COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE NATIONAL SCENIC AREA, OR :: On a whim, I took a couple days off from work before July 4th to enjoy a roadtrip to Central Oregon. My destination was the Painted Hills. On the way there and back, I stopped along the Historic Columbia River Highway to hike a few of its famous waterfall trails.

The first of which was Oneonta, a very pretty waterfall spilling 70' into a lush, narrow gorge. The only way to see it is to wade a quarter of a mile through its outlet stream, which is usually no deeper than a foot. The creek does dip in one section, however, and there's no avoiding water up to your armpits. If you're any shorter than me at six feet, you're probably swimming through this part. The rocks below are slick and the water is pretty cold. Fortunately, the air was about 90 degrees, so I was able to warm up and dry out pretty quick.

The only tricky and dangerous part is the enormous log jam at the gorge's entrance. These are extremely slippery and should be negotiated very carefully. I would also suggest a waterproof sack for your camera and a towel to dry the constant spray off the lens.