Looking for Whales

Ostensibly we want to the coast for whale-watching.
I heard there was a huge whale migration passing by the coast this week, 20,000+
Yet somehow we ended up on the beach and not a high ground lookout spot.
So I did my usual thing. :)
I like to imagine there are a few whales breaching off in the distance behind the waves.

Happy New Year!

Hazel

Our puppy search is over! Our new family member, Hazel, is a German Australian Shepard mix. She's 10 weeks old and weighs 6 lbs right now. Yesterday she got her first taste of the beach with a short little walk along Cannon Beach. 

Sunrise on the Coast

Ecola State Park

Indian Beach in Ecola State Park is a great rocky beach for exploring tide pools.  This was the area where we saw the most tide pool life; as I mentioned in an earlier post, most of it was still under water because we came too close to high tide.  I liked the ripply beach pattern in the foreground of this photo.  The big rock outcropping near the center of the frame is just starting to get full morning sunlight.  Along the horizon near the right is Tillamook Rock Lighthouse.  I'm not sure how far off the coast it is, but not quite so far as it looks in this photo.  My framing really diminished it, but I did like the idea of including it in the image. 

Haystack Rock

Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach is an iconic Oregon landmark and tourist destination along the beautiful Oregon coastline.  Everyone had the day off school, so we made a short day trip out to Cannon Beach earlier today.  Such beautiful weather today too, calm and slightly foggy in the morning.  The tide had just started to ebb, and there was a great wavy pattern in the sand which left these interesting tide pool patterns.  If we had showed up later in the day, the tide might have been out past the monolithic haystack rock and we could have explored it closer up.  Next visit here, I will pick a day when we can show up at low tide. Still, I was very thankful for such a beautiful day along the coast!  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone tomorrow!

Cannon Beach

1700 miles later, and I'm finally back home.  There was very little photography on this trip, mainly just driving and getting my son moved home for the summer.  I did one quick side trip to Cannon Beach in Oregon.  This is somewhere I've been wanting to go for a while.  The thing that distinguishes Cannon Beach from other nearby towns is the rock formations just off the shore.  The most famous one is haystack rock which is way in the background in this photo.  Funny how having a few rocks on your beach can turn your little town into a posh travel destination!  I actually felt a little sorry for the neighboring  towns, all bare-beached and ordinary. On a side note, I have to say I'm thoroughly out of the photo mood right now.  I think it's because I'm so tired from all the travel.