Hells Doorstep - a photo on Flickriver

Hells Doorstep

            That I came to be here, at this moment, to take this photograph, is testament to one hasty and extremely poor decision on my part. We entered the southern reaches of Hells Canyon, where it is not so deep, early in the day, and 6 of us plus a dog in one EuroVan had traveled for many hours as we made our way northward along the Imnaha River valley. My goal was to reach Hat Point on the western rim of Hells Canyon for sunset and camp. I had estimated from the map that it was probably about 12 miles up a steep gravel road from the town of Imnaha, Oregon, to the campsite at Hat Point.

When we arrived at the road junction in Imnaha, it was 6:00p, and everyone was visibly tired of being in a cramped space while traveling on twisty gravel roads. Thusly, I was dismayed when the sign at the road junction indicated it was not 12 miles to Hat Point, but 24 miles. The road is narrow, one-lane gravel with turnouts, and it climbs over 2000 feet very quickly at the beginning as it ascends the eastern ridge of the Imnaha River canyon. Maximum speed is around 20 miles an hour, so this meant we would not make it into camp until a little after 7:00p - another hour in the car.

For a variety of reasons, the decision was made to push onward to the campsite, rather than turning the other way and risk trying to camp nearer to Joseph, OR - a popular destination for tourists in NE Oregon - on Sunday night before Labor Day. So I was trying to make haste, pushing the trusty EuroVan as fast as it would go up the ridge. I rounded a bend, and I noticed there had been a slide of small-ish looking rocks across a portion of the road. Not wanting to slow down, I judged the van could clear the rocks, and was rewarded for that decision with a loud bang from the undercarriage of the car. I immediately shut off the engine, my oldest son informed me that he could smell something, and I leaped out of the car to inspect the damage below. I then bore witness to, along with my hopes for the evening, the entire volume of engine oil pouring out of the sundered oil pan and into the dust of the road gravel. A 2 inch by 1.5 inch hole gaped at me from the gathering darkness underneath the Van. I next experimented with a variety of curse words and phrases - I think the words "proper fucked" may have been uttered more than once.

How we got down is too long to tell here, but I want to credit my wife Eldora for being an incredibly solid person in the hours that followed. She was supportive, positive, and full of good ideas with respect to what needed to happen next, and she even insisted I accept the fact that what happened, came to pass, and there was no use throwing a verbal fit. I tried to see the wisdom in her words, but it took some time for the truth to sink in and for me to stop silently cursing myself. However, I was able to see the beauty in the sunset when it began to happen. As I looked up from the oil-soaked road, the sun illuminated the Wallowa Mountains and the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the west, and the ridges at the doorstep of Hells Canyon glowed in late day light.

Taken on: September 6, 2015

Tags:

evening

golden light

Imnaha Canyon

Wallowa Mountains

Eagle Cap Wilderness

sunset

canyon « less

Sets appears in: • Crepuscular Light • Mountains and Sky more » • Pacific Northwest « less

Groups appears in: • Pacific Northwest • Mountains more » • The Cloud Appreciation Society • Landscape photography • Nature Photography • Landscape Exploration • The Nature Conservancy • Canyons of the World • Landscapes!!! • Clouds, Storms, Sunsets & Sunrises • Landscape Beauty ! • * Sunsets & Sunrises * NOT B&W Photos • CIELOS Y NUBES, SKIES AND CLOUDS « less

Camera: Nikon D750, f/11.0, 1/100 sec, 80mm, ISO 800 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D750
Lens:	80.0-400.0 mm f/4.5-5.6
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	0.01 sec (1/100)
Focal Length:	80mm
ISO:	800
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Scene Capture Type:	Landscape
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Saturation:	High
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	NIKON D750 Ver.1.01
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