Oregon Trip, Spring 2005

Sol Catching Dew on Poppy Yellow Flower near Shasta
Sol Catching Dew on Poppy Yellow Flower near Shasta
Mt. Shasta Lenticular Cloud on Shasta
Mt. Shasta Lenticular Cloud on Shasta
South Fork River, near Medford Dutch Bros of Grant's Pass
South Fork River, near Medford Dutch Bros of Grant's Pass
Sun Break Wet Duckling
Sun Break Wet Duckling
Salem Stream Purple Flowers in Portland
Salem Stream Purple Flowers in Portland
Fairy of the Forest The Glory of a Cloudy Day
Fairy of the Forest The Glory of a Cloudy Day
Purple Peeping Pansies Butterfly Flutter By
Purple Peeping Pansies Butterfly Flutter By
Bumblebee in Poppy Picking Poppy Pollen
Bumblebee in Poppy Picking Poppy Pollen
Sun Burst Quail in the Thickets
Sun Burst Quail in the Thickets
After the Storm Where the River Meets the Sea, Part I
After the Storm Where the River Meets the Sea, Part I
Where the River Meets the Sea, Part II Where the River Meets the Sea, Part III
Where the River Meets the Sea, Part II Where the River Meets the Sea, Part III
I See Seagulls Wherever the Path Leads Me
I See Seagulls Wherever the Path Leads Me
Small Fall Tumble to the Sea
Small Fall Tumble to the Sea
The Falls of Lookout Pointe Sunset at Lookout Pointe
The Falls of Lookout Pointe Sunset at Lookout Pointe
Nightfall, Tide's Coming In Oregon Coast, Cape Perpetua
Nightfall, Tide's Coming In Oregon Coast, Cape Perpetua
Lace By The Sea Hecate Lighthouse
Lace By The Sea Hecate Lighthouse
Umpqua River Lighthouse Umpqua River Lighthouse, Part II
Umpqua River Lighthouse Umpqua River Lighthouse, Part II
Haynes Inlet Bridge, North Bend Peer Down to a Splash
Haynes Inlet Bridge, North Bend Peer Down to a Splash
Coquille River Lighthouse, Northside Coquille, Looking Out to the North Jetty
Coquille River Lighthouse, Northside Coquille, Looking Out to the North Jetty
Patterson Memorial Bridge, Gold Beach A Night for Pirates
Patterson Memorial Bridge, Gold Beach A Night for Pirates
Danger Out of a Dream Foggy Sea
Danger Out of a Dream Foggy Sea
Quail on the Trail Thistle
Quail on the Trail Thistle
Hooker River Biker Gang Down Hwy-101
Hooker River Biker Gang Down Hwy-101
Back in San Joaquin Valley The Grapevine, Heading Home
Back in San Joaquin Valley The Grapevine, Heading Home


One of the funny things about this album, a LOT of the pictures were taken out of a moving vehicle, not set and planned. It was more like take-a-dozen-shots-hope-one-turns-out. That lenticular cloud on Mt. Shasta was zoomed in to the closest the camera would go, and sitting in a bouncing motor home, I just knew it wouldn't turn out. It took somewhere around six shots to get one that wasn't blurred to death. One of my favorite, Danger Out of a Dream, you can see a bush that zoomed past our window. It is the only flaw in such a great scene of nature. It was just a lucky shot, too, because the scene was gone in a few seconds, zoom, down Hwy-101.

I got a chance for some creativity on my trip, though. Again, a mixture of fortuneate angles and lucky timing (okay, and some nail-biting patience). After The Storm, for instance, was a reflection I saw and knew I had to get. When I saw that quail standing on the "Trail" sign, I just about laughed (except I knew I'd scare him away)! It was like something out of Dr. Seuse. And of course, there's the flowers and insects! So fun, shooting those.

I particularly remember my dad telling me there was no way Sunset at Lookout Pointe would turn out, because of glare and the water and a thousand other reasons. I took it anyway, and it turned out amazing! It's my favorite, and the new wallpaper for my desktop.

I'm compelled to explain Wherever the Path Leads Me. I met up with Cape Creek, and there was no way for me to cross it without getting seriously wet. I was determined to get across and walk to the waterfalls some two miles south, so I hiked up the rocks. I found a path and finally a bridge to cross the creek. Then I couldn't find my way down (not an easy way, that is... I eventually backtracked to near where I came up, other side of the bridge, though, and found a horrible, rock-strewn area that I slid down to get to the bottom... then on my return from the falls, I found the easier route, and a new level of frustration).

Anyway, back to being stuck with no way to get down... so I started taking paths (yeah, dangerous, but I have good navigational instincts). I just went off on these small paths, some marked and graveled, others barely visible. So, I saw one path leadings toward the beach again. I took it, and it brought me to a cliff, long drop down. It was the wildest path... and that phrase holds many meanings. Anyway, when my chosen little path obviously didn't lead me back to the beach, I thought, "But I fought to get here, I'm getting a picture!" I took a very unique shot. I later retraced my steps and took a picture of the "trail" I followed. I didn't post it here, but honestly, I can barely see a path in the picture.

But it was so much fun! That beach, and getting nearly lost on the dunes between Lake Marie (which my sister and I nicknamed "Lake Mosquito") and the Umpqua River Lighthouse... let's just say I have a newfound respect for caravans that cross deserts.

The weather in Oregon is perfect, I don't care what others think. Drizzly rain all day, clearing for miraculous sunsets! Perhaps because I come from a semi-arid region, that type of weather seems like paradise! I can't wait to move there.