Raina

This is my dog, Raina. She's four years old and although people continue to tell me that black labs mellow out around three years of age, she has yet to demonstrate any mellowing. She loves to run, wade in water, play fetch, and chase my 2-year-old around the dining room table (which she, by the way, absolutely loves). She also enjoys dinner leftovers (in her bowl, not from our hands at the table), chewing on rawhide, and playing with other dogs - regardless of size. Here she is taking a breather after a long walk along the Walla Walla River.

Layers

I love how the water, island, hills, sky and clouds all seem to come together to create a layered effect. The rivers and creeks in our valley are swelling with the snow melting in the mountains; there have been two minor flood watch warnings already this season, and we didn't get any last year. While that might seem like a bad thing I really am glad to hear it; this means we won't have a drought this summer (or if we do it won't be terrible). This, I believe, is the Walla Walla River.

Typical Drive

Just before New Year's, my friend Ciel popped online to say hello and asked how the weather was. She is familiar with my part of the world, surprisingly, and although she is quite a ways away in Versailles, France, she holds a special place in her heart for the WW Valley, where she has some local friends. I took this picture that day to show her what the weather was like...but forgot to post it! We had some sun over the past weekend, but before that, most days looked like this. The sign says "Walla Walla River," as in this photo I am about to go over it. This is Highway 11, the main road that connects Walla Walla and College Place to their next-door neighbour, Milton-Freewater, just across the border in Oregon.

Mini Road Trip 4

A little blurry...hard to take good dusk pictures with a low quality camera while driving 60 mph down the freeway. This is the sundown behind the Columbia River, the dividing line between Vancouver, Wash., and Portland, Ore.

Rooks Park

A spring afternoon at Rooks Park reveals that the water is flowing nicely, carrying much-needed nourishment to fields, crops, and more.

Assault to the Nose

This....is a paper factory. It is located along Highway 12 as you're going northwest from Walla Walla toward Tri-Cities. While it is ugly, that's not the worst of it: It smells terrible. If you're lucky, at certain times during the paper-making process, you can close your eyes and pretend it smells a little bit like over-roasted herbs. But that's rare and takes a lot of concentration. It's sad that this ugly building is located right on the edge of the mighty and beautiful Columbia River.

Palouse Falls 2

This is Palouse Falls. I talked a bit about it yesterday, so you can read that posting for more information on the area. This is the major waterfall in the area (the rest are about 3-4 feet high), and is 198 feet high. These waterfalls are part of the Palouse River, and lead straight into the Snake River. This shot was taken from the parking area; when you take the hike I mentioned yesterday you end up right at the top of the falls, looking down as it plummets nearly 200 feet to the river below. It's quite spectacular, really.

The heat isn't the only thing that makes the hike somewhat unenjoyable. It is also not really a trail - just a slightly flattened area on a hillside covered in shale rocks. It's easy to slip and tumble. When you fall, the rocks are not only sharp and hard, but also hot from the sun. One must be careful on this hike! Oh, and did I mention that this is prime rattlesnake territory? Just one more reason to watch your step on this hike!

Palouse Falls

A couple of hours from Walla Walla, through a tiny town called Starbuck (it consists of about one farmhouse and a barn), there is a place called Palouse Falls. Though this time of year it is a pretty miserable walk - as you can see, it's all in the sun, and there are no trees - once you find a place in the shade to relax down by the river, it's wonderful. Taking off one's shoes and socks is a must - soaking them in the water is something that can't be missed after a hike like that. The river itself is down in a small canyon, and the parking is up at the top. So the hike down takes you to the water, and then if you go from the spot pictured here down around a bend in the canyon walls, you'll come to the major waterfall of the area. I'll show you that tomorrow.

Watching You

This is a close-up of the Great Blue Heron I showed you in flight on Thursday. I managed to snap this shot before he got a bit nervous and took off upriver. For more information on these birds, see Thursday's post (scroll down...).

In Flight

This is a Great Blue Heron. We were walking along Mill Creek with our dog and got a bit too close for comfort for the large bird. In this picture you can also see the evenly spaced steps in Mill Creek, which I explained in Monday's post. Great Blue Herons are large birds (I'll show you a close-up this weekend), with wingspans of between 5 1/2 and 6 1/2 feet. They are also very elegant and beautiful birds. There are many of them in this area because the land in the WWV is often marshy and wet, and herons like to feed in this kind of terrain.

Merganser

This is a Merganser. I believe it is a type of duck, but one that isn't as common in these parts as the mallards I've shown you on a few occasions. There were several of them around some rocks in Mill Creek when my husband and I were at Rooks Park over the weekend. (Credit to my husband for this photo.)

River Snorkeling?

