Two Days in Bandon

After my late April visit to Cape Perpetua on the Oregon coast, I was eager for another coastal adventure.  I really, really love Bandon, Oregon - a cute, funky beach town on the southern coast, so I asked my friend Kim if she was interested in a girl's trip.  Having never spent any time in Bandon, she was all for it.  So I picked some dates, made motel reservations, and crossed my fingers that the weather would cooperate.

Formal garden, Shore Acres State Park

Well, of course as our chosen days inched closer, it was apparent that Oregon's wet spring weather would continue.  So I told Kim to pack her raingear - my planned outdoor adventures were still on, no matter the weather.  We headed out of town on Mother's Day.  (Kim and I are both moms to grown kids so happy Mother's Day to us!)

Rhododendrons in bloom

I was looking forward to showing Kim some of my favorite places on this section of the Oregon coast.  Our first stop was Shore Acres State Park, just outside of the town of Coos Bay.  Not only was this park located along a magnificent rocky coastline where huge waves crashed at high tides, it also featured a lovely formal garden.  This time of year, I knew the rhododendrons and azaleas would be in full bloom.

Color everywhere!

The oceanside cliffs of Shore Acres State Park were once the site of a huge mansion.  Constructed by shipbuilder Louis Simpson in 1907 it was intended to be a summer home for his wife.  This summer home included an indoor swimming pool, large ballroom, dairy farm and spacious garden.  The garden featured trees, flowers and shrubs from around the world transported by Simpson's ships.  

Garden overview

In 1921 Simpson's mansion burned to the ground.  Although a replacement home was built, financial losses from the great depression sent Simpson into bankruptcy.  The house, grounds, and garden fell into disrepair.  In 1942, the land was acquired by the State of Oregon.  The entire area was eventually designated a state park, and the grand gardens were restored to their past glory.

Japanese pond

The gardens are free to visit, however one must pay $5 to park or have a Oregon State Parks yearly parking pass (which is what I had).  

Azalea 

After battling intermittent rain showers all the way to Coos Bay, our half hour visit the the gardens was luckily rain-free.  Kim and I oohed and aahed over the colorful rhododendrons and azaleas lining the many walking paths.  We marveled at the unusual trees.   I especially loved the Japanese pond, with native shrubs and beautiful stone statues.  

Purple azalea 

After spending a good amount of time perusing the garden, Kim and I walked out to former mansion site, on the top of a tall cliff overlooking the ocean.  The tilted rocks along this portion of coastline are known for producing huge waves during winter storms.  Photographers travel from all over to capture images of monstrous waves breaking over these rocks.

Crashing waves, Shore Acres State Park

Of course about the time we arrived at the clifftop viewing area, the sky decided to open up and dump rain.  Kim and I retreated into the small observation house located nearby. 

Unique rock formations

Luckily it was a brief squall and once the rain let up, we wandered the walkway checking out the waves.  I tried my best to capture the larger splashes with my camera.

Mother's Day beers

After spending an ample amount of time at Shore Acres, I drove Kim out to nearby Cape Arago State Park, a mere 1.5 miles further down the road.  We gaped at the sea lion colony out on the rocks and walked to a few more viewpoints.  Then, thirsty from our explorations, we found a brewpub in nearby Coos Bay and enjoyed a Mother's Day beer.  Cheers!

The sun peeks out of the clouds, Bandon beach

Then it was on to Bandon, 20 miles down Hwy 101, where we checked into our motel and found some dinner (Tony's Crab Shack - my favorite!).

Rainbow between rain squalls

Bandon has one of the most scenic beaches on the Oregon coast.  The many craggy sea stacks that line its shores make beautiful images, especially when photographed at sunset.  My main goal for this trip was to capture a sunset on Bandon Beach.  So after dinner I grabbed my camera and headed to Face Rock Viewpoint to see what kind of sunset the weather would grant.

Lovely sunrays

At first things looked very doubtful.  It began pouring rain again, forcing Kim and I into my car.  And I'd neglected to consult the tide tables and discovered sunset coinciding with high tide.  Since at high tide there wasn't much beach to be found, that meant no images captured from beach level.  I'd have to stick to the viewpoints.  Once the rain let up I roamed around the bluffs above the beach looking for that perfect view and hoping that some light would break out of the cloud layer.

Rainstorm to the south

My luck held!  About a half hour before sunset, the sun poked out of a small opening in the clouds and streamed lovely sunrays onto the ocean.  It looked like God himself was illuminating the sky from his heavenly perch.  Then I looked behind me and discovered a colorful rainbow.  Another rain shower again forced us into my car.  But after it cleared the clouds began to light up in colorful orange and gold hues.  After not expecting much of a sunset due to cloud cover and rain, this was an unexpected surprise.

