Before the Flowers

Let's transport ourselves back to the beginning of this month.  A time when Coronavirus was still a far-away illness on the other side of the world.  Back when we could still hike the local trails. 

One sunny, but chilly late winter's day, my friends Young and John invited me for a trek in the far eastern Columbia River Gorge.

Immediate mountain views

Oftentimes when the western Gorge is rainy, driving a mere 60 miles further east produces radically different weather.  Even when Portland weather is gray, the eastern Gorge has a reputation for perpetually sunny skies.

Sweeping panorama

With that in mind, Young and John wanted to hike the trails at Washington's Columbia Hills State Park.  Home of the Dalles Mountain Ranch, it's one of my favorite spring wildflower haunts.  But, since flowers don't usually peak here until mid to late-April, I was surprised my friends wanted to hike in early March.  Having never visited any other time of the year, I had my doubts.  Would there be anything interesting to see right now?

Rocky road

But, desiring to get some hiking miles in and catch up with my friends, I accepted their invitation.

Gnarled oak trees

Despite sunny skies, a chill wind blew as we stepped out of John's truck at the trailhead.  He'd parked at the Crawford Oaks Trailhead off of State Route 14.  All my previous visits to this park, I'd driven straight to the historic ranch buildings, three miles due north from here.  So today I'd be traversing a "new to me" trail!

Small creek cossing

The climbing started right off the bat, as my friends and I huffed and puffed up a steep, rocky abandoned road.  But quickly warmed by our efforts, the rewards came quickly.  We were treated to fabulous Mt Hood and Columbia River views after the first quarter mile.  Tall basalt cliffs rose vertically from the river's edge.

Huge transmission towers from the nearby dam

The first mile was a steep climb up and over those cliffs via an abandoned road.  Then our track dived downhill to cross a tiny creek lined with gnarly oak trees.

Crossing under the powerlines

Past the creek, trails branched out in both directions.  One was a direct path to the famous ranch buildings and spring flower fields.  However, the other featured a wide loop meandering through rolling hills, eventually connecting back to the ranch.  Wanting to get maximum mileage for the day, my friends chose the longer loop.

Late-blooming grass widow

More climbing!  My friends and I ascended another steep slope through barren grasslands.  Huge electrical transmission towers lined the top of the hills.  Transporting power directly from the nearby Dalles Dam, these structures were impressive.  Both Young and John are engineers who work for local power suppliers, so it was interesting to hear their "shop talk" about the powerlines.

Last of the grass widows

Although the big wildflower season was still weeks away, I was delighted to spot a few straggler grass widows pushing up from the prairie.  These delicate purple flowers have the distinction of being the first spring wildflowers in the Eastern Gorge.  Although usually not prevalent until early March, a warmer-than-normal winter caused an especially early grass widow bloom this year, and their season was now already nearly over.

On top of the plateau, views were fantastic

As we climbed, the views kept getting better.  I'd stop to grab a photo, only to find a much better vantage point further up the trail and stop again.  Progress was glacially slow.  I finally had to pack the camera away and hoof it up the rest of the hill to catch up with my friends.

Reading the plaque

At the very apex of the final hill was a stunning viewpoint.  The Columbia River spread out in both directions, framed by stair-stepping basalt cliffs.  A single plaque explained the geology of the region, stating the Gorge was created by massive floods from melting glaciers throughout the ice age.

Mt Hood was our companion all day

Now our trail turned towards the ranch, contouring across rolling beige hills.  Young mentioned these same hills would be covered in yellow balsamroot blooms by mid-April.  

Lone oak on the prairie

Although stark, the emptiness had a beauty all its own.  I enjoyed walking through these wide-open spaces.  They reminded me of the South Dakota prairies of my childhood.

A massive old tree!

We came upon a familiar road and fence line.  This was where I'd come for several years to photograph the wildflowers.  Without the colorful blooms it looked like a totally different place.

Fancy lunch accomodations

Young and John crossed the main ranch road, and hiked up a small hill to the main parking area with a restroom and picnic tables.  Perfect place to stop for lunch!  Normally used to sitting on the ground and eating lunch, my friends and I relished the luxury of having an actual table.

Looking back at the Dalles Mtn Ranch

But oh, was the wind howling!  It forced my friends and I to bundle up.  Lucky for us we'd brought our thermoses of hot tea, which warmed our insides.

