Sunday, December 8, 2013

ICE AT THE FALLS

I have a hunch that I name a post exactly like this every year.
When the temperature stays well below freezing for over a few days in a row, I have to take myself a couple of miles down the road to Snoqualmie Falls.
I do this repeatedly, yet each time I am amazed at the weather conditions right there.
The parking lot will be slippery, yes, but shrubs, etc are still green, though stiff with cold.
Thirty yards away, mist from the powerful 270-foot falls turns to ice, encasing everything .  Frost "fireflies" flit about and one suddenly feels frost-bitten; almost too cold to take photos. 







So, I made the ritual trip this last week, and took photos which included those above.

Then yesterday Dick and I drove down again, just two days later.
I couldn't believe that fir boughs no longer hung low with ice; greenery was - well, green.  Gone was the ice effect.
However, the Falls had been reduced to about 1/3rd of its width because it had frozen!
It has actually been severely cold long enough for that phenomenon to occur!

I was in a quandary as to how the ice no longer encased everything until a daughter pointed out that the power of the Falls had been reduced and probably no longer sent up enough mist to freeze on things.




...just on itself.




Above the Falls, from the same perspective as the photo above:




3 comments:

pat said...

SO good to see you posting again! Glad you were able to get to the Falls during our favorite conditions. The second shot of the falls with the sun coming through the mist is stunning. I am glad that Dick took you back so you could get these.

MaryLou said...

You continue to amaze me with your photography skills. I went back to when you started posting and love all that I see. Good for you to get back doing what you love!

heidster said...

A daughter! That's all I am relegated to-thanks for the byline. :-)