The long winding drive from Port Alberni to Ucluelet is demanding and I usually try to make at least one stop along the way to take a break and do some photography. The challenge is to find new locations along the Kennedy River where the river has carved channels through the rock and then smoothed the stone. Steep cliffs line …
Waterfalls
Payzant Falls on the Juan De Fuca Trail
A couple of weeks ago I did a day trip out to the west coast between Port Renfrew and Victoria. This stretch of coast is the home to the Juan De Fuca Trail, a 47 km long trail that follows the coastline. Hikers have the option to do the whole trail as a multi-day hike or to pick and choose …
Bravery Needed at Bonnell Creek
Two of the three main drops at Bonnell Creek Falls. Some waterfalls are challenging to get to—Ammonite Falls and the Trent River Falls are two good examples. Both of these require a rope assisted descent down a fairly steep slope. I’m not fond of heights and have visited both of these locations several times without problem. Bonnell Creek Falls are just a …
Return to Rosewall Creek
I like the hike up Rosewall Creek—it’s fairly easy going and the walk doesn’t take much more than 45 minutes to get to the first view point of the main falls. At this time of year, the water levels are high and accessing good view points for photography is challenging. Rosewall Creek flows through lush west coast forest. Today I …
Finding the Source of Nile Creek
One often hears off-hand mentions of interesting locations that other photographers have been to: the name of a small creek, a description of an out of the way waterfall, vague directions to the location. These places are usually a little off the beaten path, but still relatively accessible and well used by locals. One of the first of many little drops …
Twin Falls in Olallie State Park
Even in the wet drizzle of a grey day, Olallie State Park is a special place. The South Fork of the Snoqualmie River tumbles over boulders as it makes its way down through the Cascades towards Everett and ultimately, Puget Sound. I stopped in on my way south to Seattle back in December, 2013 when the trail was still in …
Wallace Falls State Park
On a recent road trip through Washington and Oregon, I decided to stop and check out Wallace Falls State Park. It was fairly late in the day, but the walk didn’t look too far or too strenuous so I figured I could do it before it got dark. The beginning part of the trail isn’t too appealing as it follows …
Finally Finding Benham and Dillon Falls
I got an early start with the idea to check out Tumalo Falls, figuring to get there while the light was still good. On the way back into Bend, Oregon a side trip out to Benham and Dillon Falls on the Deschutes River looked like it would be fairly straightforward. On paper it looked pretty simple. However, the day didn’t …
Whychus Creek Adventure
Even with a good guide book it can be difficult to find places that are a bit off the beaten path. Roads may have changed, descriptions are often not quite right, and distances may be inaccurate. Usually a bit of back tracking and second guessing is involved to make it to your final destination. Such was the case with getting …
A Slow Morning Down at Little Qualicum River
The grey days of winter on Vancouver Island can be excellent for photographing rivers and waterfalls. With the cloud cover, the light is even and flat so you don’t get the high zones of contrast between the dark sides of the river bottoms and the sunlit trees on the ridge above. I’ve organized a “Slow Photographers SIG” within the Comox …