Heading back

On our return trek, having not seen anyone except a couple of women all morning (who warned us vehemently about ticks) my friends and I ran into several hiking parties.  We even saw two people on horseback from a distance.

Winding down to the creek crossing

Even with the other hikers, the trails were still mighty empty out here in the Eastern Gorge.  After braving the crowded trails around the Oregon Gorge waterfall corridor, it was a welcome change.  Give it another month though - once the wildflowers start blooming, this place will be crawling with people.

Basalt layers and the Columbia River

Well in a normal year it would have.  Thanks to COVID-19, his state park, along with all the state parks in Oregon and Washington are now closed indefinitely.  In light of current events, I'm glad I decided to join my friends on this hike when I did.

Happy hiker

This year it looks like I'm going to miss the entire Columbia River Gorge wildflower bloom.  Although I've had the privilege to photograph this special event for many years, I'm sad to miss one of my favorite seasons.  Yes, I know it will be there next year and I can always look at past images to tide me over for now.


Want to see what this place looks like when the flowers bloom?  Check out my post from 2016.

Beauty Amidst Chaos

What a crazy, unsettling week it's been.  The coronavirus hit my state and life has changed.  Monday, my office abruptly announced it was closing, and all employees that could had to telework.  What followed was a mad scramble on my part to secure a laptop and learn how to log into my work's computer system remotely.  Friday, it was announced that two employees in my building were exhibiting coronavirus symptoms.  Luckily these folks were not from my floor, but still scary and upsetting all the same.

Thinking a hike would be a great stress reliever, I used my Friday off to explore one of the Columbia River Gorge trails.  Although I picked a less-traveled loop, I still encountered many more people than expected - and some weren't doing a good job of social distancing.

Not wanting to add to the crowds, and keep any germs I may have to myself, I made the decision to stay put at home for the entire weekend.

The weather was gorgeous - warm and sunny.  The flowers and trees here in Western Oregon are in full bloom.  With so much beauty nearby, it's easy to forget about the pandemic looming.

Since I wasn't hiking to any stunning places I instead decided to capture the spring blooms in my own backyard. 

Our plum tree is in full blossom mode, the tulips are just beginning to bloom, and there's still a few daffodils sporting cheerful yellow flowers.

Despite our governor's plea to stay home the Columbia River Gorge and Oregon coast were packed with people this weekend.  I fully expect a lockdown to be announced tomorrow in my metropolitan area, if not statewide.  If it slows the virus spread and saves lives, I'm all for it.

I hope the photos in this post will give my readers some happiness in these scary times.  Stay safe and healthy - but most important, stay home if you can!

Morning Glory

Lately I've been digging sunrises.  It all started one morning in late January when I was driving up to Mt Hood for a day of skiing.  The sky erupted into the most spectacular colors, enhanced by unusual pebble-shaped cloud formations.  The hues ranged from pinks to reds to orange.  Later, a multitude of photos showcasing this spectacular sunrise graced local social media.  Of course since I was a.) driving and b.) didn't have my good camera with me, all I could do was to gaze longingly at this amazing sky show - and try not to drive off the road.

Fantastic sunrise at Jonsrud Viewpoint

Now I'd caught the sunrise bug.  Having seen lots of photos from a place called Jonsrud Viewpoint, and realizing this vista was not far off my route to the mountain, I decided to make a stop on my next trip.  Two weeks later, I arrived at the viewpoint just in time to watch the sun crest over the mountains.  After capturing the above image I was smitten with the fabulous views of Mt Hood and the Sandy River valley.  How had I missed out on this place until now?

Morning sky at Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint

The following weekend, a nice sunrise was predicted for Saturday morning.  On my way through the Columbia River Gorge to the day's destination, I decided to leave my house early enough to catch daybreak.  I arrived at the Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint in plenty of time and sat in my cold, dark car for half an hour before the sky began turning colors.

Classic Gorge vista

Although not as impressive as the first late-January sunrise, it was pretty all the same.  The Women's Forum viewpoint is always a great place to capture stunning Gorge panoramas.

