On our previous trip to Orcas, we took in Cascades Falls as part of a hike. We repeated the hike this time but, since we started a little earlier in the day and the days were longer, we didn’t have quite the same pressure to make sure we got back before things got dark. Consequently, when we got to Cascade Falls, I was able to spend a bit more time taking the diversion down to the river to see the falls from lower angles and get some images and video that I hadn’t had a go at on the previous visit. While everything was a lot warmer than last time, there had been a fair bit of rain recently which meant the falls still had a good flow coming over them. As is the way with waterfalls, they look more impressive when you are at the bottom than when you are above them.
Tag Archives: San Juans
Watch Where You Are Going At High Tide!
The view out over the water from pour rental house on Orcas Island was looking towards Shaw Island. Straight across from us, when the tide was low, there was a string of rocky outcrops in the water, often populated by resting seabirds. When I was first shooting these tiny islands, it occurred to me that I didn’t remember seeing them before. It seemed likely that this was a low tide and that they would be concealed as the tide rose.
Consequently, I took a sequence of shots at different times to see whether these rocks were partially or fully covered at high tide. It looks like they are gone when the water is at its highest. Therefore, the many boats that moor up in the area must need to be well aware of the local charts to avoid either grounding themselves or, worse still, ripping the bottom out of the boats. Tricky area to navigate!