Memaloose Magic

By late April the Columbia River Gorge spring bloom was in full force.  Stuck at work all week, I tortured myself viewing the online photos posted by lucky folks who had weekdays free.  I just had to get out there with my camera! 

Balsamroot bounty!

But when Friday finally rolled around, a few car care chores took precedence.  Finished by mid-afternoon, I decided to brave horrible rush hour traffic and head to the Gorge anyway.

Forest floor color

Ugh - traffic was as bad as expected, and it took an additional hour to reach my destination.  Hoping the wildflowers would be worth all that extra freeway time, I finally pulled into the Memaloose Overlook just east of Mosier. 

These large sunny blooms made great photo subjects

This tiny viewpoint treats visitors to sweeping eastern Gorge panoramas.  But that wasn't the reason I'd stopped here.  The parking area also provided access to an unmarked, informal trail system that climbed two local hills, Marsh and Chatfield.  This area, nicknamed the "Memaloose Hills," produced one of the best spring wildflower displays in the entire Gorge.

Near Marsh Hill

Rumor had it this year's bloom was especially spectacular - one of the best ever, according to many online posts.  Well, I was about to find out!

Spiky petals

Thanks to social media, what used to be a relatively unknown hiking area had recently exploded in popularity.  I felt lucky to secure a parking spot - on weekends cars line the narrow road, sometimes for a mile in each direction.  But my 5 pm arrival appeared to hit the sweet spot.  Starting up the narrow dirt trail, I encountered a steady stream of people returning to their cars.  There wasn't a soul heading the other way.

Lone oak on Chatfield Hill

The flower show started immediately, with nice blooms of orange Indian paintbrush, purple larkspur, and of course, sunny yellow balsamroot covering the forest floor.

Backlit blooms

I covered the roughly one mile trail to a junction by a tiny creek.  From here, I could choose to visit Marsh Hill or turn and climb up Chatfield Hill's steep slopes.  Remembering from last year's hike that Chatfield had the better bloom, I chose to head there first.

Lupine just getting started

I passed by a cow pasture, before climbing through a wooded area.  But beyond the forest, Chatfield Hill's slopes opened up to colorful meadows.  Through the trees, I caught glimpses of yellow and purple.  But nothing prepared me for the tremendous flower show that awaited as I emerged from the trees.

Flower-filled slope on Chatfield Hill

Chatfield Hill's slopes were absolutely packed with flowers!  Mostly balsamroot, but there were plenty of deep purple lupine mixed in amongst the blooms.  Evening light backlit the flowers so much that they practically glowed.  Normally a morning and daytime hiker, being here at the day's end was a new experience.  It's good to photograph favorite places at different times of the day - landscapes can change dramatically with the sunlight's direction.

Looking towards Marsh Hill

The online reports were right - it was the best wildflower bloom I'd ever seen here.

Tip of Mt Hood anchors the skyline

As I slowly meandered up Chatfield Hill, I passed one group on their way down.  No one was behind me, and the summit was empty.  I had the entire place all to myself!  How often does that happen during peak bloom?

Columbia River view from Chatfield Hill

About halfway up the hill, Mt Hood's white tip came into view.  A panorama of farm fields spread out below.  Framed by the nearby technicolor slopes, it was quite a sight.  But sadly, the higher I climbed, the stronger the wind blew.  Made close-up shots extremely difficult. 

Acres of flowers....

Finally reaching Chatfield's summit, the wind was gusting so strongly I had to hold onto my hat for fear it would be blown off.  Although the Gorge views and flower density were fantastic, high winds forced me to cut my visit short.

Balsamroot backside

Making my way back downhill, I ran into a lone man, the only other person I'd seen climbing up so far this evening.  Perfect timing!

The flower show on Marsh Hill was equally impressive

Back at the junction, I made a quick jaunt up Marsh Hill's slopes.  Although the balsamroot was blooming thickly here too, it wasn't quite as spectacular as the neighboring hill.

Great light on the lupine

But the lupine was more prolific.  Now early evening, the low-angle sun lit their purple blooms up quite nicely.

Layer-cake Gorge cliffs

Columbia River views were a bit better atop Marsh Hill, and I snapped a few shots of the tiered cliffs on the Washington side.

Eastern Gorge view from Memaloose Overlook

Although I'd considered staying until sunset, the night's fierce winds made me rethink my plans.  It was still a good hour until sunset, and I didn't want endure being buffeted by winds for that long.  So I retraced my steps back down the trail.  Funny enough, after seeing practically no one for the last hour, I encountered several groups (mostly photographers) trekking towards the hills, I assume to capture sunset.  And when I was almost back to the parking area, I ran into a large group of photographers, all lugging tripods, shooting the measly flowers next to the road.  Possibly a photo class?  (They were missing the good flower show further up the trail!)

