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Monday, May 4, 2015

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!


Sharing with:  Our World Tuesday

33 comments:

  1. Beautiful, what stunning scenery and the flowers really are the perfect spring colours

    Mollyxxx

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  2. Sigh - how very gorgeous!

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  3. You captured the colors and varieties beautifully.
    I do love our east side.
    Great post, Linda!

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  4. Nice series - lovely flowers

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  5. Those hills are alive! Cheerful indeed!

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  6. I love the flowers and the view is spectacular!

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  7. Hi! Thepurple lupine flowers are very beautiful. The photo with Mt.Hood is very impressive too. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. All those bright yellow flowers make me want to smile. Nice way to start my day!

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  9. Your pictures are wonderful, and I am sure not getting tired of looking at them! :-)

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  10. Never can tire of flower pictures Linda, or from seeing them in person, which you have obviously experienced.

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  11. Nope, not tired of flower photos yet. :) Blossoms are just now beginning to come out here north of Toronto so I think yours are a treat!

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  12. So happy to see these! When did you go? I was just researching a trip here for Saturday, but we've had such an early spring I was worried we'd missed the flowers.

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  13. Very lovely photos, Linda. Thanks for sharing them. I could never tire of flower images!

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  14. A sea of flowers! I guess so. Tom The Backroads Traveller

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  15. Linda, I'm smiling. I was happy to see just a few Balsamroot plants on a hillside - you found a sea of them! This was a wonderful photo shoot!

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  16. Last year when we visited the Columbia Gorge we were too late for the spring bloom.. We did several hikes near White Salmon and I could tell it would be gorgeous in bloom. I am so happy to see your posts with these awesome photos of this years bloom! Thanks for taking me there!

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  17. Wow, beautiful pics! Lovely blog! I love wildflowers!! I am your newest follower :-))

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  18. Love pictures of flowers, and the rolling landscape. Beautiful.

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  19. These photos definitely make me feel happy. What a wonderful visit and vistas.

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  20. I am never sick of flower pictures :) Lovely photos!

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  21. I'm never tired of flowers! Yours are very lovely.

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  22. Hello Linda, I could never be tired of seeing flowers..The closeups are gorgeous! Your photos are beautiful and I love the gorgeous views..Lovely post. Enjoy your day and the week ahead!

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  23. I never tire of flowers either and Purple and Yellow go together so nicely! You captured some beautiful views. I enjoyed them! :)

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  24. Magnificent macro and scenic flower shots!

    Happy Week to you,
    artmusedog and carol

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  25. Dearest Linda; What a WONDERFUL and BEAUTIFUL pictures of flowers with great scenery, and close ups are magnificent♡♡♡ Wishing you will have a wonderful rest of the week.
    Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*

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  26. Saved the best til last. I always enjoy close ups of flowers to see the detail inside them.

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  27. I loe, love these prairie flowers - oh how I wish I could have hiked along with you!

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  28. I'm one of these people that becomes enamored by the flowers, too. My brother once made fun of me during a hike because I was taking pictures of the trilliums instead of the redwoods. Keep the photos coming! :)

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  29. Awesome views and gorgeous flowers. What's not to love.

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  30. There's something very, very special about the PNW east of the Cascade Mountains! I love the landscapes and serenity I find there. Beautiful flowers Linda--my fav photo was the second one from the bottom . Lovely!
    Blessings, Aimee

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  31. What an amazing day for you. The weather was perfect for your photos.

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  32. Great shots - and what a display of colour.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  33. Those big rocks add a lot of interest to the wildflower photos. I'm always looking for something like that when I'm shooting.

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