the best of 2011-2/2

 The Columbia Gorge is "just right there" so I often find myself and my camera out there.

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A new overlook in the Gorge on the Washington side opened in 2011; I went to see it:

Friends of The Gorge bought the land from a developer, who had dreams of big-ticket homes on the Gorge, who bought up farms and built a huge Model Home.  Since these homes would have been over a dozen miles from the nearest store or gas station, there wasn’t much interest in the homesites, and a conservation group bought up all the lots in a bankruptcy sale.  The model home was torn down and an overlook connecting to trails over and into the gorge is is the process of being built.

In my humble opinion, the overlooks on the Oregon side of the river are better.  With that perspective, this overlook takes second place.  Too bad, in a way, because it’s a nice site, and better because anyone can go see the view here.

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I got a nice sunset shot that day:

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I took a trip into the Gorge another time specifically to see waterfalls I had always driven by before.

LaTourelle Falls:

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Wakeena Falls:

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I think this shot would make a good puzzle:

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So would this shot:

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I took more pictures I like in the second half of the year, I guess, so there will be another part to this.

New Years Eve, the end of 2011.

 

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