Catherine Creek

 The grass widows are blooming!

Dew-dropped grass widows

Mid-February, and wildflowers were already appearing in the eastern Gorge.  Continuing unseasonably warm weather was the culprit.  It was becoming painfully apparent that winter had decided to skip the Pacific NW.

The little flowers were everywhere!

February is my birthday month.  For several years now, I've had a tradition - taking my B-day off work and going skiing.  This year, I planned to do the same.

Flowers dot the landscape

But my friend who I'd planned to ski with, ended up sick and had to cancel.  I thought about driving up to the mountain by myself, but skiing the prior day had wiped me out.  And the snow really wasn't that good.  Hmmm......I'd read reports of grass widows blooming at Catherine Creek.  Maybe a birthday hike?

The road led through an oak forest

So B-day morning found me bypassing Mt. Hood in favor of the Columbia River Gorge.  I pointed my car east, crossing the Columbia at Hood River, and traveling the Washington side to Catherine Creek.

Catherine Creek

Although the Columbia River Gorge's western end is green and lush, once you've passed the Cascade Mountain's eastern slopes, things dramatically change.  Tall stately, Douglas Firs are swapped for scrubby oak and ponderosa pine forests.  Wide open grasslands replace thick vegetation.  It's a totally different environment.

Old corral

Here in the eastern Gorge, an abandoned ranch in a grassy canyon has been preserved as a natural conservation site.  It's a lovely wild area of wide-open spaces, unique rock formations, and prolific wildflowers.

The rock arch

Although the eastern Gorge gets blistering hot weather in summer, spring conditions are quite pleasant.  And as an added bonus, wildflowers of many varieties bloom throughout this season.  Most well known are the grass widows.  Their delicate, purple petals normally unfold in mid-March.  But not this year.

Weathered wood close-up

Even before I stepped out of my car, I spotted traces of purple mixed in the grassy pasture.  The adjacent field was chock-full of grass widows.  My photo session began in the parking lot. 

Someone made an arch of their own

After spending several minutes wandering around the first field, I tore myself away, and headed down the trail.  Following an abandoned ranch road, it led visitors along Catherine Creek, and into a canyon bottom.

More rock art

So many interesting photo subjects!  A grove of old gnarly oaks, the rushing blue waters of the creek, an old wooden corral, and a steep rimrock canyon, complete with a natural rock arch.  And, of course, more flowers.

Widows in the meadow

After wandering around the corral, and gaping at the magnificent arch, I followed the trail as it wound up along the canyon's rim, climbing out of the valley and onto a high plateau overlooking the Columbia River.

Foggy skies

I admired a couple of rock art pieces along the trail.  Someone had constructed a large, sturdy cairn, and their very own stone arch!

Dew-spangled flower

The plateau's broad open grassland normally gave visitors expansive views of the Columbia River below.  But today high clouds obscured much of the river.  Although the murky sky didn't make for great landscape photos, it did mean shadow-free light to photograph flowers.  And I did.

More lovely grass widows

The grass widows in this upper meadows were exquisite.  Dotted with dewdrops from the morning's precip, these purple beauties made great subjects.

Looking across the canyon

I stood on my high vantage point, taking in the views, enjoying some cookies, and reading Facebook birthday wishes from my phone.  Numerous greetings from friends and family made me smile.

Hiking along canyon's edge

Many informal user trails criss-crossed the meadow.  Choosing the most well-used, I meandered back towards the river.  This path eventually came out atop the canyon's rim, and began to follow it downward.  The clouds started to lift, and I caught glimpses of the valley below.

A fence to keep people off the arch

In time, my path wandered by the top of the rock arch.  To protect the arch, park officials had constructed a sturdy log fence designed to keep people away.

A man who thought the rules didn't apply to him

Sadly some folks don't think the rules apply to them.  While walking by, I witnessed a young man vault the fence, and clamber out onto the knife-edge tip of the arch.  Looking at his precarious position, I thought it would serve him right if he slipped and fell (natural selection...?)

Of course, I really didn't want to see someone get hurt, and was relieved to later glimpse the guy and his girlfriend following me down the trail.

