Ben Mayer Comes To Portland Part I

My cousin Ben was in town for the last couple of weeks taking a class to become a wilderness first responder (congrats, cousin!). With the couple of days he had left before returning to Michigan we went on a couple of hikes, checking out the amazing unique beauty of the Columbia River Gorge. Luckily the first day was also Courtney's day off so we all got to spend the day together and see a number of waterfalls:

First stop was Multnomah Falls. Now way could Ben come all the way out here from Michigan and not see this.

Next was Horsetail Falls, which raged much stronger than last time I saw it.

Just above Horsetail Falls sits Ponytail Falls, also much stronger than I remember. I didn't dare venture near the stream this time.

The trail joined up with the Oneonta Gorge trail where we saw Middle Oneonta Falls. Lower Oneonta Falls is only accessible by stream wading because the Oneonta Gorge is so narrow, and Upper Oneonta Falls is only seen by a steep scramble off trail. I didn't think it was worth it, so we only saw the middle falls.

Finally we came to our destination: the 100-foot tall and aptly named Triple Falls. Below is the gang: Me, Courtney, Ben, and two of Ben's friends.

We had some extra time so we also did the short walk to Latourell Falls. These waterfalls are different beasts in winter flow.

A side stream falls towards Triple Falls

An experimental shot I took of Ponytail Falls, with 8 seconds exposed of a tree and 2.5 seconds exposed of the waterfall.

Multnomah Falls billows

The stream just above Triple Falls

The river just above Triple Falls

Multnomah Falls and the river flowing from it

A stream makes its way to Triple Falls

Seeing double at Triple Falls

Latourell Falls. Moments later I took a nasty fall and broke some of the plastic on my 18-55 mm lens and now it won't stay attached to the camera body. It was a terrible loss and hopefully won't be too expensive to fix.

Lincoln City Retreat

While now isn't exactly the time of year one expects to spend a weekend on the beech, that's exactly what I did to say sayonara to January. I was just there for a full day, but I got to see the sun rise over the beech and an inland waterfall, as the weather was surprisingly pleasant along the Oregon coast.

Before I show pictures of Drift Creek Falls, I want to include directions for how to get there. There aren't very good directions online and sources are conflicting about what to do, as I discovered. Here's what you do:

- From Lincoln City, head east on S Schooner Creek Road. You can get there by turning east onto SE 48th pl. which turns into Schooner after about a mile.

- After a few miles, turn right (south) on S Anderson Creek Road.

- You should come to signs for Drift Creek Falls Trailhead in a couple of miles, telling you to turn inland (east) onto S Drift Creek Road. Take that road and follow it and the signs for 10 miles.

Okay, on to photos!

Drift Creek Falls stands at 80 feet tall, and the flow was so high that the small opening was barely enough to contain the falls. You can see the results of a recent avalanche due to a similarly roaring flow.

Dawn on the coast

Drift Creek Falls blows blue with power. Perhaps it was the mist in the air reflecting light, but it was still pretty cool. Down below, a couple of guys get as close to the falls. Later they went swimming in a nearby pool and one lost his wallet. Don't worry - he found it eventually.

Sandy beeches

I took this picture entirely by accident on the trail to Drift Creek Falls. I think my hand must have slipped and I took the shot by accident. Good thing my lens cap was off! It has a really cool watercolor feel to it.

A suspension bridge hangs about 240 feet above the ground, passing above the 80-foot falls. It results in some interesting views of the falls.

The river rages on.

The weather was so beautiful that on my first night I went down to the water and tried taking pictures of the stars. Stars! Stars I haven't seen since moving to Portland due to cloud cover, and yet here I could see the Milky Way. I figured I'd try some super long exposure shots that show how the earth moves and makes star swirls. This one was supposed to be for 20 minutes but camera ran out of batteries after 15, so this is the only one of its kind I managed.

Photos From Sunol

Joel and Dad eating lunch at the watering hole downstream of Little Yosemite, Sunol, California.

We watched the sun rise just above the dry hills.

The river downstream of Little Yosemite. The water was low and still, so there were many reflections.

A cascade I like to call "Lower Little Yosemite Falls" in low flow. Waterfall reflections aren't common because usually they churn up the water around it. Not this time!

A cow on the edge of oblivion.

Joel surveys the landscape.

Joel and Dad eating at the watering hole.

Kaboom!

A section of the river in Little Yosemite Valley

The sun rises over us hikers.

The low flow made Little Yosemite Falls pathetically weak, but the pool (which people sometimes dive into in warmer weather) very clear and still.

The infamous blue rock.

Lower Little Yosemite Falls. The rocks just above the falls look a little like an eagle.

The entrance to Little Yosemite Valley

Another Kaboom!

The family

A little cascade tucked in between three boulders.

The old rock walls of Little Yosemite Valley were like the wrinkled face of a wise old man.

Joel and Dad eat lunch above the sky.