Glorious Morning on Tom McCall Point

First a quick health update.  Monday's MRI revealed my brain abscess is almost gone.  Very good news!  The doc wants an additional week of iv antibiotics just to be sure the infection has totally disappeared.  I'm ok with that - I don't want this to ever happen again.  So finally there's a light at the end of the tunnel.  Yahoo!

Pre-sunrise gorge view

Now on to today's blog post.  These photos are from an early May pre-sunrise visit I made to Tom McCall Point, on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge.  I'd come here a week prior, but only had time to wander around the lower Rowena Plateau before rendezvousing with a couple of friends to hike nearby Memaloose Hills. 

 

Colorful sky over Tom McCall Point

Despite an impossibly early wake up call, I managed to drag my sleepy self out of bed and arrived at my chosen sunrise destination with ample time until daybreak.  Wanting a different vantage point than previous trips, I walked out to a flat shelf below Tom McCall point that overlooked the Columbia River and eastern Gorge.

"Here comes the sun.....do, do, do, do, do"

My lofty perch was a good one.  It provided a nice view of the sun as it rose over the hills of the Washington side.  I also was able to capture some pink-tinged, pre-sunrise clouds  hovering over the skies above Tom McCall Point behind me.

My sunrise spot

Tom McCall Point and the lower Rowena Plateau are owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy.  To protect this sensitive area, the Nature Conservancy has established many rules, including one that prohibits dogs (or any pets) on the trails.  There are signs prominently displayed at the trailheads that state this.  So you can imagine my dismay when, right after sunrise, I noticed two young female trail runners starting out on the Tom McCall trail accompanied by a large, unleashed dog.

Flower-lined trail

Don't me wrong - as a former dog owner who took her dog hiking, I love dogs and enjoy seeing them on the trails.  But I never considered taking my dog somewhere he wasn't allowed.  As the runners disappeared up the hill, I chastised myself for not speaking up.  Although I'm usually a non-confrontational person, this incident had my blood boiling.

Oodles of balsamroot!

After the women left, I gathered my gear and began concentrating on capturing some images of the fantastic wildflower display in the meadows immediately below Tom McCall Point.  Every year this area puts on a good show and this display was no exception.  Photographing the showy yellow balsamroot and purple lupine temporarily made me temporarily forget my ire.

Columbia River views

But....a half hour into my photo session I saw the ladies and their dog returning from their run.  They were heading right towards me.  I pondered the situation - should I say something?  Now was my chance.  Finally, with the women within earshot I summoned my courage and said "You know dogs aren't allowed on the trails here."  One woman, averting her eyes as she ran by, mumbled "I know."

Her response made me furious.  I don't remember exactly what I yelled as they retreated, but it was something like "Well, follow the rules then!"

Chocolate tiger lily

I'm sure those ladies expected they wouldn't see anyone at this early hour and thought they could get away with taking their dog.  Although my words probably won't change their behavior, I hope at least it makes them think twice next time they consider taking Fido someplace he's not allowed. 

A local deer family

Okay - rant over.  On to the main reason for this day's visit -  to see and photograph the famous wildflower bloom atop Tom McCall Point.

This meadow was especially colorful

Every year the top of this small hill blossoms into a colorfest of yellows, purples and oranges.  I climbed quickly, trying to minimize the photo stops.  But the wildflowers were many and the views fantastic so my uphill progress wasn't as speedy as I'd hoped.  Despite the early morning canine intrusion, I did spot a family of deer, complete with mama and two babies!  At least the dog hadn't scared them away.

Great Mt Hood view - before the clouds took over

Near the summit, I was treated to some drop-dead gorgeous views of Mt Hood.  Although clouds were swirling around the mountain, I was able to get several unobscured shots of Hood's perfect, white cone.

Flowers and mountain - it doesn't get any better!

The above image was my absolute favorite of the day!  I think you can see why.

Summit wildflower garden

Although I met a couple of early-riser hikers descending, upon reaching Tom McCall's summit, I was happy to discover I had it all to myself. 

One happy hiker

And Mt Hood stayed out of the clouds long enough for a proper summit selfie!

