“Coastal” Collection

My entire life, I've been around dogs; my mother owns a dog grooming business, after all! So, I've felt a kinship with them for as long as I can remember, and it never fails to amaze me just how devoted, precious, and loyal these creatures are to us. Nowhere have I really seen a more pure display of that than when I was recently on the beaches of the Outer Banks, NC. There were just so many dogs, and every one of them was happy and active, running alongside the crashing waves and the footsteps of their best friends. I managed to find this beautifully-preserved paw print freshly placed in the sand, and caught a photograph of it an instant before it, like everything else on the shore, was washed away into memory.

I've been a lot of places by now, and I've seen a lot of things while in pursuit of a great photograph. I'm always learning, always honing and sharpening my skills. Some scenes you really have to work with, get the angle on, and eke out the beauty using uncommon perspective to find the real potential of a place...but other scenes, like this one taken on the shores of Presque Isle, are just obvious. You come upon it, inhale the fresh air, and just *know* that you've found something special. Well, I found it. Presque Isle is absolutely loaded with these kinds of scenes; beauty around every literal corner, and I can't wait to go back.

Along the Oregonian coastline is a small, beautiful coastal town built on a foundation of rugged, volcanic basalt. A lone arch bridge stretches over the mouth of the bay, where every morning fishing trawlers reach through the early morning mist and out into the cold, whale-populated waters of the Pacific. This is Depoe Bay. I had such a time here, my camera and I were going crazy trying to capture the soul of this beautiful little place on film. Even though the whole of the place begged to be photographed, it was this bridge in particular that enchanted me the most. There was something about it, and how the mist off the ocean wrapped around its pillars...I loved it. If you're ever in the area, check out the Sea Hag restaurant, just before this bridge! They make a mean sandwich. Oh yes, and definitely partake in one of the whale sighting tours, too; we saw several grey whales and even humpbacks!

On a recent trip up to northern Pennsylvania, one that I had intended to take for many years now, I finally managed to make it to the rough-sanded shores of Lake Erie. The whole trip there had been gloomy, gray, and as difficult on the eyes as one could reasonably expect a Pennsylvania autumn day to be...and yet, by the time we reached the beaches of Presque Isle, the sky finally cleared up, revealing a brilliant blue that seemed to stretch into eternity. I walked along the coastline, in awe at how ocean-like this lake really looked in person. It looked, smelled, and felt like the warm sandy beaches of South Carolina I was so familiar with, but alien at the same time. Even the sand, devoid of seashells, was dense enough to not get everywhere just by walking upon it. And then, by happenstance, I came across this lovely piece of weathered old driftwood. I had to capture it! ...And now, you see the result.

So, I had finally made it. All the way to Oregon, from the distant forests of Pennsylvania. It is extremely fitting then, that this view right here was my very first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean, in all its raw beauty. The location: the quaint resort town of Seaside, Oregon. It was just the coolest feeling, knowing that the largest ocean in the world was spread out before me, and that my first view of the Pacific had everything to do with the statue you see in this photograph. The statue stood in the middle of this small roundabout depicted the famed explorers, Lewis and Clark, as the pair had for the first time reached the Pacific Ocean, themselves. The view was nothing short of majestic, the shorelines plentiful with a contour and texture that I'd never seen before; there were actual mountains, it seemed, jutting into the ocean. Up until this time, the only beaches I had ever seen were the smooth, relatively featureless ones in the Carolinas, Maryland, and Florida. Shortly after I took this photograph, I discovered a truth about the northern Pacific that should have been obvious; the water is FREEZING! I spent the better part of the day reeling from the strange dichotomy of being at a beach, in the hottest months of the summer, and knowing that some of the coldest water I've ever been was right there, across the beach. Even more bewildering was the fact that people were playing in it like it was nothing.

