Just Another Coastal Sunset....

One of the things on my winter photography bucket list was to catch a sunset on the Oregon coast.  Well, winter came and went and it's cloudy, rainy weather didn't provide many opportunities (plus I'd been busy skiing a lot).  Spring wasn't faring much better - so far it had been unseasonably cold and wet, with sunshine in short supply.   

But then one day in late March, I noticed a break in the weather.  The weatherman forecasted dry and partly cloudy skies at Cannon Beach, the closest coastal town to home.  This was my chance!  I packed up some camera gear and invited my good friend Kim to join me for an evening at the beach.

Blue skies on Cannon Beach

Low tide was around 1 pm, so I left town at noon.  The first stop on my agenda was nearby Hug Point Beach, which had some great tidepools.  But I'd forgotten one important thing - this week happened to be spring break for all the Oregon schools.  A rare sunny day had brought the masses to the coast, and upon reaching the parking lot for Hug Point Beach I found it overflowing.  Time for plan B.....

Incoming waves near Haystack Rock

I pointed my car towards Cannon Beach to try Tolovana Wayside.  The parking lot there was huge, so we stood a better chance of finding parking.  But due to spring breakers the place was just as busy, necessitating a brief search before finally securing a spot.  After parking, unloading, and visiting the restroom, Kim and I headed out for a nice, long beach walk.

Lots of people enjoying a rare dry day

Ahhhhh!  There's nothing more relaxing than walking along an ocean beach.  We spotted Haystack Rock far in the distance and decided to walk towards "the rock."  The beach was packed with people, mostly families enjoying a week free from school.

Classic view at Ecola State Park

The skies started out sunny and blue.  After so many gloomy, rainy days, boy, was it good to see sunshine!  Kim and I walked to Haystack Rock, an iconic, often-photographed seastack that Cannon Beach is known for.  Due to it being low tide, hundreds of people were crowded around the tidepools at the rock's base.  We tried to walk around, but there were way too many folks for our liking, so Kim and I continued on up the beach.

Old Tillamook Rock Lighthouse (aka "Terrible Tilly")

We were both getting hungry.  When I go to the coast there's nothing I like more than to enjoy a hot bowl of clam chowder.  Kim said she knew just the place - a nearby restaurant that had the best chowder.  We left the sand and started down one of Cannon Beach's side streets.  As luck would have it, Kim's recommended restaurant happened to be on that very street.  Inside, we were so impressed by all the menu offerings, Kim and I ended up sharing an order of halibut fish and chips, a shrimp cocktail, and of course I got my bowl of clam chowder.  Everything was delicious!  We washed it all down with a couple of tasty local brews.

My sunset spot 

Tummies now full to bursting, it was time for another beach walk.  Kim and I retraced our steps back towards Haystack Rock, and then another mile further south to Tolovana Wayside and my car.  But arriving back at the parking lot, it was only 4 o'clock, and sunset wasn't until 7:30-ish.  How to pass the time until then?

Golden sky color

I decided to drive over to nearby Ecola State Park, on Cannon Beach's north end.  There was a nice overlook that offered great views of the all the seastacks lining Cannon Beach.  So up the windy, narrow park road we went before entering another massive parking lot. 

Looking back at Haystack Rock

Kim and I walked out to the overlook and I got many shots of the classic Cannon Beach view.  Then we walked over to another viewpoint that gave visitors a glimpse of the long-abandoned Tillamook Rock Lighthouse.  Constructed on a small basalt rock 1.2 miles from shore, this lighthouse served the Oregon coast from 1881 until 1957.  Due to erratic weather conditions, and the perilous commute for both keepers and suppliers, the lighthouse earned the nickname "Terrible Tilly."  Over the years, storms damaged the structure, shattered the lens, and eroded the rock it sits upon.  Today, the lighthouse is privately owned, existing as a columbarium (a structure that houses urns holding cremains of the dead).

Coincidentally, the day after my beach trip this article about the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse appeared in our local newspaper. 

Colors reflecting in the waves

Although sunset was still a couple hours away, I decided to head back to Cannon Beach and find a good spot to watch the sun drop.  Unfortunately in the meantime, clouds had moved in and the lovely blue sky we'd enjoyed earlier was no more.  

What to do?  Should I stick around anyway?  There was still a sliver of clear sky between the cloud layers.  Sometimes clouds provide interesting sunsets.  And....sometimes they don't.

Finally the sun popped out between cloud layers

I parked near the north end of Cannon Beach.  Although I'd originally planned to get my sunset close to Haystack Rock, upon entering the beach, we realized that the rock was quite a distance away.  Having already covered nearly 4 miles of beach walking earlier, neither Kim nor I were feeling up to another long trek.  Then I noticed a small creek flowing out from the beach towards the ocean.  A flock of seagulls had gathered on a sandy spit between the creek and the ocean.  The motion of the creek's flowing water was quite interesting and the birds provided some foreground interest.  I planted my tripod, and told Kim we were setting up here.

Evening light on the beach

With still quite a bit of time until sunset and a cloudy sky, initially wasn't sure if I'd stick around until dusk.  But the interesting clouds, motion of the creek, and the ocean waves entranced me, and I ended up filling time snapping lots of shots.  The tide was coming in and the ocean water started to overrun the creek's current.  A slow shutter speed on my camera produced some interesting images of the battling waters.  Before I knew it, the sun had begun to drop.

Down she goes!

Kim and I watched the sun sink lower, lower..... and then suddenly it burst through the gap between the clouds in a blinding orange blaze.  Wow was it bright!  This dazzling light cast a lovely, rose-colored glow onto the beach.

Post-sunset sky colors

As the sun dropped to the horizon, the clouds began to turn colors.  Even after the sun had made it's exit, the sky continued to glow in shades of pink and orange.  Oh my goodness, it was sensational!  Now I was glad I'd stuck around.

More fabulous sky colors

The spectacular sky color lingered long after sunset.  It was so beautiful, I remained on the beach snapping more and more photographs.  I didn't want to leave!  The image below was my final shot, and I love that it captured the silhouette of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse against this vibrant sky. 

Terrible Tilly against an orange sky

On the dark drive home Kim and I agreed our wait for the sunset had been totally worth it.  A great way to enjoy a rare, sunny spring day.