Light in a Box

Sarah and I are still working out a system for traveling together. I have my photographic priorities, while she is used to more laid back vacations. For our trip to Oregon we tried to keep our days flexible to keep stress from accumulating if we miscalculated the duration of a hike, made a spontaneous stop along the way, or maybe the totally predictable spring weather decided to throw a tantrum. For our first day, we laid out three hikes we hoped to accomplish. Little did we know, the first hike would completely derail the entire trip. Punchbowl Falls is one, of many, picturesque waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge that cuts its way through northern Oregon. It serves as a popular swimming hole in the summer on top of its reputation as one of the most popular hikes in the state. We began our trek on a drizzly Thursday afternoon, hoping the combination of a weekday capped with gloomy weather would hinder the crowds. The camera can get frustrated having to work around oblivious pedes

Growing up in Wisconsin I always thought the weather was bizarre, that was until I moved to Colorado. There isn't a thunderstorm in Wisconsin history that can compare to the average storm that blows through the foothills in the spring. In Wisconsin you can experience all four seasons in a week, Colorado you can do that in a day, especially in early spring, when the weather warms up enough to fool the flowers into blooming, before a foot of wet, mile high snow drops overnight. Last year, the big storm came on Mother's Day. Tree branches closed road lanes and kept insurance lines busy from all the parked cars trapped under fallen limbs. Spring had arrived months ago and the new leaves had trapped more snow than could be supported. This year, the big storm hit a day before Sarah and I were scheduled to board a plane bound for southern California. All of Denver International Airport was shut down and the cancellations were abundant, including our flight. Luckily fo