Exploring the Earth and Sky of the West

Columbia River Gorge

Grass widows (Olsynium douglasii) are some of the earliest wildflowers to bloom in large numbers in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.
Motorcycle headlights illuminate the sweeping curves of the Historic Columbia River Highway. The constellation of Canis Major sits just above the horizon.
Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon sp.) are among the early blooming wildflowers in the eastern Columbia River Gorge. A yellow fritillary (Fritillaria pudica) lurks in the background.
Starvation Creek Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon
An early spring view of the eastern Columbia River Gorge from Rowena Crest.
Looking east toward The Dalles along the Columbia River Gorge on a spring afternoon.
Grass widows (Olsynium douglasii) are some of the earliest wildflowers to bloom in large numbers in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.
Starvation Creek Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon
An unknown species of fungus shares a decaying log with some moss
Grass widows (Olsynium douglasii) are some of the earliest wildflowers to bloom in large numbers in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.
One of the highest waterfalls in Oregon, Latourell Falls plunges over a cliff of columnar basalt at the western end of the Columbia River Gorge, not far from Portland.
Elowah Falls, burned in the Eagle Creek Fire of 2017, begins t show re-growth.
Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sp.) was just beginning to bloom in some of the drier, sunnier parts of the gorge.