The. ever wondrous time of a sunrise in the Grande Ronde Valley
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Bob, my hiking partner of nearly twenty years and I backpacked to the high alpine country above Anthony Lake and Hoffer Lake. The basin where we camped receives little use because the approach is steep and obscure. Two tarns and meadow wildflowers amidst granite boulders add to the beauty.
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After setting up camp, we hiked up formitable gulley. Terrain and balance challenged us, but the top was rewarding: mountain goats and great views!
The huckleberries are thick this year. I find it so relaxing simply focused on the berries with nothing else to interrupt my thinking–other than Leif slurping up some berries! (And the Indian paintbrush are gorgeous as well)
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Rarely does one see a sunset rainbow–the timing of late evening sun, clouds, rain, and color all have to come together for a very brief time. Last night, it all happened!
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My hiking partner, Bob, and I camped off the road the travels around the backside of Anthony Lake. The view looked over Chicken Hill and the source. of the. Grande Ronde River. The location was tranquil.
I pitched my tent toward the northwest, where I had hoped to photographed it lighted up with the neowise comet above it. Unfortunately, the moon was too bright for the comet to show up well, although it was visible through my binoculars.
However, the placement was absolutely perfect for the sunset. The colors developed first along the horizon. Then beautiful pink clouds formed to the northeast. And, finally, the moon was perfect for this time of evening. This sunset was one of the best I have ever enjoyed.
“What is important for me is not if our civilization will survive or not but if we can continue to live with hope, and I really think we can because our Lord has given us his promise that he will stay with us at all times. He is the God of the living. He has overcome evil and death and his love is stronger than any form of death and destruction. That is why I feel that we should continually avoid the temptation of despair and deepen our awareness that God is present in the midst of all the chaos that surrounds us and that that presence allows us to live joyfully and peacefully in a world so filled with sorrow and conflict” Henri Nouwen
Michael and I drove up to West Eagle Meadows Tuesday. We were awed by the extensive white false hellebore wildflowers. Michael fished, I rode my mountain bike as we waited for darkness. The comet was beautiful but not as overwhelming as the Milky Way and the intensity of the starry sky which included Jupiter and Saturn. That picture is Michael’s.
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The Comet NEOWISE has certainly lifted our eyes and our spirits. I have been out twice so far to see it. I am profoundly stirred as I think of how it moves in our solar system, amidst the vast dimensions and silence of space, known only–and filled–by Creator God.
(PS I took this image with my iPhone 11Pro, half firmly against the roof of my car for four second, looking towards Mt Emily in the Grande Ronde Valley.)
