Rainy Day Falls, Victoria, Australia

(Click image to enlarge)

It was a chilly spring morning with intermittent rain along the 45 minute drive from our hotel, but this waterfall greeted us with dry weather and a tiny bit of sunshine. As I captured this photograph I watched what I assumed was fog starting to envelop the distant hills. The scene soon turned misty and I learned that the fog was actually rain. The rain was light and I kept taking pictures, thinking the mist might give the photograph a nice moody and ethereal effect. It did not. As the rain increased I packed up my camera and headed back to our vehicle, where my wife was sitting warm and dry.

By the time I got there the rain had nearly stopped and my favorite jacket was quite wet. Eighteen years and countless adventures ago it was water repellant and had a real YKK zipper pull. Now it's more like a sponge, a little frayed at the cuffs, and sports a zipper pull made from a free key ring I got when I had a previous vehicle serviced. Like me, it's a little worse for the wear but still works, sort of.

My wife avoided the rain by heading back to our vehicle early, but not before exploring the area. She found the vantage point from which this photograph was captured while I was busy taking pictures at a much more obvious and less desirable location. Given my obliviousness and hurry due to the weather, I certainly would not have found it on my own. There's probably something to learn from this experience, and the others like it that have occurred in the past. Regardless, spending some time here was more than worth any dampness incurred.