Blog

Florida

Cape San Blas Lighthouse
We have a successful lighthouse moving story with this beacon. Built more than 130 years storms throughout the years battered the lighthouse and associated buildings; Hurricane Isaac eroded the last shoreline in front of the lighthouse to close in 2012 and be prepared for a move. On July 15, 2014 lighthouse, its two keepers’ quarters and oil house were trucked on flatbed trailers from Cape San Blas to Port St. Joe, Florida.

Oregon
The lighthouses in Oregon are a bit shorter than in North Carolina but with the advantage of placing them on cliffs more than makes up for the difference. This gives one the opportunity to hike above some of these beautiful structures and photograph from angles not possible in the southeast.

Heceta Head Lighthouse:
This 56 foot tall lighthouse built in 1892 is dwarfed by its surroundings and its beam can be seen 21 miles away. It is the brightest light on the Oregon coast and was automated in 1963. The head lightkeeper’s house was demolished in 1940 due to electrification but the duplex that housed the two assistant lightkeepers was preserved and is in use as a bed and breakfast.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse
Built in 1872 the lighthouse was known early in its existence as the Cape Foulweather Lighthouse. The 93 foot tower is Oregon’s tallest lighthouse. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area which extends out from the Oregon coast one mile into the Pacific Ocean. The lighthouse is also in this natural area. The BLM interpretive center has displays and personal on site to explain the history of lighthouses on the Oregon coast.

Cape Mereas Lighthouse
This lighthouse was built in 1890 at Tillamook Bay. The lighthouse is now inactive and part of the Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint. Only 38 feet tall, its perch on the cliff put the beam at 223 feet over the ocean. The light was taken out of service in 1963 when an automatic light was installed a few feet away. The original structure was saved in 1964 when it was deeded to Tillamook County; it was later turned over to the state.

Michigan

Bestie Point Lighthouse
Built in 1858, the Coast Guard automated Point Betsie Lighthouse the fall of 1983. The US Coast Guard gave the lighthouse to Benzie County in 2004. The Friends of Point Betsie Lighthouse leased the lighthouse who renovated the exterior of the lighthouse in 2006.The group repainted the lighthouse in its more historic colors of a black lantern, green trim and doors, and a red cedar shingled roof. I love all the angles softened by the cylinder of the light tower in this photograph. The fog horn is right behind the combined lighthouse and keeper’s cottage.

Little Sable Point Lighthouse
On the northern shore of Lake Michigan this is different from most of the other Great Lakes lighthouses as it isn’t painted but left in the natural brick color. Perhaps, and I am only speculating, this is so it won't be confused with Big Sable Point Lighthouse. This 100 foot tall lighthouse’s construction was completed in 1874.

Wawatam Lighthouse
Located in St Ignace, Michigan this lighthouse has a surprising story. It was originally erected as a tourist roadside attraction in 1998 at Monroe, MI. In 2006 it was moved to St. Ignace and Wawatam became an official lighthouse. It guards the harbor of St. Ignace in the Straits of Mackinac.

Grand Island East Channel Lighthouse
Located on Lake Superior in close to Munising Michigan on Grand Island this lighthouse’s construction was completed in1868. This lighthouse had a short official duty and was last lit for navigational use on October 29, 1908. A group rallied to save the abandoned lighthouse from being consumed by the lake in 1999 and work to stabilize the building began in 2002.

California

Point Reyes Lighthouse
This lighthouse was built in 1870 to warn mariners of Point Reyes, a navigational hazard that juts 10 miles out from the shoreline. After 105 years in 1975 the lighthouse was retired from service. At that time the U.S. Coast Guard installed an automated light by the historic tower. The National Park Service became the owners and stewards of this beautiful lighthouse.

I started photographing lighthouses in 2014 on a trip to Scotland and then later that year at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. After going to the NC coast for family vacations as a child I seldom went to the beach as an adult. When I did it would be for a couple of days and then back to the Piedmont. Being a mountain lover I usually spent my spare time in the mountains. After that 2014 trip Jackson, my dog, and I took a spring trip to the Outer Banks in 2015. Since then I have added to my collection and have divided them into two different collections spanning four years. I hope you enjoy these beauties.

