No matter how long the trip is, a day or two before the end I get the feeling that I am ready to go home. I’m now at that point…I’m physically tired, I desperately need a shower (actually, I don’t stink that bad, but a shower would just feel damn good), my creative juices are starting to dry up, and I miss my wife (my dog too!). But, I’m excited about the last two days.
This was a light photo day because I had a long drive over to Multnomah Falls. I thought I’d be able to visit the falls yet this day, but things always take longer than planned. In addition, I wasted a lot of time trying to get things uploaded to the blog (at dreaded McDonalds). I need to figure out how to streamline this process this as the blog is an important (and fun) part of the trip for me. Maybe renting a portable WiFi like I did in Iceland?
I actually slept in a bit, which was much needed, so I didn’t pull out of the camping spot until about quarter to 8. My first stop was Hug Point. This was a productive spot, and I was pretty happy with the images I captured here.
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| Extremely cool rock colors |
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| Can you tell I was enamored with this particular rock? |
So where next? On my list was the wreck of the Peter Iredale at Fort Stevens State Park, which was not far away. However, the lighting at the time was pretty harsh and I expected there to be a lot of people there. When I pulled into the park, it appeared that I need to register (and probably pay a fee) but there was no kiosk or anything preventing me from driving right in. I figured I would be in and out very quickly, so maybe I could sneak in. In retrospect, I think this was a free day use area, but the signage was definitely not clear (not like the amazing Michigan State Parks, ha!).
It turned out that there were some amazing clouds in the sky, and I was very pleased with the shots. And the crowds were virtually non-existent. However, there was this Asian couple (again, no disrespect) that simply wouldn’t leave. How many photos on your iPhone do you really need? I know I take a lot of shots at a given location, but I am constantly changing exposures and other settings. I saw the lady take 5 shots at one point without changing a DARN THING! It’s not like there were people in the scene who might blink or whatever, so what the heck? Smart phones can capture some really impressive photos, but sometimes I wonder if taking pics with these devices is becoming more important than the photos themselves (or what you do with them).
At this point I was in Ainsworth, Oregon, which is the northern-most point along the coast. At another point, I was in Brookings, Oregon, the southern-most point. This means I had driven the entire coast of Oregon! If you were drive this route directly, it would be 338 miles and take approximately 7-1/4 hours!! Quite a feat, if I do say so myself!
The drive to Multnomah was over 2-1/2 hours via interstate, and interestingly I had to cross into Washington to get there. It was apparent I would I would not be able to squeeze in the hike in as it was getting late, but that was OK. As I got close an electronic highway sign said that permits are required for Multnomah Falls. Whaaaaat? I never recall reading about that, but with the recent resurgence of COVID in Oregon I suspect this is the reason (yes, COVID is bad in Oregon in some areas…masks are required indoors, again, and some indoor seating at restaurants have been suspended). When I got off the highway I immediately logged into recreation.gov and got a permit the next day at 9 am (fortunately I already I had an account, which I highly recommend for anyone who might want to access national recreational areas, parks, campgrounds, etc.). It only cost me $1!!
Once again, the main challenge now was finding a camping spot. There was NO dispersed camping nearby, and I got the feeling (based on proliferous signage) the authorities would be less tolerant of roadside camping in this area. There was however a state park nearby, so I headed for that. The state parks were all full over the weekend, but it was Labor Day weekend, so I was praying that this now being Tuesday, there would be some available spots…and there were!!!! Just 5 minutes from the falls!
But wait! There was a waterfall just off the road a couple minutes away, so I dashed off to grab some photos of it before hunkering down. Fortuitous!
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| Lower Horsetail Falls, just up the road from the campsite. |
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| The causeway into Washington state |
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| Amazing bridge in Astoria over the Columbia River |
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| Every beach area has these numbered signs. Initially I didn't know what the numbers meant, but as I went north the numbers got smaller. So, each beach is numbered, starting from north to south. But, what purpose do the signs actually serve? Do they matter to anyone? |
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| I drove through a couple tunnel on Hwy 101, and I had to grab a shot a shot of one of them (the other was cooler but there was no place to pull over) |
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