Timing is a big part of photography...time of the year, time of the day, timing of the tides, the moon, the planets. You get the idea. And, this trip to Oregon's Columbia Gorge was no different. Oregon is an amazingly beautiful state and one of its most beautiful areas is the Columbia River Gorge, an amazing stretch of steep canyon walls and lush green landscapes teeming with waterfalls.

I left San Jose, California at 5am and drove straight through, arriving in Hood River, Oregon at 6pm...11 hours later. I chose my route through central Oregon, through Bend and behind Mount Hood. What a beautiful drive.

My first stop the next morning was Elowah Falls. Tucker, my beagle, went on this trip with me, but it became quickly apparent that he's not fond of waterfalls. When we arrived at the falls, the mist from the flow was blowing pretty strong and he didn't like getting wet. Soon he was cold and shivering, and it was time to go. That's okay though, I got the images I was after, and afterward, it was time to move onto the next falls.

I spent the next two days hiking into various waterfalls along the 60-mile stretch of the Columbia River Gorge. Ponytail Falls, Emerald Falls, and of course, Multnomah Falls, to name just a few. I saw so many!

Once I had had my fill of the rain and cold of an Oregon spring in the Gorge, I decided to head to Eastern Washington, to a remote location known as Palouse Falls. This waterfall isn't actually in the town of Palouse, or even near, but it's a state park named Palouse Falls. Why, I don't know, but the name doesn't matter, because this place is spectacular.

After four hours of driving, I finally turned down the dirt road to the falls. Lined with cows, the road weaved its way down to the edge of the canyon wall. Tucker rode shotgun, barking now and then at the cows...I don't think he'd ever seen cows up close before.

I spent two nights at Palouse Falls, photographing it and waiting for just the right weather conditions. The afternoon of the second day, Tucker spotted a yellow-belled Marmot and ran after it. I had foolishly let him off the leash to smell around, as he'd been riding so long. Well, he ran right for the cliff and just about went over. Somehow he managed to pull himself up...I don't think he realized just how close he came to falling hundreds of feet to the bottom of the canyon!

As my time was running out on this trip, and the weather was not looking to improve any, I decided to head back toward California. I went by way of the Oregon coast, and after a quick stop to see my mother, I ended up back in California. I saw some spectacular scenery, and I'm sure it won't be my last trip to Oregon!