Tag Archives: Photography

Postcards from the Oregon Coast

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Highway 101 on the Oregon Coast: wild and rugged beaches, capes and bluffs, sea stacks where nesting birds make their homes, ancient volcanic rock with fanciful shapes and names, strewn along offshore, all preserved and available to the public thanks to Oregon’s early conservationists. Sprinkled along the way are charming towns, fishing villages, and lighthouses shining as beacons; what’s not to like?

We were happy to be able to explore the Oregon Coast this week for the umpteenth time, for we are neighbors to the north in Washington, and this is the one place Oregon has us beat.  (True. Seattle beats Portland.  Rainier beats Hood.  We share the Columbia.  Oregon wins for best coast.)

Here’s a sampling of what we enjoyed.

We headed south from Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River, which dates back to the 1805 Lewis and Clark expedition.

Further down we had lunch at Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City.

We always stop and shop in the tiny town of Wheeler…

and in Old Town Florence.

We had to stop by the largest coastal sand dunes in North America, the Oregon Dunes which run from Florence to Coos Bay. (That’s not us on the bikes but we wish it was.)

We went as far south as Bandon on this trip and marveled at the rock formations offshore.  Face Rock gazes heavenward.

The wind was blowing with gale force in Bandon and we loved watching the powerful waves crash into the rocks and jetties where a lighthouse stood nearby.

Now I will leave you with the sun setting on the Pacific Ocean from the balcony at our hotel in Lincoln City, where it just so happens we stayed on our honeymoon almost 35 years ago.

Postcards from the Oregon Coast. We will be back.

Susanne

Scenes from the Oregon Coast

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I woke up this morning in Florence on the Oregon Coast, arguably one of the most beautiful and accessible coastlines in America, if not the world. The past few days were overcast but the amazing sunrise over the Siuslaw River heralded a change in weather for the remaining days of our trip.

Next up were the Oregon Dunes which run from Florence to Coos Bay along the central coast.  We stopped to admire the mountains of ancient golden sand and breathe in the fresh ocean air scented with forest.

And now onward to Bandon under sunny skies.  I will share more pictures of the beautiful Pacific coast beaches in the next post.  Until then here is a picture of Cannon Beach from a few days ago just before it was swallowed up in clouds.

The dog (not ours) didn’t seem to mind.

Susanne

Rhapsody in the Clouds

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Clouds.  If you live in the Pacific Northwest it is likely that you have seen them, perhaps more often than you wish. But have you really seen them? Tonight I looked up and found them awesome and full of splendor.

So the next time you go outside, look up.  And marvel.

~  Susanne

After the Rain

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After the promised high temperatures enjoyed their run for little more than 24 hours, they left abruptly and thunder and lightning and heavy rain took their place. We sat inside, watching and listening, occasionally poking our head out to see the jagged spires light up the sky.

After the thorough pounding and rumbling and crackling for hours on end, the rain finally took a break and I ventured out to see what the storm had done, which was to make everything cleaner and fresher and greener.

Looking up I was most impressed by the clouds which hung dramatically and beautifully every direction I turned.

I hurried back inside before the next explosion of thunder and rain occurred, bringing with it a flicker of power outage while writing this post. Through my office window I capture the last image of the day. Oh!

That’s enough for tonight.

~ Susanne

Sunset on a Sunny Day

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After months of rain here in the Great Northwest we were promised two seventy degree days in a row.  The first arrived this afternoon and we reached the promised temperature.  I knew we would likely have a fabulous sunset and so I headed to Gene Coulon Park with my camera. Unfortunately everyone else had the same idea and the parking lots were full.  Somewhat discouraged I drove around as the sun was setting until I found a nearby hilltop and enjoyed the view.

I think it was worth the effort.

~  Susanne