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Central Oregon • Coast • Columbia River Gorge • Mountains • Rivers Lakes Waterfalls • Trees

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Central Oregon

Cooling the Fire

Paulina Lake fills the volcanic crater of Newberry Volcano, while Mt. Pauline catches the last light of day.
Newberry National Monument, Oregon

Diamond Ring

Ancient rock formations frame the ‘Diamond Ring’ moment during the total eclipse of the sun in Central Oregon.
Balancing Rocks, Lake Billy Chinook, Oregon

Line of Resistance

Rock cliffs, remnants of the Crooked River Caldera, guide the river on a circuitous route.
Smith Rock State Park, Oregon

Velvet

The sun’s soft lighting created the illusion that the ancient paleosols are elegant folds in a giant striped fabric, cloaking what lies beneath.
Painted Hills National Monument, Oregon

Tapestry of Time

Newberry Crater was created by the collapse of the volcano. The lakes then filled, and the center vents reactivated, then expired. The Obsidian Lava flow only recently entered the scene. As I waited for the clouds to drift by to perfect the composition, I felt I was capturing a momentary, yet multi-layered event in time.
Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Oregon

Smith Rock Evening

Monkey Face towers above the Crooked River.
Smith Rock State Park, Oregon

Badlands Bloom

Old timers said they haven’t seen such a profusion of blooms in the Badlands Wilderness in decades. An extra wet winter and spring caused the explosion of Buckwheat and Monkey Flowers.
Badlands Wilderness

Golden Smith

The late afternoon sun puts a golden glow on the pillars of Smith.
Smith Rock State Park, Oregon

Llama Sunset

The setting sun turns the Llama Wall climbing route into a golden edifice.
Smith Rock State Park

Badlands Beauty

Rarely do the spring blooms here reach such a crescendo.
Badlands Wilderness

Logan Valley Blooms

A profusion of wildflowers covers Logan Valley, near the Strawberry Mountains.

Smith Rock Evening

Crooked River mirrors the setting sun on the crag.
Smith Rock State Park

Crooked Carvings

Monkey Face towers above the Crooked River.
Smith Rock State Park, Oregon

Coast

Bandon Sunset

Ancient seamounts make graceful sculptures on the Bandon shore.

Bandon, Oregon

Bandon Beachscape

Giant monoliths decorate the beach near Bandon, Oregon.

Brace for Impact

It was high high tide at Yachats, Oregon. The wind blew strongly onshore. I found a spot where the waves crashed into a hole and exploded straight up, and positioned myself so the spray was carried away by the wind. But in a split second, the conditions changed and the wave exploded over me, engulfing me and my equipment. Somehow I snapped the shutter release an instant before the wave hit.
Yachats, Oregon

Green Grass and High Tides

Exposed mats of sea grass prepare to be inundated yet again by the coming high tide.
Yachats, Oregon

Columbia River Gorge

Mosier Sunset

Balsamroot and Lupine bask in the sunset over the Gorge.

Mosier Plateau, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Branching Out

A grand white oak tree attempts to cover every available space above the blooming lupine.

Flood and Flower

The blooming balsam root and lupine flowers belie the violent ice age floods that scoured the basalt cliffs across the river.

Opulence

Like royal jewels, a thick carpet of wildflowers blanket the ground in the Columbia River Gorge.

Rowena Gap

Columbia Desert Parsely covers the hillside view looking out to the Columbia River through Rowena Gap from Tom McCall Preserve.

Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Mountains

BEFORE FIRST CHAIR

In an instant before the sun rose, Mt. Bachelor seems illuminated by an inner glow. The new Cloudchaser lift waits for its first riders on its first day of opening.

Mt. Bachelor, Oregon

Rosy Glow

The setting sun and fast moving clusters of clouds cast a decidedly rosy hue on the upper slopes of Mt. Jefferson.
Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, Oregon

Hooded Majesty

Swirling clouds crown Mt. Hood as the last rays of the sun peak through.

Golden Sister

Golden Lake provides a perfect mirror as dawn illuminates South Sister.
Three Sisters Wilderness

White River Rushing

The aptly named White River springs from Mt. Hood into the broad valley it created.

The Light

Like a spotlight shining on a stage, the sun’s rays slip through a crevice on Broken Top, highlighting No Name Lake.

Sisters Sunset

The summer sunset silhouettes the sisters.

