December, 2014


29
Dec 14

Road Trip–Painted Hills

Photograph of The Painted Hills, one of the three units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, near Mitchell, OregonThe Central Oregon region is a beautiful combination of rolling hills, volcanic rock formations and wide open spaces. It is lightly populated and offers many area of unique beauty. Near Mitchell, Oregon, are The Painted Hills, one of the three units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.


22
Dec 14

Road Trip–Mount Shasta 2

Photograph of Mount Shasta at sunriseMount Shasta rises nearly 10,000 feet above the surrounding terrain and is not connected to any other mountains nearby. It is visible for over one hundred miles. It is a volcano and has erupted on an average of every 600 to 800 years over the last 10,000 years. The last major eruption may have happened about 200 years ago.


15
Dec 14

Road Trip–Mount Shasta

Photograph of Mount Shasta at sunriseTwo weeks in October of 2014 was the chance for a road trip to Oregon and Washington states, a welcome opportunity to camp and photograph beautiful country. The second morning I left my campsite before dawn and was driving north to Oregon when I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Mount Shasta in the early morning light. It is hard to forget the fifth highest mountain in California, but I was so focused on Oregon that I had completely forgotten I would be driving by it. I’m glad I looked back.


8
Dec 14

Olympic Peninsula–Ruby Beach 2

Photograph of a couple walking along Ruby Beach along the Washington coast near the Olympic National ParkA couple walking along Ruby Beach provides a sense of scale. The clouds and the stony beach augment the harsh beauty of the rugged coast.


1
Dec 14

Olympic Peninsula–Ruby Beach

Photograph of Ruby Beach along the Washington coast near the Olympic National ParkRuby Beach is located on the southwest coast of the Olympic Peninsula. Great piles of driftwood cover the stony beach. A number of sea stacks are close to the shore. The beach is named for the fragments of ruby gemstones found in the coarse sand there.