Mt. Whitney at sunup from Lone Pine, CA in October 2014. Mt. Whitney is the tallest peak in the   contiguous US and in this image, is the tallest peak on the distant horizon on the right. This was the start of a fairly long day hiking the Mt.Whitney trail. You gotta love October light!

The Mobius Arch off Movie Road in the Alabama Hills just outside of Lone Pine, CA late afternoon in October, 2014. Photographer's note: one of the things you'll discover in post production editing is that when you include large areas of sky and you are shooting back lit scenes, the importance of keeping your sensors clean becomes clear! Also, never, ever use canned air when cleaning them.

Big Horn Park

In the Mt. Whitney Zone recently-beautiful fall colors in Big Horn Park-I believe this is Wutan's Throne looking towards Mt. Whitney, which remains hidden from view. We only had a one day permit and due to the altitude and our tiring legs, had to turn back at this point, just a tad short of Outpost Camp. Next trip, maybe we'll get a better view, but this hits the mark pretty well, all things considered, IMO.

Looking down at the Old Borges Ranch, Walnut  Creek Open Space. Very hot and very dry.

Mt. Hood

Another of highlight of our Oregon adventure in August, was a trip to Mt. Hood and the Timberline Lodge. Mt Hood also happens to be on the Pacific Crest Trail which we wouldn't have known if we hadn't stumbled across the trail marker (left) while exploring behind the lodge. We met a true mountain trekker, however, "Fig Newton", who began his 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Trail trek in April, in Mexico, and was en route to Manning Park, B.C., the end of the line. An avid hiker since his Boy Scout days, he said he'd hiked the Appalachian Trail three times, so we have no doubt he'd make it. A true gentleman, he was a pleasure to meet and chat with.

"Fig Newton" on the Pacific Crest Trail

Indian Paintbrush on the slopes of Mt. Hood.

Sunday Brunch deserts from the historic Timberline Lodge.

More Columbia Gorge Falls

Horsestail Falls

Been away from the blog for awhile. Editorial work and a virus that laid me up for over a week. Nasty. Returning to Portland via U.S. 30, after a visit at Hood River for some lovely IPA's  and eats at the Full Sail Brewing Co.,  stopped at Horsetail Falls and Multnomah Falls. The clouds that had been dogging us all day finally dissipated and we were treated to really wonderful late afternoon light at both places. Sometimes you just get lucky. The trick is to always be willing to work with the conditions you are in at any given time-especially if you don't have the luxury of hanging out at any specific location until things are "just right".

Horsetail Falls

Multnomah Falls

Trail Bridge, Multnomah FAlls

Lower Multnomah Falls, Pool

The Oregon Trip, Day Two

After touring the Pacific Coast between Cannon Beach and Cape Disappointment, traveling the Columbia River Highway west of Portland on our first full day, Marika took us to see some of the falls along the Columbia River east of Portland for our second day's adventure. First stop was at John B. Yeon State Park and a hike up the Gorge Trail to Elowah Falls.

First view of Elowah Falls from the trail.

The base of Elowah Falls.

Full view of Elowah Falls.

Gotta get a wild flower guide! These around the pool at the base of Elowah Falls.

On our way back down the trail from Elowah Falls, we decided to take the trail to the Upper McCord Creek Falls. This trail afforded us some views of the Columbia River  that the lower trail did not, so it was pretty cool. A few rain drops along the way, but nothing significant to keep us from enjoying the moment.

Upper McCord Creek Falls. Next post will find us visiting the town of Hood River, Horse Tail Falls and Multnomah Falls.

Hiking the Rim Trail

At the Lafayette Reservoir.
This time of year, things are pretty dry and the days can still get warm. It was in the upper 80's when I was out this past Sunday and after a long summer, the trails were pretty dusty, moon like in some places as you can see from the tread marks. It's only a 4.7 mile hike, but it is steep in places and with the dirt and dust, I don't recommend doing it in sandals.

The trail offers some great views of Mt. Diablo and Las Trampas Regional Park as well.

Came upon this doe but she didn't want to pose for very long. Maybe it was the time of day or the relative obscurity of the trail when compared to the more popular and paved lower trail, but only encountered a handful of other hikers and joggers on this portion of the trail.

             
 A tamer portion of the trail at the eastern side of the reservoir. The hills of Briones Regional Park are on the horizon.

And a pretty nice view of the reservoir itself. I was on the trail for three hours which made for a nice afternoon hike and mini-photo safari to a place I've frequented often, but not seen from the vantage points the Rim Trail offers.

Last Day of Summer, 2012

To commemorate the last day of summer yesterday, decided to take a hike around the Lafayette Reservoir. It turned out to be a warm day, but even so, change is in the air as evidenced by the poison oak (toxicodendron diversilobum)already turning color. There's a lot of it there, so it's best not to pet any dogs that may be on a stroll with their owners. Also a good idea to be careful when going off trail, especially once the leaves have dropped, since it's really hard to identify then and the stems and branches still contain the evil oils. Very nasty stuff if you're the least bit sensitive to it.

Poison oak aside, it was a beautiful day and walk. Even though the days are getting shorter, the light is magnificent. I could easily call this my favorite time of year.

Portland, Pearl District, Night

After a long day of driving along  the Oregon Coast and Columbia River, we were hungry and maybe a little tired, but not so much that we weren't up for some IPA's and ribs at Deschutes in Portland's Pearl District. It was all very, very good!
Views are looking up NW 11th Ave and the Gerding Theatre at the Armory.