Colfax to The Dalles via Palouse Falls

We left Colfax in a light rain.  Arrived in The Dalles in a light rain.  But, the in between part was just gorgeous!  I got one more shot along a road leaving Colfax.  I smiled as the image reminded me of my grandson's love of roller coasters. Tomorrow is his tenth birthday.

Palouse Falls is definitely off the beaten path.  You can see it with just a very short easy walk from the parking lot.  But getting to that parking lot requires some out of the way road travel and the last two miles is gravel. The falls are over 200 feet and empty into a beautiful canyon. I practiced shooting it FAST and shooting it SLOOOOOOW.

Tom shot from a different perspective.

A really wide angle shot from Tom shows off the canyon.

We have many more shots, of course.  But, after a while they all begin to look like a waterfall!!  Wonder how that happens?

The road trip offered a lot of shooting opportunities.  Tree farms? This was shot from the right seat with me at 70 miles per hour.

Tonight we are resting in The Dalles.  Tomorrow we start our Columbia Gorge adventure from the Oregon side of the river.  We have several waterfalls selected to spend some time shooting. The forecast calls for a 40 to 50% chance of rain between The Dalles and Portland.  I am sure waterfalls look best in rain!

We hope your week is shaping up just as you would like.  If not, take a day to go shooting. 

The Palouse Area

The Palouse area stretches out about 50 to 60 miles in each direction.  I think we covered all of it today . . . all the time hoping for some good light. We woke up to clouds.  Again!!  Never mind that, we left in the dark to drive up Steptoe Butte.  The clouds did not allow any golden light but treated us to some pink and yellow clouds. Here is my take of the scene.

Here is Tom's take of the same scene (more or less).

As this was primarily a scouting trip, we drove back roads to see if we could get a better understanding of where we would want to be on our next trip.  We learned a lot!!  And along the way we found interesting things to photograph, including some new looks to fields.

While taking the photo below, the owner of the property came out and talked to us. We have met so many wonderful people!  His sister lives in Bullhead City.  He also likes to take photos.  Gave us a tip for a good site just down the road from where they are tearing down an old grain silo.

I really loved this barn and asked Tom to capture its personality as I stayed in the car slightly off the road. In true Tom style he accentuated everything I loved about it and spent a long time removing distracting telephone wires and other debris.  Notice the air-conditioning (vented roof).  Yes, it was getting cloudier, again.

In addition to our own scouting we often ask local residents what they think is interesting.  A restaurant owner and his wife recommended a 'covered bridge'.  They told us that when photography workshops come to town they go to photograph this particular bridge. He even showed us on a Google Earth map how to get there!  OK! We are on it!

Must admit that when I first saw the bridge I had to laugh.  Really?  But, then I saw how the bridge reflected in the water.  It makes it look like a waterfall!  Must admit it does not look like other things around here!

Finally, our fun shot comes from Tom.  As we drove into Colfax he spotted this car. It is a 1955 Cadillac.  He shot the image from the car and through the tinted window. Since his polarizer was still on the lens, a rainbow effect is created. Tom actually accentuated the issue. That caddie has never been seen in such a great light until now.

Tomorrow morning we head out early to Palouse Falls and then on to the Columbia Gorge for several days. We have our 'falls' and hikes picked out.  The weather is supposed to be favorable.

It has been nice to hear from friends and we are grateful that our family can stay in touch and enjoy our trip. We hope that you are capturing great images - an image a day keeps the blues away.

Coeur d'Alene to Colfax

Dreary would be an apt description of the day.  It felt like winter approaching.  I decided early on that Tom is just having way too much fun clicking from the right seat! With the intention of pulling off the road, if I could, to get a shot in once in a while . . . this was the first site I selected!  Hahahaha! This drive thru had two drive thru lanes and an outhouse to meet your most minimum bathroon needs. The barista was a young lady of 18 years named Kayla and she served up one very good hot chai tea! Perfect stop to counter the dreary, cloudy blahs!

A bit further down the road I spotted another reason to pull over.  

As I got climbed up an embankment to get close enough to capture the wagon I saw something else. 

We though a side trip down a gravel road would be interesting.  It was.

The reason we drove through 'The Palouse' as this valley is called was to photograph an area that has received a great deal of attention of photographers.  The best times to visit the Palouse area is in the late spring and summer.  Harvest time in August or early September is not too bad.  At this time of the year the landscape is not nearly so interesting.  We knew that would be the case but wanted to scope it out anyway as we headed to the Columbia Gorge area.  The lack of good light has made the photography more challenging.  You might do some searching for photos from this area to better understand the attraction the area has for photographers.

The photos below were taken as we drove into Colfax or later in the afternoon when it had started raining. 

Not all is brown or straw/gold.  Every once in a while we still saw green.

Steptoe Butte is reputedly a photographer's favorite spot as it allows 360 degree views from the top. We drove up to the top in rain and drove back down in more rain. Definitely sets a different tone to the colors!

How about a lonely tree standing in the rain? 

Tis all for yesterday.  We went out early this morning, hoping the sun would peek through while still low on the horizon.  No such luck!  Looks like it might rain this afternoon as the clouds are building up.  Regardless of what we get now, we will be back next year in late May or June.  This is just a gorgeous place to be.

Hope your Monday is shaping up just perfectly.  If it is not, take a break and go photograph flowers or fountains. It will cheer you up.