Chasing Raindrops to Glenwood

oooh boy.. I had fun today, sunday afternoon February 8, 2015; chasing light that turned into raindrops and smelled refreshing. Took off north, caught the storm clouds from our place in White Salmon (Mammatus clouds)

and stopped in Husum to get some shots of the Husum Falls on the White Salmon River, which were raging with high water; at the 6 ft mark on the measuring stick near the bridge.

Leaving the river, I saw what looked like a Sasquatch track in the road!

Continuing north on Highway 141, I turned right in BZ Corners on the BZ-Glenwood highway wandering up the curvy canyon road to the Gilmer flats where the Kreps Ranch lives, and there i saw some wild turkeys.

From there up the next curvy road, through a marshy area at the lower end of the Glenwood Valley and Camas Prairie,

Somewhere along the journey I caught a photo of a Ponderosa Pine tree trunk… their bark is very distinct and easy to recognize.  The bark gets so thick that the older trees often survive forest fires because the fire seldom burns all the way through into the cambium layer where the sap runs to keep the tree alive.

After leveling off again on a new level terrain, I turned left on Laurel Rd and sat for awhile listening to the rain and watching the raindrops hit the flooded marsh.  While here i also discovered how to take movies with my camera!

Turning right on Kreps Lane, I found some cows, and by then it was getting too dark for more images, so I headed on over to visit some friends and family for awhile before heading home.

Be sure if you travel to Glenwood to explore the area (including Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge) to take time to visit the one little store in town for a snack or some hot pizza. They have some handy supplies in the store, and the owner of the Glenwood General Store is a kind man who has helped out local schools and community functions a great deal.  They even have an awesome Sasquatch carved statue in front of the store!  By the way, they also carry my photo cards 😉

Currently the town is starting a tourism group in hopes of encouraging visitors to come explore their amazing beautiful high altitude valley near Mount Adams; part of an attempt at reviving the community that has really struggled to survive.
In fact, I encourage you when visiting ANY area that is small and rural, spend some money locally to help the communities.  You can make a difference helping families to stay in their homes, and businesses staying open!