Hidden Treasures

Sometimes we forget how the world around us can change our frame of mind and how it can invigorate the thirst for life. It's the holiday season and everyone always seems to get stressed out. Things are probably worse for a lot of people this year; considering our wonderful economy. I've heard several people tell me this year that they were not really celebrating. I think a lot of people are so absorbed in the moment that they are forgetting the little things that surround them. Recently, I went with my Father to a place called Bone Mountain. This place fits its name. The once beautiful forests have all been logged off and the overall look of the mountain has completely changed. I see this mountain as a symbol for the people who are caught up in in all the ugly things and it's easy for them to forget about the good things in life.

This mountain is ugly, but I found something beautiful hidden in pure daylight. This place was literally stunning. I search for those "Stunning" things in all parts of my life and that search leads to greater appreciation of everything I'm involved in. These places seem to amaze me, but what good would it be if I was alone. I'm so glad that my Father came along. Life is a wonderful thing, but the people who surround us add all the color. John is my Father's name and he was one of the people that was not looking forward to the Holiday Season. He lit up like a child when we pulled up to this gigantic waterfall. I'm guessing it's somewhere around 400ft tall. The area in the photograph above is about 30% of the whole thing. I stood there listening to the water fall across the rocks and I took deep breaths of fresh clean air. I was silent for a few moments as I took everything in and started thinking of the best way to capture this miracle of gravity.

I had my tripod in hand and my waterproof boots were ready to do their duty. I was swept away by the raw power of the water rushing down and what did I do? I went and stood in the middle of all of it. I had to find that perfect picture and capture something that is more than just a picture, but a symbol of how things are this holiday season. This says so much to me.
1. Notice the white ring around the rock in the center.
2. The dead leaves
3. The green moss
4. The moving water

The white ring reminds me that life runs in a giant circle and this bad moment is just part of a whole.

The dead leaves remind me of how bad things come and go. One part of the year they are flourishing and now they lay dead.

The green moss reminds me how something good is always happening no matter how bad your life is at the moment.

The moving water reminds me of how your life moves forward and flows with the changes that arrive each and every day.

So, look for those little things in your life and remember that there is beauty in everything, but you need to share it with the people you love.

This is Jdaniel saying, Happy Holidays!

I've added a song that I think fits this perfectly. If you're curious, then just click play.


You can always see more pictures at my flickr site

Camas Creek and an Old Friend

Hello again everyone. This blog can only give you a small taste of everything I saw on my trip down Camas Creek. It was simply stunning. Not only was it great, but I had an old friend along to accompany me and it simply made things better. My good friend Danny came in from Iraq and I had not seen him since the day he left in March. I had told him that I was going on a trip this weekend and he gladly joined me on my little expedition.













It was really cold. The temperature was about 34 degrees in Camas Valley when we left. We went directly to the top of Weaver Ridge and found our way down the main Camas Creek road. There were a lot of frozen places on the top of the ridge and I was very anxious while we were traveling through them. The icy corners really can shake the nerves a bit, but it was simply gorgeous. The frost was covering the trees and the clouds were at the same elevation as us. It was a site to see. I think the picture I've added here really tells how all these elements came together. It does not quite give the feeling of how cold it actually was up there.

We started out trip down into Camas Creek after we took in what the top of the ridge had to offer. I believe the area we were at is close to 3200 ft above sea level. The drive down Camas Creek is a constant decline. We basically followed the start of the creek and and watched as it grew. It's actually a pretty big creek. The creek is located in a very steep canyon and the road down is quite steep at times. This is actually a good thing, because it is the whole reason I chose to go to Camas Creek. It has more waterfalls than any other place I know. I believe it's around 14 to 18 waterfalls in a 4 mile span.

Danny really started to light up as we pulled up to the first waterfall. I would say that it is about 30ft high and it has a small cave located just at the bottom of it. I would have liked to show you a picture, but too many trees block the view. It's something you have to see with your own eyes. We took it in for a few moments and I could really see how Danny had missed his homeland. I have to remind myself that he has been in a hostile desert, with dangerous people, for the past 8 months. I'm amazed at how calm he's been since he's been back. He instantly fell back in love with his roots and I don't blame him. He mentioned that it's really been hard for him since he left. He's referred to his post as, "hell" on more than one occasion. The climate is so incredibly harsh compared to the way things are here in Douglas County, OR. He's been in 115 degree temperatures and now he experienced below freezing temperatures on the Camas Creek trip with me.



It was very cold, but very beautiful at the same time.
These two pictures show two different versions of what it is we saw. Danny and I had quite a hike across frozen rocks, sticker bushes, steep banks and a little bit of a walk in the water to get these pictures. My fingers couldn't even feel the buttons on my camera when we decided to leave. We were freezing! but the pictures were well worth it.



We slowly made our way down the creek and played a bit of catch up during the drive. There were many one lane bridges covered in ice along the way. He kept talking about all the little things that only someone who had been in another area would notice. He was talking about how the ice grabbed onto the boards of the bridge and how the moss had ice on it. He talked about the the yellow leaves on the underbrush and how bright white the bark on the alder trees looked in the sunlight. I could tell that he really missed his homeland, not just his family. People forget that there are multiple things that are missed when you are gone for a long time. Personally, every time I leave Oregon and come back to Camas Valley I relish in the smell of the mountains that fills my nostrils. It's something I miss every time I leave. It's too bad these pictures are not scratch and sniff :)

I realize how blessed I am to live here in the United States and how much I love Oregon after the trip today. It's so beautiful here! I also realize how much I missed my friend. I'll be very glad when I know that he's home safe after his deployment is complete. He has to go back in a couple weeks and he will not be home until April.
I will miss him when he leaves again, but I will be sure to send him photos to remind him of his home and the people who care about him.

Thanks for reading!

Dan

More pics are posted on my flickr page