Stocks of the Novavax COVID vaccine expire at the end of May. If you need a booster, now's the time to get it. Depending on the federal government's decisions, we might not have a vaccine this fall. That's speculative, but not out of the question given recent news. I got mine.

Public meeting 5/18 at 6:30 to discuss Troutdale restarting a local police department at the police station ops center: katu.com/news/local/t...

Got out to pull more Scotch broom last weekend near Cascade Locks. Most of the work was touch-up getting out smaller shrubs, but we had a few bigger ones, too. Also took out some English ivy.

Very heavy storm activity heading for the west Gorge in the next 30 minutes.

Permits for Dog Mountain are required on weekends through Sunday, June 07 & Memorial Day, 5/25. $2 fee with $5 parking at trailhead. You need a computer, computer literacy, English proficiency, & credit to book online. The $2 leaves the state, going to Booz-Allen Hamilton.

Red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) grows in open woods in the Gorge as far east as The Dalles at most elevations. Native Americans ate the berries for food. It also makes an excellent plant for the garden, hosting pollinators & birds. Hummingbirds especially like the ...

Oregon state investigator finds Clean Water Services' CEO violated conflict-of-interest rules regarding meal reimbursements, but not for lavish business travel to Hawaii. (Oregonian, 5/6/26, p. A5)

Oregon DMV offices keep closing due to staff calling in sick. If you've been to an office, you know they are full of unmasked, sick people waiting for hours. Require masks indoors & improve ventilation & air filtration to fix this. oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2026/05/08/o...

False morels (Gyromitra spp.) are showing up in Gorge forests now. They can be deadly poisonous if consumed raw. Some connoisseurs dry or cook them, but it's risky & not recommended. The toxins are called gyromitrin & hydrazine. All morels should be cooked before eating.

Portland harasses homeowner who complained of camps creating noise & property damage: www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...

Blue camas (Camassia quamash) is blooming in the Gorge now. It flowers in spring in moist sunny meadow areas. The Indians used it as a First Food. When Lewis & Clark explored the area, natives introduced it to them. Their first impression wasn't good & it caused quite a stir, digestively speaking:

Great news! The balsamroot planted from our restoration project survived the Burdoin Fire. They are looking good & blooming now. An 18-year effort is paying off. These plants are fire-adapted, so we expected them to do well.

Trimet spent $204 million on "A Better Red," a MAX extension that didn't produce increased ridership. Now, they're cutting MAX & bus service. They continue to waste money on MAX expansion while cutting off bus riders, then go back to the public to ask for more taxes. katu.com/news/local/a...

Yesterday, OHA reported 2 new COVID deaths in Oregon; the total is now 10,965. Hospitalizations are at 0.2 per 100,000 vs. a national average of 0.4. Wastewater levels are low. The overall trend has been downward but with lots of variation week to week.

Troutdale Amazon floor worker: “It makes me feel more ashamed to work there knowing that people can drop dead and we have to carry on knowing it doesn’t matter to the higher ups, and everyone is replaceable.”

A successful botanical quest! The Criterion Ranch Trail is a few miles south of the town of Maupin. We went there to see the sagebrush violet (Viola trinervata) in bloom. It's one of the most beautiful wild violets, growing in sagebrush desert. A mountain bluebird visited us ...

Yesterday I scouted the bloom in the Gorge. Low elevations are peaking now through next weekend, lupines are still a bit behind, but balsamroot looks nice. It's about average for bloom intensity. A calm day, no wind motion in photos to deal with.

Dirty little secrets:

2 key developments in Portland's anti-car scene that bode well for business & those who drive: Jonathan Maus, head of BikePortland, is going on hiatus. bikeportland.org/2026/04/15/i... His radical & confrontational anti-car writing has damaged the reputation of the cycling community, ...

This week & the next are the peak wildflower bloom in the Gorge's low elevations. Weather should be good over the weekend, so get out to enjoy it. I will have an update on the intensity of the bloom; the photo below is from a rare superbloom year.

Pope Leo unfavorable rating: 11%. Trump unfavorable rating: 57%. SO MUCH WINNING! news.gallup.com/poll/693155/...

My oh my! Huckleberry Pie!

A Trump executive order will unbank millions of Americans, denying them access to online recreation reservation/permit systems. Perversely, it will deprive agencies of revenue from recreationists. www.msn.com/en-us/news/p...

The Oregon DEQ doesn’t ban biosolids fertilizer in agriculture. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202... Maybe they should.

The 4431 Fire is now 100% contained.

Welcome to wildfire season. The 4431 Fire has been reported on the east side of Mt. Hood, halfway between Eightmile Point & Mill Creek Ridge.

