Tuesday, April 14, 2015

A Little Getaway

My DH is a really good photographer and has had an itch to get out to find the wildflowers. Saturday we were in Yakima for the Davis Invite track meet, so we decided to ditch the meet a little early and head down to the Columbia Gorge.

(Incidentally, Kirsten pr'd in the discus with a throw of 94 ft! She's getting there.)

Unfortunately, the wildflowers had already peaked since we had such a mild winter and early spring, but there were still patches in some areas. We stayed overnight in The Dalles, OR, and explored all around the back ridges from The Dalles to Hood River, plus Columbia Hills State Park on the Washington side.

And look what we found!



Yes, zebras and camels! There were even a couple of giraffes who were camera shy, plus some llamas and alpacas. Someone has quite a hobby farm going here.


The two photos above were near Columbia Hills State Park, WA.



These are from the Rowena Crest near Rowena, OR.




These are from the highlands above Hood River.

I took these photos with an extra camera DH is letting me use. It's a Canon 60D with a lot of bells and whistles that I need to learn. It's bigger and heavier than other cameras I've used, like the Rebel, but I think I can adjust.

It was fun getting to do something a little different and I'm hoping there will be many more trips just like it in the future!

7 comments:

Barb said...

I loved the pictures. We are thinking about taking a trip to the Columbia Gorge. That is one part of the state we have not seen. Do you have any suggestions about when to go or not to go? Also , any ideas on what not to miss?

Carol said...

Congratulations to Kristin on her PR! Good for her :)

I just love your photos--looks like the Canon 60D is a great camera. The yellow and purple flowers are so lovely! And what a treat to come upon the zoo animals in the middle of the countryside :)

Brigitte said...

Oh Von, these pictures are just wonderful. The one I love best is showing the valley and highlands of Hood River, with that little red barn between the trees and shrubs. What a view!

Julie said...

Stunning pictures, what a great trip.

Melissa said...

Beautiful photos! I guess it's a great time to year for them due to the flowers in bloom!

Vickie said...

These are fantastic! I had to think a moment when I saw the zebras.

The Inspired Stitcher said...

Wow, speaking of road trips! I like the scenery in yours too. Nice!