On the last weekend of December, I drove to the east side of the Columbia River Gorge to the Rowena Crest Viewpoint located between Mosier and The Dalles, Oregon. The area to the west of the Viewpoint is a Nature Preserve. Basalt cliffs, oak grasslands and interesting trails make it a fun hiking area in the spring, and winter too.
I headed north on a loop trail in the lower portion of the Reserve. There was several inches of snow on the ground and concrete skies accented by temperatures in the high 20s and a brisk easterly breeze. While slowly descending the basalt plateau, I cut some fresh coyote tracks and deer sign.
What fun! I tracked the deer for quite a while before catching a glimpse of the coyote. Soon I spotted the coyote again hunting in some open fields. For some reason I never found the deer, but had lots of fun trying.
Raven
A shaft of sunlight hitting a barge heading up the Columbia River
Coyote
A hardy mushroom
Reflections in a frozen pond
Dark-eyed Junco
Rowena Plateau Trail
Summit of Dog Mountain
Nice pictures John. It looks a bit treacherous out there on those trails. My wife and I have been up there but it was in the summer months. Happy New Yesr to you and your wife.
Thanks for the kind words. This time of the year the east end of the Gorge can be a true treat to visit. But (there’s always a “but”), dress warm for the cold wind blowing from the east.
Looks like you had a great hike. Beautiful Photos!
Thanks. Sometimes it’s tough getting decent photos on overcast days. This day I got lucky with the raven and coyote, and the dark-eyed junco too.
Spotting a raven and coyote; reminds me of this Native American tale:
http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/WhyCoyoteStoppedImitatingHisFriends-Caddo.html
You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that. Hopefully they were signs of good things to come.
Great post! Raven and coyote are always interesting!