A view of Bridal Veil Creek, just downstream of the falls of the same name. In the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Oregon.
I was driving north along Interstate 5 in western Washington on my way from the Columbia River Gorge to the Olympic Peninsula when I saw that the late afternoon sky was starting to get interesting. I didn't know the immediate area well and I had to get to my destination before it got too late, so I thought that I would just enjoy the show from my car window if it developed into something special. But the sunset ended up being so absolutely breathtaking – almost apocalyptic – that I just pulled off at the nearest exit and headed towards the closest water I could find on my GPS. It led me to this spot – about the only sliver of public access along the lake I could find – where I watched in breathless wonder as the colors moved from fiery red and orange, through pink, then blue, and finally faded. One of the best detours I have ever taken.
This one was completely unplanned. But now I know precisely how long Bailey's "stay" command will last when he is right in front of a big, beautiful body of water. He gave me about three minutes of uninterrupted shooting before he decided he couldn't take it anymore and he had to wade in. I didn't even notice until he walked right into my shot. Needless to say, my reaction upon seeing this turned pretty quickly from "No, Bailey, no!" to "Yes, good boy!"
