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Mountains and Wildflowers

The girls and I have not been getting out enough lately. Both of them are still in bed, not even asking to go outside or have breakfast. That is nearly unheard of around here. We had a lovely outing to Slate Peak yesterday but I didn’t think it was overly strenuous. Must have been all that fresh mountain air and the cold streams.

I was told that the road to Harts Pass was open although not all the way to the trailhead near Meadows or to the lookout parking lot. Sure enough, that was the case. Several cars were parked at the last PCT trailhead with lots of hikers and walkers heading north on the well-worn path. Luna and Sky and I simply walked over the snowbanks and up the road to the lookout. It’s only a mile and a half walk and we had it all to ourselves. The flowers were amazing and the mountain views were beyond beautiful. Later we walked near Meadows and saw more wildflowers and clear mountain streams.

It was a nice day.

Looking north to Canada
Silky phacelia, one of my favorite wildflowers
Buckwheat, phacelia and mountains
I don’t know the name of this DYC (darned yellow composite)
Lomatium
Glacier lily
Forget-me-nots
Anemone
Shooting stars
Anemone and buttercups
Buttercups
A field of anemone!
Phlox and lichen
A cooling stream

Oregon Beach Dogs

Once again, the girls were thrilled to be at the beach.

 

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Oregon Beach

I was without a computer for four weeks so I got a little behind with this blog. So bear with me as I add a few posts.

This is from the trip to Oregon five weeks ago. I was able to get some quality time on the beach near Florence. I was particularly fascinated by the action of the water and sand as the waves washed over a sand dollar.

Really? All to myself? Wow!
It wasn’t very warm and the Pacific is a cold ocean
Jellyfish
Sky thinks her stick is more interesting than a jelly fish
razor clam shell
Dune
Dune

Sweet Creek Falls

I had a chance to explore a little bit of western Oregon last week following a wedding near Eugene. You can see photos from the wedding here.

Afterwards, I visited my cousin at her place in Florence and of course, the girls (dogs) and I spent time at the beach, but the highlight may have been a hike with my cousin and her husband to Sweet Creek Falls. It’s a Forest Service trail near Mapleton and you can learn more about it here.

The falls are really worth the trip. It seemed that around every corner, there was another cascade of flowing water. I was glad I had packed a tripod and polarizing filter. They made all the difference in the world. Even though we were there in the mid-afternoon, the water was often shaded by the tall Douglas fir and maple trees that dominate western Oregon’s forests. Sweet wildflowers were sprinkled in with the thick ferns and other undergrowth.

Anniversary Hike

Yesterday was our sixth wedding anniversary! To celebrate, we hiked to our wedding spot and then on to Aspen Lake. It was a gloriously warm morning – we are finally getting nice weather. The wildflowers are at the peak of their bloom. Yes, it really was that vibrant. Bird song filled the air.

That’s the spot where we stood.
And here we are again.
Lots of blue larkspur
All of this burned in 2015 but except for dead shrubs, you can’t tell.
Sky celebrated with many jumps in the lake.
This yellow flower is arnica
This yellow flower is a lomatium
Most of these yellow flowers are balsamroot