans have lived in southeastern Oregon since the Clovis Period, 12,000 to 10,000 years ago. At that time, pluvial lakes filled many of the high desert basins. Little is known about the people who occupied the land at that time, except that they camped and hunted near the lakes. The earliest petroglyphs in southeastern Oregon may be as much as 12,000 years old.

No one knows when the Greaser petroglyphs were carved or who carved them. They were probably created during either Clovis Period or the Stemmed Point Period that followed, placing the likely period of the Greaser rock carvings sometime between 12,000 and 7,500 years ago.

In 1840, when the first white men came through southern Oregon, the Northern Paiute tribe lived in the southeastern part of Oregon around Greaser Canyon. However, given the age of the carvings, it is possible that the Northern Paiute people had nothing to do with their creation.

 

The meanings of the Greaser petroglyphs are not known. They may have been used in religious ceremonies or marked tribal ownership of territory. The designs may have been map directions or simply art created to tell a personal story. No one knows.

The Greaser Petroglyph Site is located on land owned by the BLM in eastern Lake County Oregon.  The designs were scraped into a basalt boulder.  Because of its unique archaeological and cultural significance, the Greaser Petroglyph Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The Greaser Petroglyph Site is located 28 miles east of Lakeview, Oregon. The site is in the Warner Valley near Greaser Canyon.  The petroglyphs are carved on a southwest-facing basalt boulder, approximately ¹⁄₂ mile north of Oregon Route 140. The protected area around the petroglyphs covers 9 acres of open rangeland owned by the Bureau of Land Management.

 

The east facing basalt rim is one of the two southernmost of the “High Lake” sites in Lake County and has many superimposed glyphs.   Elevation is about 6,000 feet.

 

March 7, 2016 by northwestbysouthwestphotos Categories: archaeology, oregon, rock artTags: archaeology, central oregon, photography, rock art Leave a comment

Abandoned Building Hwy 20

The section of Highway 20 in central Oregon runs between Bend and Burns and contains a number of interesting abandoned buildings.  Here one of them is featured.  The above building was shot in regular color, the same building below was changed to Sepia tone, giving the photo an older, turn of the 20th century look.

 

The same building from a different viewpoint, shot initially in color.

Now the same building in sepia tone.

 

I love the look of abandoned buildings, especially in the countryside that evokes better times in the past but currently has a almost haunted look about it.

March 7, 2016March 7, 2016 by northwestbysouthwestphotos Categories: oregon, ruined buildings, UncategorizedTags: central oregon, historic, historical archaeology, oregon, photography, travel 1 Comment