Clouds and fog at Coffenbury Lake. Olympus OM-D EM-1 Mark II, 12-100 mm, ISO 200, f/11 @ 1/40 sec.

Clouds depress me. It must be from growing up in the Phoenix area and not seeing them often. Here in Astoria it’s been cloudy and misty/rainy for most of the time. I’m never sure which it is, rain or mist, but it is moist. They sky is gray without definition and I’m not inspired. Insisting I would “get over it” I went out shooting anyway. The images are nothing I plan to post, but it did relax me. Fog excites me. My first day here was sunny and clear and I hung out on the beach photographing sandpipers and waves. As evening settled in, the campground filled with fog, so I took off with my camera. Coffenbury Lake, near my campground, was covered in mist and fog and the icing on the cake came from the young men fishing. After that evening, it has been undefined clouds without fog.

Fog on Coffenbury Lake. Olympus OM-D EM-1 Mark II, 12-100 mm, ISO 200, f/11 @ 1/125 sec.

Campground Etiquette

iPhone photo of visitors through my camp.

It is so funny what people talk about in campgrounds. I’m not trying to eavesdrop, but some voices really carry in a campground. At one site, I learned how allergic a person is to Benadryl. At another, I heard a couple fighting about what they cooked for dinner. In Bodega Bay, two young girls walked right through my camp site to take a photo of themselves on the sand dune. The entire campground was full of sand dunes, why my site?

A few mornings ago, I woke up to a dog squeaky toy at 6:15 am. I couldn’t believe these owners would let their dog have a toy like at that time of the morning. Squeak, squeak, squeak. Then, I realized the squeak was a consistent pattern and stopped suddenly. I don’t think it was a dog squeaking…..

Bunnies in a Sroller

The campground I am in is the largest campground East of the Mississippi with 536 sites. That is huge. I didn’t see pet cats this time, but a woman came around with a stroller and her three bunnies! I heard the neighboring kids talking about bunnies and didn’t believe it until I saw them. They sat so still they looked stuffed. Apparently, they were raised to be show bunnies and sit still for long periods of time. Notice they are dressed in clothing.

Seeing some of these camping setups is funny. From the Instapots to the RC cars and plastic toys from home, and the monstrous RV’s to my little bed on wheels…I don’t know if this is camping or glamping? I know I sure enjoy a shower and my electricity to charge my laptop and camera batteries.

Waterfalls

Barefoot selfie in the middle of the river.

With the lack of sunlight, I did find a waterfall outside of Astoria to photograph. Youngs River Falls is 10 miles south of town and again I was the only person there. Luckily, I am much more comfortable with arriving alone. The 60-foot waterfall was gorgeous but lacked the foreground I hoped for; the rocks were bland and without moss. I took a few photos but kept searching out a better angle. Then I saw the “shot” would be from the middle of the river. I left my water shoes in the car, so I rolled up my pant legs and kicked of my shoes and socks. In I went. I was right, the best shot was from the middle of the river.

Youngs River Falls. Olympus OM-D EM-1 Mark II, 12-100 mm, ISO 200, f/18 @ 1.6 sec., with Singh-ray Bryan Hansel Waterfall filter.

After all these weeks and looking at what there is to shoot at each location, I realize I am most excited about photographing waterfalls. So, I went to the library to research my Washington locations and compile a list waterfalls, beaches and creek. When I booked my campgrounds, I created a rough list, but I like to refine it as I approach the towns. Since Washington will be more remote, I did most of the work today and if all goes as planned, I will photograph 6-8 more waterfalls!

At the Astoria Column.

With the cloudy weather, I did seek out another waterfall 30-miles east of Astoria. But when I got 5 miles from there, the clouds broke up and I was in direct sunlight (not what you want for shooting waterfalls). I figured I would go look at the falls anyway, since I was so close. My book resource didn’t tell me this was a spring and autumn run off falls….and in summer the fall is not present. There was a trickle at most. Discouraged, I drove back to Astoria and ate a late lunch (fish and chips) at Bouy Brewing while sampling one of their small run beers. Of course, I had to walk up 164 steps to the top of the Astoria Column too.

Making Music

One positive note to the cloudy weather, I printed more ukulele music and practiced for an hour last night. Ever since Rod visited, my practicing has been more regular. I’ll be ready for the jam session when I get home. If you aren’t aware of our ukulele interest, Rod has been building ukes for a few years now. He started production of six and has finished two. The remaining four are very close to production. These aren’t your run of the mill ukeleles either, these include custom wood with detailed inlays and precision construction.

Rod’s six ukulele’s early in production

For the Photogs!

Don’t forget to take a day off. Sometimes it is hard. I didn’t do that well at the start of the trip, but I have found it doesn’t do me any good forcing a photo. So, when I am tired, I take a break and then I have more energy when I get inspired. Even doing a load of laundry revitalizes me. It has been enjoyable doing some of the touristy things too. I often take my big camera to these touristy locations but sometimes only my phone and I just enjoy my surroundings.