Latourell Falls

Sometimes it’s the out of the way detours that put us where we need to be, without even knowing it. I have been down the 84 freeway, which winds its way along the Columbia river, multiple times. As a consequence of that, I often times have become numb to the surroundings. I have been to a lot of waterfalls between Hood River, Oregon and Portland. Most are either right off the historic hwy 30 or a short little trek down or up a trail. As I drive, I think to myself as I pass by certain spots, “I have that shot already” and I keep driving down the highway.

I was driving my way to the coast and not in any real hurry. It was a wet and rainy day, so I thought I’d take the scenic drive along hwy 30. The rain this past weekend had detoured people from stopping at a lot of the roadside waterfalls and the usual traffic was extremely light. The most popular waterfall, along the way is Multnomah Falls. I made my way along the highway, heading west past Multnomah Falls and I usually stop at Bridal Veil Falls and turn back around, to catch the 84-freeway home. This time, since I was heading west, I thought I would continue along the highway and see what else I could see, as I had never ventured down past Bridal Veil.

I came across a few small waterfalls along the way, but nothing I could really stop at, as the two-lane highway is narrow and doesn’t offer much in the way of parking, along the road side. You have rock face and rails, in most spots. I came around a bend and caught this waterfall out of the corner of my eye. There was a small parking lot, I had just about missed, but stopped abruptly and turned into park. The sign read “Latourell Falls”. I just couldn’t believe I had never seen or been to this waterfall.

Most times, when I am stopping to photograph a waterfall, I find myself unprepared, equipment wise, to get the best shot. Either I don’t have my tri-pod, I have the wrong lens setup or I left my neutral density filter at home. Not this time. I had everything I needed. Rain gear, check. Tripod, check. ND filter, check. This is the resulting shot. I hope y’all like it and thanks for looking!

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