WILD HORSES: Every photography trip has a beginning, the moment when you see the first scene before you that excites your imagination. Motoring south to Oregon through Washington State's Horse Heaven Hills, this scene marked the beginning of a very good photo trip.
Canyon Sculpture: As the Deschutes River approaches the Columbia, the canyons are steeply cut into black, sharp Basalt, layers of cooled, liquid rock formed eons ago by vast regional lava flows drawn from pools of molten rock drawn from the depths of planet earth.
White River Falls: Oregon's White River rushes down Mount Hood's Eastern flank. It is autumn, the river is tame. In springtime, the river swells with water from thick mountain snow melting under late spring sun.
Tygh Valley: Tygh Valley Oregon is a special place nestled comfortably among the Columbia Hills. Ranches dot the plateau, wheat farms carpet the highlands.
Hay Season: Where there are cows, there is hay. Here, hay is grown and stockpiled, anticipating hungry cows through long, cold winters.
Wind & Water: This is arid country, most years rain is scarce. With ample water running off the flanks of Mount Hood, there is water underground. Eighty years ago, windmills built to pump water up from below were a common sight . This one stands tall and proud, a reminder of the past and the hard work that shaped the mark of the human hand on the Western Landscape.
Cattle Drive: The best photo opportunities are often those that arise from complete surprises. Motoring through the high plateau country southwest of Tygh Valley close in the shadow of Mount Hood, I came across a group of Wranglers moving a small heard of cattle to a nearby corral. This was a classic western scene playing out today as surely as it did 100 years ago.
Space: The scale of the land is grand, the vistas are long. the Western Landscape continues to inspire dreams and nurture freedom.
One Room School: One of the great surprises of this sojourn were the many times I would come to an old abandoned one room schoolhouse standing proud on a windblown hilltop.
When I stand inside these schools, I can feel the life in them, the life bred into their walls, of a people learning their way to greatness, helping each other, browsing shared books and keeping a sharp eye on the blackboard.
When I stand inside these schools, I can feel the life in them, the life bred into their walls, of a people learning their way to greatness, helping each other, browsing shared books and keeping a sharp eye on the blackboard.
Wheat and Sage: The high country is carpeted with Wheat and Canola. Sage lends a soft, velvet green border, filling in here and there around the edges.
Grain Elevator: High up on the canyon.s shoulder, the road took a quick curve to the right and there, off in the middle distance was history, a lone grain elevator that once filled rail cars with mounds of golden wheat, headed for the Columbia River trunk line and on to Portland and the world.
Highways: Here, highways often bordered by wheat fields wind through high plateau country. The landscape is grand, giving visual artists and all who pass through this stunning country a very special experience.
