4-16-16
Sometimes
a trip does not include hiking. Janet's needed a temporary boot for her
foot which ruled out any hiking. Still, we could head east and check
out the wildflower situation. We met in Bellevue and headed over
Snoqualmie Pass. After a stop in Cle Elum we continued east beyond
Ellensburg before exiting I-90 and heading through the small town of
Kittitas. On to the Vantage Highway then up to the visitors center at
the Wild Horse Wind Farm. We saw quite a few blooming balsamroot along
the highway. There as also some on the drive up to the visitors center.
We stopped at a pullout and found Hookers balsamroot, lupine, phlox,
and a few other flowers in bloom. Next, we continued up to the parking
lot and center. On my two previous visits the wind was
howling. This time it was almost calm. Mts. Rainier and Adams were
visible. Solar power panels have been added since my last visit.
After a look inside the visitors center we went out the back to a trail that has numerous wildflowers all around. Small plaques name many of them. On the drive down we made one more stop and found several different flowers including a few big head clovers. Back in 2010 Janet and I went to Whiskey Dick, Wild Horse, and Reecer Creek. Hiking around Whiskey Dick was out of the question. We first visited Wild Horse and then we headed towards Reecer Creek. The Reecer Creek Road heads north from near Ellensburg. When it starts climbing out of the valley it narrows to one paved lane with pullouts. We found many wildflowers in bloom in 2010. We did quite well this time too.
There were more balsamroot along the way, both Hookers and arrowleaf. There was some lupine too. Higher up we found a meadow of shooting stars. I did not expect to find them. Other stops provided us with blooming glacier lilies, spring beauty, yellow bells, and more. There is one huge puddle in the road. I was nervous about going through in my sedan but another car came by and proved it was not as deep as it seemed. The road was bare until it was snow covered. From nothing to solid snow. There was no doubt where to turn around. The snow level was around 4200'. We stopped a few times on the drive down. More wildflowers to see.
One more stop in Cle Elum on the way home. for the day I drove a little over 300 miles. Many wildflowers have not yet bloomed. We were surprised that so many are in bloom in mid April. The next two to three weeks should be excellent for wildflower viewing in central Washington.
One final note. Much to my surprise I am getting better results with my Samsung Galaxy S4 phone camera for close up wildflower shots. I can blur the background with my Olympus E-PM2 and a dedicated macro lens but on a sunny day the easy and accuracy of the auto focus on the phone camera is hard to beat. All the close ups for this trip were taken with the phone camera.
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Trips - 2016
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After a look inside the visitors center we went out the back to a trail that has numerous wildflowers all around. Small plaques name many of them. On the drive down we made one more stop and found several different flowers including a few big head clovers. Back in 2010 Janet and I went to Whiskey Dick, Wild Horse, and Reecer Creek. Hiking around Whiskey Dick was out of the question. We first visited Wild Horse and then we headed towards Reecer Creek. The Reecer Creek Road heads north from near Ellensburg. When it starts climbing out of the valley it narrows to one paved lane with pullouts. We found many wildflowers in bloom in 2010. We did quite well this time too.
There were more balsamroot along the way, both Hookers and arrowleaf. There was some lupine too. Higher up we found a meadow of shooting stars. I did not expect to find them. Other stops provided us with blooming glacier lilies, spring beauty, yellow bells, and more. There is one huge puddle in the road. I was nervous about going through in my sedan but another car came by and proved it was not as deep as it seemed. The road was bare until it was snow covered. From nothing to solid snow. There was no doubt where to turn around. The snow level was around 4200'. We stopped a few times on the drive down. More wildflowers to see.
One more stop in Cle Elum on the way home. for the day I drove a little over 300 miles. Many wildflowers have not yet bloomed. We were surprised that so many are in bloom in mid April. The next two to three weeks should be excellent for wildflower viewing in central Washington.
One final note. Much to my surprise I am getting better results with my Samsung Galaxy S4 phone camera for close up wildflower shots. I can blur the background with my Olympus E-PM2 and a dedicated macro lens but on a sunny day the easy and accuracy of the auto focus on the phone camera is hard to beat. All the close ups for this trip were taken with the phone camera.
 Lupine |
 Yellow Hawkweed? |
 Phlox |
 Hookers Balsamroot |
 Wind Turbines |
 Bright Yellow Hookers |
 Low Yellow Flowers |
 Visitors Center |
 Mt. Adams |
 More Phlox? |
 More Hookers |
 Big Head Clover |
 Ssagebrush Violet |
 Even More Phlox |
 Very Bright Color |
 Pink Flowers |
 Shooting Stars |
 Very Vivid Colors |
 More Sagebrush Violets |
 Another Unknown Flower |
 Ball Head Waterleaf |
 Yellow Bells |
 Spring Beauty |
 Glacier Lilies |
 Very Nice Lilies |
 Even More Phlox? |
 Yep, It's Phlox |
 Balsamroot Border |
 Arrowleaf Balsamroot |
 Lomatium |
 Big Bunch Of Balsamroot |
 Camas |
 Bluebells |
 More Bluebells |
 Woodland Star |
 Another Camas |
 Last Yellow Flower |
Trips - 2016
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