Worth It

On my way home from an appointment this morning I checked out the lupin hill on the Eastern Prom in Portland.

The main hillside wasn't as covered as it usually is...but there were still spectacular patches of blooms that took my breath away. It was well worth it to take the time to stop and look.

I parked at the bottom of the hill this time...as it seemed most of the lupin were along Washington Ave.

I was disappointed when this condo complex went up...blocking the view of the bay. 

It kind of helps that the color blends in...but I still wish it wasn't there. 

And...they are tiny condos for a lot of money...so it doesn't help with the affordable housing problem in Portland. 

I walked the path to the top of the hill...and again...it was worth it. 

On the way there was a big patch of comfrey (that's what my plant ap told me it was) and the delicate blue flowers were just amazing! 

The little bells remind me of a blue version of 

the enkianthus I posted about a few days ago. 

Then as I neared the top there was a bare tree with 7 to 10 goldfinches

....I enjoyed watching them for several minutes. 

You just never know what you'll find if you keep going.

Here's the view from the top of the hill with the city off to the left and Back Bay off to the right. And you can just barely see the big lupin patch down at the bottom. 

I took another path down and I was excited to see a patch of one of my favorite wildflowers....ragged robin. 

We have a few blooms by our pond that I just posted about...and I've seen huge patches of it along the highway where it wasn't safe to stop. But here they were....a nice patch in another spot at the bottom of the hill. 

This little side adventure this morning was totally worth it.