Millions of years ago, central Oregon was a hotbed of volcanic activity. Curious geologists and others can learn about the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument on this most excellent Flash-enabled online tour. After "flying" in overhead to the site, visitors can learn about the 40 million year history of the site that would later become the John Day Fossil Beds. The next area of the site is titled "The Present Unlocks the Past" and it includes an exploration of the evolution of the horse in prehistoric Oregon, along with offering access into the daily life of a working paleontologist. In the interactive feature "Whose skull is whose?", visitors will get the change to compare the skulls of ancient animals with those of their modern analogs. After that, visitors can get a better sense of the current state of affairs in the fossil beds by looking over a thirteen-image slideshow of this gorgeous section of Oregon.