Great Gorge views to the west

The views up here were phenomenal.  The Columbia River and Gorge hills stretched out in both directions, all framed by acres of beautiful wildflowers.  Photo ops abounded!

The trek back down

You could even see the tip of Mt Adams, rising above the Washington side (notice it in the above photo?)

From the lower meadow

After spending an appropriate amount of time on top, capturing everything that caught my eye, I noticed the clouds starting to blot out the lovely Mt Hood view I'd been enjoying.  Good thing I'd hiked up here early.  The people who arrived later would miss out.

Nature's perfection

And miss they would!  As per most of the trails around here, the early riser gets the plum views and vacant paths.  Upon my descent, I encountered dozens of hikers.  Seems no one started before 9 am - and that's fine with me!

A fitting end to a great day!

Another wonderful spring wildflower expedition in the Columbia River Gorge.  Having been denied these places due to COVID closures last year, I was intent on making up for lost time.  I think I did pretty good that day!  Hope you enjoyed all the photos, and sorry for my rant.  :)

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Spring Bird Extravaganza

 Yes, I'm still in South Dakota recovering from my surgery.  Every day I'm feeling better, so fingers crossed I'll be able to end my treatment soon and go home.  To pass the time, I've been busying myself taking lots of photos - from last week's family reunion, to the deer and birds in my parent's backyard, to a early morning trip to Custer State Park where we saw TONS of wildlife!  (Blog post coming soon)

Regal Great Blue Heron posing for me

In the meantime, I've dug up some bird photos from last April.  These images were taken within a week's timeframe, at a park near my house.  It's affectionately referred to by the locals as the "duck pond."  In the spring a wide variety of feathered friends call this place home.

Great Blue Heron being harassed by a red-winged blackbird

There's a very tame Great Blue Heron that hangs around the pond.  The first morning I arrived early and was able to capture an amazing image of the big guy posing on a partially submerged tree branch.  He even flapped his wings for me and I was able to capture the action!  

After that, I walked around the inlet creek/swamp on the west end of the pond and came across another GBH.  This one was being harassed by a red-winged blackbird.  I think the heron was too close to the blackbird's nest and the blackbird was defending it's young.  Whatever the reason it was sure fun to watch (and photograph!)

Bushtit with nesting material

There are a couple of nice wooden fishing docks that provide lake access to local fisherman.  These docks are also great for viewing wildlife.  I caught a bushtit perched on the wire netting at one of the docks, it's mouth full of nesting material.  These birds are one of my favorites - so tiny, nearly round-shaped, with the most expressive faces!

Surprise osprey sighting!

Later that morning I met up with my neighbor Cheri and her friend Dotty.  These ladies had brought out their cameras in hopes of getting some great bird shots.  Cheri knew the lake had recently been stocked with trout.  Not only for fisherman, the recently-added trout also attracted osprey and eagles.  Both ladies hoped to capture one of these birds in mid-catch.

So we sat on a nearby bench and waited.  No action.  Half an hour passed, and Cheri said she had some things to get done, so packed up her camera and left.  Dotty and I continued to sit and chat.  Then, not five minutes later, Dotty noticed a shadow overhead.  Out of nowhere, an osprey flew into the lake, grabbed a fat trout and began to fly away.  It happened so fast Dotty and  I barely had a chance to focus our cameras on the retreating bird.  I did happen to capture one image that was actually in focus (but overexposed so some creative editing was employed).  Dotty, who's a much better photographer than I, got a few great shots.  We both commented that it was a shame Cheri left so early - she missed all the action!  (But never fear, Cheri returned the following morning and got some good pics of a bald eagle grabbing a fish.)

Yellowlegs

The following day, Cheri and I ran down to the park to see what we could photograph.  I was still getting used to my new Canon R6 camera, and it was good practice for me to capture some of the shorebirds.  The focusing system on this camera is much different than anything I've used before and it's been a steep learning curve.

GBH in excellent morning light

Good thing the "duck pond" provides lots of subjects!  Cheri and I caught this GBH illuminated by wonderful morning light.  

