Fun and Games...58º

With the promise of sunny days and warm temperatures for the weekend, we (Mona, Jerry, Herb and I) spent a chilly Friday inside visiting, eating and honing our card playing skills...Mona had told her friends that she was coming to Joseph, Oregon to spend a few days sitting on our deck and visiting...And that we did, but we also managed to take in the yardsales on Saturday morning as well as taking in the sights of the Wallowa Valley as we traveled...We all bought a few treasures...Back home Mona and I decided to pick some apples (still kind of green) and make a pie...Topped with ice cream it was yummy.

Before baking

Sunday morning after breakfast of huckleberry pancakes, bacon and eggs we donned our sunglasses and visors for a trip to the top of Mount Howard on the gondola at the head of Wallowa Lake...Herb and I have taken this ride many times but never tire of the scenery in this amazing spot...After the 15 minute gondola ride to the top terminal, we began our slow trek to Royal Purple Overlook, stopping to read each sign and catch our breath, because at over 8000 ft the air is thin and we are out of shape!..We climbed all the steps to the very top where we joined the Golden Mantle Squirrels, who live here year round, and took in the amazing views of the surrounding peaks with their remnant glaciers...From there we hiked back down and up another hill to get a view to the East and  the "Seven Devils" in Idaho...This late in the season a few wildflowers are still blooming and M & J were amazed at the different species of trees (white bark pine and alpine fir) that grow in this high altitude.

Trying to get a photo of the Golden Mantle squirrel

We spent 2 hours on the trail, traversing half the loop, as we made our way back to the terminal and the scenic ride back down the mountain.

Alpine Asters (I think)

Whew, we made it.

Tired but elated (none of us had a heart attack) we returned to our deck on Barton Heights and our dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy along with more of the fresh tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and squash from M and J's Utah garden...The last of the sliced peaches would have been very good with a little cream but a deep dish peach (with a few huckleberries on top) pie and ice cream sounded much better...Hugs To All...OWAV:)

We had to eat it with a spoon but no one seemed to mind.