Raven Playtime on Mt. Hood

Taking a photo is an ephemeral thing.  It is fleeting, and if the opportunity is gone, it does not frequently return.  The light will not be the same, the moment, the conditions, you...none of it will happen exactly the same way to recreate your experience.  I have become better, as I age and shoot more and more, at seizing that moment, stopping whatever I am doing, and getting the shot.  This applies so much when I am driving.  I see a certain condition, or light, or subject, and have to know if I stop that it is not going to be a quick thing.  The right photo takes time, and often encompasses simple patience and waiting for that place in time when you get what you see in your mind's eye.  I have often yelled, danced, sung, or otherwise expressed my happiness aloud when I have gotten what I think I was after, most often with no one around...The joy of photography is not for everyone, but if you are bitten with the bug, it is gratifying.

Lake Champlain Sunset

Sunset over Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont...there are days when I miss this place.

White River Slide, Mt. Hood

With winter upon us and several slides having occurred around the West already, I thought I would post this photo of a slide in White River Canyon between Mt Hood Meadows and Timberline Ski Areas.  Just a reminder that we don not live and recreate in benign environments, and it always pays to keep your wits about you and be aware of your surroundings.  Although it is easy to miss, NOTICE the two Ski Patrollers from Mt Hood Meadows investigating the slide in the lower left of the photo.  This slide could have gone much bigger, but as it was, the crown was 30+ feet in spots.  Stay safe and go get some turns!

Cloud Cap Inn

Cloud Cap Inn...Home of the Hood River Crag Rats, the Mountain Rescue organization for the North Side of Mt. Hood.  They have carefully maintained this structure and it's history since 1954.  First built as an Inn in 1889, signatures of summiters on the walls are still visible to this day, often for subsequent years.  Take some time to get to know this magical place, and feel free to contribute to this amazing volunteer organization.

Skinning is Winning

I got out for a tour yesterday and was fortunate enough to be able to skin up the East side of White River to about 8000'.  The East wind was honking and I was more or less driven back down a little bit to where I could tuck in below the ridge and wait for the Golden Hour to capture a few shots of the Sunset and the commanding view that you get from there!  The spindrift that was being thrown over the ridge felt like being sandblasted with tiny ice pellets, but it was getting caught up in the setting sun and was casting an incredible halo.  By using the flash and directing it with my hand and goggle lenses I was able to light up the ice crystals, giving it the strange appearance in this photo, almost looking like meteors or star stacks.  I stayed until the sun actually dropped below the horizon, scrambling from spot to spot in the waning moments of light trying to get as many perspectives as were possible before it disappeared.

Once it was gone, I put my skis on and started down, surprised by the pockets of super fun windpack that were available here and there, slashing a turn or two wherever I could.  The runnels from the rain on snow event of last week were mostly dried out and made for a fun, consistent surface all the way down to the bottom of Mitchell Creek where I could duck back into the resort and head back to the truck to end a great day! 

Fly Fishing at Detroit Lake

Fly Fishing is an excercise in patience.  Ryan and his dog Big Head excercising some patience at Sunset at a much depleted Detroit Lake.  Hopefully with some of the recent rains, it will begin to help refill these reservoirs.  Amazingly the "boat docks" at the State Park were hundreds of yards from the feeble flow that passed for a river trickling into the Lake.  The advantage of a low water year is that you can check out the holes you would normally fish, and understand the actual topography of them and know just how deep they actually are.

Sandy River Valley

 

This time of year is often about changing weather.  These shots are from Sandy looking across the Sandy River Valley.  I sat in my puffy coat and drank coffee from my thermos, waited for the light to change, for the fog to lift, and for the feeling to come back into my fingers so I could take these shots.  A cold and foggy morning eventually broke into a sunny day which was pouring rain by the end of the day.  Gotta love Oregon.

Triple Falls

The waterfalls in the Gorge are again thumping away with all the recent fresh snow and rain.  After such an incredibly dry Summer it is so good to see water back in the system.  Take a little time out of your day to be grateful for our ample water in this region.  This is Triple Falls in the upper Oneonta Gorge...go see it for yourself!

Mt. Hood Sunrise

Mt. Hood put on quite a show this morning! Thanks for the beauty!

Mt Tabor Reflections

Mt. Tabor Reservoir in SE Portland, Oregon.  This reservoir, due to the fact that it is not covered and therefore represents a national security compromise, will most likely be decommissioned and emptied.  Shots like this will no longer be possible.  I am grateful to be one of the many people almost silently gathered last night to witness this beautiful show.

Mt. Hood Sunrise

 Good morning Mt. Hood!  She bursts forth into the day in fine fashion!  Of late the Sunrises and Sunsets have been totally ludicrous.  I love the annual return of clouds and the dance of light that accompanies them.  I am grateful to have caught this from Mt. Tabor Park in Portland, Oregon.  I tried to get to Rocky Butte immediately afterward but got distracted in a conversation...more on that later.