Successful capture of GBH in flight

When the GBH had enough of us, he spread his wings and flew away.  But not before I managed to get one good pic of him in flight.

Two woodpeckers in one tree!

In addition to photographers, a lot of local birders visit the "duck pond."  While walking by a huge dead tree, a man pointed out to Cheri and I that two different woodpeckers had made their home in the tree's upper reaches.  It's not everyday you see two different species of woodpeckers in the same place!  The one on the left is a Red-breasted Sapsucker, while the one on the right is a Northern Flicker.

Commorant

Although not as photogenic, this Cormorant was in such good light Cheri and I couldn't resist shooting a few images.

Fluffy new gosling

The other wonderful thing about the "duck pond" in spring - baby ducks and geese!  However for the first two days, both were elusive.  Other birders and photographers tried to point me in the right direction but I always just missed seeing the young 'uns.

Gosling nap time

Then on the third day I hit the jackpot.  Arriving about an hour before sunset, two groups of goslings were out with their parents.  There's nothing quite as precious as seeing newborn baby goslings tucked under their mother's wings, deep in slumber.

Snacking on fresh greens

Later, the parents roused the goslings and they waddled over to a small creek to begin feeding.  The babies were so close I was able to get some great images with the zoom lens.

Someone isn't happy!

I even captured a squabble between the youngsters!

Mother goose taking her goslings and leaving

But after awhile the parents grew tired of being the subject of my camera.  Gathering the brood, they swam away to an inaccessible area of the park.  By that time I'd filled my memory card with tons of images so it was okay.

I hope you've enjoyed some of my favorite bird images from this spring,  With all this downtime, I'm hoping to keep busy posting more stuff from April and May's adventures - with a few more recent South Dakota stuff thrown in.  Heck, maybe I'll even get caught up!  (Wishful thinking)

The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota

One of the unexpected benefits of my extended South Dakota stay has been having more time to fully explore the area.  In the past my yearly visits have been compressed into a frantic timeframe of 5-7 days - not nearly enough to accomplish everything I'd like.

Beautiful roadside wildflowers

But now on week four of my visit, I'm happy to report that despite having to lay low for the first several days I've recovered enough to actually start getting out and doing things.

Penstemon

A week ago my sister invited me to spend an overnight at her cabin deep in the heart of the Black Hills. Eager to get out and see some new scenery I leapt at the chance.

The locals watching my every move

Access to the cabin required a drive through a series of gravel Forest Service roads.  Noticing a large patch of lovely wildflowers lining one of the roads, my sis stopped the car so I could get some photographs.  A local cow herd took notice and they all stopped and stared.  (Is it just me or do other folks get the urge to yell "moo!" whenever they see a bunch of cows?)

Fantastic surprise sunset

My sister's cabin is quite amazing.  It's completely off the grid.  Her husband designed the entire structure, down to the solar panels that provide electricity, to the cistern that provides water.  Buried propane tanks power things such as the stove and washer and drier.  There's even a hot tub on the huge outdoor deck.  The cabin took my sis and her hubby 4 years to build and it's almost complete - only some flooring, interior railing and the fireplace left.

Before sunrise

My sis and I sat outside on her deck and watched a thunderstorm build.  We thought due to the cloudy skies sunset would be a bust.  But we couldn't have been more wrong.  When the sun began dropping to the horizon, it backlit the clouds in lovely hues of orange and yellow.   Breathtaking!

Lovely backlit pine trees

The cabin was built on a high point, so I soaked in splendid views of a 360 degree forest panorama, including a couple of local peaks.  It was fun to watch the thunderstorm move through the area and observe sheets of rain soaking nearby hills.  When the lightning got a little close for comfort (for me anyway), we moved inside and watched the light show from a safer vantage. 

Sunrise over the Black Hills

Ever since my surgery I haven't been sleeping well, so the next morning when I awoke at 4 am and couldn't get back to sleep, I decided to get up and capture the sunrise.  A good decision!  Lingering clouds from the previous night's thunderstorm provided a treat for my camera lens.

