The weather was miserable - cold, windy and raining. My wife, Dona, and I had come to the Oregon to photograph the rugged coast - big waves, sea stacks, dunes, beaches, .... But it is the Oregon Coast; so we weren't too surprised at the weather, disappointed by not surprised. The light was dark and heavy, the rain drenching, all of which put a real damper on our original mission. So what to do - drink more coffee, then go exploring to see what else we could find.
We consulted the internet, and decided to drive to Golden and Sliver Falls State Natural Area, way up the Coos River to a tributary called Glenn Creek. The further up the river and into the mountains we drove, the narrower and prettier it became. And the rain turned to showers, providing opportunities to photograph without drenching my gear, or myself. Once we turned up Glenn Creek, the scenery turned magical - a flowing creek, spring greens, moss covered rocks, and sculpted trees, with a stunning waterfall at the end. You could just smell and feel the beauty of the place. Images were everywhere. So our disappointment disappeared, replaced by thrill of creative of opportunities.
As we drove to the Natural Area, then hiked to Golden Falls, and back again, I photographed. Dona even joined in, making images with her iPhone. I could have spent hours immersed in creative bliss, but the rains returned in full force driving us back down to our campsite on the coast. A cold beer and the chance to process the images I had made capped a day that started with disappointment but ended with contented happiness. The moral of the story - don't get stuck on the original mission. Just go, explore and look; there's almost always a visual pot of gold to be found somewhere. The images in this post are my favorites made on our magical journey.
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