Autumn Multnomah Falls

by Jeanette French

Title

Autumn Multnomah Falls

Artist

Jeanette French

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Autumn at Multnomah Falls was photographed in late November light, between rainstorms. I have photographed the falls in all seasons of the year, and this is my favorite. The double waterfall is the tallest in Oregon at 620 feet in total height and the second tallest in the United States. It is the most visited natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest. The drop of the upper falls is 542 feet, and the lower drop is 69 feet.
The waterfall was created over 15,000 years ago by cataclysmic floods, over 700 feet in height, roared from glacial lake ice dam ruptures carving steep, dramatic rock cliffs and leaving behind the stunning Columbia River Gorge. Peak flows are estimated to have traveled at speeds of up to 8- miles per hour. These Missoula Floods, also known as the Spokane Floods and the Bretz Floods, swept across eastern Washington and down the developing Columbia River Gorge as many as 40 times at the end of the Ice Age. After each flood, the ice dams would reform, recreating the great 4200-foot-deep, glacial Lake Missoula in the Montana. In the end, the series of massive floods excavated 50 cubic miles of sediment and basalt.
Today, the Columbia River Gorge, known to locals as the gorgeous gorge, is the only sea-level passageway through the Cascade Mountain Range. This creates a wind tunnel effect when atmospheric pressures differ east and west of the Cascade mountain range. This canyon is up to 4000 feet deep in places and is 80 miles in length and peppered with many waterfalls
The falls were named after the Multnomah indigenous peoples. Their legend tells of a young maiden who sacrificed herself to Great Spirit to save her village from a plague by jumping from a cliff. The people were saved, and the water began to flow from the cliff after her death.
Jeanette French, paintings, photographs, canvas prints, framed prints, metallic prints, acrylic prints, greeting cards, gift cards, fine art.
Creating portals of light, love, joy, beauty, compassion, hope and gratitude is my lifelong passion and gift for the earth, hence the name of my art business, For the Earth. My mother painted in oils when I was young and encouraged my own drawing, painting and handcrafting in all forms. My father, the photographer, gave me my first camera at age 8. As a result of these loving influences, I am a lifelong student of both mediums. I am grateful to my wonderful Pacific NW painter teachers, Stan Capon and Edi Olson, for training my eye and technique. I hope you will enjoy this image as much as I enjoyed its creation. More gifts for the earth can be found at these websites: jeanette-french.artistwebsites.com and jeanette-french.pixels.com.

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November 15th, 2020

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