It was with more than a passing degree of interest that I watched the news last night, specifically the weather report. I really didn't want a repeat of the bad weather, although I would've dealt with it. The weather report, much to my surprise, was favorable. They described it by saying "It should be dry tomorrow". Hey, "dry" I would take. Dry would be good, and a definite improvement over what I'd seen so far.
Now, before I get too far into this, I should point something out. This is going to be my first Christmas that I'm celebrating alone. Now, I'm fine with that; I knew it would happen if I came to Oregon and, well, I was right. I figured, therefore, that if I'm going to spend the holiday by myself, I would spend it doing something I love. So, Christmas would be mine alone; only to be spent with this guy (browse back through November's entries to figure this one out):
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| The Inukshuk hanging from my rear view mirror... |
So, I loaded up my backpack, and I was loaded for bear. I had the 5D and the 40D for this trip, I had the Sigma 50-500mm. There was nothing that was going to get in my way of getting the best shots I possibly could. I would shoot straight, and I would shoot HDR. I was going to shoot anything and everything, I surmised, so I'd better be prepared.
As it was, I never pulled out the 40D. The 5D proved to be the workhorse today. I should probably start worrying about shutter count on this thing. Today, alone, I shot 810 frames. It's not going to be long before I get to pay a couple of hundred bucks for a shutter replacement (which will be completely worth it, by the way).
I drove north out of Garibaldi, leaving at about 8:30am, and quickly passed those sights I shot yesterday in the rain, and soon found myself among some new photo ops. This is why I was here, after all. What should've been about a 30-40 minute trip ended up taking me about two hours. Yeah, I made some stops. It's what I do. But I like to think the stops along the way were worth the time. In this case, the time was spent shooting some of the most amazingly rugged shoreline imaginable.
So, in no particular order are a sampling of the, ahem, 810 photos I shot on Christmas Eve.
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| Rocks off Arcadia Beach... |
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| Arcadia Beach... |
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| Arcadia Beach... |
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| Rocks just offshore at Ecola State Park... |
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| The beautifully rugged Oregon coastline... |
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| Looking north from the view point at Ecola State Park... |
Easily the most imposing and identifiable rock formation along this area of the Oregon coast is Haystack Rock and "The Needles", in Cannon Beach. The 235 foot Haystack Rock can be accessed by foot at low tide, although the area is posted and off-limits. Rock formations, known as "The Needles" sit a bit further out off shore, and just to the south.
You just can't come here and not shoot oodles of pictures of these formations:
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| Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, Oregon... |
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| Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, Oregon... |
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| Looking south towards the monolith that is Haystack Rock... |
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| Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, Oregon... |
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| "The Needles"... |
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| Looking north towards Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, Oregon... | | | | | | | | | |
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| Lake Lytle, just north of Rockaway Beach... |
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| Here I am standing in front of Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach... |
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| Niehkahnie Bridge... |
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| The view from the town of Wheeler, Oregon... |
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| Boats at a fishery near North Rockaway Beach... |
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| The fishing pier in Garibaldi... |
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| Rockaway Beach rainbow... |
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| Twin Rocks just off Rockaway Beach... |
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| Coolest stop sign ever... |
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| The Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, also known as "Terrible Tilly" in its heyday. It's believed to be one of the ten most haunted lighthouses in the United States... |
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| The Explorer in downtown Cannon Beach... |
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| Looking at the mountains from the thriving metropolis of Wheeler, Oregon, population 350... |
It seems like every time I write one of these entries, I'm saying how amazing the scenery was and, to be fair, it often is. The United States has some ridiculously amazing scenery, and what you see today will always seem to be outdone by what you're going to see tomorrow. I've seen some amazing places in my life, from Cape Spear in Newfoundland to the Panama Canal to Alberta and the Canadian Rockies. I've traveled more than most, visiting not only North America, but Central and South America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.
And, despite how awe-inspiring and amazing as those places can be, I always seem to come back to one inescapable reality: There is (to borrow a phrase) no place like home...
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