Frozen Waterfalls

Our famous Multnomah Falls, as I've never seen it before
Our famous Multnomah Falls, as I’ve never seen it before

I get to rave about one of my favourite places for scenery in the country: The Columbia River Gorge. I keep finding new reasons to talk about this place because it’s JUST SO AMAZING.

We’ve had a cold snap like everybody else. It makes ice like everywhere else. In the land of waterfalls, it makes our own backyard look like a foreign land.

Portland Public Schools kept schools closed Wednesday.  It’s typically the day I work overtime, but I was scheduled to work only 4 hours of OT, so I had lots of hours to play first. The morning was warming up and a toasty 29 degrees by the time I checked, with a forecast high above freezing, so I knew that if I was going to see the waterfalls with ice, it was now or never.

Sadly, I was too late to find the winter wonderland at its peak. Much of the ice was melting and breaking away already. It was worth it anyhow. The ice was still remarkable and the day was beautifully sunny, though our canyon is steep and forested, and no sunbeam ever reaches the falls in the wintertime.

The picturesque bridge is always a place to experience the roar and spray from the water. This time: icy spray.
The picturesque bridge is always a place to experience the roar and spray from the water. This time: icy spray.
Multnomah Falls Lodge
Multnomah Falls Lodge
Walking up to the lodge
Walking up to the lodge, we could see the top of Multnomah Falls behind it
The Columbia River Gorge
Hard for any Gorge view to compete with this one of the Vista House.
A closer view of the Vista House
A closer view of the Vista House
Miss Tara walking ahead of me on a trail
Miss Tara walking ahead of me under a rocky overhang
Once a weeping cliff; now still
Once a weeping cliff; now still
There is a falls here, but so much water spills that the entire hillside has frozen
There is a falls here, but so much water spills that the entire hillside has frozen
I hiked up to the waterfall in the photo above, and found an ice cave behind it!
I hiked up to the waterfall in the photo above, and found an ice cave behind it!
That's me doing my best to find a good shot
That’s me doing my best to find a good shot
portrait by Miss T
portrait by Miss T

8 thoughts on “Frozen Waterfalls

    1. Oh, thanks for the compliment. I’ll tell Miss T you think so. 🙂

      I saw photos of the falls from a couple days earlier, and the ice was more widespread. I’m sorry to have missed it, and if I had the chance to get out there after snowfall, it would have been remarkable, I’m sure. But…even seeing the ice at all is pretty neat, since we tend to stay relatively warm here.

    1. Exactly, Sheryl! I had only ever seen it on warm days, too. So after unseasonably cold temperatures, I knew I should get out there or miss my chance to see the ice. thanks for visiting my blog!

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