General Discussions

**ForrestCroce** · 07-28-2007, 04:13 AM

I haven't been there for a few years, so I went back today ... technically yesterday, it's after midnight. Unfortunately I spent way too much time in the car, covered too much ground; about 450 miles in all. So I literally spent the whole day on the road, have only been home a couple of hours and working in Photoshop.

This is a stone's throw from Canada, and I spent half the day in sun-bleached desert. It's pretty amazing how a mountain range can do that. The Cascades run through Washington and Oregon; it's famously damp to the west of the mountains, and not really all that different from Nevada, Utah, Arizona, or Southern California to the east, minus the saguaros.

Unfortunately my gear is a bit damaged, so I missed a lot of great opportunities, and the ones I got didn't come out quite as well as I'd hoped. But still:

Washington Pass - 5,500 Feet / 1,800 Meters Above Sea Level

This is the highest altitude on the paved, for-transportation road. There are higher points in the state, but this is more than a mile above sea level, and the crest. You can see the road begin to switchback going down. The mountains trap most of the rain on our side, meaning it's a lot hotter than it seems like it should be this far north on the other side.

Waterfall, West of the Pass

This one, in particular, could have been better ... but that's life. Anyway, this is west of the pass. There's water to the east, I followed the mighty Columbia River for hours, but it's just not the same.

**seolman** · 07-28-2007, 07:31 PM

Awesome photos Forrest. Makes me want to go and visit the area. Closest I've been is around Spokane...

**ForrestCroce** · 12:01 AM

I've only driven through Spokane. I have a friend over there, who's number I lost, so I've been meaning to head out that way and then go see Coure D'Alaine, which I've also only driven through, but it hasn't happened yet.

I just started a new job with much more flexible hours. I spent about 12 hours driving last Friday, and saw a lot of places I want to come back to with better lighting and more dramatic weather. This is why I moved to Seattle; I'm like a kid in a candy store.

Here's another one from the trip; probably not good enough for my main site, and it definitely doesn't print well, but good enough to use on my blog:

The water of the lake isn't a white balance issue, or some kind of strange pollution. I'm not sure what it is, but a lot of northern mountain lakes are about that color. A few in the Canadian Rockies look more or less like that ... maybe a little more vibrant.

**seolman** · 07-31-2007, 05:44 PM

The lake colors have a lot to do with the levels of minerals or lignins/tannins (byproducts of decaying plant materials). I'm guessing pine needles might be the culprit in this case.

**Learning Newbie** · 08-01-2007, 03:58 PM

Beautiful as always!

Um - why don't you have a stock foto site? You have something against being a millionaire?

**Michelle Ü** · 08-02-2007, 02:08 PM

wow! such a nice view to look at.

**highanddry** · 08-02-2007, 03:04 PM

Maybe living in Colorado I'm a little too used to mountain scenes, spoiled by them.

**ForrestCroce** · 08-02-2007, 10:42 PM

The first one could easily be from Colorado somewhere in either out a little east of Steamboat Springs, coming in from Utah, or down south somewhere. The third / last one seems more northern to me ... and really felt like the Eastern Sierra.

I need to get myself back to Colorado now that I've learned a bit about photography. Here are a few from your state:

Rocky Mountain Sky

Ouray

Million Dollar Highway

**highanddry** · 08-03-2007, 02:06 PM

yeah, come on down to Co You me and Vangogh could have a beer and discuss coding..hahaha

**Aadriyah** · 08-03-2007, 11:58 PM

Wow perfect nature tripping !!

Thanks for the pics

**seolman** · 08-04-2007, 12:08 AM

Those are awesome images Forrest. You have to write a book about natures wonders and get it published...

**ForrestCroce** · 08-04-2007, 04:28 PM

Thanks!

I've been working on the writing one part ... part of the idea behind my website is to raise my profile enough that getting it published is a realistic idea. Which is why I spend so much time learning about the web, even when I don't sell anything or directly profit from my site. The more people who see my stuff and associate my name with good photography, the easier that book deal will be ... then I can replace my only slightly damaged gear and do a lot more traveling.

**ForrestCroce** · 08-04-2007, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by highanddry

yeah, come on down to Co You me and Vangogh could have a beer and discuss coding..hahaha

It's been years since I was in Denver in the winter ... how late does the sun stay up in December and January?

**highanddry** · 08-05-2007, 04:42 PM

not very. Haha, It gets dark around 7 I think

**ForrestCroce** · 08-05-2007, 10:27 PM

Are you kidding??? In Seattle, in the middle of the winter, the sun goes down at like 3:30 in the afternoon. Well, maybe 4, I'm not sure exactly, but it's always before I get out of work. I love it here, and don't want to leave the mountains, but once I get rich I might need to get a winter home in Colorado.

**highanddry** · 11:06 AM

Seattle ... You ever listen to Frasier Crane on the radio?

I think Seattle has the number one suicide rate in the country, though that may have changed. Probably because it rains so much. Or is that a misconception? I know when people think about Colorado anywhere in the country they imagine we are snowed in or braving a storm 24/7 when the weather here is actually always changing.. I mean like you can see four distinct weather changes in a single day.

**ForrestCroce** · 08-07-2007, 10:01 PM

It actually rains more in Connecticut, Tennessee, and a lot of California, than it does in Seattle. And we might get a tenth the rain Portland, Oregon gets. But more than half the days in the year, it looks about to rain; the sky is gray with layers of clouds, it's cold and windy ... sometimes we go weeks without seeing the sun, even if it never drizzles. Last winter, it rained 35 days in a row, on the other hand, but the rain is only part of the ugly weather problem. This is scary: every year, about half a dozen days there will be a major regional traffic jam because the sun is out, and people just aren't used to that. They drive slow, squint, and bring everything to a grinding halt.

Don't tell anyone, but summer is the Pacific Northwest's best-kept.

The winters are awful to deal with, though. That's our rainy season, it hovers around 33, and the rain comes down sideways with a nice Arctic wind. But the sun going down around 3:45 in the afternoon is just horrible, makes you want to hibernate for six months.

I lived in Denver for part of November, all of December, and a little of January. The cold didn't bother me ... the whole time, I'd go to Leadville, Granby, Buena Vista, or as far up Trail Ridge Road as they'd allow, and then get out and hike. I grew up in Conn and actually miss the snow a little bit.

Do they have broadband along the Peak to Peak? I'm guessing rent in Nederland or Ward is pretty cheap, and wondering about subletting and telecommuting in the winter.

**highanddry** · 12:14 PM

Quote:

I'm guessing rent in Nederland or Ward is pretty cheap, and wondering about subletting and telecommuting in the winter.

I'm not sure about peak to peak broadband, but I don't think so. Maybe in some places, I think you would be lucky if they provided electricity for you in Nederland or Ward or Leadville etc. Those places are nice to visit though, I just prefer the suburbs or cities. They are fairly cheap too in the right places and better connected to everything