April 30 and May 1, 2016
We’ve spent time in the past photographing the waterfalls of the Columbia Gorge, but this trip we spent more time on the Washington side of the Gorge with the intent of photographing the wildflowers at both Dalles Mountain and Rowena Crest. In the past, the end of April was a great time to be there for that, but this year the flowers came early so we didn’t have the best of luck finding them.
We went with a small group from the Olympia Camera Club and spent two days exploring this part of the Gorge. Most stayed in Hood River, one had a hotel in The Dalles, and Dale and I did a Vanagon driveway camp with another van owner in The Dalles.
There was plenty of wind for wind surfers around Hood River so we spent a little time watching them. The trip up Dalles Mountain required that we go higher than the ranch to find the remaining wildflowers, and the yellow Balsam Root was almost non-existent at Rowena Crest. There was still plenty of beautiful Lupine there, however, as we watched the sun set.
On the second day, Dale and I headed up to Mt Hood and Trillium Lake and then also drove up to the town of Trout Lake on the Washington side. A quick drive through the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge finished off our exploring before we headed for home.
Here is a sampling of what I shot on that trip. For the complete gallery, click here.