Sahalie and Koosah Falls
There was a hint of sunshine when we got up, and the forecast said we could have three hours before it started raining again. Today was all about Sahalie and Koosah Falls on the McKenzie River. This is an absolutely gorgeous area. If we had two vehicles, I'd love to start hiking from the trail crossing on Highway 126 to Carmen Reservoir at the lower end of the river valley. The river is one cascade after another--except where it drops over Sahalie and Koosah Falls.
It took us about an hour to reach Sahalie Falls, and the weather had already started to cloud up. The water level in the McKenzie River was very high, and it thundered over the falls. The challenge was to keep our camera lenses dry as they were sprayed from the waterfall mist and the drizzle. Eventually, we were wet enough that we were ready to move on.
Koosah Falls was only a couple of miles down the road. Although the falls was nearly as impressive as Sahalie, it only had a small, nondescript sign and a small parking area. A trail took us to the top of the falls with a great view down the valley to the river below. Then we hiked down the canyon to shoot the waterfall from below, but all the best locations had puddles with several inches of water in them. They presented their own challenge.
While we were shooting at Koosah Falls, I talked to a woman from Bend who was mentioning all the snow still on the trails around Bend. And then she said the most dreaded words of the week. Todd Lake and Sparks Lake are still buried in snow. They were two of my highest priority shots for the trip. We totally missed getting any good shots of them last time, so this was the year to make up for it. It's not looking good. We'll be in Bend next week.
I doubt that we got any great shots today, but the drive (even in the rain) was gorgeous. This is one of my favorite areas from previous trips. I'm bummed that the weather has been so challenging.
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