Sunset on the Columbia

Finally reaching the parking area, I paid a visit to the overlook for a couple of shots up and down the Columbia River.  Then, slowly driving towards Mosier, I pulled over one last time to capture a spectacular sunset over the Gorge.  The wind was blowing so hard I had to brace myself against the car to steady my camera.  But as you can see, I got my shot!

Super glad I took the chance, braved rush hour traffic, and experienced this magical place in the Columbia River Gorge.


(Hike No. 12 done!)  #52hikechallenge

Coyote Wall

Time to post some spring hikes!

I always begin my hiking season in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.  The weather is warmer and the wildflowers bloom earlier.  And - most important of all - when you travel east of the Cascades, there's usually less rain.

You can see why this road was closed

One mid-April Saturday, I chose to revisit a favorite trail on the Washington side of the Gorge, Coyote Wall.  A tall rocky cliff band that extended upwards from the Columbia River, it offered views and wildflowers.

Desert parsley brightens the roadside

In the spring, my hubby usually spends his weekends salmon fishing.  But so far this year's salmon run had been non-existent.  Due to the lack of fish migrating up the Columbia, wildlife officials closed the river to salmon fishing.  So I asked hubby if he wanted to come hiking with me instead.  And - surprise - he said yes!

Official trail start

Although this trail was in the Cascades rain shadow, on my chosen hiking day the forecast called for rain everywhere starting at 11 am.  Hoping to beat the wet stuff (and get a parking spot) my hubby and I left home at an early hour.  We arrived to a nearly empty lot, with only a few mountain bikers unloading nearby.  (The Coyote Wall area trails are shared with mountain bikers)

Purple parsley

The first part of the trail followed an abandoned road.  Littered with boulders fallen from the adjacent cliffs, it wasn't hard to see why this road got re-routed.  Huge clumps of yellow desert parsley poking up between the rocks brightened the roadside.

Small creek crossing

After a half mile, we came upon the trailhead proper.  Several dirt paths branched out from here, climbing the hillside.  From my last visit, I remembered the Little Maui Trail had been a favorite, so directed my hubby to head that way.

Twin cascades

Plentiful spring rains had turned the hillsides into a vivid shade of green.  We climbed past a clump of oak trees, crossed a tiny creek, and continued to wind our way towards the top.  Desert parsley was going strong, adding lots of yellow to the ultra green scene.

Green and yellow make for a colorful scene

As hubby and I ascended, the Columbia River came into view.  Briefly interrupted by a couple of polite mountain bikers, we continued our climb up the plush hillside, dodging rocks and peeping at the wildflowers dotting the slopes (well, I was looking at the wildflowers.  My fleet-footed hubby continued trekking up the hill!)

Little Maui Trail

The Little Maui trail features a creek flowing through the meadows, with two lovely waterfalls.  Although not very tall, framed by the green vegetation and yellow flowers, I thought they were most lovely - a welcome surprise in this arid portion of the Gorge.

Beautiful cascade

My hubby is a fast walker and hikes with a purpose.  I'm a meanderer, taking my time, and stopping to photograph whatever catches my eye.  Sometimes our hiking styles clash.  But today, hubby was patient, stopping to wait several times. 

Wet trail crossing

We crossed a wide gushing creek near the top of the first hills.  The trail then contoured across the slope before coming to our first major junction with the Old Ranch Road.  Taking one final look at the Columbia River winding eastward, I put my head down and began the steep climb up the side of Coyote Wall.

Lone oak and Gorge views

I'd been hoping to see some balsamroot flowers in bloom.  But so far, no luck.  Then, in the middle of my steep climb, I spotted some large yellow flowers ahead.  Could it be?  Yes, yes it was!

First balsamroot of the year!

The balsamroot was just beginning to bloom.  Happily, I pulled out my camera for an extended photo break.

Balsamroot lines the cliff edge

Our trail now followed an old road that paralleled the edge of Coyote Wall's steep, rocky canyon.  As I climbed, views opened up to the west.  I could see the Oregon side of the Gorge, and even spotted Mt Hood's white tip.

Heading down along the Little Moab trail

Although the trail climbed all the way along the cliff's perimeter, about halfway up, it dived into some thick, oak woods.  Knowing this oak forest had a reputation for ticks in the spring, my hubby and I decided to make the grove our day's turn-around point. 

Fantastic views along the ridge

For our return, I directed hubby to follow the Little Moab trail, that followed the very edge of Coyote Wall's rugged, rocky cliffs.  Oh, were the views amazing!