There's nothing quite so pure and liberating as the ocean. Truly, I can't think of a place that more peels away the veneer of artificiality that our lives are steeped in, to lay bare the pure joy of being alive in the moment. The raw beauty of an Atlantic Ocean sunrise, similarly, is enough to soothe the soul and make one feel as though, somehow, everything will be alright. Then, there are those who actively dive into it and let it move them...which is much more than I can imagine doing, especially in seas as notoriously rough as those off the shores of North Carolina's Outer Banks. Here, we see a lone surfer waiting to catch a wave as the sun rises in one of the most dramatic mornings I've ever been witness to. Look at it...relax...inhale, smell the salt and sand, hear the waves crashing and the gulls cawing...

One of my favorite places in the world is Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It's truly one of the most chilled-out, relaxed places to be, and my family has a long history of visiting the place for the perfect way to close out the summer. As is tradition, on the final day of our stay, I will get up early in the morning to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic, and every time I am humbled by the experience; it makes the groggy, difficult morning worth it, every time! This right here is exactly why.

The bridge defines Newport; it is perhaps the city's biggest landmark. Here is sits, basked in the glow of a late evening's sunset. Across the bridge, employees of the Rogue Beer factory at the far end of the bridge hang their hard hats and clock out, heading home for the evening. The city winds down, the busy fishing port readying itself for the evening. The clouds roll away from the city, pushed by the winds brought in from the Pacific, and all I could do was gaze upon it in wonder. Yet another reason Oregon is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and yet another photograph I'm proud to have been there to take.

There are truly wonderful things that one can find during a drive down Oregon's Highway 101. Take this photograph for instance; a dream willed into solid reality, thanks to the wildly varied, utterly remarkable diversity found all over the state. This scene could be found literally off to the side of Highway 101, where a scenic overlook treats passers-by to this view; a steep cliff leading down toward the seasonably cold waters of the north Pacific, gulls flying off into the distance, waves crashing hundreds of feet below.

It's difficult to explain the feeling I get from this photograph. When I look at it, I see tendrils emanating from the void...but that of course isn't at all what it is. Is this a photograph taken from within that inscrutable, infinitesimally thin line that separates our reality from another? Could it be the call to approach the unknown? Or, could it be that the photographer was simply messing around and decided to join two photographs of a pier together, horizontally? I'll let you decide!

North of the Currituck Lighthouse is a vast stretch of beach, off limits to anything that isn't four wheel drive. It's a more wild, untamed stretch of beach home to the unincorporated community of Currituck, a place unlike any I've actually seen, where the streets themselves are off-road beach territory and the sparse houses are scattered throughout the dunes. It's in this community that a herd of roughly 100 wild Mustangs can be found, their ancestors left behind when visiting Spanish conquistadors returned home. It is actually against the law for any person to be within fifty feet of these beautiful horses, leading to strange situations where wild horses can be found in people's garages, or rolling about in the middle of the sandy streets, or like here where the horses stop and take in the majesty of the Atlantic Ocean. This sight right here genuinely made my day!

The day came to a close at the fishing docks in Newport, Oregon. The ships were coming to port, the activity came to a crawl as workers turned in their shifts, the sun drooping steadily below the horizon. And yet, through the approach of nightfall, the sea lions continued to bellow. Their cries mingled with the ever present caws of the nearby seagulls, all of them opportunistically plucking at the waters for that next tasty fish. As for the workers of the dock, their day was done. Beautiful scene, isn't it? I thought so, too.

This is one of the many gorgeous sights to be had along Oregon's Highway 101, what is possibly one of the most scenic and beautiful drives to be had anywhere in America. This view seemed to stretch out forever, an overlook of the Pacific ocean with mists rolling over the coast in the distance, the skies bright and clear, and people of all ages frolicking in the cold waters below. You can see them down there, some with surfboards, some with nothing but their swim suits, but all of them having a good time.

This is one of the many gorgeous sights to be had along Oregon's Highway 101, what is possibly one of the most scenic and beautiful drives to be had anywhere in America. This view seemed to stretch out forever, an overlook of the Pacific ocean with mists rolling over the coast in the distance, the skies bright and clear, and people of all ages frolicking in the cold waters below. You can see them down there, some with surfboards, some with nothing but their swim suits, but all of them having a good time.