With Artemis in the news, many criticize the space program's cost. Why are crewed missions important? A big reason is protecting the Earth from an asteroid impact. If one hit us, it could wipe out humanity or deal us a major blow. While there is work underway to alter an ...

Monarchs are migrating! Journey North reports many sightings in the Midwest as far north as Missouri. The West Coast is behind. Don't get excited about the dots in OR/WA, these aren't photo-confirmed & likely are painted lady or tortoiseshell butterflies. maps.journeynorth.org/map/?map=mon...

Friends of the Gorge has announced their new Executive Director, Gabe Sheoships. He is Native American, a refreshing change for the organization. While I haven't met him, Native Americans are usually more open to the LGBTQ+ community & less prone to the bigotry the group ...

I-84 WB construction delay at Bonneville Dam. Consider WA SR-14 at Cascade Locks.

Oaks toothwort (Cardamine pulcherrima) is a charming flower starting to bloom in oak savanna grassland in the Columbia Gorge. The name comes from use of the roots as an herbal remedy to treat toothache pain. The globular bud clusters at left are waterleaf, a different plant ...

Great houndstongue (Cynoglossum grande) grows in oak woodlands at low to middle elevations in the central & east Gorge. It reminds me of a bigger version of the forget-me-not with deep blue flowers. Native Americans applied the grated roots as a burn dressing, & also used them...

Good weather in the Gorge is expected this weekend. Wildflowers are almost in full swing, it's a good time to get out to see some. Balsamroot only have a few small early blooms at this point. It's a time to look more closely at the ground to find the smaller early species.

White meconella or white fairy-poppy (Meconella oregana) grows in moist, open areas at low elevations in the Gorge east of Hood River. It's uncommon & blooms in early spring. They are small & easily missed. Look for them now through late April. No Native American uses noted. ...

I saw my first butterfly of spring yesterday, a California tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica). They overwinter as adults. When the wings are folded, they look like a dead leaf or tree bark. This one saw me and was doing exactly that. The upperside wings are orange and brown ...

Here's the fabulous Vista House viewpoint, Columbia Gorge.🌲

Electricians in Portland/Vancouver reporting there’s no work. What happens when the government drags its feet on affordable housing. www.reddit.com/r/electricia...

Wind turbines cranking on a windy day in the eastern Gorge last week. A friendly reminder that the wind doesn’t care what’s happening in the Strait of Hormuz.

A new experiment for tracking monarchs: adoptamonarch.org is looking for donors to fund solar-powered radio tags to track monarchs in real time. They emit a Bluetooth signal that smartphones pick up, similar to AirTags. You can fund one monarch for $200, or part of one ...

On March 11, OHA announced 2 new COVID deaths in Oregon; the total is now 10,960. Hospitalizations are at 0.1 per 100,000, compared to a national average of 0.6. Wastewater levels are well off the peak, except for Hermiston, which is showing a sustained increase.

A landslide has closed the Historic Columbia River Hwy. between Portland Women's Forum & Crown Point. The next 2 days will bring heavy rain to the area not seen in years. The Eagle Creek Fire has made slopes unstable. Be extremely wary of debris flows. They can happen suddenly...

Ziply Fiber estimates service will be restored to the West Beaverton area by 6 am PST. Which is really funny, because we are on Daylight Time. So I assume that will be 7 am.

There’s a Ziply Fiber outage in the Beaverton area. Both voice & Internet are affected.

Grass widows in the Gorge are at peak now; this is a shot taken yesterday at Tom McCall Preserve. Get out to see them this week. Cool, showery weather will prolong the bloom a bit, but some snow is also in the forecast Mon/Tue, possibly Sat. The moisture is needed.

Looks like the power is mostly back on, about 800 customers are still affected. www.columbiagorgenews.com/free_news/po...

The power is out in the entire town of Hood River.

This week, the east Gorge had yellow goldstars, pink prairie stars, & tiny white flowers of Whitlow-grass. The display is just getting started. Grass widows will peak over the next week. Next week is predicted to be cool & wet, which should prolong the bloom.

On 3/4, OHA reported 4 new COVID deaths in Oregon; the total is now 10,958. Hospitalizations are at 0.1 per 100,000 compared to a national average of 0.9. This is a record low for the pandemic. We are tied with New Mexico & Maryland.

Lucky barrel is my name....I don't know why But one thing I do know....is I give good side eye Meet me at Cat Adoption Team in Sherwood OR

Coming up now on OPB Radio Think Out Loud & 8 pm tonight: Interview with Gorge Commissioner Robert Liberty resigned from the body due to their pro-development policies.