A few miles east of Portland, Oregon, are some of America’s most spectacular waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge. A few miles west are wild Pacific beaches with views of off shore sea stacks. A few miles north of Portland is Mount St. Helens, the site of a recent volcanic eruption. The next time you pass through Portland on your way to photograph its surrounding natural landscapes, take a break and stay a few days to photograph some local treasures, the Gardens of Portland, Oregon.

Because of its mild winters, warm summers and an abundant water supply, Portland, Oregon, is home to some of the most beautiful and diverse public gardens in America. Washington Park is a large public park located in the hills just west of central Portland. Within its boundaries are the Portland Rose Garden, the Japanese Garden, Hoyt Arboretum, museums, picnic areas and playgrounds plus many miles of trails across rugged forested hillsides. Twenty miles south of Portland, on the edge of the Willamette Valley, is the Swan Island Dahlia farm that must also be added to your itinerary. 

This exploration of the coastline of Florida’s Panhandle starts in Tallahassee, the capital of Florida and a city with convenient airport connections, a great choice of lodgings and other necessary services. The city of Tallahassee is surrounded by forest trails, lakes, fascinating geological formations and natural springs large enough to feed rivers.

I started this trip along the Big Bend Coastline, the northwestern part of Florida where Florida’s Gulf Coast bends toward the west to meet Alabama. I explored and photographed state and national parks near Tallahassee before heading west to follow and photograph the 250-mile coastline to Pensacola. This newsletter, issue #122 - Florida's Panhandle Coast, is one of the many you can find in my Southern States Collection. 

The Joshua tree is a symbol of the Mojave Desert, growing in large stands across higher elevations of Southern California deserts. This strange-looking tree is not a tree at all but a giant member of the lily family, its branches covered with needle-sharp daggers. Like the saguaro cactus of the Sonoran Desert, Joshua trees are often featured prominently in desert landscape photography of the Mojave.

Out in the middle of Southern California, not far from Palm Springs, is one of the best places to find great numbers of mature yucca brevifolia in Joshua Tree National Park. Issue #98 - Joshua Tree National Park, California, includes many other reasons to visit and photograph this fascinating part of the desert. This issue is also included in the California Collection available on my website at www.photographamerica.com