Neist Point Lighthouse, Isle of Skye, Scotland [June 2014]
When I started gathering this collection of photographs for my website I realized the first lighthouse I photographed was late in my life and overseas. I was in Scotland on my 60th birthday and had asked my host at the bed & breakfast I was stay if there were any lighthouses I could get to. She recommended Neist Point. The walk was a long one and included quite a few stairs. It takes a while before you see the lighthouse, but oh the view when you do. Neist Point Lighthouse was built in 1909 and automated in 1990.

Cape Lookout Lighthouse [December 2014]
My first North Carolina lighthouse was my second lighthouse I photographed six month after my first in Scotland. At 163feet high and located in the southern Outer Banks of North Carolina this lighthouse flashes every 15 seconds making it visible more than 12 miles out to sea. The lighthouse became fully automated in 1950 and is one of the few lighthouses that operate during the day. This lighthouse is known for its unique checkered paint.

Currituck Beach Light [April 2015]
Built in 1875 the Currituck Beach is located between Cape Henry Light and Bodie Island. Currituck at 162 feet, a similar height to Bodie, Hatteras, and Cape Outlook lighthouses ended up not painted, its brick facade visible making it distinctly different. The lighthouse was automated in 1939.

Bodie Island Lighthouse [April 2015]
Jackson and I spent a lot of time at Bodie Island Lighthouse. I think we chose the right week to make our trip; it seemed we had the whole seashore and in the early evenings we were able to visit two lighthouses and have the grounds to ourselves. Walking out the boardwalk Jackson raced ahead of me, nose in the air full of the scent of salt air. I kept him on the boardwalk especially in the grassy area as the prickly cacti were camouflaged among the blades of grass. Reaching the end we set up the tripod and settled in to wait for the light to change. During that time I thought of how my mother would have loved to see my lighthouse photographs. I could see her painting a watercolor or working on a canvas with oils recreating the scenes with her own artistic vision. I do miss being able to share this with her and do appreciate she passed on some little artistic talent to me.


Hatteras Lighthouse [April 2015]
Hatteras is the lighthouse moved about a mile to save it from beach erosion. The Outer Banks of North Carolina are a living and moving set of barrier islands. The storms that blow in off the Atlantic constantly change the cost of North Carolina. As the ocean approached the Cape Hatteras Light plans were formulated where the lighthouse was saved and moved in a good distance from the shoreline of that time.

Ocracoke Lighthouse [April 2015]
Is in the quaint Outer Banks town of Ocracoke Built in 1823 it is 75 feet tall and automated in 1955. This is the oldest operating lighthouse in North Carolina and the second oldest surviving lighthouse in the state.


Wind Point Lighthouse [July 2015]
This was up in Lake Point WI. Wind Point Lighthouse was built in 1880. The beacon has changed over the years and is now automated. The Village of Wind Point has maintained the lighthouse and grounds since 1964, and uses the old keeper’s quarters as the village hall and police headquarters. The lighthouse tower underwent a major renovation in 2007.

Southport Lighthouse [July 2015]
The Kenosha Southport Lighthouse was built in 1866, the tower from the base to the lens of the light was 55 feet. The hill the tower is on is 19 feet above lake level making the light 74 feet high when it was active. It was in use until 1906 when it was replaced by taller light stations built to the north and south. A 1989 restoration feasibility study by the Kenosha County Historical Society led to the preservation of the tower. A replica of the lantern room was positioned on the tower on May 7, 1994, completing the first phase of restoration. This light station is listed on the Wisconsin and National Register of Historic Places.


Burntcoast Head Lighthouse [August 2016]
The Burntcoat Head Light resides in the Burntcoat Head Park beside the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada. The Bay of Fundy is the site where the highest tide in the world had been recorded.

Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse [August 2016]
After touring the Fundy Bay area we headed to the east coast of Nova Scotia to see Peggy’s Cove. We went through Halifax intending to do a little sightseeing there, but the city was so crowded and hot we decided to forgo that and head to close-by Peggy’s cove. We picked out the closest campground to the lighthouse and had a lovely oceanside view with some evergreen trees for shade. A front with storms was moving in and I had just enough time to walk a half kilometer to pick up some dinner and climb into the camper of the truck for shelter. We only had a little wind and a gentle rain that night with a beautiful sunny clear morning. We got to the village and lighthouse just as the sun was peaking over the horizon and were presented with this beautiful sight.

When I planned to move to Oregon, finding covered bridged certainly were not on my mind. When I accidently ran across several I wondered how many were in Oregon. After doing some research I found there were around 600 covered bridges built in Oregon between 1905 and 1925. Today there are only 50 left. You will note some of these bridges dates are later than what I mentioned before, that is because these replaced prior bridges.
I have included the two North Carolina bridges I have photograph and at a later date will add the only Vermont bridge in my collection. I hope you enjoy these beautiful bridges.

Wildcat Creek Bridge
This bridge was built in 1925 in Lane County, near Walton, Oregon. The bridge is 75 feet long and crosses Wildcat Creek near its confluence with the Siuslaw River. We found this bridge quite by accident on a trip to the coast one day.

Office Bridge
The Office Bridge, also called Westfir Covered Bridge, is in Lane County, Oregon in Westfir. It crosses the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River. It is the longest covered bridge in Oregon spanning the river by 180 feet. The separate pedestrian walkway make this bridge unique as it is the only one built like this west of the Mississippi. This bridge replaced a 1941 bridge washed away in a flood. In1944 the Westfir Lumber Company built the bridge for their logging operation. In 2003 a small park was constructed on the north side of the bridge, the bridge had been out of use before. The town of Westfir festively decorates the bridge with lights for Christmas.

Lowell Bridge
The original Lowell Bridge was built in 1907 to replace a ferry operated by a settler on the Middle Fork of the Willamette River. The current bridge was built in 1945 after a truck damaged the bridge enough to be replaced. Lowell Bridge is the widest in Oregon. In 1953 the bridge was raised 6 feet due to the construction Dexter Dam on the river creating Dexter Lake.

Goodpasture Bridge
The Goodpasture Covered Bridge was built in 1938 and was named for Benjamin Franklin Goodpasture. Crossing the McKenzie River the bridge is 165 feet long and is the second longest covered bridge in Oregon.

Gallon House Bridge
The Gallon House Bridge is Oregon’s oldest covered bridge still in use. It was built in 1916 in Marion County, Oregon. The name came from the gallons of prohibition liquor sold from nearby stills. People from the area called the bridge the Gallon House. The bridge was restored in 1964 after a flood Christmas Day swept the bridge off of its footings.

Shimanek Bridge
The Shimanek Bridge is a covered bridge is in Linn County, Oregon. The bridge is 130 feet long and was completed in 1966. This bridge replaced the bridge damaged on October 8, 1962. The prior bridge was built in 1927. Three other bridges had been built at this location before; the first may have dated to 1861.

A friend mentioned they wanted to see the interior of a covered bridge to see the wood planking that goes klunkity-klunk when you drive through the bridge. I mention I had one in mind, but to my surprise when I was editing the photograph is the boards are running parallel not perpendicular as I usually see on a wooden bridge. I didn’t really notice when I was photographing it as the road was a busy one an I was paying attention to traffic. What did catch my attention were the spots of different colored light coming in through the roof.


Pisgah Covered Bridge
Located in Randolph County, North Carolina the bridge spans the west fork of the Little River. This is one of two remaining original covered bridges in NC. Built in 1911 for a cost of $40 it is 54 feet in length. The bridge was washed away in a storm on August 9, 2003 and rebuilt in 2004 using much of the same wood as the original bridge. You will note in my 1973 photograph of the bridge it has a tin roof. Originally the bridge may have had a shingle roof so in the restoration the roof was changed to reflect that.

