I thought that day in late September would never arrive. My wife Becky and I had been planning a driving trip to the Oregon coastline for over two years. After a long three nights on the road we entered the Columbia River Gorge highway. The light rain and overcast weather was ideal light for photographing the waterfalls that can be found in the gorge. We followed the Columbia River through Portland to the river's mouth at Astoria.

The next morning the clouds lifted and the sun came out. Our first stop was Ecola Bay State Park. As we basked in the cool filtered sunlight, sitting underneath a huge old weathered spruce, we watched a few surfers in wetsuits riding the waves and a large Black Lab rolling a log along the beach. The air was sparkling clean with the smell of the sea. Offshore on a tiny island was a lighthouse. At Becky's suggestion we took a stroll down the nearly deserted beach to a large group of rocks extending into the Pacific. It was low tide and we begin walking on the rocks looking into the tide pools. To our astonishment there were starfish in gold and purple colors clinging to the rocks. Out came the macro lens. No doubt about it - we weren't in Oklahoma any longer. We stayed all day at Ecola, watching and photographing the view of a curving coast at sunset.

Although we could have spent a week at Ecola Bay we were certain there was much more to come so we continued down the coast enjoying the sunny weather. The rocky northern coast offers endless choices for a photographer. Crashing waves, tidal pools with all kinds of colorful creatures, ship wrecks, seamounts, seals and sea lions, sea birds, old light houses, fishing boat reflections in the many quaint harbors, and spouting whales, they were all waiting for us. A short detour inland took us to old covered bridges and pristine bays and estuaries. There were so many choices. Time and time again I had mental anguish when I couldn't decide what I wanted to photograph most. One morning, standing on the shoreline, I was making a landscape photo of the light house on the cliff above me and trying to include a reflection of the lighthouse in the pools of seawater. Right behind me, on a large rock in the water, twenty or so Harbor Seals were calling. I thought to myself, that is a rare problem for me - too many photographic possibilities! The Oregon Coast was like that at every bend in the road.

Along our way we stayed in several of the wonderful Oregon state parks. At Cape Lookout State Park we slept in the back of our truck camper listening to the ceaseless roar of the surf, only a hundred yards away from our camp. I tried to go to sleep without worrying too much about the sign just a few yards from our campsite pointing the way to a tsunami evacuation route, or the fact that the San Andreas Fault was straining away just a few miles offshore. We woke up in the morning safe and sound from natural disaster.

In the town of Newport we visited the Oregon State Aquarium. This is a great place to photograph and I especially liked the outdoor exhibits. They have very natural habitats, and you can set up a telephoto. I used a 300 mm lens, with and without a 1.4x extension. You can get great photos of colorful Tufted Puffins, Black Oystercatchers and Sea Otters. The docents were extremely helpful to a photographer with a large tripod.

About four days into our trip down the coast, we had reached the central coast near Florence. In Florence the fog rolled in and for the rest of the trip down the coast, never lifted. Another life lesson for the outdoor photographer - stay flexible, make lemonade out of lemons, the glass is half full - you know the drill. Compensating for under exposure in the fog, I shot massive sand dunes, more light houses with the ghostly light reflected in the fog with a flock of prehistoric looking brown pelicans gliding by, old art deco style harbor bridges, and of course more fishing boats and reflections.

At Cape Blanco I photographed one more old light house in the fog before heading east, away from the coast, to begin the long drive home via Crater Lake National Park. Crater Lake was impressive, (bring your ultra wide angle lens), but after you drive around it there isn't much more to photograph. The next day we headed for Northern California. In California we visited and photographed Lassen Volcanic Park, the ghost town of Bodie, Yosemite, and Mono Lake. I'll save the story about those places for another time.

September is a great time to visit Oregon. There are fewer tourists, and the weather is usually better, but your chances are always good at any time of the year for some periods of rain and fog. While exploring the coast, I tried to be careful on cliffs that could crumble beneath me, and to watch the ocean for sneaker waves. I can't imagine anything sadder than watching a photographer, intently concentrating on a tidal pool, get washed off his feet by a large wave, along with his expensive camera gear. It would be especially sad if that photographer was me. A must read for any photographer planning a visit is The Photographer 's Guide To The Oregon Coast: Where To Find Perfect Shots And How To Take Them by David Middleton and Rod Barbee. This book was our constant companion and helped make the numerous photographic choices easier to make. I brought along lots of memory, all the lenses I own, and my trusty Gitzo carbon fiber tripod. The changing weather conditions and light, and the variety of subjects, from wildlife to landscapes really challenged me and kept my interest high. We were on the coast a week, and it just wasn't enough time. I promise that no matter how long you stay in this unique and beautiful area, it won't seem like it was long enough. Someday I would love to show you my Oregon Coast show with all the great music, or my prints; but even more I would love to see yours.

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