An Uncommon Afternoon in Eastern Oregon
The John Day river valley is mostly classified as a high desert. It’s common for the rain to stop sometime in May and not return until later in October. This year rain came in mid-September, and we’ve never been happier to see it. I decided to go out for a drive on Sunday afternoon just to take a break from being inside all weekend. Katie read me the forecast, most of which I forgot, but remembered at 25% chance of rain at four-o’clock. It never stopped raining. 100% chance at four. I went anyway.
It’s common for me to decide to get out for a drive or an afternoon adventure and get stuck in analysis paralysis about where to go. As I looked outside, low hanging clouds rose slowly out of the gap between Little Canyon and Canyon Mountain south of town. “Up Deerdorf Creek to the top of the 13 Road.” The thought entered my mind seemingly on its own. These were the perfect conditions to catch fog or mist coming out of the trees, and the top of that pass might provide a good vantage point. I didn’t question it. I went.
I drove to the top of the pass, stopping occasionally where the shoulder allowed, taking more photos than I care to admit. The “fog in the trees shot” is well overdone, but I love it nonetheless. It’s beautiful to witness and harder than I expected to find standout subjects or satisfying compositions. As I drove down the hill, I came around a curve and saw the sun through the fog. The thought occurred to take one more pass to the top before heading home. Again, I heeded the idea without too much question and drove back up toward the top.
Driving uphill, I was in the clouds until I came around a corner and saw the sunlight breaking through a more open scene still punctuated beautifully by clouds rising from the forest. Again, finding satisfying compositions was difficult but the moment was incredible to witness.
I drove home feeling satisfied. I’d gone out and witnessed beautiful scenes and unusual conditions for this part of the state. As I got home and was talking to Katie about having the odd thought to go where I did, sunset light started to break through the clouds and I scrambled to get a better vantage point. I hurried to the car and started to drive down the street. As I drove past a neighbor’s house a rainbow appeared to the southeast, and I turned around immediately. I knew the moment wouldn’t last long enough to get to the spot I had in mind, so going four houses back up the street to my own yard was the best move. I parked and ran to the backyard with the camera and captured another beautiful scene with a rainbow very similar to a shot from last spring.
It’s wild to me that this rainbow formed so close to the same position as the shot from last May, but maybe the angle of the sun and the sun’s north/south position on the horizon is similar in September and May. It’s still a goal to capture the whole arc of a rainbow over a beautiful landscape, but we don’t quite have that view from the back yard. For now, this’ll do just fine.
Katie and I stood outside for a while, enjoying the light as it shifted through sunset and on toward blue hour before heading in for dinner. An uncommon afternoon, for sure - a beautiful one, no doubt.
Until next time,