Back to Jonsrud for another try

One late-February morning I was back at, stopping by my new favorite vantage point for another sunrise.  Now a month later meant getting up even earlier to catch the sun.  But I arrived at Jonsrud with a few minutes to spare.  This time fog cloaked the Sandy River valley, adding a bit of mystery to my images.

This place doesn't disappoint!

One advantage of Daylight Savings time - it pushed the sunrise back one hour.  Now I don't have to get up quite as early, at least for awhile.  I see more lovely sunrises in my future - Think I'll charge up my camera battery and stop by Jonsrud viewpoint on my way to the mountain this weekend! 

Stay tuned.....

June Lake, One Year Later

After playing catch-up for like, ever, it's time for a post that's a little more current.  Guess what - this one actually occurred in the same month I'm writing about it!

Two weekends ago, I convinced my hubby to join me on a snowshoeing outing to lovely June Lake, on Mt St Helens' south side.

Blue sky and frosty trees

I'd had a terrific snowshoeing trip here last February.  As a matter of fact, this day's trek happened almost exactly a year later (only off by one day!)

Sunlight made the snow sparkle

Remembering that the trailhead parking lot filled quickly, I made my hubby rise early and we drove through darkness and fog for half of the two-hour journey.  Highlights included seeing two large elk herds very close to the road.  Our early start paid off with our choice of parking spots.  As a matter of fact, we were the only hikers - the rest of the vehicles parked here were large trucks hauling snowmobile trailers.  (I had no idea snowmobilers were such early birds.  Now I know!)

One of many sunbursts

A thick blanket of snow had fallen overnight, coating the trees with beautiful white goodness.  As hubby and I began our walk through the woods, I was delighted to see blue sky and sunshine breaking through the clouds.

Taking a breather by an unfrozen creek

The first mile was on a series of trails paralleling the closed road.  Being the first people that morning also involved breaking trail though six inches of snow and a bit of route-finding through the woods.  Due to low snowpack, we had one especially interesting creek crossing.  No snowbridge covering the water meant hubby and I had to slide down the creek bank and clamber up the other side.  I was sad to see the low snowpack - it was nearly half of 2019's amount. 

Last year the snow almost covered this sign

No place was the low snow level more apparent than at the June Lake Trailhead sign.  I remembered from 2019 that snow nearly covered this sign.  For comparison, take a look at last year's post here. 

Our only glimpse of MSH all day

From the official June Lake Trailhead, hubby and began climbing through a forest of beautiful snow-flocked trees.  Occasional openings in the woods gave teaser glimpses of Mt St Helens' base.  Although the sky overhead was blue, the mountain itself hid under foggy clouds all day.  This was as good a view as we got.

Random trail photo

Because we'd started so early hubby and I had the trail nearly to ourselves.  On our way up to June Lake, the only other people we ran into were a couple with their dogs heading back down.

Crossing a snow-covered bridge

I'd forgotten what a climb it was to reach June Lake!  Although only 500 feet in elevation gain over a mile and a half, we were huffing and puffing and shedding clothing.  I was more than ready for an early lunch break and kept hoping the lake was just around the next bend.

Happiness at June Lake

When we finally reached a snow-covered bridge, I knew the lake wasn't far.  Trudging up from the bridge, I saw the familiar cliff face surrounding one side.  Hooray!

Unnamed waterfall at June Lake

Although only 10:30 in the morning, hubby and I inhaled our sandwiches.  We then sat by the shore and admired the waterfall cascading down the rock wall on the opposite side.  Although last year the lake's waters were frozen solid, this year's mild winter meant no ice had formed on it's surface.

Enjoying a nip of "winter warmer"

For winter adventures, I always pack a thermos of hot tea.  It's always nice to have something that warms me from inside.  This time, hubby also packed a flask of bourbon.  A nip of this "warmer" tasted mighty fine on a cold winter's day.  Almost better than tea!  (well, almost)

Not bad for propping the camera on my backpack!

Although I was hoping to follow the same loop hike as last year's journey, the low snow foiled my plans.  The next segment of trail crossed a boulder field, and since there wasn't a large amount of snow filling in the spaces between the rocks, I was afraid of slipping into a crevice.  So to be safe, hubby and I decided to retrace our steps back the way we came.

Snow falling off trees

The return trip through the forest was just as lovely.  By now, rising temperatures were melting the snow on the tree branches, and huge clumps were sliding off all around us.  We had to be careful not to end up under a tree when it was releasing it's load.

