I love that Amy chose Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World” for this week’s challenge theme! That was the key quote I chose as my response to the “Happiness Is…” challenge that Lens-Artists posted back in December of 2018. Here’s the link to that post: https://scillagrace.com/2018/12/01/lens-artists-photo-challenge-happiness-is/
Of course, there are always new opportunities to wonder at this wide, beautiful world!
Yesterday, I hiked for the first time in the Cascades of central Oregon. Snow-capped mountain peaks and colorful wildflowers graced every scenic view. It was truly spectacular!
Iron Mountain has a volcanic plug or lava neck at its top – that’s the rocky protrusion just to the left of the peak. It was formed when lava in a vent hardened. As we climbed up to the top of that formation, we could see the porous features of the lava itself and the rust-colored iron in it. It made me wonder at how this was once an active volcano, as were the other peaks in the Cascade chain on this Pacific ring of fire.
Fire, snow, sunshine, trees…this is a world filled with wonders that shape the future and tell the past. We have so much to enjoy and so much to learn!
scillagrace 
Thank you for sharing your hiking adventure, Priscilla. Beautiful photos.
…so much to enjoy and so much to learn, well said. The more we learn, the more we can enjoy. 🙂
My pleasure, Amy, as always!
So much to love, so much to learn – so right! Lovely hike Priscilla!
Yes, it was – thanks!
Well done Priscilla! Loved the post.
Thanks, Anne!
Thanks for sharing this as any glimpse of mountains makes me happy and these days, any hint of coolness is especially welcome.
janet
The Willamette Valley is hitting 80s and 90s, but the mountains are still cool, thank goodness!
We’re around 115-117 right now. Dry heat or not, that’s hot! 🥵
Oh, my word! So sorry!
Ha! Me too. We moved Arizona a little over a year ago and hit record number of days over 110 last year and are looking to be pretty hot again this year. That was a record I never needed to be part of. Lol.
😦 ❤
Priscilla, I’ve seen a lot of the Cascades, but never that up close and personal – more like driving through the passes. Your photos are lovely. It’s supposed to get up to 97 in Portland in the near future. Stay cool. 🙂
I’m loving this place and staying cool in the foothills of the Coastal range, surrounded by forest and far from any big city like Portland. Thanks, Marsha!
That’s wonderful. We lived in Portland for about 9 years then another 9 in Cottage Grove. during that last stint my husband was a fabric wholesaler and we traveled together from the coast to the eastern border of Oregon and from Albany to Ashland. At one time I knew Oregon like the back of my hand – from the highways!
That looks like a wonderful hike, with those views. If we looked carefully on little things around us, that would be really enough to make us wonder and be grateful.Thank you for sharing this inspiring story.
Absolutely! There’s enough wonder in the tip of our finger to satisfy a sceptic, if we look deeply and openly.
Wow! Great photos of the wildflowers. There are so many of them. Glad you had a good visit in my neighborhood.
I brought my Peterson’s wildflower guide along because I’d heard that this hike is famous for its color and beauty. I was not at all disappointed; quite the opposite! Absolutely stunning!
Your 2018 post was so cool – (thanks for linking that) and this post here had a different wonderful world vibe – with natural beauty and the closing smile
so nice
and to quote you again from your other post
“It is truly a wonder-filled world, and I am forever happy to be in it.”
ditto
It’s good to share happiness in this world! 🙂
🙂
Beautiful scenery!
Truly, it is!