Cape Flattery

Cape Flattery is the most northwestern point on the continental United States. It is a spectacular area, with abundant wildlife, dramatic seascapes and a picturesque lighthouse on Tatoosh Island.

The parking area is on Makah Indian Reservation land, so you need to purchase a permit in Neah Bay before driving out.

After a short walk through a spruce forest, there are a number of very nice observing platforms built by the Park Service, and are very stable for photography.

The dramatic shoreline of Cape Flattery

It was an Oystercatcher convention. The naturalist related that they have counted over 80 Oystercatchers from the main observation platform. The platform is quite high, so it's a good idea to bring binoculars and/or long lenses for your camera.

Oystercatchers resting and prining on the rocks

Although quite far, I was able to get a few shots of Tufted Puffins diving off shore. Puffins are great to watch. They can be seen catching and sometimes holding numerous fish in their beaks, and then flying them back to the nest. This is a cropped shot with a 600mm lens.

Interesting fog and clouds rolled in, with the fog obscuring the lighthouse. This scene is looking south.

Looking south

We stopped again briefly in Neah Bay in search of fresh salmon before heading back to Lake Crescent.

Second Beach in July

Another fine day greeted us for an afternoon visit to Second Beach, near La Push, on the Washington coast. With afternoon light and clearing fog, color photography with Black and White output seemed to make sense. This unusual tree-covered sea stack there is generally where I head first, especially with an incoming tide!

Reflections

The rocks in the sand have been an attraction for years. It's never the same, and the light and waves constantly bring new possibilities every visit.

Advancing Tide and changing light

Tim searching for 5 pieces for the "design" competition. Find and arrange five pieces.

Clearing fog and low clouds revealed beautiful cirrus clouds. The polarizer brought out more constrast and color for this shot down the beach. Looked like a strange creature in the sky. We had to leave before sunset, but it looked like it was going to be a good one!

Photography at Rialto Beach

After a long winter this year, the weather has been unexpectedly clear and unusually warm. There has not been a Memorial Day weekend like this in recent memory. Normally we are setting down for quite a bit of rain.

Some of the most beautiful beaches on the Washington coast are near La Push, near the Quileute Nation. It's a 50 minute drive from beautiful Lake Crescent, our base on the Olympic Peninsula.

Greeted by fantastic weather and and a light NW wind, the beach was full of Memorial Day visitors, which thinned out as I proceeded north. Ellen Creek was surprising low and easy to cross.

Sea Stacks on Rialto Beach

One interesting phenomena was the complete lack of shore birds. Some were spotted on the outer rocks far offshore, but otherwise absent. A few eagles were making their way up and down the beach, but not a single sea gull.


Clouds were part of the scene until near sunset, when only a few high cirrus clouds were around. Rapidly changing light was fun and challenging. The overlook at the top of Hole in the Wall was a bit thin in spots, and daunting.

When the weather is not fearsome with horizontal rain, Rialto/Hole in the Wall are always a photographer's dream come true.