Photos

I took a short hike today to a trail I'd never been on. Unfortunately I missed the great wildflower show as the balsamroots are all done blooming, but I did get to see the lovely fields of Bachelor Buttons blowing in the breeze. Actually the "breeze" almost blew me off the mountain!

I was visiting the Tom McCall Preserve at Rowena and hiked on a portion of it that I'd never tried before. The views were spectacular, although I hope to come back in early spring when the wildflowers are at their peak.

More than 200 plant species, including grass widows, prairie stars, shooting stars, balsamroot, lupine and Indian paintbrush thrive here. The open grasslands are home to four plant species unique to the Columbia River Gorge: Thompson's broadleaf lupine, Columbia desert parsley, Thompson's waterleaf, and Hood River milkvetch.