- What Makes Westerns so Cool? (YouTube)
The Western genre is one of the most recognisable genres out there, with many classics such as ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ and ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.’ When people think of classic films, no doubt Westerns spring to mind. But why are they so memorable? And why have they had such a lasting impact on popular culture and cinema as a whole? This video aims to answer this question by examining what makes them so cool, by focussing on Sergio Leone’s western filmography.
- McCoy Creek Falls (waterfallsnorthwest.com)
While I’d long known of a tall cascading waterfall near the headwaters of McCoy Creek, I hadn’t really given second thought to the small ravine near the mouth of the creek as it breaks into the Skykomish Valley. However, after receiving word from some fellow local hikers that a sizable waterfall was just ¼ mile upstream, I was sold. The results were surprisingly unexpected. While the falls weren’t quite as large as I was originally led to believe, the formation was much different than I had pictured. McCoy Creek plunges through an old mill dam of some sort and then fans out over a chunky bedrock face before contracting back to a narrow stream at the base of the 45 foot falls. Unfortunately several trees block clear views from the side of the road, but with a little hazardous scrambling I was able to attain a good viewpoint. With a rope and a revisit, I hope to eventually get all the way to the base for better photos.