One Month Later --- A drive in the mountains.

To anyone who finds and reads this blog...thank you. 

I don't know about anyone else, but I've simply lost track of time during this pandemic. One would think that all the unscheduled time would be a bonus, but it hasn't been.   I'm still contemplating ending this blog, but not right now.  We drove a big loop through the Wallowa-Whitman and Umatilla National Forests, where snow still exists in shaded areas.  Downed trees and snowdrifts in the road helped us decide to turn around.  (I'm glad we did, because we were headed for cities in SE Washington...on Forest Service roads through the mountains!)

 Finally, an animal in my favorite grove of aspens!  The doe was on alert, although she didn't move.  I'm pretty sure there was a fawn hidden in the tall grass.

 These are the signs of a volcanic creation here.

 Crimson Columbine provides a splash of color along the roadside.  A bumblebee was working hard for some nectar.

 This little pretty is a Blue Violet.

 The Stream Violet doesn't match its color name, and I didn't see a stream nearby.

 According to the wildflowers book, this is Butter Lupine.  I just call it "yellow."

 Indian Paintbrush generally blooms earlier in the spring, but many flowers are later at higher elevations.

The book says this is "Blue Pod Lupine."  And I call it "purple."