North and Middle Sisters

Mt. Bachelor

The mountain, in mid-winter form, awaits the day’s skiers.

Clearing

Morning clouds briefly part to reveal a fresh snowfall on Chief Joseph Mountain in the Wallowas.

Broken Top Rising

The outflow from Golden Lake rises to new heights as Broken Top towers above all.

Jefferson Park Evening

Jefferson Park gleams in the afternoon sun, a welcome sight after I negotiated for the viewpoint with a black bear.
Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, Oregon

Purity

The cool, clear snowmelt appears to come straight from Mt. Bachelor.

Lone Pine

Dawn reveals the lone tree clinging to the snowy slope overlooking the Three Sisters Wilderness

Hurricane Valley Storm

Seemingly in an instant, storm clouds replaced sunshine in Hurricane Valley.
Eagle Cap Wilderness, Wallowa Mountains

Sparkling Summer

The meadow at Sparks Lake provides a crystal clear reflection of Mt. Bachelor

Mt. Bailey Dawn

As the fog lifts from Diamond Lake, Mt. Bailey catches the early dawn light.

Red Sky Morning

A lightshow at dawn like never before seen.
Three Sisters Wilderness

Broken Top Afternoon

Broken Top rises above Sparks Lake

Sparks Lake, Oregon

Sister Dawn

Fall sunrise graces the top of the mountains.
Three Sisters Wilderness

Purple Alley

Among a multitude of colorful rocks, the purple boulders adorn the flank of Broken Top.

Rivers Lakes Waterfalls

White River Falls

The White River falls in ribbons as it carries glacier meltwater from Mt. Hood to the Deschutes River.

White River Falls State Park, Oregon

McKenzie River

Ultra clear springwater falls step by step down the wild and scenic McKenzie River.

Fluffy Blanket

A dry, powdery blanket accents the river.

Dillon Falls, Deschutes River, Oregon

Byrd’s Point

Bridge Creek creates a lush valley where it joins the John Day River, with Byrd’s Point standing guard.

River Ablaze

The red bush provides counterpoint to the yellow aspens, as storm clouds hover over the river in fall.

Near Dillon Falls, Deschutes River, Oregon

Wy Chutes Evening

The setting sun creates a sublime scene at the confluence of Wychus Creek and the Deschutes River.

Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area

Hurricane Pools

Eons of water swirling down Hurricane Creek have created pool after pool in the hard granite cliffs.
Eagle Cap Wilderness, Wallowa Mountains

Rushing Vitality

A deep snowpack and wet spring creates a strong lifeforce surging down the McKenzie River.

Metolius Mounds

Tiny rock islands of green dot the shallows of the Metolius River.

Deschutes at Potter Canyon

Potter Canyon, on the left, carves a narrow peninsula where it joins the main channel of the Deschutes River. Geologic Summary
Steelhead Falls WSA, near Crooked River Ranch, Oregon

Kerr Canyon Thunderstorm

As I explored this dry, grassy canyon, near the Deschutes River, a sudden thunderstorm appeared over the ridge and chased me back to my vehicle with pounding rains and wind.

Weightless

Wizard Island appears to float on the surface of Crater Lake.

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Lower JDR WSA

A sunny moment highlights the river canyon before the clouds darken the sky.
Lower John Day River WSA

Falling Away

The McKenzie River flies into space at Sahalie Falls.

John Day Basin

The desert watershed of the John Day River, as viewed from Melendy Ridge.

Clarno Color

Colorful paleosols frame a bend in the John Day River near Clarno Rapids

Dashing Deschutes

The falling waters of the lower Deschutes thunder over Sherar's Falls on the way to the Columbia River.

North Pole

The undammed John Day River cuts through the rugged and remote North Pole Ridge Wilderness Study Area.

Red Mountain Rising

Above the paleosols and the John Day River, Red Mountain rises in the sunset.

A Dry Dillon

An early fall snow at Dillon Falls reminds the low Deschutes River that a refill is on the way soon.

Trees

The Fire After

Fiery fall colors appear on plants thriving after a relatively recent forest fire.

Warmth

The morning after the snowstorm, the Central Oregon sunshine applies its full energy to the Ponderosas, and snow doesn’t stand a chance. Black Butte, Oregon

Arise

Ponderosa pines grow in tight stands near Black Butte, Oregon