Beautiful colored clouds as the sun sets over Bandon beach

I ran back and forth between two viewpoints, trying to capture it all.  I'm sure Kim thought I was crazy, but being the good friend that she is, she didn't complain.  When everything finally faded into black, we headed back to our cozy motel room to rest up for another fun day at the beach.

Stay tuned for day two!

Morning at Hug Point

One of the joys of being retired - the ability to go somewhere on a weekday and avoid weekend crowds.  The Oregon coast is just over an hour's drive from my house.  One September morning I decided to visit Hug Point, one of my favorite close-to-home beaches.

Large rock on the beach

It was the Tuesday after Labor Day, and since school had just started for most folks I thought it would be a good time to see the beach without too many people.

Sunlight breaking through the morning fog

Hug Point State Recreation Site boasts a stunning coastline that features sea caves carved by waves from sandstone cliffs.  It also has a seasonal waterfall.  But best of all, at low tide visitors can access an old wagon road chiseled out of a rocky headland.

Unusual rocky shoreline

Another way to avoid crowds - get an early start.  Well, that usually works.  However on this day, although arriving shortly after 8 am, I was surprised to see several large groups of people already walking the beach.  And many of these groups included young children (shouldn't they be in school?)

Lots of people on the beach for such an early hour!

Despite the unexpected masses, it was a fine morning to be on the beach.  The sun was just beginning to break through a fog bank, sending lovely shafts on light onto the sand.  I'd timed my arrival for low tide, not only to access the old wagon road but also in hopes of seeing some tidepool life.

Looking towards Hug Point

A pleasant half mile walk from the parking lot got me to the foot of a large headland where the old roadbed was located.  There's also a large sea cave directly adjacent to the roadway's beginning and a nearby waterfall (which today was dry, due to the hot, rainless summer).

This old wagon road was blasted from the rocky headland

After waiting for a family group to climb onto the old wagon road and move a sufficient distance away, I clambered onto the rocky shelf for a look around.  This makeshift "road" was blasted into the headland rock near the beginning of the 19th century.  At the time, no highways existed on the Oregon coast, and the only way people could travel was to use the beach.  There was no way to get around Hug Point's headland, even at low tide, so early pioneers created this path to allow travel to proceed.  Hug Point got it's name because travelers using this primitive road had to "hug" the cliffs closely as they traversed around the headland.

Anemones in the tidepools on Hug Point

Because the Hug Point shelf is underwater during high tide, you can find sea creatures in pools of leftover water at low tide.  Right away I noticed one such tidepool was full of colorful anemones.

Beach views from the north side of Hug Point

After a few quick shots, a family with several kids crowded around the tidepool I was photographing.  Not keen on being around so many people, I decided it was time to leave.

More tidepool creatures

I traversed the short distance across Hug Point to the beach located on the north side.  Below the old wagon road were several large tidepools.  They were full of anemones of all sizes and colors. 

Green anemones squished together

Much photography commenced!

Loved the light on these anemones

I've been visiting this beach for many years, and I remember a time when the tidepools used to include seastars.  However, in 2014 an unknown wasting disease killed up to 90 percent of the starfish population on the West coast.  I understand that seastars are now making a comeback, but I've yet to see any in the tidepools in the northern Oregon coast.

A group of colorful anemones

Despite the lack of seastars, the variety and number of colorful anemones in Hug Point's tidepools more than made up for these missing creatures.

Looking south from Hug Point wagon road

After a good half hour tidepool photography session, I noticed the waves and ocean level beginning to increase.  The tide was starting to come in.  Time to skedaddle back across Hug Point!  Not passable in high tide, you don't want to linger too long and be caught on the secluded beach north of Hug Point. 

Ocean view from Hug Point

Hiking back across the rocky shelf, the fog had now lifted enough to allow capture of some sweeping ocean views.

Sun rays illuminate a heart in the sand

But there was still enough foggy mist to make for some cool images.  The sun's rays beaming down from shoreline cliffs illuminated this heart drawn in the beach sand.

Wonderful sunlight in the forest

And sunlight bursting from behind the trees in the forest adjacent to Hug Point's parking lot was spectacular.  Kind of looked like an angel descending from Heaven.

View from Crescent Beach trail

After spending a wonderful two hours at Hug Point, I drove back north to hike at nearby Ecola State Park, next to the town of Cannon Beach.  Taking the short, but steep Crescent Beach trail I slogged through lovely coastal forest, complete with more fabulous sun rays.  The trail offered a few glimpses of the beach to come.

