Douglas Falls

Many of you know that I am taking a photography class.

Hubby and I took a drive to one of our favorite places, so that I could practice and catch up on homework.  We drove to nearby Douglas Falls Grange Park State Park.

My daughter, daughter-in-law, and niece are all beautiful girls interested in photography (and are becoming excellent photographers) and wanted to see what I was working on.

So this post is for them.

I was working on photographing water with different shutter speeds.  Here are the results:

*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!

See the world around you!

Stay healthy!  Stay safe! 

Mt. Rainier Vacation

I had a vacation from work, so Hubby and I packed up and visited the kids.  I got a much needed family fix!

We also went to one of our favorite places to spend a vacation…Mt. Rainier.  You can see a few photos from previous trips by clicking here and here.

This time, I am going to share a lot of photos, so this will be a picture heavy post.  In fact, the next couple of blog posts will be picture heavy.   My good camera bit the dust some time ago, and has never been replaced, but the pocket camera does a decent job.

There is no internet/cell service at Mt. Rainier, but visiting in October is well worth the disconnect from the rest of the world!

• Clicking on a photo will give a larger view.

In the past, Hubby and I have camped with a tent, but on this trip we stayed at the lodge in Longmire.

The mountain was out!  This is the view when standing in front of the lodge.  As you can see, the weather was great!

We drove up to Paradise and spent time hiking up there.  One can spend days at Paradise as there are several trails to choose from.

Yours Truly hiking at Paradise.

Myrtle Falls

The weather is quite changeable.  A snowstorm breezed through on the mountain while we were hiking. 

Yes, the mornings were quite cool, but the fall color and majesty of the park are well worth the visit!

Mima Mounds

Hubby and I had the opportunity to visit with our kids and grandkids for the Independence holiday.

We had a fantastic time!

One of my favorite things we did was to visit the Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve.  I found it to be a wonderful place when one is in need of  serenity and a gentle hike.

The Mima Mounds are a mystery.  There are many theories, but its formation remains unknown.

There are prairie flowers, lichen, butterflies and birds to enjoy.  Spring would be a great time to see wildflowers in bloom, but anytime is lovely for a peaceful stroll.

For more information, click here and here.

A Country Drive with Dad

Saturday, we had blue skies and sunshine.  Dad wanted to visit the ghost towns, so we packed up lunch, snacks and water and took a road trip.

I’ve posted about some of the ghost towns before, so I’ll give you wildflowers.  The hillsides were in full bloom this day and were lovely to behold.

Clicking on the photos will not only give you a larger view, but also the name of the flowers.

This fella was also out and about, enjoying the beautiful day!

To see posts on Old Molson Ghost Town, click here, here, here, here and here.

To see other ghost town posts, put ‘ghost town’ in the search bar on my blog.

Palouse Falls

Hubby had a fabulous idea for another impulsive day trip.  We called Dad to see if he’d like to come, packed up our lunch and headed south to Palouse Falls State Park.

Palouse Falls is a scenic gem that is nearly hidden in the scablands and canyons of southeastern Washington State.  It you want to visit a place that is off the beaten path, then this is the place for you.

There are many hiking trails and it is possible to hike to the bottom of the waterfall, or up around the top, or even behind the waterfall where the Palouse River cuts through the scabland.  Some trails are paved, many are not.  Rock climbing is allowed here too.

The falls plunge 186 feet and, incredibly, you don’t see it until you are nearly on top of it.

The orange that you see in the photos are rock climbers.

We were treated to gentle rain showers on our visit, and we had a very pleasant day.  I’m proud of my Dad; he’s in his 80’s and recently had knee replacement surgery.  Yet, he’s out here hiking!  I really do come from great stock!

The Palouse River behind the falls:

Up on a plateau:

On the way home, we visited Steptoe Butte State Park.  The butte is an unexpected height reigning over a sea of agricultural land.  It is named for Edward Steptoe, a colonel in the US Army, who, in May of 1858, was defeated by 1000 Indian warriors in a battle near here.

Steptoe Butte  is a great place for kite flying, hang gliding, picnicking and just taking in the view.

Serene.

Clicking on a photo will give you a larger look.