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Here was my take from driving the entire coast of Oregon in 3 days. I came away with photos I didn't expect to get, and at the same time felt like I missed out on numerous photos I planned to get but was unable to because of weather conditions. All in all these locations are breath taking to witness, and I am certainly thankful to have experienced some portions for a second time.
So this trip had been a long time coming. After years of seeing all that Oregon had to offer on social media, I had to go see it for myself. A trip like this was easy to come up with a billion reasons to not go, especially by myself, but I figured I just needed to commit and not look back.
Obviously photographing so many places in this part of the country for me personally was a huge incentive, because Oregon literally is a photographer's goldmine. I told myself to make sure to enjoy the moments in these places first and foremost before I really start taking photos. I think it is really easy to get caught up in the moment, fidgeting with settings, and trying to get the perfect picture, while simultaneously missing out on what is around you. Thankfully I feel like I did a pretty good job of avoiding that, but I quickly learned that so many places I visited are so difficult to take in you seemingly can't spend enough time there to fully appreciate it. If you actually made it this far thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy the photos of a small glimpse of my take on what the state of Oregon has to offer.
The drive into Ecola State Park goes from open> dense mossy forests>ocean in an abrupt contrasting way that makes it feel like a movie setting.
I made quick hike up to see Indian Beach from a few different vantage points and also to see the ever so famous Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, built in 1880. The lighthouse is about 1.2 miles off the coast and is a rather tough commute. In 1881 the shipwreck of Lupatia killed 16 keepers and suppliers of the lighthouse during a high wind storm at Tillamook Rock. The Lighthouse was eventually shut down in 1957.
I quickly learned that Indian Beach is quite the surfing spot as well.
I did the drive to Toketee on my way to Crater Lake, which was along the Umpqua River. Certainly one of the most scenic drives I have ever been on in my life, naturally the temptation to pull over for photos was quite frequent. Not having cell service for the majority of this drive made things rather interesting as well.
I had always seen photos of Crater Lake and thought it looked massive, but really no photos can do this place justice. It certainly has that awe factor similar to the Grand Canyon when you first walk up to it. Former volcano turned lake, at it's deepest point of 1,943ft , it's another one of the places that's really hard to comprehend. Not to mention the water color.......so blue!
Unfortunately I didn't have much time to get too many photos at Crater Lake as the nearby forest fires are currently making the visibility of the lake quite minimal. The photo directly above was taken right before I left as the smoke was really starting to come in. Crater Lake National Park is also currently closed due to the fires in the area.
All the rocks you see in the photos below are actually volcanic lava fields that stretch for miles between these mountain ranges.
This place far surpassed my expectations. Such a scenic hike and once you get to Wahclella it's tough to leave all this color. Happened to witness a small wedding on location as well.
The Astoria-Meglar bridge that connects Oregon and the state of Washington
