Rowena Crest Wildflowers

Description

Rowena Crest Wildflowers

Tom McCall Preserve, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

The Tom McCall preserve is located on the Rowena Crest approximately 5 miles east of Hood River, Oregon. This area lies between the lush forests of the western Columbia River Gorge  and the dry grasslands on the Gorge’s eastern stretches. This volcanic plateau located 700 feet above the Columbia River, erupts in a riot of colorful wildflowers every spring.

The Columbia River Gorge is famed for its Kite boarding and wind surfing because…… it is windy! While exhilarating for wind sports enthusiasts, wind is not a friend of Oregon Landscape photographers like myself. I scouted this lush vibrant scene during a recent May evening. The preserve was busy with excited flowers peepers who are also not ideal for landscape photography. I decided to return the following morning before sunrise in hopes of finding better lighting conditions, fewer visitors and, hopefully less wind.

My wishes were granted by Mother Nature! The morning was largely wind-free, a rarity in the Rowena Crest area. I settled on the composition you see in this new Oregon landscape photograph because I love the nearly perfectly form and vertical spikes of the foreground lupine, contrasted with the soft pastel glow of morning’s first light warming the cliffs in the Columbia River Gorge. The detail in this new fine art print is simply stunning and can best be appreciated by enjoying a large high definition photograph of these beautiful Rowena Crest Wildflowers!