It looks like we missed most of the fall colors up here in the mountains of Oregon.  Along the rivers and springs there were still smaller trees clinging to their bright yellow leaves, but for the most part the plants were all ready for winter. There was one type of shrub in the valleys that turned almost purple without leaves!

The Steens mountain is interesting because the backside rises up fairly slowly out of the ground, but the other side is a steep drop off to the desert floor below.  More on that later!