Lovely forest on Crescent Beach trail

By the time I reached Crescent Beach, it was near noon, and the light wasn't great for photography.  But I enjoyed a quick break watching the waves crash on the sand and several pelicans diving into the ocean for lunch (about then I was wishing I'd packed my big lens!)

Although I live so close to the Oregon coast most of my time is spending heading in the opposite direction to the mountains and Columbia River Gorge.  This trip was a reminder that there's also plenty of good stuff to see if I point my car west of home!

Wild Waves of Cape Disappointment

Now that I'm no longer working, I have much more time to spend honing my photography skills with my neighbor (and fantastic photographer) Cheri.  A couple of weeks ago, she suggested we go to Cape Disappointment on the Washington coast.  High tides were predicted and that meant huge wave action.

 

Backlit lighthouse

 

Cape Disappointment has a cove below a lighthouse by the same name.  The rocky cliffs and submerged rocks here have a reputation for creating monster waves.  This cove was our day's destination.  Arriving in the early morning hours, we discovered the lighthouse and cape flooded with bright sunlight, totally backlit.

 

Powerful waves

What does a photographer do when the light isn't favorable?  Adjust expectations and try to find alternate compositions.

A bit of color

 

So I donned my sunglasses, (the morning sun was really bright!) guessed on my exposure settings, and clicked away.  And to my surprise, I actually managed to capture a few good images.

 

Can you spot the bird?

 

As the morning wore on, the light began to change direction, creating a bit of color in some waves.

 

Lots of spray with these!

 

After a bit of practice, I began to get the hang of tracking a wave as it moved towards the shore.  

 

The fan-shaped waves were my favorite

 

It was really fun to watch a wave build.  The water would rise up, and I'd try to guess if it would get big enough to produce a large splash.  Once and awhile the waves would break into fan shapes (those were my favorite!).  Some waves would hit shoreline, only to flow back towards the sea.  When they met with another incoming swell, that's when the action got good.

Curling fan

 

It was most satisfying to capture a gigantic splash the moment it happened.
 

 

Waves hitting waves

 

After a few hours of wave watching, it was time for a break.  We decided to walk over to the nearby beach to see what we could photograph.  Cheri had brought her dog Stella and she happily raced along the sand, tongue hanging out in a doggy grin.

Cheri and Stella

 

 Stella loved to play fetch.  Cheri found a stick and threw it towards the water.  Stella wasted no time in retrieving it.

Fetching the stick

 

Is there anything happier than a running dog with a stick in her mouth?

 

A happy dog!

 

I spotted a flock of snowy plovers.  We tried to discreetly approach, but these little birds were aware and bolted when we got too close.  And boy, were they fast!

 

Snowy plovers

 

Despite this, I kept trying to get some good captures.  I must've taken several hundred images!  But I enjoyed the challenge.  And the plovers were a lot of fun to watch.

 

Cute little birds

 

The plovers liked to feed next to the waterline.  However, when the waves came, these birds would hustle towards shoreline to escape the deluge.  Once the water receded, however, they were right back into the surf, pecking away at goodies in the sand.  When the plovers took flight, they'd swoop and turn in unison. 

 

The afternoon light was much better

After a nice long beach walk, Cheri and I decided it was time to head home.  However, Cheri wanted to drive past the lighthouse one more time to check on the wave action.  Upon arrival, we discovered some amazing afternoon light on the cove.  It was illuminating the waves, highlighting their golden hues.  Out came our cameras!

 

Lots more color in the afternoon

 

There was a bunch of driftwood along the shore stacked high enough to interfere with our captures, so Cheri and I stood on top of a nearby picnic table to ensure the woody debris wasn't in our shots.  Hand holding our cameras we feverishly began to capture the beautiful waves, now lit up by the afternoon sun.

 

The lighthouse in better light

 

These afternoon waves were even better than the ones we'd been photographing all morning.  Some of these next images were among my favorite wave photos ever.  Sit back and enjoy......

 

Foamy waves

This one looked like blown glass

Nature's fury

 

Scallop patterns

Colorful fan

It was so relaxing to watch the waves rise in the ocean, travel towards land, and finally break on the barrier rocks.  Cheri and I stayed perched on top of the picnic table for well over an hour.  It was so fun we didn't want to stop.

 

Huge explosion!

But all good things must eventually come to an end.  Our backs began to tire from holding up heavy camera and lens combinations.  After shooting all day, Cheri and I realized we had memory cards full of fantastic wave images - how many more did we really need?

It was a memorable fun day.  We're already talking about coming back on the next high tide, clear weather day.  Cheri and I both agreed it would be awesome to capture a sunset with the waves in the foreground.  Stay tuned, it might just happen!