Chasing a Storm

A quick trip to Portland, OR and then headed home.  We travel east on I-84 and pass through the Cascade Mountains via the Columbia River Gorge.  Our trip takes four hours or more depending on how often we stop.  Once we passed through the mountains and could see the weather to the east I was infatuated by the storm and snapped a few photos through the windshield.  For two hours we chased and occasionally crossed paths with small squalls that lagged behind.  We caught up with the main cloud formation at dusk in the valley we call home.  As always I wonder why I didn't take the time to pull over and make an artistic attempt to focus.  As beautiful as this storm presented, it reminded me that there are many who have been dealing with some very frightening weather in their own valleys.  My hearts go out to them.

















Comments

Jan n Jer said…
That looks like some big storm! The sky just fascinates me the way it changes!
11:41 AM, March 05, 2012
Sayre said…
Those are AWESOME! I remember a trip back home to OKC from New Mexico. We'd follwed this cloud that looked oddly like one of those big oil tanks with the stairs that wind around the outside. I mentioned to my ex that I bet a tornado came out of that storm and a couple of hours later when we'd stopped in Eric, OK for gas, there was one. My ex wasn't always brilliant and decided to outrun it. The tornado picked up teh front end of my car and bashed it up a bit before dropping us back down. We were incredibly lucky (and he was incredibly stupid). I'm glad that didn't happen to you - but one of those pictures made me wonder...
12:10 PM, March 05, 2012
grammy said…
Great pictures. We just traveled to KC MO and the wind rocked us most of the way.
3:30 PM, March 05, 2012
Claudia said…
Wow Pamela...those are some cool pics. Funny, the clouds look like some we get here in FL...and then look at the landscape and it's completely different! :)
5:23 PM, March 05, 2012
Far Side of Fifty said…
I Love clouds and storm clouds too.. I especially liked the sunset coloring on the snow in them there foothills/mountains..very pretty. For some reason I didn't think you had mountains where you live:)
9:19 PM, March 05, 2012
bichonpawz said…
You just reminded me of some storm pics I took last week...and forgot to post! You got some great shots! The scenery in the distance is beautiful!
12:05 AM, March 06, 2012
Susan @ A Slice of My Life said…
Weather is just so facinating. I never paid much attention to it when we lived in CA, but nearly it makes such a huge impact nearly everywhere else.

Great photos, and I'm glad you made it home safely.
5:54 PM, March 06, 2012
~kAtHyInCoLoRaDo~ said…
Those are some incredible shots. Wow! I must get out more often and visit my glob friends...
7:12 PM, March 07, 2012
Intense Guy said…
That is some "big sky" country!

Doesn't seem to be much "out there" other than wind mills and cacti (and maybe the stray coyote).

Those drives look long (and dull) so I'm glad the "heavens" put on a little show for you (and it stayed 'down the road a piece' too!)
6:20 PM, March 08, 2012
LadyStyx said…
That shot of the mountains is gorgeous!
7:17 AM, March 09, 2012
Ms. Kathleen said…
Wow, love the clouds and the mountains... What a sky! Have a wonderful weekend :)
7:47 PM, March 09, 2012
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Old Cold Spot

Image
My brother Mike emailed me this photo last night.  He said this was a goodbye salute that he snapped today in his garage where this old freezer has been chugging away since 1988.  That was the year our mama decided she was tired of bending over and digging through it.  Besides, she no longer needed the capacity and hadn't for several years. Mike and my sister-in-law  spent the next 25 years "digging" through this old freezer.  My sis-in-law was very good at keeping it and the cupboards stocked.  The two of them kept promising each other that "It is going to die soon, so we will just keep it until that day." Twenty-five years may seem like a very long life for a freezer.  It is MUCH older than that. Sears only sold Coldspot through 1976.  I thought that my parent's purchased this freezer in the sixties.  My brother said he put the serial number 'on-line' and it matched a 1953 manufacturing date.   Here is a close up of...
Read more

Apparitions in my Garden

Image
Karmyn is the host of Fun Monday this week with a subject that is near and dear to her heart. Not to mention her knees and fingers. But I mentioned them anyway. The subject? --- What's Growing In Your Garden. As soon as I signed up I grabbed my camera and headed out the back door. Alyssum, lady's mantle, gaillardia, Jupiter beard, and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember is blooming in this photo. We didn't put as many annuals in this year so I miss all the yellows and reds that we often enjoy. But, something else showed up in that surprised me. Can it be that my yard is haunted? Cheeky little ghost! A shot from the deck near the hammock shows off some ornamental grass, petunias, pond plants ... and that bold apparitio...
Read more

Bird Voyeur

Image
The sweet little digital camera that the hubby purchased (after I dropped our old one) has encouraged me to do a little more walking. Last week I took it with me when I walked up the "creek" path, which doubles for joggers and bikers as well. I've seen beavers, mink, deer, birds, birds, birds, and once the tail end of a bear run running away through the brush. Of course, without a camera. Now I carry it often. This time I was watching the Belted King Fisher performing an acrobatic display and chattering at the ducks and geese in his fishing territory. I was zooming in on him in a tree across the water when I spotted what I thought was a huge wasp or hornet nest very high in the tree. (Thanks to Susan for bringing up bee's today.) The heavy binoculars were at home, so I continued to try to see it through my camera. Then, a weird movement caught my eye. What I thought was a giant paper wasp nest was really a Great Blue Heron sleeping on one leg with his head ben...
Read more