Monday, March 30, 2015

Sunset at Hug Point

Since being foiled by fog at Cape Meares, capturing a coastal sunset became high on my "gotta-do-it" list.


Low tide

One sunny Saturday, I rushed through my weekly cleaning and shopping chores, finishing in time to catch the setting sun.


Steep cliff with trees clinging on for dear life

Grabbing camera and tripod, I jumped into my car.  In my haste, I forgot to check the tide tables before leaving home.  No worries - a quick check on my smartphone while gassing up revealed the day's low tide coinciding with sunset.  Sweet!


Interesting water patterns

Wanting to head somewhere close, I chose Hug Point as my destination.  I've visited this beach numerous times, and love it's interesting cliffs and plentiful tidepools.  Located an hour's drive from my front door was a plus.


Cliff reflections

Arriving about an hour before dusk gave me time to wander the beach.  The sun's low rays illuminated adjacent sandstone cliffs a lovely golden brown.  Their reflections in wet sand were mighty nice!


A lone kite flyer

I was far from lonely.  A sunny winter's day brought out the people.  Beach-walkers, kids splashing in the water, dogs chasing balls, hippies sitting around a campfire - even one lady flying a kite.


Interesting cliff erosion

The tall cliffs lining this beach were very interesting. Wind and waves had scoured the rock into unique shapes.  Mother Nature's artwork!


The ocean beyond Hug Point

Hug Point has a fascinating history.  It's beach was used as a wagon road during the early 1900's.  High tides made the beach around this headland impassible, and even at low tide, wagons had to "hug" the adjacent cliffs to pass by.  Finally, tired of waiting on tides, settlers blasted a ledge into the adjacent rock.  This narrow road still exists, providing modern-day beach walkers a dry path.


Colorful tidepool life

But this day, thanks to the low tide, one could walk all the way around Hug Point on sand.  Previous visits had been at high tide, so it was great to finally see this headland's beach.


Alien anemones

At the base of Hug Point's rocky cliffs were tidepools.  Tucked into rocky crevasses, one had to look closely to spot sea creatures.


Another seastar

But the few tidepools I found sported lots of colorful fauna.  Images of bright orange and purple seastars and eerie blue-green anemones all found homes on my memory card.


Blue light on the beach as the sun goes down

Wandering around the tidepools, I realized the light was beginning to change.  The cliffs lost their golden glow as the sun began to sink towards the horizon.


Setting sun illuminates the waves

But golden tones were taking over the clouds and sky above the sea.


Sinking below the clouds

Although not the most outstanding sunset I've ever seen, it still lit up the sky nicely.


Layers of color

Fading light created layers of color on the waves and across the sand.


Blues and pinks reflection on sand

As light left the sky, it momentarily glowed a rosy pink.  The wet sand reflected this lovely shade quite nicely.  Coupled with blue hues from the water, a colorful farewell to the day.


Day's final light

Good night from the Oregon coast!


Sharing with:  Our World Tuesday and Wednesday Around the World.

33 comments:

  1. Gorgeous and dreamy shots.

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  2. Beautiful seascapes. I would really enjoy investigating those rock pools.

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  3. Great set of shots - I remember seeing beaches and sunsets like this off the coast of Washington many years ago - we stayed in Forks, before it become famous for vampires and such Twilight things!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  4. Wonderful series... Fantastic reflection and sunset captures
    and at low tide!
    One of my favorite beaches!

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  5. Growing up in Nova Scotia only 15 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean, my heart truly feels at home near water. I love this post Linda, your photos are amazing.

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  6. Hello Linda, beautiful captures of Oregon's coast.. I love the lighting on the cliffs, seastars and the gorgeous sunset.. Lovely reflections..Awesome post, have a happy day!

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  7. Amazing shots, Linda! And that sunset...oh my. What a wonderful way to spend time.

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  8. Exquisite views of this unique sea scape Linda. I love, love, love the anemones in the tide pools!

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  9. Linda, a great study of the beach and all its components.

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  10. Just beautiful! I really enjoyed the tide pool life and the gorgeous sunset. Thank you! :-)

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  11. Beautiful pictures! Wonderful to have an ocean coast to visit so close!

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  12. What a cute name: Hug Point. And the tidal pool is so colorful and busy! thanks for sharing. Jo

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  13. Magnificent sunset shots and wonderful sea urchins shots in the tidal pool! Great photography!

    Happy Week to you,
    artmusedog and carol

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  14. Yet another awesome day. I'm glad to learn about the hug point history. Tidepools are perfect for discovering tiny creatures during lowtide. I used to do that as a child.

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  15. Excellent finds from the tidepools to the cliffsides to the sky!

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  16. I've been to the coast several times, but never stayed for sunset. Perhaps next time! Tom The Backroads Traveller

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  17. Beautiful! The creatures in the tide pools are so colorful:)

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  18. I love how you took us for a visit at the shore all the way into sunset. The lady flying the kite on the beach is my favorite. Also, the changing light is great. Thanks for a wonderful series of photos.

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  19. Beautiful Hug Point-pictures!
    I watched them with delight :)

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  20. The cliffs are beautiful. I love the gentle evening light.

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  21. What a gorgeous place to be Linda and the sunset is magnificent! :)

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  22. Wow, what a dramatic coastline! And I love the tide pool photos. I think my son would really love this beach!

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  23. What a lovely place! Beautiful pictures.

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  24. Dearest Linda; Such magnificent sunset photographs♡♡♡ "tidepool life" is or are beautiful, too.
    One shot impressed me here is 'A lone kite flyer'; what a fun to fly kite at the place like that. The kite flying contest this year which I was looking forward to seeing and taking pictures was cancelled due to the rain. Haha, I missed one blog topic.
    Happy for your great time at the beach, Dear friend♪♪♪

    Sending Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan to my Dear friend in America, xoxo Miyako*

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  25. So pretty! You're the only blogger I read besides me who has no problem taking an hour ride (or more) to enjoy what nature has to offer. I love that time before sunset more than sunset itself, the light is so golden.

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  26. Super photos, Linda! I'd love to see those tide pools for myself! Very cool.

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  27. Oh how I'd love to walk along that beach!

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  28. Wonderful light! Well captured!

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  29. Beautiful! I enjoyed seeing your beach and those tide pools certainly had some colourful life in them. A lovely soft sunset and the reflections of it are lovely.

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  30. Almost missed this post. Most certainly worth the hour drive. I love the shots of the starfish and anemones. It is now rare to find them in our tide pools.

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  31. You are so lucky to live fairly close to the beach. These are wonderful shots. I love seeing the starfish and I loved the kite shot. Also a very nice sunset.

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