Bunker Hill Covered Bridge
In 1894 the Catawba County Commissioners asked the family who owned Bunker Hill Farm to build and maintain a bridge crossing Lyle Creek. It was on an old Indian trail which had become the old Island Ford Road. Originally the bridge was open the 91 foot roof was added in 1900, then in 1921, it’s the original wooden shingle roof was replaced with a tin roof. The bridge was owned by a family until 1985 when they donated it to the Catawba County Historical Association. The association restored the bridge in 1994.

I will be adding more as I photograph them, I hope you enjoy these.

Matt

Crater Lake National Park

The first photograph mentioned in our blog is the first scene we saw. We pulled into the park campground right after a thundershower and found a nice campsite and headed up to the lake as more storms were rolling up the western slope. I had checked to see what was open at the park and the website stated only the road on the east side was open and all of the road signs indicated the same. Much to my delight I found out the east rim road had just opened so had the whole park to explore before it got crowded. When we got to the first viewpoint we saw the storms crossing the lake. We were lucky to have such fantastic views and scenery. Life on the rim surrounding the lake is taken to extremes at times.

Crater Lake is a unique place, no rivers flow in or out and the level remains constant. Evaporation of the water is compensated by the amount of rain and snowfall yearly. Crater Lake at 1,949 feet deep is the deepest in the United States.

Below you will find descriptions of each of the photographs in the Crater Lake Collection.

First Crater View
We pulled into the campground right after a thundershower and found a suitable spot and then headed up to the lake as more storms were rolling up the eastern slope. I had checked to see what was open at the park and the website stated only the road on the east side was open and all of the road signs indicated the same. Much to my delight I found out the east rim road had just opened so we were able to explore the whole park before it got crowded. When we got to the first viewpoint we saw the storms crossing the lake.

Second Crater View
This next scene is the second we saw at Crater Lake. The west side had thunderstorms pouring over the edge of the crater and the east had beautiful skies with puffy clouds. What a contrast. We were lucky to have such fantastic views and scenery. Life on the rim surrounding the lake is taken to extremes at times.

Wizard Island Morning
There are two Islands in Crater Lake. One is Wizard Island the second is Phantom Island that is said to resemble a sailing ship. Wizard Island is bigger than it appears the perspective with the lake is deceiving it rises 767 feet above the lake surface and the top of the Witches Cauldron, the name of the crater topping the island is more than 2400 feet to the bottom of the lake. The island is about a mile across and covers about one square mile of the lake's surface. William Gladstone Steel, who felt the island resembled a wizard’s hat named the island and the crater.

Wizard Island Beauty
~Navajo Prayer
."Beauty is before me,
and beauty behind me
Above me and below me,
hovers the beautiful.
I am surrounded by it.
I am immersed in it.
In my youth, I am aware of it,
and in old age...
I shall walk quietly the beautiful trail
In beauty it is begun.
In beauty it is ended."

We hope you enjoy nature’s beauty as much as we do.


Crater Lake Morning 1&2
Getting up early and departing at 4:30 a.m. before Jackson’s normal breakfast made him a little grumpy but he decided the photograph was worth it. We had to leave early to drive up to the place we had selected for our morning adventure because the campground was seven miles from the spot. We were rewarded with a glorious sunrise and a great morning for photographs. I even treated myself and Jackson to a nice breakfast at the Crater Lake Lodge, though according to our protocol he ate his after we left the restaurant.

Phantom Ship Island
The only other lake than Wizard Island in Crater Lake is Phantom Ship at foot of Dutton Cliff. It is said to resemble a sailing ship especially in foggy conditions. The mirroring quality of the lake surface is what really intrigued me with this scene.


Last Crater View
The morning of of last day we drove on the west side of the rim back to Eugene and of course we had to take a parting view of the lake. The sun was casting a shiny net over the lake for our last view of the trip.

