Spring Fever with a Lens

Spring has sproinged in the Pacific Northwest. The air is warmer. The world is greening up, songbirds are singing, and an unfamiliar flaming ball is showing up in the sky now and then as the omnipresent cloud cover briefly parts. More importantly, wildflowers are popping up in the Eastern Columbia Gorge.

Last year was a bust. The pandemic had Oregon locked down from March through June. Hood River and Wasco counties told visitors to stay away. Dutifully, I missed out on spring photography in the Eastern Columbia Gorge.

With this in mind, I hope I’ll be forgiven for jumping the gun this year. I traveled out to the Mosier and Hood River areas on two consecutive weekends, only to come away mostly empty handed. This weekend, April 11th specifically, I drove out again, and the balsamroots and lupins were up. They were not in full flourish, but they were close. Next weekend will be the big one. I hope to be out for the whole weekend, Until then, here’s some pictures from previous years.

Abandoned Car at the Dalles Mounain Ranch State Park, Washington by Gary Quay — Abandoned Car at the Dalles Mounain Ranch State Park, Washington

Wildflowers at the Tom McClall Preserve in Rowena, Oregon in the Columbia Gorge by Gary Quay — Tom McCall Preserve, Rowena, Oregon

Balsamroot Flowers in the Columbia Gorge, Oregon by Gary Quay — Balsamroot Flowers, Rowena, Oregon, Spring 2018

Balsamroot Flower in the columbia gorge oregon by gary quay — Balsamroot Flower, Tom McClall Preserve, Oregon

The Eastern Columbia Gorge is often windy. I described it in a post about Mosier, Oregon. Many times it is too windy for large format cameras, and sometimes too windy to let go of the tripod.