Magic
Dutch Creek in Coloma is truly a magical place. It is certainly one of my favourite places in the greater Sacramento area. In the winter when the creeks are flowing, Dutch Creek and Johntown Creek collide in spectacular beauty, twin waterfalls each about 100 feet high, side by side, in a steep narrow canyon, joining together in a glorious display of splendor, force, and fury. It is magic. No, it is Creation at its finest. Only a God of power and love could create something so magnificent.
Ah, but of course it is also a dangerous place. Such beauty and magnificence must only come with peril as well. Anything truly worthwhile getting to must come at a price. C’est oui? The canyon is precipitous, the dropoffs are deadly, the paths are narrow and slippery. A place for children, not. A place for the timid of foot, not. A place for the faint of heart, not. But for the brave, the valiant, the rewards are stupendous, the scenery breathtaking.
When I first laid my eyes on these waterfalls a year ago, I was in awe. The beauty was undeniable. I was not expecting to find such an astounding scene. I have returned many times since then and I have seen the falls in full flood, and when only trickling. But I think they are best like they are right now, showing their full splendour and form, and accessibility is perhaps a tad easier.
But how to photograph such beauty? Johntown Creek Falls in particular, is one that I have not yet solved. It is tucked away in a narrow canyon and difficult to view, let alone photograph. From the main trail at the bottom where the two creeks join, it is partially visible. The first time I was here, I worked my way down to the creek and took a long distance, unsatisfactory, photograph of it. Getting up close to the falls seems impossible, even when there is no water in the creek at all. The photo shown here, above, is from the brink of Johntown Creek Falls, with Dutch Creek Falls in the background. This was seriously as close as I dared approach this monster, this beast. A mountain goat could, perhaps, get a better view of it. I love this photograph, because I think it does show the beauty of this canyon, as well as the danger of it. But one day I will have to return again, and try to find a way to shoot the ever elusive beast of Johntown.
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