April 14, 2015

This past weekend Dale and I did a little exploring in the Columbia Hills Natural Area Preserve just off Hwy 14 on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge.  We drove up Dalles Mt. Road looking for wildflowers and were not disappointed.  The weather was a mixed bag of sunshine and rain squalls, but I still managed to get a few shots.  There are no formal trails in this area, but several forks in the road take you deep into the hills and there are parking lots with restrooms in areas where you can take off hiking even deeper and higher into the hills.  We didn’t do any hiking since the weather was so unpredictable, but I hope to go back and spend some more time soon.  The Balsamroot and Lupine are absolutely stunning.  I think they’re a little early this year just as other plants are due to the mild winter and spring.

Here is a sampling of what I shot that day. For the complete gallery, click here.