Coyote Wall

Not only did we have a front-row view of Coyote Wall itself, we also had in-your-face views of the Columbia River, spread out before us.  As we ascended, I noticed the clouds thickening.  Uh-oh, the predicted rain was on it's way.

Barge on the Columbia River

At one viewpoint, I spotted a barge motoring down the Columbia.  Looking over the cliff edge, I also got a glimpse of the parking area, now overflowing with vehicles.  The cars were so tiny - we still had a long ways to descend.

Well signed trails

By now it was late morning, and the rest of the world had finally awoke.  In addition to mountain bikers, hubby and I encountered a steady stream of hikers, a few in large groups.  Except for a handful of mountain bikers and three hiking parties, we'd had the trails nearly to ourselves all morning.  Starting early has it's benefits!

Freight train passing by

We ended the day's loop back at the old road.  As hubby and I followed the road back to our car, a freight train thundered down the adjacent tracks, providing me another subject.  Although cloudy skies gave a blah background, it was still a cool photo op.

Time for lunch!  After refueling at a nearby brewpub, I turned the car towards home.  As we left the parking lot, drops began to fall from the sky and quickly escalated into a full-blown rainstorm.  Another benefit to starting early - we avoided a soaking on the trail.  (Judging by the sheer number of people we saw heading up the trail, I'm sure lots of hikers did not!)

A lovely (dry) spring morning in the Gorge with my hubby.  Five miles, 1500 feet elevation gain, and hike number 10 of my 52 hike challenge!

Tulip Time

Well....it was tulip time about 2 months ago, but being terminally behind on my posts, you get to see it now!  Better late than never huh?

The famous pink tractor

In mid-April my neighbor, mentor and all-around photography buddy Cheri mentioned we should take a trip out to the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm near Woodburn, Oregon.  Every year this huge farm opens it's doors when their tulip fields begin to bloom.  And boy is it a sight!

Tulip fields pre-sunrise

I'd first visited Wooden Shoe back in 2015.  It was so pretty I vowed to return every year.  Well, life got in the way, and I hadn't been back since.  So I was all in favor of reacquainting myself via an early morning photography session.

Sunrise was a dud, but we did get some pink-tinged clouds

So Cheri and I rose at an ungodly early hour one Friday morning and made the dark and foggy drive out to the tulip farm.  Once arrived, we pulled on our mud boots (it had been rainy the week prior and we'd been warned about boggy fields).

Sunrise over the pink tractor

In the early morning darkness we trudged out to the colorful fields, looking for the best place to set up for sunrise shots.  Wooden Shoe likes to place different props in their fields, and Cheri spotted the famous pink tractor.  A small group of photographers were gathering nearby, so we headed over.

Multicolored stripes

We decided on a spot near the pink tractor and unfurled our tripods.  Cheri had brought her flash unit, and experimented with a few flash images of the tulips.  I turned up my ISO and tried several super-long exposures of the darkened fields.

Huge field of lovely red tulips

And then, the sunrise came.  Well, sort of.  The cloudy sky lightened, and the clouds were briefly tinged with a slight pink hue.  Quite underwhelming.

Cheri in her element

Since sunrise had been such a dud, Cheri and I focused on the flowers.  Rows and rows of colorful tulips demanded our camera's attention.  No shortage of subject matter here!

Raindrops on pink tulips

For such an early hour quite a few people were milling about the fields.  Lots of photographers lugging tripods vied for the best spots.  It was hard to stay out of each other's way but most folks were considerate.  However, one clueless lady plopped her tripod right next to the pink tractor, smack-dab in several photographer's shots (Cheri and I included).  Cheri wasn't shy (and neither was I) at telling her to move.

Loved these two-color ones

Rain had fallen the night before and I loved getting some close-up images of droplet-speckled petals.

Backlit raindrops

Sun shining behind the dewdrops made for some cool images.

More bands of color

Cheri and I meandered our way across the fields, stopping often to click on something that caught our eye.

So much to photograph!

The fields were nearing full bloom, and the horizontal stripes of different colored tulips were stunning.

I liked these spiky tulips

I never knew there were so many varieties of tulips.  Like these with spiky petals on top.

Field of spiky ones

But my most favorite flower patch was the one with different colored tulips.

My favorite was the multicolored tulips

I just loved all the varieties of color!  Wooden Shoe had placed their windmill next to the multicolored patch and it made for some good photo ops.  However, the light wasn't shining in quite the right direction.  No problem, we photographers make do.

Windmill and tulips

Such an explosion of color!  Why did I wait so long to return to this place?  Never again!

Bold colors

Of course, the place sells lots of bulbs and fresh cut tulips, and I couldn't leave without snagging a lovely bouquet of my own.

One more close up!

Thanks Cheri for another wonderful morning of photography!