Postcard from Painted Hills

2008 - It was a journey of discovery…of new places, of art, of photography, but mainly of myself. My wife and I had separated…she headed east. I put the majority of my belongings in storage, loaded the remainder in my van, and headed south. It was time to start a new life.

I decided not to stay any longer in my hometown of the previous 16 years. A town of 7,000 people was not a place for a newly single man. Plus, there were too many memories.

I needed see new things, new adventures, new challenges and a new place to put down roots. Washington State was not that place. My initial final destination was Tucson, AZ, having visited there a few months previous and liking it a great deal. But if I found somewhere better along the way, I was willing to make a change. But all that is for later.

For now, I was headed south with a van load of stuff. As I travelled along highway 17 through towns like Moses Lake, Warden, and Othello, I knew I no longer belonged there. This was now alien country. I could not wait to get to Oregon Border. And eventually I did.

My first stop was going to be the Painted Hills, in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. I had seen photos of it and wanted to see if for myself. As the drive took up most of my day and there was no room for a bed in the back yet, I stopped at a hotel in Mitchell, a small town in Central Oregon, population 160 people.

Mitchell's history resembles many small towns in the Northwest...a thriving community (with two houses of ill repute) that suddenly died when the logging industry went away. It's only alive now thanks to the tourists who visit nearby Painted Hills. When I arrived, I found Mitchell had no cell or Internet service. (You can read all about my adventures in Mitchell in a blog I wrote back in 2008. It includes the story of Henry the Bear, a bedroom with one electric plug that did not work, and all the town’s people who told me their life stories, even though I did not ask.)

I spent two glorious days photographing the Painted Hills, as well as other parts of the John Day Monument. I traveled and hiked all day long. Mostly there was great light and the views of the painted hills were amazing, especially at sunset.

This photo of the Painted Hills is just one of several. You can see the best ones at my Painted Hills Album on Flickr.

Surprisingly, as I lay in my hotel room in Mitchell, I didn’t think much about leaving my old home town, the separation, or anything related to that. I was too focused on this new adventure, of starting life over, and all the places I was going to see for the first time. In short, I was excited for the days to come. That past was past. Only this moment and future moments were important.

More to come…

(To see a larger version of this image, just click on it)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com…or visit my Flickr Page