Columbia River view

By the time I'd returned to the parking area, the day's murky skies had begun to clear.  I crossed the road, and ambled a short distance on a paved pathway to get a few Columbia River views.  Grass widows were thick here also, and made great foreground subjects to my river shots.

Obligatory trail sign photo

I returned to my car with a full memory card and smile on my face.  Fantastic weather, wonderful scenery, and lovely wildflowers.  Not a bad way to spend a birthday!


Sharing with:  Good Fences and Weekly Top Shot and Scenic Weekends

Making the Best of a Crummy Winter

For us Pacific NW skiers, it's been a horrible winter.  With the exception of Christmas week, and a small MLK weekend dusting, there's been NO SNOWFALL in our mountains.  The weather's been an endless string of unseasonably warm days.  And things are looking mighty bare.

I know all you folks back east are cursing the tons of snow and cold temps, and wishing for some of this warm weather.  But out here, we depend upon mountain snowpack for our summer water supply.  No snow = water shortages and forest fires.  It's not just crazy skiers like me that are lamenting the lack of winter.  (Wish we could trade weather!)

But, each Thursday, my ski bus has been faithfully making the trip up Mt. Hood, giving us diehard skiers our weekly fix.

We ski on whatever meager snow there is.  And no matter the conditions, we're thankful for it.

So today's post is a salute to all my ski bus friends who've embraced this crummy winter and are having a good time anyway.

Like this lady, all decked out in pink for Valentine's Day!

I tell myself these sunny days mean amazing views of my favorite mountain.  And dodging all these rocks is making me a better slalom skier!

Warm temps mean no windy, cold chairlift rides.

Endless solar energy turns icy slopes into nice, soft corn snow - perfect for making turns (until it gets too soft and tranforms into mashed potatoes....)

Endless blue skies......usually a PNW winter rarity!  We've had to stock up on sunscreen and locate missing sunglasses (items that normally aren't needed around here until.....um....June).

Springlike weather means enjoying a beer on the lodge patio.

Cheers!

My fellow bus-mates are a celebrating bunch.  Not only do we observe Valentine's Day, we also hand out special awards.  Here's to my buddy Dave, an avid skier and bus rider, this year's proud recipient of the "Purple PECR" award!  Congrats!

And here's to all my friends in the "Back of the Bus" Gang.  Rides home are never boring!

Lastly, clear, sunny skies make great conditions for recording with the GoPro.  Enjoy my latest video offering.

The lesson is, even if Mother Nature is stingy in the snow dept, get out there anyway!  At least my bus buddies and I do.  We're making the best of this crummy winter.

(Hey, it's still better than going to work!)

Sharing with:  Our World Tuesday.

Wahclella Falls

Now that my foot was nearly healed, I had a huge hankerin' to visit some waterfalls.  There's no better place to see beautiful cascades than the Columbia River Gorge.  Time to reacquaint myself!

Nice trailhead sign

Two weekends ago, all of western Oregon was being drenched by a "pineapple express" rainstorm.  Unless I wanted to get soaked, hiking didn't look very probable.  However, the weatherman predicted a break in the precip for Sunday afternoon.  Being the optimist I am, I decided to sneak in a quick hike.

The trail starts on a wide road

The Gorge is full of wonderful trails to gorgeous waterfalls.  Seeings as I had to keep the distance short, I opted to visit Wahclella Falls.  A mere two-mile round trip, it fit the bill perfectly.

Moss-coated trees

It had been many years since I'd visited Wahclella.  There's so many amazing cascades in the Gorge, this one is easy to overlook.  Tucked in a steep canyon, it often gets bypassed on the way to other trails.

Tanner Creek surrounded by lots of green

Leaving my house around noon, rain battered my windshield the entire drive.  I was beginning to doubt the weatherman's forecast.  But by the time I located a parking spot, the sky had dried up.  What timing!

The trail began to narrow

The trail began on a wide road paralleling lovely Tanner Creek.  The water was high and fast-moving from the weekend's heavy rainfall.  Everything on both banks was coated with a carpet of thick, bright green moss.

