state parks

Monkey Face

At first glance, I was struggling to see why Monkey Face had its name. This pillar of rock, detached from the rest of the crags on the steep western slopes of Smith Rock, didn't resemble anything like a monkey. I could see why it would be an interesting challenge for climbers, evidenced by the gasps and squeals of the rock scalers at that moment - it is certainly a unique rock to climb, but there were more challenging cliff faces all over the park to test the mettle of any climber.

I kept pondering over this as I tried to compose the grand landscape of Smith Rock framed by the lenticular clouds over the distant volcanoes, and the sinuous curves of the Crooked river. It wasn't until I wandered down from the lookout and got a different perspective of the rock did I realize why it had such a name. From this new angle, the shape of a monkey's face materialized into view, a sharp silhouette formed by the setting sun.

Just as in photography, life often requires a change in perspective to visualize something different even within same old surroundings: a new routine to start your day, a new way to measure and track your goals, or a new way to value the things that matter to you. With a curiosity to indulge in new adventures, and the willingness to accept new changes, these changes in perspective enable you to experience a new life.

Smith Rock State Park
OR USA

Where the Mountains meet the Sea

The march of the waves is incessant and steadfast. For years and decades and centuries, the swells brought on by the strong Pacific winds have crashed against the Tillamook headlands. Over millenia, this has slowly etched away at the rocky leaving behind the seastacks this region is so well known for, including the famous Haystack Rock of Cannon beach

From this vantage point in Ecola State Park, you can watch this erosion in action, albeit at a glacial timescale. The morning light, combined with the sea spray that hangs around above the water, yielded a blissful scene that was imprinted in my mind.

Ecola State Park
OR USA

Coastal Forests

The rugged coastline of Oregon is a road-trippers paradise. Smooth sandy beaches interspersed with steep cliffs where the coastal forests meet the rugged ocean all lie within arms length of small coastal communities. And on a crisp sunny day, these places are a delight to explore.

Along one such beach, the morning fog filtered through the trees, creating crepuscular rays that beamed down to the shoreline bedecked with mossy rocks, decaying deadwood and the occasional sea stacks.

Ecola State Park
OR USA

Palouse Moments

The beautiful green hills of Palouse are one of the largest producers of wheat in the country, producing 153.2 million bushels. The abundant rainfall, fertile volcanic soils and moderate climate help, but it certainly didn't get to this scale by practicing organic farming.

Here we see a crop duster on one of its many runs spraying insecticides on a field of wheat, getting dwarfed by the vast rolling landscape all around.

Steptoe Butte State Park

WA USA

Sunblooms

The wind was incessant and unrelenting. The tiny flowers struggled to hold on, dragged by the breeze that blew up the rolling hills. It was a battle that the flowers would eventually succumb to, but not yet. And until then, these tiny balsamroot blooms would grace the green hillscapes with their colorful blooms, lending a brief bit of yellow to the otherwise brown and dusty slopes on the Columbia River Gorge.

The sun had't crested the distant range, and in the shadow of the morning light, I spied a dusty rustbucket nestled in a field of balsamroot. I was still contemplating how it made its way down here, far away from the nearby roads and ranches, when the sun slowly appeared, blooming with a vibrant sunstar over the eager balsamroot.

Columbia River Gorge

WA USA

Memories of Summer

I peered over the edge, nervously balancing my tripod. It was a long way down, and I couldn't afford to slip, even as I was hurrying to catch the last of the sunset colors. My heart was still rushing from the nerve-wracking drive to catch this sunset, and with the sky turning a vibrant crimson on the western side, it was not going to slow down anytime soon.

Palouse falls was just as I had remembered it. I had visited this amazing destination many years ago, at the time it was just starting to get well known. The cavernous canyon formed by the waterfall cuts through the bedrock as it makes it way downstream is a sight to behold. And the roar of the waterfall is certainly unforgettable

As the sun descended on the horizon behind me that day, the clouds lit up, the colors reflecting gently on the winding river below. I paused for a moment, trying to soak in the sights and the sounds, know that it will be a while before I return back here. With the Pacific Northwest getting ready for a cold and dark winter, memories like these keep me going until the next summer.

Palouse Falls State Park

WA USA

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Nature's Eye

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Walking under that enormous overhang, the waterfall was a column of thundering white, draining amidst the lush vegetation growing from the plentiful mists all around. The overhang under which I was standing was precarious, jutting a dozen yards in front, and enveloping the deep undercut on either side of this vast gorge. It looked like an eye, a white pupil cutting vertically across gorgeous green iris.

To say that this is a unique occurrence is an understatement - there are very few places where I have seen such a deep undercut, let along with a waterfall as massive as this one. Nevertheless, the lower North Falls in Silver Falls State Park, a natural area with ten beautiful and unique falls, is worth multiple visits.

Silver Falls State Park
OR USA

 

 

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Rolling Hills and Red Barns

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I am back after a long hiatus. And while I haven't been posting, I most certainly have continued to shoot, traveling to some amazing National parks in the desert Southwest, as well as exploring the wonders of the Pacific Northwest, such as the Palouse.

The Palouse has always had a special place in my heart. Having first visited it over 5 years ago, the region of rolling green hills, picturesque barns, historic towns, and a charming rustic life, drew me in once again. And perhaps one of the best places to take in the essence of this unique place is witnessing the sunrise atop Steptoe Butte, a conical butte rising 1000ft above the rolling landscape.

From atop the butte, the lines of shadow and light provide an aerial perspective into the sinuous curves of the farmlands,  creek-beds that wind between the hills, red barns, farmsteads and silos that pepper the region, distant windmills capturing clean energy, and the vast agricultural heartland of Washington. The chaotic sleep schedules, the abundance of dust in the air, and the harsh sunny climate does not make it a destination for everybody, but the place certainly rewards the patient and the perseverent.

This was shot from atop the butte with a telephoto lens at F11, ISO 800 at 1/15s

Steptoe Butte State Park
WA USA