Six varieties of wildflowers in bloom, including the first wild lily of the year.
Bald eagles, ravens and red-tailed hawks riding the thermals near the towering rimrock cliffs, looking for the next meal to catch.
Deer playing hide-and-seek with me in the white oak forest.
The remnants of a stretch of old road chiseled out of the cliffs, a short-lived experiment to use convicts for construction work a century ago.
Three more weeks of winter.
Anticipation grows for spring to arrive.
Yellow Bell (a wild lily)
Still too cold for ticks
Amazing! (Merc’s are great vehicles.)
Grass Widow
Trail leading to the rirmock cliffs
Columbia Desert Parsley
Remnant of old convict road
Filaree
Gold Star
Salt and Pepper Parsley
Small pond near the trail
Trail leading through the white oaks
Beautiful pictures! I’m curious. What is a convict road? What is the history? Thanks!
Thanks for the kind words.
Here is a website for the history of the convict road: http://curiousgorgeblog.wordpress.com/103-lyle-convict-road/.
Also, the Lyle Cherry Orchard hike is one of the 20 adventures in the Friends of the Gorge Histories & Mysteries Challenge: http://gorgefriends.org/article.php?list=type&type=94.
I encourage folks to sign up for the Challenge. It’s a fun way to learn some interesting things about the Columbia River Gorge.
Outstanding as usual John, you make we want to get out there! Same question as Noticing above.
Thanks Geoff. Sign up for the Friends’ Histories & Mysteries Challenge and learn all kinds of fun things about the Gorge. Hope to see you on the trail soon.