Packed trail through the snow

After a few near-misses, I got creamed by a branch full of snow.  Then hubby got sideswiped by a "tree bomb."  No harm done - we just laughed and brushed ourselves off. 

Getting bombed by falling snow

By now the rest of the hiking world had woken up, and we met a steady stream of people on our way down.  Popular among snowshoers, Hubby and I had been lucky to have June Lake all to ourselves the entire time.

Nice photo of hubby

Finally reaching the road, I realized my left heel was bothering me.  Removing my boot, I was dismayed to discover a huge blister had formed on my heel.  What a rookie mistake!  Having hiked for miles last year with no issues, I couldn't believe it.  But - I had worn my snow boots instead of my trusty hiking boots and my feet apparently weren't used to them.  (Note to self - wear hiking boots on the next snowshoe trip)

Walking the road back

Not wanting to brave the creek crossing a second time, we ended up walking on the closed road most of the way back to the parking area.  Closing the loop, we'd logged a respectable 6 miles for the day. It was fun to revisit a favorite snowshoe trail, and interesting (and a little sobering) to see how much snow conditions varied from year to year.

Another great outing, and hike No. 4 for 2020.

An Autumn Tour Through Silver Falls State Park

If you're gonna be late, be very late.  That's why I'm just now getting around to posting photos from what was a great autumn color season in NW Oregon.

South Falls, Silver Falls State Park

From past experience visiting Silver Falls State Park, I knew that peak fall color usually occurred in mid-October.  So my photo-buddy Cheri and I hatched a plan to visit on the third weekend of that month.

Moss and golden leaves

Prepare to be amazed!  Silver Falls State Park is a waterfall lovers paradise that I visit every year in the fall.  Not only does it boast ten beautiful cascades, the surrounding forest erupts in one of the best displays of autumn color anywhere.

More trail scenery

The day of our planned visit was a typical Pacific NW rainy, misty day.  Perfect conditions for photography - cloudy, even light made for zero shadows and vivid colors.

Silver Creek view

From the south parking area, Cheri and I first stopped at the overlook to South Falls.  I was happy to see the adjacent tree in peak color - a fiery bright orange.

Those mossy tree branches made great photo subjects

After recording copious images, Cheri and I slowly made our way down the trail to the waterfall's base, snapping shots of the lovely golden foliage and mossy tree branches lining our path.

Another shot of South Falls

Not only does Silver Falls State Park have a slew of fantastic waterfalls, the surrounding Bigleaf maple forest is equally stunning.

Fog, moss and leaves

Mossy tree branches stretching over the trail looked like old, gnarled arms.

Colorful vine maple leaves

Fantastic fall leaves weren't confined to the canyon where all the waterfalls resided.  Cheri and I also discovered some colorful vine maple trees right next to the parking lot.

Vine maple adjacent to the parking lot

I love vine maple as their leaves erupt in red, orange and yellow.  A cornucopia of color!

Cheri blends into the leaves

Cheri's bright yellow raincoat blended perfectly with the golden vine maple leaves.  Can you spot her?

Fall colors on North Falls Trail

From photos recently posted on the internet, I knew the canyon below North Falls was sporting some fantastic fall colors.  I suggested to Cheri that we check it out.

North Falls Trail

The trail to this cascade is short.  However, the fabulous golden leaves along the trail delayed our cameras so much I was beginning to wonder if we'd ever get there!  (A good problem to have)

Behind North Falls

The cool thing about this waterfall is the trail directs hikers to deep grotto behind the cascade.  The views looking out into the forest from behind it's watery curtain are first-rate.

My fave shot behind North Falls

And of course the fantastic autumn colors made this great view even better!  Recent rains had North Falls absolutely roaring, and the force of the water tumbling over it's dropoff was spectacular.  Cheri suggested instead of photographing the cascade using a slow shutter speed (like I usually do) to freeze the churning water with a fast shutter.  I took her advice and really liked the way my photos turned out.

One more North Falls image

Silver Falls State Park in autumn never disappoints!  I visit this park every year, and think this was one of the best fall color shows I've ever seen here.  Glad Cheri and I were able to hit it at peak leaf color. 

Hope you enjoyed the show.