Multnomah Falls in Oregon
That time when I didn’t see the 604 feet tall waterfall that was right in front of me.
I am a photographer, and I love waterfalls. I am always hunting for them as I travel across the United States.
I shot the above photo in 2012 when I was on an eight-week road trip. I was en route to Portland, Oregon, when I saw a road sign for Multnomah falls. I followed the signs to the exit off the Interstate 80, expecting to get on another road that would take me into the mountains where I’d find the falls.
Instead, I ended up in a parking lot. I was confused. I thought maybe the falls were not accessible by car and might have to take some form of public transport to get there. I saw a kiosk and went in there to get some info.
There was no one in the kiosk. It was full of brochures of various kinds, but none were of any help. I didn’t see anyone that could guide me. I was, to put it mildly, teed off. I was ready to get back in my van and head out when I heard a crow overhead. I looked up to see where it was and gasped. There it was, across the freeway in all its majesty, 604 feet tall and flowing like a horsetail.
Then I noticed people walking towards the interstate. There was an unmarked tunnel that takes you to the other side of the Freeway, where there is a park that’s home to the falls.
I learned a valuable lesson that day, similar to the one I wrote about in this story.
I was in too much of a hurry to get to Portland. I had preconceived notions of where the waterfalls would be. I was not present in the current moment. The ‘caw caw’ of a crow interrupted my thoughts and brought me back to the present moment. The lesson was to slow down and breathe in the mist.
It was Grace that used the crow to bless me with the magnificent sight I was about to miss. I have sold the above photograph as a large canvas as well as matted prints. It is one of my bestsellers that never was.
I am a self-proclaimed weirdo, Jack of Many Trades and Master of Some. I live a Freedom Lifestyle — life on my terms, and help those who are interested in doing the same.
My perspective on life is somewhat unconventional, and I write from that point of view; mostly from personal experience of what I’ve learned from life and my interpretation of the world as I see it.
“You can let others tell you what it means to be successful, or you can decide it for yourself.”