Gorgeous forest

The creek was absolutely gorgeous.  It captivated me and my camera from the very start.  I kept stopping every couple of yards to capture yet another wonderful shot.  It took quite a bit of time just to travel the first quarter mile.

Moss close-up

Because this trail is so short, it's very popular.  Families with kids, and other casual hikers made up most of the crowd.  I was surprised to see so many people on a rainy February day.

Getting closer to the falls

I finally tore myself away from Tanner Creek's wonderful scenery, and hoofed it down the rest of the road.  It ended at an intake dam for a nearby fish hatchery, and from that point transitioned to a normal trail.  Still following the creek, I continued on.

Small trickle from the cliffs

The further I traveled down the trail, the higher and steeper the adjacent canyon became.  I crossed a sturdy wooden footbridge with the gushing creek below.  Recent heavy rains had created wispy waterfalls that trickled from high up the canyon walls.

Wahclella Falls in sight!

Not far beyond the bridge, I began to hear the telltale roar of a waterfall.  Looking up ahead, I spied Wahclella's tiered cascade straight ahead.  Squeezing between a slot in the canyon walls, it looked even better than I'd remembered.  Why had I waited so long to return?

Creek-level view

I snapped many photos from the creek bank.  As there were many people hiking by, I had to patiently wait for the bridge to clear for many of my shots.

Photo from the bridge

Finally I moved up to the bridge closest to the falls.  Perching my tripod on the narrow plank, I captured some great shots of the roaring cascade and churning creek directly below.

Wahclella Falls is two-tiered - a plunge falling through an upper slot, and a 60-foot tall lower cascade that fans into a thick horsetail.

Churning water below

I attempted to get some photos closer to Wahclella Falls, but the huge volume of water tumbling down the rocks created lots of spray.  Constant mist in the air made it nearly impossible to get any photos.  All mine ended up with water droplets on the lens.  Today I had to be content with admiring this cascade from afar.

Lovely Tanner Creek

After enjoying a lengthy photo session, and a good conversation with another man also trying to photograph the falls, I finally packed up my tripod and headed back the way I came.  Making one final stop on the way out, I captured some of my favorite images of Tanner Creek.

White rapids

But the rain's return cut my photo session short, and I hightailed it for the car.  Luckily, it wasn't far away, and I didn't get too wet.

Glad I was able to squeeze in a short hike on a rainy winter's weekend.  It's nice to be back on the trail chasing waterfalls again!


Sharing with:  Wednesday Around the World.

Fort Clatsop

"Ocian in view! O! the joy."

These words were written in Captain William Clark's journal upon taking his first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean.

Guess where I went?

The most famous journey in American history, the Lewis and Clark expedition traveled over 4,000 miles across the North American continent exploring a huge unknown territory west of the Mississippi River.  Their group spent the winter of 1805-06 near the Oregon coast at a place they named "Fort Clatsop."

A replica of the original fort

In my recent coastal jaunts, I've come within close proximity of the old fort site, now a National Historic Park.  After a couple of readers inquired about it's location, I decided it was time for a visit.

Enlisted men's quarters

On the day of my trip, a huge "pineapple express" rainstorm battered western Oregon.  These warm, extremely wet weather patterns wreak havoc for skiers, as they produce torrential rain, instead of snow, in the mountains.  Although I love skiing, I draw the line at doing it in the rain.  With no trip to the mountains on the agenda, I had to think of somewhere else to go.  That's how I ended up at the coast.

The rain barrels were full!

Throughout my drive west, the rain came down in sheets.  More than once I questioned the wisdom of traveling to the coast on such a stormy day.  Arriving at the fort, the deluge wasn't letting up in the least.  Although these dismal conditions gave a very good picture of what Lewis and Clark endured, I would've welcomed a little less of the wet stuff.

Lewis and Clark's quarters

One benefit of bad weather - I'd have the place to myself.  Pulling my car into a nearly empty lot, I congratulated myself for such good planning.

Thick forest beyond the fort

But, when I stepped into the visitor center, I was surprised to find it full of teenagers.  Two busloads of kids from a nearby school happened to be visiting on the same day as I.  So much for having the place to myself....

