Hulda Klager Lilac Garden May 6, 2017
We went with friends to see the lilacs in bloom at the 1889 farmhouse in Woodland, Washington. The lilacs were lovely, there were some interesting quilts in the house, and we enjoyed a picnic lunch at nearby Horseshoe Lake. We also visited the Tulip farm at the south end of town, and saw the last straggling tulips – mostly done for the season.
Tom McCall Point hike May 7, 2017 (#23)
Our best hiking weather for the weekend was Sunday, so we knew there would be plenty of people hiking the trail from Rowena Crest to Tom McCall Point on the eastern edge of the Columbia River gorge. We were all there to see the amazing show of flowers – and the flowers were amazing! Bright yellow balsam root, purple lupine, red paintbrush, several varieties of parsley, blue-eyed Mary and saxifrage, prairie stars, larkspur, chocolate lilies . The trail has been relocated since the fire three years ago, and the grade to the top is a bit less steep, and traverses more open meadow than oak woodland. We continued to the high point on the ridge to the east, heading toward Seven Mile Hill, but stopped where the fence crossed the trail (total about 6 miles/1300′). On our way home, we drove down the Old Highway switchbacks to Rowena. Later that night, the cliff above the road gave way to a massive landslide which will block the road for a few weeks until repaired.
View from the trailhead
East toward Rowena
Through the balsamroot
Parsley lined trail
Memaloose Hills to the west
Mt. Adams to the north
Mt Hood
View from our highest point, back toward Tom McCall Point, Rowena Crest and the Columbia River
Hiking back up Tom McCall Point
Another view of Mt Adams on the hike down
Margaret Quilts 