Yosemite Valley and the whole park is a wonderful and beautiful place. During peak season it can be busy, but off-peak you can gain the experience of enjoying the park without the crowds. We camped in Yosemite in early March while on our two-month move to Oregon form North Carolina. Only the valley and a few other areas of the park were open and there was plenty of room to park at most places. One loop of the campground at Half Dome Village was open and it had snowed the day before. We had a good time will not too many people to deal with trying to get to parking places and trailheads. The location of our campground next to Half Dome Village was convenient to several trails so we could just leave from our campsite. This was my second visit to the park and Jackson’s first. The park was more beautiful from what I remembered 40 years ago and I was glad to be visiting there at a different time of year than my last visit.

Here are the descriptions and titles of the photographs in my Yosemite National Park Gallery:

El Capitan & Half Dome
Here we have a classic B&W scene of Yosemite Valley featuring El Capitan and Half Dome. Climbers have been climbing these cliffs and long as photographers have been setting this scene to plate, film, and digital formats. How can one not stop at the Tunnel Viewpoint on the Wawona Road to take in the awe of this landscape?


Smokey Yosemite Valley
This is another scene from the Tunnel Viewpoint on a different day. The park service was conduction a controlled burn casting a bluish haze in the valley.

Half Dome Vista
We decided to hike from our site in the campground at Half Dome Village on the Mirror Lake Trail along Tenaya Creek to the lake. It was late afternoon and even though it is early in the season for the park there were quite a few people on the trail. We had a great hike with beautiful views. This was one of them.

Yosemite Campside Evening
Down in the valley evening sky and the play of sunlight on the face of Half Dome add to the awe of staying in Yosemite Valley. Visiting during the off season can give you the fell of experiencing the park on your own and one can seek to solitary places if they wish.

Bridal Veil Falls (my original view)
Forty years ago I photographed this waterfall from this very spot; I still have the negative from that photograph although it is in North Carolina right now. I was just in my 20s and in awe of the park. I was at one of my photography related jobs on an eight month assignment in the Los Angeles area back in the late 1970s.


Bridal Veil Rainbow
When we were at the Tunnel Viewpoint we just happened to be there when Bridal Veil Falls displays its
Bridal Veil Original between 5 and 6 p.m. during spring. I am sure the time is different other seasons of the year.

Bridal Veil Falls on Ice
A short hike from the trailhead will take you up to a closer vista of the waterfall. There is a lot of ice from the splash of the falls on the rock face with a little snow thrown from a snow a few days previously.


I hope to return to Yosemite this year, time will tell. I do hope you enjoy these photographs.

Yosemite Valley and the whole park is a wonderful and beautiful place. During peak season it can be busy, but off-peak you can gain the experience of enjoying the park without the crowds. We camped in Yosemite in early March while on our two-month move to Oregon form North Carolina. Only the valley and a few other areas of the park were open and there was plenty of room to park at most places. One loop of the campground at Half Dome Village was open and it had snowed the day before. We had a good time will not too many people to deal with trying to get to parking places and trailheads. The location of our campground next to Half Dome Village was convenient to several trails so we could just leave from our campsite. This was my second visit to the park and Jackson’s first. The park was more beautiful from what I remembered 40 years ago and I was glad to be visiting there at a different time of year than my last visit.

Here are the descriptions and titles of the photographs in my Yosemite National Park Gallery:

El Capitan & Half Dome
Here we have a classic B&W scene of Yosemite Valley featuring El Capitan and Half Dome. Climbers have been climbing these cliffs and long as photographers have been setting this scene to plate, film, and digital formats. How can one not stop at the Tunnel Viewpoint on the Wawona Road to take in the awe of this landscape?


Smokey Yosemite Valley
This is another scene from the Tunnel Viewpoint on a different day. The park service was conduction a controlled burn casting a bluish haze in the valley.

Half Dome Vista
We decided to hike from our site in the campground at Half Dome Village on the Mirror Lake Trail along Tenaya Creek to the lake. It was late afternoon and even though it is early in the season for the park there were quite a few people on the trail. We had a great hike with beautiful views. This was one of them.

