oneonta gorge

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of going to this place, Oneonta Gorge is just too amazing!

find it here:  45°35’11” N;   122°4’26” W

creature in the gorge

Deep within Oneonta Gorge when the water was low I came across this rock which almost looked like some prehistoric creature with just it’s back breaking the surface of the water.  This gorge goes back surprisingly far and if you get all the way to the end (requires swimming even when the water is low) you’ll find an amazing waterfall!

find it here:  45°35’11” N;  122°4’26” W

the mystery of oneonta gorge

This is my favorite place in the Columbia River Gorge and one of the most amazing and beautiful places I have ever been.  It’s one of those places that you lose time in as you immerse yourself in the surroundings.  I love the way the basalt walls of the gorge tilt in from different angles and when it is raining, little waterfalls stream in from the sides.  It is truly beautiful and amazing.

I used a Lee Big Stopper 10 stop ND filter to make a 3 minute exposure to smooth out the water and give it that blue cast.

Getting there - driving to the entrance, it looks like little more than a small creek with a road crossing it.  Even walking down to the creek you never really get a sense for what could be ahead.  You have to be prepared to get wet and walk up through the creek to a giant log jamb at the opening to the gorge (just a few hundred feet form the road) and then carefully pick your way up and climbing over the log jamb to get to the other side (it’s about 15 feet high and 50 feet long).  It can be really dangerous when wet and you’d slip and break an ankle or fall into the deep water below.   (I put on Kahtoola Microspikes when I’m going here so I don’t slip).  On summer days, you might be able to actually get into the creek on the other side but watch out after a rain fall as the water just past the log jamb is 10ft or more deep with a strong current.  If you can make it all the way up the creek (you’ll have to swim some spots) there is a neat hidden waterfall waiting for you at the end.

Find it here:  45°35’11” N;  122°4’26” W

you can hear it grow

Near Cannon Beach, OR there is a little sign with a turn off for Ecola State Park. The road twists and turns leading you to one of two parking lots with great views of the ocean but what I really liked about this park was the rain forest you pass through getting there.  It was really foggy this day and the forest had a prehistoric feel.  Stopping the car to get out and walk in to the woods just a bit, it was almost like the quiet after a fresh snow - so still and silent but rather than snow, everything is green almost like you can hear it growing if you listened close enough.

Find it here:  45°56’19” N;  123°59’5” W

Emerald City

An unexpected landslide in Big Sur made this photo even better!

A while back we took a road trip from Southern California to San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Highway. It was a great drive up the coast until we got almost to Big Sur only to find that a landslide closed the PCH ahead of us and we had to back track a few hours south then north on the CA-99 to get around it. I was bummed That it put us a day behind schedule and into a rain storm when we got to SF. I had really wanted to get a photo of the Golden Gate Bridge from this spot but there was torrential rains coming straight at us on when we got there on both attempts. I almost thought I wouldn’t get it but as we were leaving town to drive home, we crossed the bridge one more time hit a spot of no rain to get this photo here. Had we made it to SF as originally planned, it would probably have been full sun and a less interesting photo than with these cool moody clouds :)

Find it here: 37°49’43” N; 122°29’9” W