Wild rose

After breakfast, my sis suggested driving one of her ATV's around the nearby Forest Service roads.  Since I'm not really supposed to be hiking yet, this was the next best thing.

Wild roses were blooming everywhere!

Every time I've visited South Dakota in the past I've always missed peak wildflower season.  Not this year!  I was impressed by the amount and variety of wildflowers blooming in the forest. Wild roses were everywhere.  Their bright pink blossoms always make me smile.

My sis and her dog enjoying the day

Although I recognized many familiar wildflowers, there were a couple "new to me" blooms.   Such as these gorgeous white Indian Paintbrush.  I've seen orange, red and even yellow but never white.

White Indian Paintbrush

And this two-tone orange and yellow flower, that looked similar to a daisy, was quite stunning.  Not sure of the name, so a bit of internet research is in order!

Backlit wildflower

But my favorite wildflower of them all was the wild tiger lily.  Absolutely sensational!  We have tiger lilies in Oregon but they are smaller and a much brighter orange hue.  This photo of a dew-spangled tiger lily bloom was my number one image from the day. 

South Dakota tiger lily

While trying to photograph a couple of coneflowers I got lucky when a butterfly landed on one of the blooms.  That hardly ever happens!

Accidental butterfly capture!

Although it was fun to ride around in the ATV and see so many sights, I discovered it tired me out quickly.  It's been hard to slow myself down - now that I'm feeling good I want to resume my life as is was.  I have to keep reminding myself I went through a major event and my body is still healing.  So I told my sis I'd had enough and she returned back to the cabin.

Iconic buildings in Rochford, SD

Later that morning my sis drove me back to my parent's home.  But on the way we stopped by the nearby town of Rochford, SD, a quirky historic mining town.

Rochford museum

The Moonshine Gulch Saloon and Irish Gulch Saloon buildings are local landmarks.  No trip is complete without a few photos of the iconic buildings!  The local chapel is also photo-worthy.  My sis said she heard that Christmas Eve service here is a pretty raucous event.

Rochford chapel

Rochford was home to the nearby Standby Gold Mine.  In operation from the early 1880s it operated intermittingly until closing for good in 1942.  The mine and stamp mill building dominated a nearby hillside for many years, and it was popular for the locals to visit and photograph the tumble-down structures.  (I have some film photos from the 1980s)  But when the Standby Mine building became hazardous to the public, it was finally torn down in 1987.  My sister and I drove by the hillside where we remembered the mine stood, but the forest had now reclaimed the area.

Dame's rocket

It was a fun overnight catching up with my sis, and I also enjoyed getting out into the beloved Black Hills again.  Hopefully I'll be able to get up to my sister's cabin one more time before heading home!

Test Post

 As promised, this will be a test post for all of you email subscribers to see if the follow.it email subscription service really works.  I'd love some feedback so if you re-subscribed through follow.it please let me know if you got their email for this post.  You can either leave a comment below or email me at lindaslens13@gmail.com.   Thank you!

This little wren entertained us with her song

I've been chilling at my parent's house for the past 2 weeks.  They live on the edge of town and have a lovely backyard full of wildlife.  I've passed many happy hours sitting on their patio watching the birds flit through the trees.  A couple of wrens have built a nest in a nearby birdhouse and every day they've serenaded us with their melodious calls.

Woodpecker fighting with another bird

The other morning a woodpecker landed on a hanging suet cake.  Bonus - it got into a fight with another bird over the goodies and I happened to have my camera focused at the right time!

Woodpecker feeding her young

Then a baby woodpecker landed on the suet cake string and the parent began feeding her offspring.  So cute!

Wild turkey flapping it's wings

There's a huge flock of wild turkeys that love to wander through my folks backyard.  I caught this one flapping his wings.

Mama deer and fawn

And finally, several deer are always wandering through the yard.  They even drink from my parent's birdbath!  One mama deer had a tiny fawn and I was always trying to get a photo of it.  Yesterday I happened to be in the right place at the right time and was finally successful!

I'd like to thank everyone who responded my long, detail-oriented post about my recent brain surgery.  Your comments warmed my heart!  It's wonderful to know I have so many friends in the blogging community.