Manastash Ridge

Thursday and Friday my wife and I managed to get away to do some hiking. We left very early Thursday morning and drove to Manastash Ridge, southwest of Ellensburg, Washington, on the east side of the Cascades. There, on Thursday, we hiked the Ray Westberg Trail and the Boyscout Trail.

The day was sunny and warm, though it was raining west of the Cascades. This photo was taken from the Ray Westberg Trail about halfway up the ridge and shows one of the Ponderosa Pines growing on the ridge.

The area was like a huge flower garden with Buckwheat, Pussytoes, Alliums, Larkspurs, Balsamroots, Penstemon, Phlox, Irises, Paintbrush, Salsify, Lupines, Tritellias, Asters, Groundsels and Arnicas all in full bloom. The highlights, though, were the Bitterroots, (Lewisia rediviva) which were blooming profusely on nearly every patch of rocky soil.

We went on Friday to hike in the Cascades, but that's another story and another series of pictures. I'll be posting more pictures from both hikes and also adding a new post to my blog as soon as possible, but this will have to do for today.