On a walk through Rooks Park on the eastern outskirts of Walla Walla this weekend, my husband and I saw these two gentlemen playing in the water. The one in the black shirt was fishing (we actually saw him catch something later), but what the other was doing we couldn't be sure. He would stand about knee-deep and stick his face into the water, wearing a snorkeling mask. We never did figure out what he was doing. This is Mill Creek - one of the main waterways through the towns in the WWV. Many years ago, the city built Bennington Lake, a reservoir a mile or two upstream from Mill Creek (if you could walk straight from where this photo was taken, you'd run into it) to help control the flooding that had happened on multiple occasions. They also widened Mill Creek, and as a result, the river looks like it has steps, such as the one you see here. They are evenly spaced, creating a not-so-natural look, but it's fun to listen to, as there are multiple small waterfalls. As you can see, the water isn't very deep, either. Some places toward the middle get deeper, but it would be difficult (though not impossible) to swim underwater here. (Credit to my husband for this photo.)

A Closer Look

So...this is the closeup promised in yesterday's post. Is this a poppy? If not, is it a relative? Whatever it is, I love the orange and yellow blend of this small flower. This was taken on a walk along the Little Walla Walla River over the past weekend.

Natural Still Life

This is another scene from our walk along the Little Walla Walla River this past weekend. There were several different kinds of flowers along the river (actually, I think where we were walking was at one point part of the riverbed, but the water has reduced significantly). Some were yellow, others were orange, some purple, and even some deep blue. These were some of my favourites. I believe they are poppies, but I'm no expert. Feel free to correct me! Tomorrow I'll show you a close-up of one of these beautiful blooms.

Little River

Over the weekend, husband and I went on a short walk next to the Little Walla Walla River. We intended for it to be a longer walk, but of course the sun came out (before and after the walk it was overcast and cooler), and we kept getting stickers in our shoes. We took our dog, and she went for a dip in the water (unintentionally, but she liked it). This little portion of the LWW River passes through northern Milton-Freewater. There is a fence to the right, up the hill from what you see in this picture, but off to the side of the fence is a dirt "road" of sorts that leads straight down to the water. Not sure what they hope to accomplish with the fence. The bridge you see back in the distance is the bridge that this painting I showed you a while ago is on. It's a beautiful piece of artwork!

Winter Landscape

This weekend it snowed again. Just a bit, though - nothing like December. We only have about 2 1/2 - 3 inches at our house, and in some places there is barely an inch. I do like how it makes the world look wintry again, rather than just plain cold and grey. The sky was grey and overcast when I took this shot of the river on Sunday afternoon, but the snow brightened everything, in spite of there not being much to speak of. Just looking at this water rushing by beneath me made me cold. Monday morning as I was eating breakfast, our thermometer said it was 10* F (approximately -12* C). Over the next couple of days I'm going to take you on a tour of the back country roads between Milton-Freewater and College Place/Walla Walla. And it will be a wintry drive, so bring your coat and mittens!

Wall Art 2

Here is the second part of yesterday's post. For more information on what and where this is, see yesterday's post. Enjoy your Sunday!

Wall Art

Another geocaching photo. I have a lot of these, since I entertain myself by stocking up on daily photo blog shots while husband searches through brush, water, mud, grass, trees, and sometimes questionable items to find whatever cache may or may not be there. Really, I make it sound worse than it is, but the most enjoyable part to me is finding new things and documenting them with my camera. And, of course, sharing them with you afterward. This shot has two parts; tomorrow you will see the other part. This wall borders a parking lot in a small park next to the Walla Walla River. Apparently we have a lot of talented wall-painters in this valley...or else just one who really likes doing it. This particular section of the river flows through the southeast part of Milton-Freewater. I believe what used to be at this location is an old water plant, but I'm not certain about that. The building has been converted into a covered picnic area, but in all honesty, it's not a place I'd want to spend time exploring after dark. We found plenty of broken beer bottles, among other things. Including the geocache, which was along a riverside path behind the old plant/picnic area. Monday I'll show a photo of the old building.

Underworld Art

When you leave Milton-Freewater and head southeast, you cross this river, which I believe is the Walla Walla River. This overpass and road takes you to Southfork, of which I did a series of photos around Thanksgiving. This overpass, however, is just as you're starting to leave the "city" of Milton-Freewater (I put that in quotation marks because MF has approximately 6,000 residents) and head into the countryside. The unexpected colours from beneath the road caught my eye and I turned into a nearby driveway to investigate. This is what I found beneath the overpass. I don't know who did it or why or even when, but it's beautiful. I just love the vivid colours!

Walla Walla River 2

Another shot of the south fork of the Walla Walla River. As you can see, there are places along the river where things are still green. This is due to the fact that the large trees have spread their branches as a cover, and some of the undergrowth in the thicker areas have been protected from some of the destructive icy winds. This particular part of the trail is reminiscent of the PNW rain forests in northern Washington - moss-covered rocks, ferns, soft earth, and trails darkened by thick branches overhead. Even in the fall, this area is quite sheltered.