Tag Archives: nature photography

Big Meadow Lake

One of our favorite places to camp and hike is at Big Meadow Lake in the Colville National Forest.  We took our children there many times, and now we are taking our grandchildren there.

Big Meadow Lake

Recently, we had a Saturday afternoon to spend with family, so we drove out to Big Meadow Lake to have some fun.

Big Meadow Lake

My six year old granddaughter and I are looking out over the swamp to see what we can see.  This area has an abundance of wildlife, including moose.  But we didn’t see moose on this day.

Family

It seems that only Daddy can reach the trees on either side of the path.

Bunchberry and Strawberry

As well as an abundance of wildlife, there is a wonderful variety of flora.  In the above photo, wild strawberry and bunchberry grow side by side.

Big Meadow Lake

As you hike, you can walk in the deep woods, open areas, on pine needle laden paths, foot bridges and wooden walkways.

Big Meadow Lake

Big Meadow Lake

Big Meadow Lake

Big Meadow Lake is stocked with trout and bass.  We love to take our canoe out, but a kayak or rowboat will do.

Big Meadow Lake

No jet skis, or other large noisy watercraft allowed. 

As beautiful as the lake is, you don’t want to swim here.  There are leeches in this lake!

Big Meadow Lake

Isn’t the reflective quality absolutely gorgeous?!

Big Meadow Lake

The baby ducks were soaking up the rays on the dock.  They had no fear of us.

Big Meadow Lake

Big Meadow Lake is a precious jewel in the wilderness and we were treated to a fabulous afternoon for a walk in the woods!

Palouse Falls

Hubby had a fabulous idea for another impulsive day trip.  We called Dad to see if he’d like to come, packed up our lunch and headed south to Palouse Falls State Park.

Palouse Falls

Palouse Falls is a scenic gem that is nearly hidden in the scablands and canyons of southeastern Washington State.  It you want to visit a place that is off the beaten path, then this is the place for you.

Palouse Falls

There are many hiking trails and it is possible to hike to the bottom of the waterfall, or up around the top, or even behind the waterfall where the Palouse River cuts through the scabland.  Some trails are paved, many are not.  Rock climbing is allowed here too.

Palouse Falls Marmots

The falls plunge 186 feet and, incredibly, you don’t see it until you are nearly on top of it.

Palouse Falls

The orange that you see in the photos are rock climbers.

Palouse Falls

We were treated to gentle rain showers on our visit, and we had a very pleasant day.  I’m proud of my Dad; he’s in his 80’s and recently had knee replacement surgery.  Yet, he’s out here hiking!  I really do come from great stock!

Palouse Falls Dad

The Palouse River behind the falls:

Palouse Falls

Up on a plateau:

Palouse Falls

On the way home, we visited Steptoe Butte State Park.  The butte is an unexpected height reigning over a sea of agricultural land.  It is named for Edward Steptoe, a colonel in the US Army, who, in May of 1858, was defeated by 1000 Indian warriors in a battle near here.

Steptoe Butte

Steptoe Butte  is a great place for kite flying, hang gliding, picnicking and just taking in the view.

Steptoe Butte

Serene.

Clicking on a photo will give you a larger look.

Douglas Falls

Think of your life as a waterfall; it may come crashing down at some point, it may have it’s ups and downs, but in the end, it will continue to flow.

– Unknown

I am one of those daughters blessed with a Mom to be proud of.  I was fortunate to have her spend a few days with me last week.

One beautiful morning, I drove her to Douglas Falls, about a 15 minute drive from my house. 

Douglas Falls Sign

If you click on the following photo, you will see a young couple enjoying the waterfall.  They give you some perspective of the height of the fall.

Douglas Falls

I’ve been here many times, and I told Mom that the hike down is not too difficult.

To her credit, she believed me.

I should visit the park more often.  I did not realize just how deteriorated and steep the trail had become.

Many times I told her, “This is the steepest part; it’ll be better after this.” 

Ahem.

To my credit, I offered to turn back.

To her credit, she said she wanted to keep hiking.

We made it down to the foot bridge, and enjoyed watching Mill Creek flow by.

Mill Creek

I forgot to take a photo of the bridge.  No doubt because I was relieved that we made it there without ending up at the bottom of the trail by sliding on our butts all the way down.

I did, however, take an impressive photo of the creek flowing under the bridge:

Foot Bridge

I did not have the presence of mind to snap a photo of Mom either.  She wouldn’t have appreciated it anyway.  This was an impulsive little jaunt on my part.  She had curlers in her hair, and no scarf.   But the only people in the park on this morning, were the sweet lovebirds at the top of the waterfall.  We did meet them on the trail and chewed watercress together.

We enjoyed many wildflowers along the hike.

Violet

Star Flowered False Solomon Seal

When we hiked to the bottom of Douglas Falls, the view looked like this:

Douglas Falls 2

Douglas Falls 3

The view from the top of the waterfall.  Yup, we hiked all the way around the waterfall.

Douglas Falls 4

Mill Creek before coming to the falls:

Mill Creek 2

Lungwort

Mill Creek just before entering the park.  Who would think that this serene creek would shortly fall 60 feet?

Mill Creek 3

Now go back up to the first photo of Douglas Falls and remind yourself that Mom hiked full circle around the falls.

Mom has arthritis in her feet, sometimes making it painful to walk.

Mom is 81 years young.

What keeps you from enjoying God’s gifts?

I love you Mom!  Thank you for your love of life!

Clicking on a photo will show an enlarged image.