Sea of Flowers

Are you sick of flower pictures yet?  I hope not, 'cause I have a few more to share from my morning at the Dalles Mountain Ranch.

When I finished photographing the fascinating old ranch buildings, I drove my car up a steep gravel road that took me about halfway up Stacker Butte. 

When the road ended at a closed gate, I hopped out and surveyed the landscape.  Rolling hills below gave way to killer views of the Columbia River.

The wildflowers from this vantage point were in peak bloom.  The sheer numbers of balsamroot flowers colored the adjacent slopes yellow.

Tucked in amongst the balsamroot, lovely purple lupine stalks shared the stage.

I wandered along the gravel road, taking it all in.

And, of course, recorded it all on my memory card!

The balsamroot was so thick, in some places it looked like a carpet of yellow.

In other places, the flowers bloomed in large clumps.

But I loved getting up close and personal with some of the better specimens.

Mt. Hood rose above the hills, providing a nice backdrop to all this color.

And the mighty Columbia River far below, sparkled blue in the midday sun.

I spent some time just taking in these wonderful sweeping views.  It was like being on the edge of a enormous water body.  But in this case, it was a sea of flowers.

Nothing makes me happier than spending a morning walking amongst spring wildflowers.

I hope these photos make you happy too!


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