Tag Archives: waterfall

Chelan Falls

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The last leg of our trip across the Cascades took us through Chelan Falls.  The town itself is pretty small but I wanted to see the falls.  Unfortunately, they are rather hard to see from public spaces.  I did get to an overlook where I was able to look down onto the falls but I was looking straight into the sun and even then it was hard to get a good look.  I grabbed some sketchy shots and that is what you see here.  Might be good to see at some other time of day but it certainly wasn’t inviting visitors!

Lichenfall

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Walking along a path up the Cascades, I went passed a rocky wall that was totally in the shade.  The shady and damp environment makes it the perfect place for lichen to grow.  The whole of the rock surface was covered in this lichen and it blurred the shape of the surface.  The effect was to make it look like water was washing down across the rocks but, since it was lichen rather than water, I felt it should be called a lichenfall.

Deception Falls

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We almost missed Deception Falls.  I had put it in to the GPS when we headed across US2 over the Cascades but the GPS had picked up on the place I marked and decided an alternate road would get us close.  It did but on the wrong side of the road and that had a benefit we hadn’t anticipated which will be the subject of a separate post.  However, we had missed the falls and we continued on our way east.

When we made the return trip, as we got closer to the spot I had marked, we realized it was coming up and started to debate whether to stop or whether we were happy to continue home.  We debated for a while over this but, as we got closer, the sign came up for Deception Falls and, since we were there already, why not just stop.  Thank goodness we did.  The falls are really cool and they are right next to the road.  The level of effort is virtually zero for a great result.

The falls run under a bridge which you can cross but, aside from looking upstream and down from the bridge, it is worth looking through your feet.  The surface of the bridge is metal grate which allows you to watch the water tumbling beneath your feet.  On the other side, you can walk along a path that runs up alongside the flowing water.  You are so close to the water, you feel like you are almost in it.

Steps take you up to nearer the top of the falls where you can watch the water crashing down over the rocks.  All of this is just a few steps from the parking lot.  It is very impressive (and rather popular) so definitely worth the time.  We came away wondering how easily we could have bypassed this location and what we would have missed if we had done so.

Unnamed Waterfall

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I took a wrong turning as we went over Stevens Pass and, instead of going where I had intended, we took a back road which was probably once the main road across the mountains.  It twisted through the woods, never getting too far from the current highway, but being far more enclosed and far narrower.  Fortunately, not much traffic was coming the other way, so it was easy enough to navigate.  We crossed a small bridge which was over some falls.  I can’t be sure but, judging by the map, the water seemed to be called Martin Creek so maybe the falls are of the same name?

Brandywine Falls Provincial Park

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We took a trip up to Whistler for a long weekend.  On the drive up there, we went past Brandywine Falls Provincial Park.  The falls themselves were actually pretty close to the highway so this did not involve a particularly strenuous hike.  However, after being in the car for a long drive, it was nice to get out and stretch the legs.  Besides, it was a lovely day.

I was not anticipating the falls being very full given the time of year but it turns out they must have a reasonably good source of water and they were flowing strongly.  The park has built a viewing deck that allows visitors to get out to the edge in safety and get a good view of the falls themselves.  The trail continues on for a way as well so you can look back at the falls from a variety of angles.  While it was later in the day, the light was still a bit tricky.  The falls were in deep shade while the sun was shining on the surrounding forest.  The contrast was harsh which meant the exposure was a compromise.  Modern sensors do have considerable latitude to accommodate this variation though.  It was possible to pull out details from both the highlights and the shadows within Lightroom.

Waterfall Park

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I was with a couple of colleagues in downtown Seattle between meetings.  We were walking along the street just killing some time when we came upon Waterfall Park.  Tucked on the corner of a block in amongst the buildings, it is a little area with a waterfall (what a shock I hear you cry) running down an artificial rock face into a pool.  It seems set up to provide a restful spot for workers to enjoy in the middle of the day.  Indeed, it closes by mid-afternoon.  There was a security guy on duty so maybe someone has tried to mess with it in the past which is rather disappointing.  I only had my phone with me but hopefully you can get a feel for the spot.

Snoqualmie Falls

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Our exploration of our new territory included a trip up into the foothills to see Snoqualmie Falls.  The town of Snoqualmie is quite a way from the top of the pass but it is still a nice increase in elevation from the more populated areas to the west.  The views are very nice from up there.  The water running off the mountains has already formed a pretty decent sized river by this time.

Because of the time of year, I was not expecting a very heavy flow over the Falls.  They provide a guide to when the flow is strong and when it is light and we were not visiting at a time of year when it is expected to cover much of the lip of the Falls.  However, some heavy rain in the preceding week had obviously resulted in some run off and things were actually looking pretty forceful.

We had lunch in the hotel overlooking the Falls and got a window seat that provided a great view.  Then we walked around the ridge to see the Falls from different angles before taking the trail down to the river level.  Things look very different when you are level with the base of the Falls and they feel far more powerful.  It was a warm day and the climb back up to the top made me feel rather toasty.  It was certainly worth it though.

Akaka Falls

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I am like many tourists in that I am a sucker for waterfalls.  I suspect as I go through the many posts on this blog that I will find plenty of waterfall shots.  Today I shall be adding one more.  Akaka Falls on Big Island are a popular spot.  Tour parties seemed to be a feature the day we were there.  We saw so many people wearing badges defining which group they were in and you could see the group number change as you walked around and obviously came across a different part of their schedule.  However, they were not what we were there to see.

You can take a short walk to the falls from the parking lot.  What is nicer is to take the longer loop.  You actually get a view of some other falls early on in the loop although they are across a valley and so a little less dramatic.  The area is rain forest like in its conditions so you get to see plenty of cool plants and wildlife as you go, some of which has already made its way on to this blog.  Near the end of the loop, you come down a slope and the Akaka Falls are in front of you.

They are some pretty high falls.  The volume of water rushing over them was substantial and you could see smaller streams of water around the opening.  Sadly, the viewing area was such that it was hard to get a good view of the bottom of the falls and the surrounding water so everything felt a little isolated when trying to frame it.  I’m sure with more time and persistence, I might have found a better way to get some shots.  The blog is most suited to landscape format shots but these falls were stretching the wide angle nature of the lens I was using so portrait was often the best option.  They are snapshots of a tourist spot but they make me remember a really cool waterfall.

Rainbow Falls Doesn’t Work in the Rain

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We were heading out of Hilo and starting back in the direction of where we were staying but our route took us almost directly past the Rainbow Falls.  Having already seen some good falls on this day, we were curious but not determined to see these falls.  Moreover, it was looking a bit overcast as we drove up.  This was the beginning though.  As we pulled into the parking lot, the heavens opened.  It was hammering down.  Having got there, I figured I would take a look anyway although Nancy was quite happy to wait in the dry.  Your intrepid photographer had to bear witness though.

Rainbows require two ingredients.  Water vapor and sunlight.  Without the sunlight, there was not going to be a hint of a rainbow.  The falls were pretty cool looking though.  I bounced around the perimeter checking them out from various angles while getting progressively wetter.  It wasn’t just wet, though.  The wind was really picking up so combine and damp and cold guy in some low light with a lot of wind blowing and getting the shots was beginning to be tricky.  Instead, I took a good look at the falls and then admitted defeat.  Back to the car to peel off the wet jacket and try to dry off on the drive back across the island.