Fly, fly, fly!

 

We've had some foggy, cold mornings these past few days---

 

The fox knows he'll never catch a Canada Goose, but he sometimes wonders... What if he did?

 

A goose convention?

 

Big trees, and a big sky...

 

The last light of the day makes the wetlands glow. It will be cold tonight.

 

Let's go this way, Loretta, they'll never find us!

 

No, it doesn't look like this around our place today, but a few miles, and some altitude up the Spirit Lake Highway...

 

The waterfall on Fall Creek...

 

One hardy stalk remains as this past season's water plants are disappearing beneath the surface in the wetlands. It makes for a striking image...

 

Sharing today with Mersad's Through My Lens

Watching us like a hawk!

 

A quiet place-- The sun is shining up ahead.

 

A mirror-like reflection in the water in the wetlands. Most of the water plants have given up and gone to sleep till next spring.

 

A portrait of a gentleman...

 

Shining through...

 

Let's fly away...

 

Nature is amazing--- three tiny mushrooms growing out of the moss on the side of a tree trunk!

 

Rushing water, and ferns growing out of the moss, this is a beautiful spot near Rainbow Falls on the Chehalis River.

 

Coming through!

 

A place to forget about things--- just for a while.

 

It is... You are... And that's reason enough to be at peace...

 

Heading in from the Pacific for logs at the Port of Longview...

 

Along the Columbia River headed about 50 miles from the ocean...

 

Mr. Mallard is extra handsome in the fall...

 

Sharing today with Mersad's Through My Lens

Trees holding hands and dancing on a sunny fall day at the park...

 

The wetlands trees have mostly dropped their leaves, and the water plants have receded into the water for their long Winter's nap.

 

Some folks have a favorite tree. We have a favorite snag, and we wave back at him whenever we're nearby. I hope he stands for a very long time.

 

A beautiful fall day at the park-- for a doggie, it's FREEDOM!

 

One last waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge.

 

As we go farther into the wet side of the mountains, the trees have moss so thick that ferns grow in it!

A picture for Election Day...

Visiting all of the waterfalls, especially if you hike the trails, is a great way to spend time in the gorge.

 

There are some beautiful waterfalls on the Oregon side of the Gorge-- once you get to the wet side of the mountains.

 

On the way back to the wet side of the mountains--- Here's a path to one of the Gorge waterfalls...

 

Turbines and trees, and the bare hills after the harvest. This is the last of the dry side pictures for this year--- tomorrow, the waterfalls.

 

OK, so yesterday wasn't Halloween. But TODAY (Thursday) IS! Trick or treat!!! Somebody seems to be in the window at the old Hotel in the Goodnoe Hills of Washington.

 

It's Halloween! Whether you find Cemeteries scary or not, this is a good one-- The 8 Mile Cemetery, about 20 miles South of the Columbia River in Central Oregon. I'm not scared. Are you?

 

On the day before Halloween, I thought it might be a good time to post this one--- straight out of the camera with no edits. I know it's just some combination of tree roots, but... I think he wants out!

 

This is the part of the Columbia River Gorge where the Dry Side begins turning into the Wet Side of the Cascade Mountain Range. We're looking North at the Washington side as a long BNSF train is headed west.

 

A long mixed-freight UP train rumbles by at 70 miles per hour on the Oregon side of the Columbia River, in the Gorge. So much mass, moving so fast! But the trees don't care. They're busy showing their colors!

 

I always wonder what a building like this was used for. It has openings for a door and windows, but nothing remains from a roof. I would love to know the stories this shack could tell...

 

Another view of Washington's Stonehenge, taken on another visit. It's really quite dramatic.

 

Nearly a hundred years ago, near Maryhill, Washington, a tiny town on the Columbia River, a wealthy man built a replica of Stonehenge as a monument to the fallen of World War I. The tree in front always has a dramatic appearance through the concrete pillars.

 

The little vineyard, the river, the very long freight train, the amazing cliffs, and the mountain-- What a wonderful place the dry side of the mountains can be!

 

These cliffs and hills are next to the Columbia River, on the Oregon Side. It's impossible to get a sense of the scale, but the width of this scene is probably close to 5 miles. Once again, that's Mt. Hood peeking over the hills.

 

A trip to the dry side of the mountains must include the old schoolhouse at Boyd, Oregon! There were still some flowers this time.

 

Sharing today with Mersad's Through My Lens

Cows in the shade, birds in the air, and Mt. Hood peeking over the hills-- This is Oregon, just a few miles south of the Columbia River.

 

High in the hills of Washington State, look across the Columbia River, about 2000 feet below. That's Oregon on the other side of the river. In the foreground is a little barn, a corral, and some beautiful trees. There was a ranch house here once upon a time...

 

Just a big old barn!

 

One donkey and three goats--- Just hanging out near the Maryhill Winery on the dry side of the mountains.