Photowalk Portland!

Saturday was our Portland, Oregon Photowalk with Ben Latterell, and I had an AMAZING time.  We had a great turnout -- we even got some folks to join who just happened to be in the right place at the right time.  We started the day at Pioneer Square, took a nice walk through the parks of the city, crossed the river to get the industrial neighborhoods, and finished with dinner at Montage (where I was given leftovers in a very unique and exciting form).  After a bit of a rest, Ben and I hit the streets again for some night shots of the carnival along the river!  All in all it was an awesome day with so many fantastic photo ops.  Thanks again to Ben and everyone who made it out for the photowalk.  Portland was such a great time!!!

Group shot -- way to go Portland, with the being different!!!

A statue of Abraham Lincoln clutches a rose in the Rose City

Gorgeous details in the base of a fountain

Colorful graffiti

Looking mean with my Battle Axe -- leftovers from Montage

I'm a little behind schedule on blogging, but I'm in Glacier National Park in Montana right now... I'm lucky to be able to get online!  More posts soon!

Columbia River Gorge!

Yesterday I took a day trip to the Columbia River Gorge to visit Multnomah Falls, Weisendanger Falls, and Ecola Falls!  Over a period of a few hours, I traversed the 11 steep switchbacks on the Larch Mountain trail to get  to a hidden valley filled with AMAZING waterfalls.  The hike up the trail was intense -- I saw so many people turning back after just a few of the switchbacks -- but if you are in the area and want to commit the energy to the trail, it is SO WORTH IT!  I had an amazing time photographing the serenity of this quintessential Pacific Northwest spot.  Bring plenty of water, take lots of breaks, and you'll make it to the top!  You'll be so glad you did!!!


Here are a few shots from the hike... enjoy!

Olympic National Park!

It has always been a dream of mine to visit Olympic National Park to see the temperate rain forests and photograph their beauty.  Dream became reality two days ago when I added an overnight trip (thanks to two leftover segments on my USA Rail Pass) to the park!  I enjoyed a 6 mile hike through the Quinault Rain Forest, taking time to photograph amazing old growth trees, waterfalls, and the lush ground foliage.  After my hike, I drove west to the pacific coast of the park to check out the rocky islands and sea stacks found there.  It was full-on raining at that point, but I took advantage of the weather to add some atmosphere to my photographs.  Like any good photographer, I took better care of my equipment than myself :-) , utilizing rain-sleeves for my cameras, and a plastic 'turkey bag' to protect the contents of my backpack from the water, but had forgotten my umbrella and raincoat back in Portland!  Fortunately, I am an extremely melt-resistant person!


My time in Olympic National Park was priceless.  I really enjoyed the various eco-systems found there and drove almost 400 miles in my exploration of the park (thank goodness for the gas economy of my rental Prius)!  I even saw cougar tracks in the rain forest and helped protect myself by alerting all rain forest animals to my presence with my loud performance of songs from Lady Gaga's Born This Way.  At one point I heard something rushing up behind me and was prepared to beat the hell out of it with my very hefty tripod -- fortunate that I realized it was just a jogger before inflicting any damage.  WHO JOGS IN COUGAR COUNTRY?  


Anyway, here are a few of my favorite photos of Olympic!

Klamath Falls in 48 hours - loads of photos!

Klamath Falls is a lovely town in Southern Oregon.  After spending so much time in the major California cities, it was nice to slow things down to a mosey, meet a few local photographers, and enjoy the beautiful scenery that the area offers in abundance.

Sunday was the Klamath Falls Photowalk – back to backphotowalks make me sleep like a rock, by the way – and we had a wonderful time.  The downtown area of Klamath Falls features some really cool Art Deco architecture, stylized modern construction, and peaceful parks.  We had a small group which really helped me get acclimated in the slower pace and high altitude (I forgot just how much being at 4,000 feet will reduce your energy)!

Day two in Klamath Falls was packed with amazing natural locations.  We started at sunrise and made our way – with several gorgeous stops – to Crater Lake National Park.  Fortunately, I picked up a hat and a pair of gloves on the way, because there were still several feet of snow on the ground up there!  Next we moved on to the Rogue River Gorge for incredible rapids and an amazing breakfast at Becky’s (best biscuits and gravy ever)!  Photowalk leader, Brian Gailey, designed a wonderful, 200 mile scenic loop for me to get the full area experience.

Now, after two fantastic days in Klamath Falls, OR I’m on the Coast Starlight up to Portland.  Despite keeping incredibly busy during my time in Klamath Falls, I’ve assembled some of my favorite photos from the Klamath Falls Photowalk and my day of sightseeing for your enjoyment.

Thanks again to Brian Gailey of Brian Gailey Photography andDesign for planning an excellent photowalk itinerary, being my chauffeur and tour guide for two days, and for making Klamath Falls such an amazing and memorable experience.  I’ll definitely be back that way someday!

A crazy cool old train car found in Downtown Klamath Falls

I loved the textures of this old log cabin outside the Klamath Falls History Museum

A remaining wall with hollow windows drew me to it from across the street

The Ross Raglund Theater with a super cool deco exterior

Golden afternoon light on this vibrant tree + a bold blue sky = happy photographer

Great lines and color!

A lovely pastel sunrise on the outskirts of Klamath Falls

Hey look its me again!  Enjoying the snow at Crater Lake in late may! 
Thank goodness for my truck stop hat!

What an amazing place!

A view of Mt. McLaughlin from Lake of the Woods

...and another... So glad I made it here!

Crater Lake is spectacular in a whole new way

See what I mean?

The Rogue River Gorge with soooo many stacked filters to get flowy water :-)

So peaceful despite the roaring water!

For anyone who is incredibly jealous of all the fun we've been having, you can STILL join us on one of the last two photowalks!  Photowalk Portland is this Saturday with Ben Latterell, and Photowalk Minneapolis is next saturday!