Where: Dalles Mountain Ranch is part of the Columbia Hills Historic State Park in Washington (basically across the Columbia River from the Dalles). 

When: Thursday, May 1 at 10:00 a.m. parking area. 

What: The wildflowers should be good and the ranch has a lot of interesting historic stuff to photograph including "the old car." There are also a number of trails to explore. Bring sturdy shoes and sun protection, and be cautious for rattlesnakes. 

Directions: Drive east on Hwy 84 to the Dalles, then take Hwy 197 across the Dalles bridge to the Washington side... continue north to Hwy 14. Turn right (east) and go about 0.9 miles and turn left on Dalles Mountain Road. Take that about 3.6 miles to the ranch and turn left to go up to the parking area. This is a Washington State Park so there is a fee of $10, or you can get an annual State Pass for $30 before you go. 

Carpool: We suggest people try to carpool as much as possible. Tim Dallas has volunteered to take up to 3 people. You can meet him at his house in Happy Valley at 7:30 am or Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site at 8:00.

Lunch: Picnic in the park. Tim will bring a cooler with a variety of soft drinks and water, some chips and fruit salad for everyone to share. People should bring their own sandwich or anything else they might want to eat. There may be some picnic tables there. It might be a good idea to bring a folding chair just in case.

Besides the ranch, there is also Horsethief Lake and Butte a little east on Hwy 14 if people want to explore those areas on their own. Also, people can consider stopping at Rowena Crest near Mosier on the way back since the wildflowers should be spectacular.

Please let Tim know if you plan to go on this outing. timdallas48@gmail.com