I thought it was cool to go out into our neighborhood and shoot some photos. Apparently my camera hates this cold. The batteries hate it. Condensation builds up when I return the camera to the warm car or inside a building. Not to mention, changing the lens on an SLR camera in a blizzard is a real pain!

Mt. Yoran at sunset.

Tuesday, I went to visit the receding Detroit Lake and found several remaining foundations form a former mill. On Wednesday, I thought I would be able to find the same at the receding Lookout Point Reservoir that runs along Oregon 58 near Dexter. Lookout Point Reservoir didn’t provide much interest except an old railroad bed, bridge abutments, and the remains of a small wooden bridge, all visible from a single-lane gravel forest service road.

I wasn’t looking forward to return to Milwaukie on that madness we call Interstate 5. I decided to head back home via Willamette Pass and through Bend and Warm Springs. I did capture a really eerie shot of Mt. Yoran at sunset.

Mt. Hood from Sherrard Point.

If the weather forecasters are right, this weekend is going to be sunny. This sounds like an opportunity to capture some fall colors. Green trees are giving way to red, brown and gold colors. The sunlight is at a lower angle, thus providing more light reflectivity, deep contrasts, and vibrant colors.

Spring, fall and winter are my three favorite seasons to photograph. Spring brings in lush green leaves and colorful flowers. Fall, as I mentioned, brings out the vibrant colors. Winter brings snow-blanketed landscapes, ice formations and the low sunlight brings a warm feeling to a rather frigid place.

Summer is my least favorite time to photograph, at least because the latitude which Oregon sits. The sun almost directly overhead, which reduces reflectivity, creates dull colors and it casts shadows. The only good times to photograph in the summer is around sunrise or sunset.

An unidentified person watches the sun set behind Portland from Sherrard Point on Sunday.

After the Balfour House protest today, I decided to get away and enjoy some rest and relaxation.

I enjoy being active with the neighborhood and helping my neighbors fight this makeshift jail, but I need to take a break. Then factor in my day job, which I won’t divulge.

Today, I drove to Sherrard point, a 4,056-foot panoramic point on Larch Mountain in eastern Multnomah County to shoot some photos of the sunset. This time I left the two misbehaving four-legged slobber tongues at home.

Judging from the parking lot at the summit, it appeared very crowded, but at the observation point there were only a few people there.

I snapped a few standard Mt. Hood photos and a few of Mt. Adams. The light on Mt. St. Helens didn’t have much reflectivity, so it was very poor to photograph.

One photo that I was really amazed with was the guy on the rock at the Sherrard Point, watching the sun descended behind Portland out in the distance.

The past few weeks have been quite crazy for me, but now it is time to take a break from all the neighborhood excitement.

The sun sets behind the Coast Range, as seen from Sherrard Point.

After spending a short afternoon watching a river boil, I jet off to east Multnomah County for some sunset photography at Larch Mountain. At the peak of Larch Mountain is Sherrard Point, an overlook with a panoramic view. I didn’t spend much time up there because practically a ton of people from the area also showed up. The site is not at all a hidden treasure, especially when it is clearly visible from Portland. The dogs became quite impatient with the several dozen people at the overlook while being leased, so I bagged up and left after a few shots.