As we approached the overhang here, the roar of the falls silenced every other sound. There's nothing to do but close your mouth, step forward, and listen #TamanawasFalls #ColdSpringCreek #MtHoodNationalForest #HoodRiverCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Everything about this place is different in winter #LittleZigZagFalls #MountHoodNationalForest #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Among giants #SilverFallsStatePark #MarionCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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I try to pay attention #DriftCreekFalls #LincolnCity #LincolnCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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I broke my tripod months ago, but there's almost always a convenient stump, log, or rock in just the right place #DriftCreekFalls #LincolnCity #LincolnCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Light and shadow #SoapstoneLake #ClatsopCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Today wasn't a great day for views of the mountain reflected in the waters of this lake, but we had fun hiking through the snow and telling stories #MirrorLake #MountHoodNationalForest #GovernmentCamp #Oregon #OregonExplored

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I don't think I'll ever forget this view #SantiamStateForest #CascadeMountains #Oregon #OregonExplored

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There's always that one tree #MirrorLake #MountHoodNationalForest #GovernmentCamp #Oregon #OregonExplored

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This tree left just enough room for us to pass and promised us shade when we return in the summer #SilverFallsStatePark #MarionCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Those vertical lines of light-toned trunks feel orderly and clean #TillamookCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Who knows how far this water has gone since I last visited it here #LongLakeTrail #BrainardLake #RooseveltNationalForest #Colorado

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This mountain has been the backdrop for most of my best memories #JonsrudViewpoint #Sandy #ClackamasCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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I know of no better place for dipping your feet in the water and watching the light move through the day #SoapstoneLake #ClatsopCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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The last time I was here was six years ago, and it was raining #SilverFallsStatePark #MarionCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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On a day when Multnomah Falls is crowded, it's good to remember that there are so many other places in Oregon where you can listen to falling water #BakerCreekFalls #McMinnville #YamhillCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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I usually come in late summer when the berries are sweet, but we discovered it's also a good place to sit by the water in winter #SlideMountainFalls #McMinnville #YamhillCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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The ground here had been carefully prepared for winter #SoapstoneLake #ClatsopCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Not much light was filtering through the tops of these trees. It felt like walking through a secret #DriftCreekFalls #LincolnCity #LincolnCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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It's been months since the last leaf fell, but the forest saved as many as it could, left them on display for just a few months more #DriftCreekFalls #LincolnCity #LincolnCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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He called it a staircase #SilverFallsStatePark #MarionCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Someone had left a plastic chair next to the lake, but neither of us sat in it. It was better to let the warm morning light engulf us #SoapstoneLake #ClatsopCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Every season has its hues #DriftCreekFalls #LincolnCity #LincolnCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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I don't know how long this rock has stood balanced this way or how long it might remain #NaturalArch #SantiamStateForest #CascadeMountains #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Nothing is quite so satisfying as a bridge over moving water #SoapstoneLake #ClatsopCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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The flowers of spring are long gone, but the forest never stops rejoicing #SlideMountainFalls #McMinnville #YamhillCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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The rocks at the top of the falls weren't as slick as I'd feared, and it felt good to stand there in quiet as the water dropped to the forest below #BakerCreekFalls #McMinnville #YamhillCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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It's already been four months since my visit, but I haven't forgotten. I don't think I ever will #LongLakeTrail #BrainardLake #RooseveltNationalForest #Colorado

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We were here to look at the water, but the trees perched atop this massive rock wall might be what I come back to see next time #LittleZigZagFalls #MountHoodNationalForest #Oregon #OregonExplored

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There are always trees #BakerCreekFalls #McMinnville #YamhillCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Even when there's no clear trail, that space between the trees feels like a calling #BlackButte #Sisters #DeschutesNationalForest #Oregon #OregonExplored

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I always need to peek inside #Albany #LinnCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Is there any more perfect backdrop for a stand of trees than the night-settled clouds rising in the early morning #TillamookCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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I waited for the water to pass #SpokaneFalls #Spokane #SpokaneCounty #Washington #WashingtonExplored

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Every log, fallen across this creek, supported an upside-down icicle forest #LittleZigZagFalls #MountHoodNationalForest #Oregon #OregonExplored

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We stood under branches along the water's edge #SoapstoneLake #ClatsopCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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It's just a little pullout in a neighborhood at the top of a hill. But the view is good #JonsrudViewpoint #Sandy #ClackamasCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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The weather wasn't what I'd hoped (low clouds meant no view of the ocean) but the climb was quiet, peaceful and perfect #SaddleMountain #ClatsopCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Even the trees here are full of light #DriftCreekFalls #LincolnCity #LincolnCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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There's something about the flow of water in an otherwise stationary scene. Something about movement. Something about clarity. Something about life. #TamanawasFalls #ColdSpringCreek #MtHoodNationalForest #HoodRiverCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Take your time. The natural world is full of surprises #SlideMountainFalls #McMinnville #YamhillCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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When I am outside taking pictures, I often feel as though seeing is breathing #SantiamStateForest #CascadeMountains #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Such a soft morning sky #TillamookCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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It's the weird, the strange, the misshapen that grab my attention. Sometimes I look away, uncomfortable. Sometimes I remember to be grateful for their presence and to honor them for their beauty #LongLakeTrail #BrainardLake #RooseveltNationalForest #Colorado

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We went the wrong way at a fork in the trail, but after finding ourselves here, I think maybe this is where we were supposed to be #DriftCreekFalls #LincolnCity #LincolnCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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I love so many places #TamanawasFalls #ColdSpringCreek #MtHoodNationalForest #HoodRiverCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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We were walking uphill, just a few hundred feet from where we parked the car, and already we found ourselves entering new worlds #BakerCreekFalls #McMinnville #YamhillCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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Have you considered the ferns #BakerCreekFalls #McMinnville #YamhillCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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A friend told me about this spot - he said it would feel like a secret #BakerCreekFalls #McMinnville #YamhillCounty #Oregon #OregonExplored

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And there was light #SantiamStateForest #CascadeMountains #Oregon #OregonExplored

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