Brief Visit to Ecola and Hug Point

The first part of the afternoon was spent exploring Indian Beach at Ecola State Park with my step daughter Nadia and her partner Mike, including a hidden waterfall and an hike/overview of the steep and beautifully forested Tillamook Head.

With an incoming tide, Hug Point was the next destination. It rained most of the day, but cleared as evening approached. Unlike the many beach lovers in summer, it was serene, lovely and the falls had plenty of water.

 Especially this time of year, one has to be very careful of wave surge, particularly north of the falls. This is the first place to be inundated with waves. It was quite disconcerting, especially alone. 

Water moving in over the rocks, and my boots. 13 sec. exposure.

  
The top of falls is thoroughly safe, from the waves at least. A special place, with many places for the imagination to roam.

Heading south now after sunset, a parting shot of this lovely area.

 There are a number of small headlands between Hug Point Beach and Arch Cape. Beautiful confluences of basalt and sandstone is found here.

Second Beach Light

The rain and clouds of autumn on the Olympic Peninsula make it a guessing game when to go out and attempt to capture the beauty of the coast between storm fronts. At our cabin at Lake Crescent, there is no internet access, so those fronts are even more elusive. Weather can also vary quite a bit location to location, and change in a matter of an hour.

The main players at Second Beach are the sea stacks, from large tree covered mini islands to just the bare rock towers, and the very long slope of beach. At very low tides, you can walk nearly a 1/4 mile from shore. Sunset is most dramatic. At this time of year, one can be quite alone here.

The north end of the beach, with it's famous sea stack, is a beautiful and active area. Luck was with me, for after searching for sea otters earlier this year, two appeared in this channel. I was away from my camera, and they disappeared in minutes after spotting me. The last photo was taken just before leaving.

 Last Light

 Afterglow and Cirrus Monster

Fading light on the beach