Leon Turnbull Photography

Well we are back from our Christmas vacation. I did not get out and do any shooting at all this time while up in Canada. There was not really any time to do that, plus I did not really feel like it anyway. I have seen all the waterfalls there that you can get to in the winter, and I had no desire to go back to any of them. Plus, it was super cold while we were up there, and that alone was enough to keep me inside as much as possible. We did get out and play though. The kids went skiing twice, ice skating once, and went sledding a number of times. So they had a lot of fun, and that of course if most important.

On the way back home, I did try to go hiking once in Oregon. I took my son and dog along with me in search of a winter waterfall. However, we came to a very narrow, snowy, and scary bridge. My dog Kaya would NOT cross it. She hates going across bridges to begin with, and this one was a bad one. I could not entice her to cross. So we had no other option but to turn back. And on the return hike, we came to the first bridge (which she crossed the first time without too much difficulty). But on the way back, she got scared and would not go across it. Oh great, now what do I do? I could not entice her back across this bridge, and there was no other way across the river and back to the car. My only option was to carry her across the bridge (she is a medium sized black lab, and not particularly light). Fortunately, she obliged this alternative, and let me carry her across the bridge without squirming or wiggling while I did so.

The only time I did go out hiking (successfully) while we were up in Red Bluff visiting my wife’s parents. I went out and saw three waterfalls in the Montgomery Creek area east of Redding. I had hoped to see more (there are still a few waterfalls in that area that I have not been to), but various circumstances prevented me from seeing more. On the first day I went out, it was raining. Hard. It was not even supposed to rain that day at all. The first waterfall I went to was on Hall Creek. It was actually a nice one, but I could not find any good vantage points to shoot the falls, as there was just too much trees and bushes in the way. It also took me MUCH longer to get to that one than I anticipated. Once I got back to the car, Kaya and I were pooped, and then it started raining. I waited quite a while for it to stop, but it just kept going and going. I drove up to Kinner Falls next (pictured here), and walked down to the river in the rain. It kinda let up a bit as I took this photo, but I think it was still raining, and this was the only decent shot I got that day. I was actually quite impressed with Kinner Falls. The only photo I had seen of this one made me think it was not very visible from across the Pit River (which is the only place you can see it). But it is really a very beautiful 139 ft. high falls.

On a different day, I went back to the Montgomery Creek area, and went on a seriously crazy bushwhack along Marble Creek. Poison oak, thick brush, ravines, steep cliffs, you name it. It was only about a half mile, but it took a long time to get down to the falls.  In some spots, the brush was so thick it was almost impassable. I almost gave up a number of different times. But then it would open up again, and I even saw a trail. Was it a very old human trail? or a bear trail? I was not sure. Near the end, I saw a very well defined human trail which must have been made by loggers (it did not lead anywhere, but just sort of ended at a ravine). Anyway, the waterfall itself was a beauty, a 34 ft. plunge into a very narrow canyon. Unfortunately, all the photos I took of it were out of focus and crap. I have no idea why either, this has never happened before, but I’m sure it must be user error somehow. And I’m not sure I will ever want to go back to this one, as it was just too difficult. Sigh. Well, all these waterfalls (including a pic of the crappy out of focus one) are now posted on my website:

http://www.waterfallswest.com#recent