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Thursday, September 14, 2017
We got up a little later this morning – the car left the motel at 6:30.
Our first stop was the John Dellenback Dunes. It was overcast, so that was a little disappointing. Shadows would have been nice - they bring out the texture of the sand better than flat light. We climbed one of the dunes and took a bunch of photos there, then slid-walked back down to get dunes with grasses and closer patterns.
All three of these photos were taken from the top of the dune we climbed and show some of the ripples we could see from here.
The photo on the left shows Nancy, Bill, and me getting ready to shoot photos from this tall dune. Carl had climbed an even taller one to take this picture. The center photo shows Carl resting in the sand and enjoying the view after coming back down from that tall dune. The photo on the right shows some of the grasses helping to anchor the dunes closer to the bottom of the dune we were on.
The photo on the left shows the trail of footprints we (and others) had left in the sand while climbing the dune.
The photo on the right (taken by Carl) shows me nearing the bottom of the dune for some closer shots of the grasses.
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Carl took the photo on the left of me shooting some photos of the grasses and dunes. The other two photos show some of the grasses and dunes in this area.
The photo on the left shows more of the patterns formed by the grasses and dunes. The center photo shows a closer view of some of the grasses growing here. The photo on the right shows a stalk of dried grass and ripples in the sand.
Then it was back into town and out the other side to Shore Acres State Park. This time, we all went to the botanical gardens. A nice hour plus was spent there.
The leftmost photo above shows the central walkway through the gardens with a fountain. And the bit of hazy fog we still had this morning. The second photo shows one of the beds of mixed dahlias dotting the lawn. The third photo shows part of the pond at the Japanese garden portion of the gardens. The rightmost photo shows a nice rose.
The photo on the left shows another of the lovely roses that dotted the grounds. The center photo shows one of the dahlias. The photo on the right shows a nice display of rudbeckia.
The first two photos show two of the roses in the exhibition section of the garden. This section had rows of roses that had won awards over the years. The one on the left is a floribunda called Hot Cocoa. The center photo shows a grandiflora called Sunshine Daydream. The photo on the right shows another dahlia.
While there, I visited the gift shop (and got a night light and 3 wooden ornaments).
Then we dropped down to Charleston for breakfast (at 11:30). We stopped at a Mom&Pop place called Nonnies. The two people running it were running ragged by the time we got there. Yes, service was slow and they kept forgetting stuff on our orders, but they made up for it in good cooking (especially the homemade bread). It was an experience. I had a good time!
Then we drove back to the motel for an almost two hour break. I downloaded and labeled photos while Carl ran to Safeway for more Kind bars. We've been eating one each in the car on the way to the first shoot and another about 4 in the afternoon to fill in the gaps between brunch around 11:30 and dinner closer to 8.
We left the motel again about 3:15, heading for Heceta Head Lighthouse again.
We couldn't get the shot from behind the lighthouse this time (I got it on the last trip, 14 years ago) as there were too many people around to jump the fence that blocked access to the trail. Mild disappointment all around.
The photo on the left shows the view down the coastline from the foot of the lighthouse. The photo 14 years ago showed about this same view, but with the top of the lighthouse in the foreground.
The photo on the right shows what the lighthouse looks like in sunshine. There wasn't any fog this visit, unlike a couple of days ago...
While we were enjoying the view, we watched a couple got engaged. They got Bill to take some photos of them. The trail to lighthouse seemed easier than 14 years ago...
From there, we drove to South Jetty and Dunes to climb another tall sand dune. I got some nice shots of the grasses and sand shapes from the top before dropping down to ocean level and for some detail shots along the tideline.
The photo on the left above was taken near the top of the dunes and shows the view looking north from this vantage point. The center photo shows Carl carefully descending to ocean level. The photo on the right shows me near the bottom of the dune after pussyfooting my way down.
While at the ocean level, I upped the ISO of my camera to increase the capture speed and took some photo directly into the crashing waves. That's what these four photos show.
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These two photos show some of the wind sculpted dunes and grasses here.
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Another interesting thing to shoot on this beach is the patterns created in the sand by wind and tide.
Finally, it was time to climb back up the ocean side of the dune for sunset shots. I think I've climbed enough dunes for a while. My thighs and glutes are complaining mightily....
The photos to the left and center show the sunset light on the waves and sand from beach level, before climbing back to the top. The photo on the right is looking south along the beach from the top of the dune.
More evening light photos. The photo on the left is looking south from the top of the dune. The center photo is looking north. And the photo on the right shows the sunset light on the waves in front of us.
Carl took this photo of me shooting the sunset light from the top of the dune. I was between shots in this photo.
We drove back into Florence for dinner (pizza at Abby's – good pizzas). Then back to North Bend to the motel where we completely emptied the van and said our goodbyes. The others are heading for the Portland airport by 6 am tomorrow morning. Carl and I plan to sleep in before ambling up to Lincoln City...
The fancy electronics on that van drove us crazy when it was time to lock up. It didn't think the key fob was in the car when it was. Doors that have been gliding shut all week just sat there. Finally, unexpectedly, without anyone changing anything, it decided to behave. Hope it doesn't give them any problems in the morning...
We soon hit the sheets and were out like lights.