Tollgate: E.J. Haney Viewpoint

A 30-minute drive up the mountains from the WW Valley and you get to see this breathtaking view. This is actually where my husband proposed to me, all the way back in April 2004.

Perspective

A different perspective of yesterday's vista; this is, perhaps, what a small animal would see while perusing the field for dinner. A coyote, perhaps? Or a fox?

Scenic Spring

While out for a drive on the outskirts of the city, we came across a curve in the gravel road that looked out over this breathtaking scene. The deep green of the infant fields, the dusty blue of the newly uncovered mountains, and the grey-white of the unpredictable sky...all of this epitomizes the Walla Walla Valley in April. Welcome to my world.

Signs of Spring 5

You can tell winter is losing its grip on the valley when the mountains stop looking whitewashed and start looking...well, more blue! (They are the Blue Mountains, after all!) This photo covers two signs of spring, actually - the mountains without snow and the clear blue sky with fluffy white clouds (you will also note that where I am in the car taking this picture there isn't sunshine). Unpredictable weather that requires one to dress in layers is another sure sign of spring.

Country Drive 8

Rain in the valley usually means snow in the mountains. You can see along the horizon the end of the Blue Mountains, white with fresh snow.

A Glimpse of Glory

A quick shot of the fading sunlight on the Blue Mountains as I flew down Highway 11 at 60 miles per hour.

A Blue Clear Sky

When the skies are clear like this in winter...you know it's going to be cold that night. But at least the daytime looks beautiful to make up for it! These are the Blue Mountains which in this case should probably be called the White Mountains. They've gotten a fair dumping of snow over the last couple of months, and I hope it helps keep our water levels acceptable this coming summer. This is a view from Highway 11, looking east.

Cabbage Hill 2

Another view as you descend Cabbage Hill towards the Walla Walla Valley.

First Snow

A friend of mine grabbed this photo from what I call Mt. Hope Hill, as it is where Mt. Hope Cemetery is located in College Place. We got our first snow of the season on the Blue Mountains, all the way down to the base of the foothills, on Wednesday night. She took this picture on Thursday evening.

Unusual View

I had a meeting downtown earlier this week and it was held in a fifth-floor conference room. I'm rarely this far above the city (this may, in fact, have been my first time), so I had to take the opportunity to get some photographic memories. Unfortunately this window didn't open so I had to deal with the glass lines. I do, however, love the sunlight on the side of Banner Bank and the foothills of the Blue Mountains in the background. The intersection you can see there is the corner of 2nd and Alder in Walla Walla.

Idyllic?

Evening light casts a warm glow on a College Place barn and the Blue Mountains in the distance on a chilly fall day.

Beautiful Blues

The Walla Walla Valley is nestled at the base of the Blue Mountains on the eastern side of Washington and Oregon. The Blue Mountains are called such because in the right light, the trees covering the hills and mountains give them the appearance of being of a blue hue. I'd say they look blue in this picture, wouldn't you?

Distant Horizon

I just love the springtime views on the outskirts of the city here in the valley. The fields are green, the skies are blue, the clouds are fluffy, and the mountains are clear. Everything is bright and cheerful. This was taken on Whitman Drive while heading east into College Place.

Blues & White

This was my view of the Blue Mountains one morning last week while on my way to work. This is one of those instances when a photograph just doesn't do justice to the beauty of a scene.

Autumn in the Country

Sadly, the quality of this photo is less than what I'd like it to be. I was the only one in the car (aside from an infant) and had to take the shot through my window as I was driving. I wanted to capture what the valley looks like at the beginning of fall. This picture was taken in mid-September, looking toward the Northeast. Those hills are the base of the Blue Mountains.

Lonesome Road

This really looks like something out of the Arab deserts, doesn't it? No, it's just a dirt field on the east side of Milton-Freewater, with the brown hills in the background. This lone tree caught my eye as I was driving around the back roads. The Little Miss and I were out on a drive in an attempt to lure naptime to her. It worked, sort of. We were out for an hour and she slept for the last half of the drive. It was a nice day, so I didn't regret it. Most of the fields around here are wearing their winter browns by now. Everything has been harvested except the orchard fruits, which are currently being harvested. In this area we have mostly apples, but some orchards yield pears or cherries. This tree, however, is not a fruit-bearing tree. I'm not sure what kind it is, actually. Anyone out there want to venture a guess?

Evening Light

I've shown a couple of pictures from La Grande before; this is another. La Grande is only 90 minutes away from The Walla Walla Valley, and is a fantastic place to visit. It's beautiful there in the Grande Ronde Valley, and because of its close proximity to the western border mountains (the highest peak of which is known as Mt. Emily), the evenings cool off much quicker and to much lower temperatures than the WWV. The other factor is that La Grande is at approximately 2700 feet; the WWV's highest point is just over 1,000 feet. Here the evening light is highlighting Mt. Harris, the highest point on the eastern side of the valley.

Skywatch Friday

Just a couple of hours' drive from the WWV is Wallowa Lake, a beautiful area nestled at the base of the Wallowa Mountains. It's a major tourist attraction with adorable little towns scattered around it. Enterprise and Joseph, Ore., are the biggest towns, with populations of 1,718 and 1,054, respectively. The entire county has only 7,000 residents. Just last weekend we went to watch the fireworks over the lake, and just before they started, I caught this scene with my camera. I love how the mountains and trees are barely visible as sillhouettes in front of the nearly full moon.

Skywatch Friday

One of the small towns not too far from the WWV is La Grande, a town of about 12,000 people nestled in the beautiful Grande Ronde Valley of Oregon. This past weekend I traveled there for a wedding which was held at one of the few wineries that have sprung up in this valley. Though the Walla Walla Valley is known for its wine, the grape-growing hasn't spread into the Grande Ronde Valley quite yet, but it's starting to. La Grande is a mere 90-minute drive from the WWV, and is a lovely place to visit all times of the year. Though it does get hot on summer days, the mountains the town is snuggled up against make sunset a lot earlier than most of the state, and the altitude (around 2,700 feet) allows the valley to cool a lot faster than the lower-elevated WWV (we're at between 700 and 1,000 feet, depending on where you are). This is a shot of the sunset on Sunday over the vineyard where the wedding was held. It was a beautiful evening for a wedding.

NOTE: Once again, I find that Blogger has not been publishing my prescheduled posts. It's been happening for 2-3 weeks now. Does anyone have ANY idea how to fix this issue? Am I the only one having trouble with this?

A Common Sight

This time of year, the Walla Walla Valley looks like this a lot. Of course, we have our sunny days, too, like today, but the clouds are never far away. This is a view of our very green Blue Mountains with the threat of rainstorm hovering overhead. I just love this view, and I could look at it all day. Fortunately...sometimes I get to! The Blue Mountains border the valley along the eastern edge.