For me, the greatest appeal of the John Day rivers would be their beauty against the hard lines of the land. There are the cliffs, the rock formations, the rich colors, the uplifts and then these beautiful, peaceful little rivers. Their water is what makes the John Day country possible for agriculture.
The John Day country is more or less created by upheaval, volcanic and river action. The center of Oregon is drained by four rivers: the North Fork of the John Day, the Middle Fork of the John Day, the John Day and the South Fork of the John Day.
One thing about rivers in this high desert country is they look innocent and innocuous but they are not. They can abruptly change into torrents. Three times the town of Mitchell has been badly damaged by a flooding Bridge Creek which was so nearly dry at this time of year that you'd only know it was a stream because of the indent and trees.
In the high desert, even the smallest streams have caused catastrophic floods as this is not a country of dams and it is a country where a fierce rainstorm can settle in mountains far away, eventually sending a torrent of water down the gullies to wipe out homes and towns.
The hard part, especially in the 1800s was you wouldn't have any way of knowing the flood was coming. When such a flood hit the town of Heppner, Oregon (to the north of the John Day country, in 1903, 250 people were killed. Story of Heppner Flood. This experience was and can still be repeated many places throughout the west.
The John Days are beautiful rivers, famous in Oregon for their fishing and rafting, but they are as tough as the land through which they flow. Even the photos of the lake don't tell of the avalanche of rock that formed a natural dam making it possible.
Since there was no way to cut the number of these photos down to anything reasonable, I created the above slide show. The music is Chopin from On Classical which if you listen to the whole thing, you will hear their blurb at the end. It is free for non-moneymaking sites and has beautiful versions of many classical compositions.
Looks like a really beautiful area.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned something that I have often thought of in the past when reading something like your post or watching some documentary of television and that's with regard to the flooding you mentioned.
We're so use to instant news and instant warnings that we forget that not long ago people were just simply at the mercy of nature. They had no idea of the devastating floods that were approaching or the hurricanes or tornados. They didn't even know if it was going to rain the next day for the most part.
Knowing what nature has in store for us on a daily basis (earthquakes the exception of course) is just something I guess we just take for granted.
Your post made me se that the John day has much to offer in contrasting hard rock and rivers of many moods. I must go there to paint.
ReplyDeleteThe slide show is stunning and the Chopin is perfect music to go along with the tranquil scenery. I loved this, Rain, and felt like I was there.
ReplyDeleteStartlingly beautiful country. Water is so key everywhere. Know of the dangers such seemingly small streams, or even dry wash beds in the AZ deserts pose.
ReplyDelete