Sweltering - Palouse Falls State Park, Washington

No scouting trip of the Palouse is complete without a visit to Palouse Falls State Park. Many are surprised that it is over an hour drive from the town of Colfax and is in the middle of nowhere. Our plan was to get there around 5pm and stay until sunset to get some photos. We knew it would be hot there and when we stepped out of the car, both Jeff and I knew we probably would not make it until sunset. I don't know the exact temperature, but if you had told me it was over a 100 degrees, I wouldn't have argued with you.

I wandered past all of the signs that told me that if I ventured past the signs and fell or got hurt, I would be responsible for paying for my rescue. I continued past them anyway, as it was the only way to shoot the falls, the Palouse Canyon and the Palouse River in the same photo. It can be very hard to get a decent shot, as the shadows can quickly fill the canyon, making the dynamic range quite challenging. I wasn't sure if the light would be soft enough for the shot, but I think it turned out better than I expected. Once I got this shot, I quickly headed to the parking lot to cool down in the air-conditioned car.