Looking out one of the rooms

Still, I'd traveled here specifically to see the fort, and told myself to make the best of it.  After one group of rain poncho-clad kids had exited the visitor's center, I was able to pay my admission and get some maps and literature.  The ladies working here were exceptional.  They were very much into the  history of this place, and full of knowledge that they freely shared.  One women, seeing my camera, directed me to a barrel of loaner umbrellas, specifically for use on days such as today.

River view through the trees

Out the visitor center's back door, signs directed me to the fort.  Although no one knows the exact location where Lewis and Clark spent the winter, historians believe the park is within very close proximity.

Entrance door

A short (and very wet) walk from the visitor center, and there it was, the fort itself.  Built from drawings in Clark's journal, this replica is thought to closely resemble the original Fort Clatsop.  An amazing bit of historic recreation, I felt as if I was going back in time as I passed through it's gates.

Lewis and Clark's room

The fort consisted of two rows of log buildings.  One side had three rooms, and was where most of the men stayed.  The other side housed the storeroom, and two separate rooms, one for Lewis and Clark, and the other for Sacagawea, her husband, and infant son.  A thick log wall surrounded both buildings, with a sturdy gate, which was closed each night.

Thick log structures

I wandered through the buildings, marveling at how dark and cold they were.  I couldn't imagine how dreary it must've been to live here all winter.  One of the rooms was packed full of schoolkids, and a lady dressed in period clothing was giving a talk about the fort.  I stood by the doorway and eavesdropped for awhile.  This lady was an excellent speaker.  I wish I could remember all the facts she was throwing out - living the way these men did, how hard they worked, and how much food they had to harvest to feed themselves.  These people were tough!  We modern folk, in comparison, are a bunch of weenies.

Lewis and Clark River

After listening to the park volunteer for several minutes, I exited the fort and began to explore the surrounding woods.  A trail led to the nearby river (originally called the Netul, it's been renamed the Lewis and Clark River).  Lewis and Clark paddled their canoes up this very river in search of a winter encampment site.

Dugout canoe replica

Wooden boardwalks led visitors to several river viewpoints, and past a dugout canoe replica.  The forest here was thick and lush, with some enormous trees.  Despite the rain, a most beautiful setting!

The fort's back entrance

Some interesting facts about Fort Clatsop:  Lewis and Clark's men built the original fort in 3 1/2 weeks.  The first replica, built in 1955, took 18 months to erect.  It lasted until October 3, 2005, when a fire destroyed the entire structure.  A second replica was finished in 2006, and now features a fire detection system (a necessary modern deviation from the original).

Boardwalk near river's edge

As I walked from the river landing back to the fort, I noticed the rain had stopped.  The only water falling was dripping from tree branches.  Wishing to ditch the umbrella, I made a side trip to the visitor center.

Park volunteers demonstrate a black powder rifle

Now that it wasn't raining, I headed back to the fort in hopes of capturing some better images.  Nearing the structure, I noticed a large group of the schoolkids gathered in a nearby clearing.  One of the adult chaperones told me there was going to be a black powder rifle demonstration very soon.  Curious, I decided to stick around.

The same lady who'd given the terrific talk in the fort demonstrated how a black powder rifle worked.  She held the kid's attention well.  I guess the subject was mighty interesting - who doesn't want to see someone shoot off a gun?  I whipped out my GoPro and captured a short video of the event.

Thick gate

After the demonstration, as the kids dispersed, I wandered back into the fort with my GoPro for one last look around.  The wonderful park lady who'd given such good talks, invited me in to the captain's quarters, and I got a brief bit of footage before my battery died.  The lady explained that this room was normally only open for groups, so it was lucky I'd chosen my visit to coincide with a scheduled tour.  Same with the black powder demonstration - now I was glad those schoolkids were here!

A very interesting look into a huge event in our nation's history.  During summer weekends, Fort Clatsop features costumed reenactments and more ranger-led programs.  A good reason to return!  However, it felt much more authentic to visit this place on a rainy, winter's day.


Sharing with:  Our World Tuesday