Last weekend Bruce and I decided to revisit some of our favorite scenic spots on Washington’s Highway 20. The clouds and rain have still not gone to bed for the night, but given the amount of rain the Pacific Northwest has gotten this year, I hoped to see waterfalls.

I was not disappointed.

Close to the town of Marblemount, we passed more:

After Newhalem, I photographed about six more, but you get the idea.

What is it about waterfalls that make our hearts beat faster, in awe? Is it merely  the water? Or is it the distance that it falls? The “shhhhh” sound as it tumbles and whash-boards over the layers of rocks? Or the white spread and spray, resembling a bride’s veil and train?

We continued on Highway 20 until we met the road closure, turned around and parked at the top of Diablo Lake. When the sky is blue, the lake resembles Canada’s Lake Louise, with its turquoise water, hedged by giant, snow-capped peaks.

But today, the clouds, fog, and wind stirred up gun-metal gray waters.

There were only two cars in the vast parking lot: ours and a woman accompanied by her little boy, who complained about the cold while the mother insisted he “at least take a look” at the lake.

There’s a kind of visual that inspires the writer in me. It’s the one where the sky is as gray as the mountains, un-mirrored in the lake they overshadow. The clouds twist and swirl, and hover over the mountain peaks as if God had settled there, waiting to speak with Moses, His prophet.

They say that stories are largely inspired by social interaction, where conversations and situations create a personal challenge in the protagonist, giving rise to an interesting story concept. Perhaps that’s why so many writers love to hang out in coffee houses, watching and listening.

But I think viewing God’s dazzling creation, His mountains, lakes, and waterfalls, is another kind of stimulant. A trip into the wilderness sends a message to the mind: Here’s your backdrop, here’s your setting. Now go and search your memory to find the right characters to populate this stage.

Tell me, what scenes prod your creativity?