Columbia Sunset

The sun casts its final rays on the waters of the Columbia River.  This Gorge is so beautiful!  There are no two days or evenings the same.  I have found that on days when the weather is enough to keep most folks home that it is then that the gorge shines...can you imagine what it was like for early photographers like Carleton Watkins?

Mt. Rainier Paradise

Love this place...Paradise on Mt. Rainier.  The home of the old Paradise Campground and current home of a Government Weather Station, giving us data that helps provide water supply forecasts and real-time data for weather forecasts.  Distracting this peak!

Dee Wright Sunset

Dee Wright observatory on McKenzie Pass in Central Oregon.  As the fall approaches, kids are back in school, and places like this become blessedly quiet.  An awesome time for visiting and hanging out for awhile.

Cyclocross

Cross Season is upon us!  Get out there and make some fun happen.  Dress up, get muddy, smile, and drink beer.  I can't wait.

Blitzen Gorge

 Gotta get back to this place, 'tis the season.  Aspens are going to be turning soon, crisp air, maybe a dusting of early snow like we got on Mt. Hood in the last few days...yes, it sounds good.  This is Blitzen Gorge on Steens Mountain, if you have not been, go there!

North Cascades

Sure do miss the North Cascades this Summer!  Even though they have been burning and filled with smoke, that's part of the greater process, and I bet it made for some incredible #sunrises and #sunsets.

Mt Rainier over Tipsoo Lake

Sunset over Mt. Rainier with Tipsoo Lake in the foreground.  This mountain is always such a treat, even on the days that are socked in and you can't see the peak, even when you are on it, you can seemingly always feel its presence.  Love it.

#flugtag2015

I am pretty sure this is what fun is...pushing a teammate off a 30 foot dock at breakneck speed just to see if the contraption you built will fly!  I had so much fun participating in this event! There is nothing quite like pushing your craft up on the flight deck, where you have a couple minutes to reflect, then turning around to realize there are 85,000 people watching your every move.  My buddy Asit Rathod was such a huge help building the craft, many Red Bulls, Many Jameson's, and many hours were spent together making the magic happen.  See you next year Flugtag!

Mt Ashland Reflections

There has been so much going on lately that I have not posted here as often as I normally would.  I have been off doing random things(Red Bull Flugtag for instance) that have taken up so much of my time that my normal penchant for landscapes and such has not been fed.  I miss these days, skiing with Cali the Wonder Dog on Mt. Ashland, gazing at Mt. McLoughlin in ample snow years taking lap after lap after lap, I miss my friends from Ski Patrol, and the time spent at odd hours on a mountain with no one else around.  More of these times to come for sure, and remembering these days is the surest way to insure more of them.

Family time at Cascade Locks

A beautiful sunset from Cascade Locks in the Gorge...

Reflecting on an old friend

Reflections of Mt Hood from the SE Side...Hello old friend.

Bridge to Heaven

An amazing sunset frames the Art Deco columns on the bridge into Newport, Oregon...

Newport Waterfront

The Sun dips down below the horizon and the Jetty in Newport Harbor on the Oregon Coast...

Warm Springs Reflection

more of the high plateau with Jefferson showing off

Mirror me mirror you

Aspiring pilots at Hillsboro Aviation practicing maneuvers at Troutdale airport outside Portland, Oregon...

Central Oregon Sunrise

The Three Sisters in Central Oregon at Sunrise with the moon adding an exclamation point...

Mt Jefferson Reflection

Mt Jefferson reflected in a spring on the High Plateau in Central Oregon...

Pillar of Gold

Sunrise claims a solitary pillar in the Columbia Gorge...

Holiday Lights at The Grotto

A waterfall is illuminated by Holiday lights at The Grotto Sanctuary Festival of Lights in Portland, Oregon

Foster Love

Foster a Dog this year, the need is incredible and the rewards are immeasurable.

http://www.greatpyreneesrescuesociety.org/

Vista House Colors

Fall colors on brilliant display in the Columbia Gorge...

Deschutes Sunset

 A stunning sunset in Bend on the Deshcutes River in Central Oregon yesterday...

Double Sunflare in Central Oregon

I love it when a shot aligns perfectly.  When you are at the right place at the right time, and there it is.  The reflection of the sunspot on the waters of Suttle Lake as seen through the perfectly round hole in this burned-out snag happened just this way.  The double sun flare is at first confusing, but awesome! Enjoy...

Mill Pond Bend, Oregon

Geese rest on the Mill Pond in Bend, Oregon backed by Holiday lights on a nearby residence...

Sunset over Portland, Oregon