Description
My Pops and I were big fans of of photography, especially Life Magazine, National Geographic, and Ansel Adams. He was my initial inspiration.
I spent many years in various businesses trying to hit a grand slam so I could at least semi-retire and travel the world to experience different places and cultures and document it all along the way.
After 30+ years of waiting for the right time, the grand slam that never was hit, I decided NOW is the time to travel and make photography my profession.
In early October 2022 I embarked upon a 37-day road trip from Denver through Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Utah and back to Colorado.
After spending a week on Vashon Island near Seattle visiting a college buddy, I took off for a tour of the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park and then on to the Oregon Coast.
After a 2-day rainy sock-in in Portland, I excitedly made my way to Cannon Beach as I had seen many beautiful photos of it over the years, plus I'm a huge fan of the movie The Goonies.
For those Goonies fans out there, parts of it were filmed on location on Cannon Beach; the city is located about twenty-five miles away from Astoria. It is mentioned by name in the Stop 'N Snack deleted scene, when Mikey is cross-checking the map with a map of the surrounding area of Astoria.
Anyway, after a magical drive through an almost fairy forest near Jewell, Oregon, where I captured the photo I titled "The Shire" here on Etsy, I pulled into Cannon Beach energized and eager to see the expansive beach and Haystack Rock.
I parked and walked through the little town filled with coffee shops and art galleries to the beach. When I stepped out onto the beach I was blown away by the immensity of the beach size, the rolling surf, the massive numbers of sea birds in the tidal pools, and the sun peeking out after rain earlier that morning.
As I walked toward Haystack I was struck by the mirrored image of the rock, the clouds, and sunlight reflecting off the water lingering on the sand after waves had receded back into the Pacific.
I hungrily pulled out my iPhone 14 Pro Max to capture it, but other sightseers were in my shot. sure I could edit them out later, but I would know they were there - I wanted a raw unobstructed shot.
I waited in this spot for 20 minutes, dodging multiple sneaker waves, before the lingering awe-inspired people cleared. My moment finally arrived. I squatted down close to the sand and snapped this shot and I think it's a winner!
I hope you enjoy it and perhaps have it hang on your wall or the wall of someone you love some day.
