Land of Waterfalls

I live in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The three states that make up this corner of our country are Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. These three states are very mountainess, and in comparison to the eastern part of our country, the Pacific Northwest mountains are tall, young, and rugged. Hundreds of beautiful, wild waterfalls can be found throughout the region. This is a land of waterfalls. Shown here are three famous examples.
 

F73191A0-68C6-47D9-A8C6-5809E6E42C86
Multnomah Falls, Oregon

 

Land of Waterfalls

~

standing at river level
in this amazing gorge
gazing upon this magnificent waterfall
cut by time and current
into the great rock of the earth
I marvel at the power
at the beauty
at the determination
of the relentless river
sculpting this majestic work
tumbling timelessly
in crystal clarity
over boulders and falls
ever onward

 
B5AAD73A-A421-4B09-BA94-388D08F39059
Snoqualmie Falls, Washington

Shoshone Falls on the Snake River, near Twin Falls, Idaho
Shoshone Falls, Idaho

~ ~ ~

rob kistner © 2019

 

  • Click below for more geographic poems at dVerse:

    dVerse Poetics: On Geography

     

    32AD0E85-B0A5-4D6D-B19A-E51CD04E0C53DAY 5

  • 30 thoughts on “Land of Waterfalls”

      1. I love visiting the waterfalls around here. It is magically overwhelming to stand near them. You can physically feel their power, hear their roar, and bask in their mists. The ozone they create is intoicating. They are hypnotic Björn…!
        🙂

        1. I didn’t know about the ozone Rob. We have several in the UP but have never been near any of them. Time to take a road trip. Those falls you have there are stupendous!

          1. When you get in tight to the larger waterfall’s mist, the feeling is not unlike after a rain. And waterfalls, of varying size and beauty, are everywhere arond here.

    1. I’ve seen the Multnomah, but not the other two. I once took the boat ride that goes near the base of the Niagara Falls. It was like touching the hand of God! Hypnotic is a good word.

      1. I love waterfalls Bev! I have done the MAID OF THE MIST boatride at Niagra as well – wonderful! The Shoshone Falls in Idaho are referred to as the Niagra of the west, though not a wide, but as high.

    2. Smile, your preface could have served as my own, since I chose the mountains as my Muse. Living a decade in S. CA, I missed the Northwest daily; would drive up to Big Bear to see evergreens and breath the air.

    3. Seeing those majestic waterfalls is sheer delight Rob. You are lucky that you can marvel them. (The Niagara Falls beats everyone, smiles).

      1. The only problem with Niagra Grace, is that it has become commercialized. The three pictured in my post are essentially still preserved pristine waterfalls.

    4. Ooh, thanks for sharing the pictures of these waterfalls, Rob!
      I love how you capture the power and the geographic marvel of the waterfalls — this bit says it all: “tumbling timelessly/in crystal clarity”. How lovely to stay in a region where you can visit such beautiful places! I am far off from the mountains — the most beautiful waterfall I visited was the Seven Sisters Waterfall in the state of Sikkim but it was so crowded.

      1. You are welcome Anmol. Thank you for the kind words! I love living in this region of the world. Mountains, waterfalls, ocean, high desert, canyons and gorges, ocean cliffs, mountain lakes and streams, glaciers – all available to reach with shirt day trips! 🙂

          1. Thank you! 🙂 Water is the true bringer and giver of life on this planet Nora. Nothing grows or lives without water. We humans can live much longer without food, than we can without water. Without water earth would just be a rock hurtling through space.

    5. You captures the power and beauty of these waterfalls. How wonderful to be able to see them!
      I liked the alliteration (and description) in these lines:
      “tumbling timelessly
      in crystal clarity”

      1. Thank you Merill. I love where I have lived since 1989. I am blessed. My wife encouraged us to move here when a career opportunity presented itself to me. She graduated from University of Idaho in 1982, and loved the Pacific Northwest, as I now do as well! She is 16 years my junior and her youthful enthusiasm drew me to move out here from Midwest. One of top decisions in my life, plus I got to be part of the George Lucas creative team. 🙂

      1. That was always my impression of the beutiful clean clear mountain waters in this region Frank. It’s why the Pacific Northwest feels SO vitally alive to me.

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *