Yesterday I went hiking near my home in the Santa Ana Mountains, which are a short, peninsular, mountain range found along the southern California coast. I had a couple of hikes in mind, but on the urging of a friend, was excited to visit a local waterfall.
Upper cascade of San Juan Falls, June 2010
San Juan Creek begins in the southern Santa Ana Mountains, a few miles northwest of Lake Elsinore. Its highest elevation is 5,100 feet (1,600 m) above sea level. Paralleling the Ortega Highway (California State Route 74) the creek flows erratically south, west and occasionally northwest. In the furthest upper reaches of the watershed, the creek is typically ephemeral. The creek channel in the uppermost few miles is a narrow mountain stream with many rapids and waterfalls, which include a series of large 5-to-15-foot cascades, known as San Juan Falls.
I was able to spend about 25 minutes with the falls before the sun peeked over the horizon, making photography difficult. Hope you enjoy these photos!
Upper cascade of San Juan Falls, June 2010
Very nice. The combination of abstract patterns in rock together with moving water is always interesting to me.
What really intrigues me, and what would be interesting to see just for fun, is a tight crop of the design in the rock in the upper right corner of the top photo.
Thanks, PJ. This spot definitely warrants another visit; I’ll keep your idea in mind when I go back!