~ Aaron Reed ~'s photostream Pro User

The beautiful and ever popular Fairy Falls.

I just got back from teaching my second Columbia River Gorge workshop this weekend and it was a scorcher. In Portland, the sun brings out people who don't get out any other time of year and they were everywhere. Avoiding the crowds and the sun in the afternoons required a retreat to lesser visited locations like Starvation Creek. You can imagine our surprise when we looked back to see this Native American gentleman riding up the middle of the creek on his horse. It was definitely a unique experience for all of us! A painter named Jim Kelly was there photographing this mans family at the creek as part of the Powwow Project www.powwowproject.com/ and they were kind enough to allow us to photograph them as well. You might think it is silly but I kind of felt like a little kid when a real Indian came riding up the creek.

This is a waterfall. It takes rain to make these. That is why you may not have seen one before.

The Columbia River Gorge is a beautiful place to be right now. The spring greens are really coming around. When we were hiking along this creek I was looking at the fallen trees and thinking about how long this creek has been rushing by and how many countless souls have taken their children here to appreciate nature's beauty and then I thought about my hopes to my own children here one day. It was a great moment and I am grateful I was there to capture the memory with my camera.

An early spring look at Ponytail Falls in the Columbia River Gorge.