Detroit, Marion County, OR: On our return from Salem we took the long way home, driving up the Santiam highway to Detroit and then, turning left (NE) onto 46, and headed for Estacada. About ten miles out of Detroit we found an iris in bloom roadside.
At the crest of the ridge we took a side road toward Round Lake but snow stopped our progress. It’s still winter in the high country.
The drive down the Clackamas River is scenic and deserves more time than we had today… light was fading.
Iris tenuis Clackamas Three Lynx 5/16/2007
We found another species of iris… the rare Clackamas Iris… found only along the Clackamas River, according to some references. We take that to mean the watershed as we have found the iris on some tributaries.
Valerie sent this picture of a young buck peering in the kitchen window at her home in Montana… sometime around May 1, 2007… the winter coat hasn’t shed so the deer looks a little scruffy. The good news is the snow has melted.
Dog Mountain, Skamania County, WA: About 37 years ago (6/7/1970) Margo and I hiked the Dog Mountain trail following the directions in Don and Roberta Lowe’s book (100 Oregon Hiking Trails)… OK, the trail is not in Oregon but the trail was in the book. Margo jotted a note on the margin of the page… “it’s really STEEP”… If anything, the trail is steeper now.
Parking at the trail head is by fee and a pay station is available. About 15 cars were in the parking area. Vault toilets are available. My son, Chris, and I were determined to reach the top.
The trail starts steep and stays steep. Chris and I didn’t make it to the top, we stopped at a former fire lookout, but we were close enough to see the top. A strong breeze was blowing. The balsamroot isn’t quite at its peak and the lupine is just starting to bloom.
We recommend good hiking boots as the trail is steep with fine gravel… slippery for flat soled tennis shoes. A walking stick is also a good idea… And take drinking water.
Trail signs Dog Mountain 5/9/2007 Skamania County WA
At 0.5 miles the trail divides into “more difficult” and “less difficult” routes… a difficult decision… not… we took the “less difficult” trail. Poison oak literally lines the trail at the lower elevations so keep hands and elbows tucked in and don’t leave the trail.
We thought it odd that people we met on the trail talked more about elevation than miles (as in… you have a thousand feet to the top)… but perhaps when the physical limitation is elevation it makes sense. We’re not saying the mountain is high but we did see an airplane pass below us.
Bridal Veil Falls, Multnomah County, OR: An Oregon State Park contains this beautiful falls. Literature claims a combined drop of 120 feet. The picture was taken from a viewing platform.
Take the scenic Columbia River Gorge Highway east, passing the Vista House on Crown Point. The trail to the falls is short but has steep parts with stair steps. Chris and I spent a couple hours looking at flora and some interesting moss. Afternoon lighting was difficult for photography, perhaps a flash would make the difference.
Growiser, Summerville, Union County, OR: The turkey sunrise serenade awakened us early once more. Andy had a group coming to tour the station so we were determined to get out from underfoot before the crowd arrived. We had a delightful visit with staff at the facility and found a couple new (to us) species. Life could not be better than this.
We tried the north end of Summit Road, but were immediately turned back by snow blocking the road. The ski resort at Tollgate was still in use, the elevation there is about 5,100 feet so snow persists until about June. We headed for I-84 and Pendleton.
We stayed on I-84 until Biggs Junction then we crossed into Washington using the Biggs Rapids Bridge. We drove to the top of Dalles Mountain, finding great displays of Balsamroot and Lupine. The views of the Columbia River, Mount Hood, and Mount Adams were also noteworthy.
We took a quick tour of the Catherine Creek Preserve but the wind was strong, keeping photographic opportunities limited. Bitterroot was in bloom and we found several of the dark pink blooms to photograph.
Catherine Creek Lewisia rediviva Bitterroot 5/8/2007
On the way home we were already planning the next field trip.