Yosemite Campside Evening
Down in the valley evening sky and the play of sunlight on the face of Half Dome add to the awe of staying in Yosemite Valley. Visiting during the off season can give you the fell of experiencing the park on your own and one can seek to solitary places if they wish.

Bridal Veil Falls (my original view)
Forty years ago I photographed this waterfall from this very spot; I still have the negative from that photograph although it is in North Carolina right now. I was just in my 20s and in awe of the park. I was at one of my photography related jobs on an eight month assignment in the Los Angeles area back in the late 1970s.


Bridal Veil Rainbow
When we were at the Tunnel Viewpoint we just happened to be there when Bridal Veil Falls displays its
Bridal Veil Original between 5 and 6 p.m. during spring. I am sure the time is different other seasons of the year.

Bridal Veil Falls on Ice
A short hike from the trailhead will take you up to a closer vista of the waterfall. There is a lot of ice from the splash of the falls on the rock face with a little snow thrown from a snow a few days previously.


I hope to return to Yosemite this year, time will tell. I do hope you enjoy these photographs.

Cascade Lakes

Along the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway you find a lovely string of alpine lakes on the east side of the Cascade Range in the Deschutes National Forest. This beautiful landscape was created by volcanos and carved by glaciers. Views of Mt Bachelor, the Sisters, and other snow-capped peaks can be seen along the byway and from each lake

Sparks Lake – Sparks Spring Bloom & Clouds Over Sparks

One viewpoint of Sparks Lake has a memorial devoted to Oregon’s Photographer Laureate. This is what he had to say about this location shortly before his death:
“It has a beauty all its own, standing out from any other place in the state of Oregon.”
- Ray Atkeson, May 10, 1990
(February 13, 1907 – May 25, 1990)

“Despite being considered ‘the dean of Northwest nature photography’ by the New York Times, Ray Atkeson’s vast oeuvre of winter sports photography and alpine landscapes has been curiously passed over by the history of photography. Atkeson was born in 1907 on a farm near Grafton, Illinois, and started using a Brownie box camera at the age of 15.”
– Source HuffPost
Sparks Lake is named for a 19th-century rancher, "Lige" Sparks from the Bend area. We have visited this location twice and plan to return.

Elk Lake – Elk Lake Sailing & Elk Beach Memories

Another magically beautiful lake as all the Cascades Lakes are. Elk Lake was a second choice for us and I am glad the campground we had planned to stay in was full. Once again with boats, lakes, mountains, and late evening sun we has a serene quiet and calming place to camp, hike, and photograph. I love places where we can park the truck and walk to where we want to photograph and then climb into the camper and go to sleep thinking of what we just saw.


Hosmer Lake – Ready to Fish

Hosmer Lake was originally named Mudd Lake; in 1962 the United States Board on Geographic Names changed it to Lake to Hosmer Lake in honor of Paul Hosmer, a naturalist from Bend, Oregon. We stopped by Hosmer on our way to Crater Lake National Park. All the lakes are great fishing locations and are active with anglers and paddlers. This boat was a father and son’s just about ready to embark on their fishing excursion in this beautiful location.

Lava Lake – Lava Lake Evening & Variation on a Theme at Lava Lake

We discovered Lava Lake when we discover the scenic byway by chance. The drive was amazing and we pulled off at many of the lakes along the way. I spotted Lava Lake Campground on the map and decided that would be where we set up camp. What a delightful place and great decision. The evening was magical with the late evening light. Both Photo Dog Jackson and I spent hours walking around the dock and shoreline.

The entire 66 mile length of road has a wonderful mosaic of landscapes folding out before you as you drive along. I hope you enjoy some of the scenes of this beautiful area.

The autumn colors were just beginning to show at places in the lower elevations of the Appalachian Mountains on a trip to east Tennessee Photo Dog Jackson and I went on in 2016. On our way back to North Carolina I decided to drive through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to photograph the color at the highest elevations since they were at peak and it looks like we had timed it perfectly and the colors couldn’t be any better. The gold and orange followed the coves all the way to the streams dotted with the colorful leaves of the season.