Oregon Coast Photo

September at the Oregon Coast
Looking south from Ecola State Bark to Cannon Beach, Oregon

(Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

September is my favorite month for visiting the Oregon Coast. The long days have not fully ended, and we often get beautiful, warm days in this often cloudy and chilly place. I consider September to be the month when I first began surfing on the coast.

I took this shot with a point and shoot camera after a memorable outing at Indian Beach, in beautiful Ecola State Park. That beach is considered a beginner’s surfing sport on the north coast. I totally blew it my first time there. In time, however, I improved.

At the overlook point where I took this picture, visitors can gaze south to Cannon Beach all the way to Oswald West State Park (also a surfing location). Enjoy your fall days, wherever you are.

December on the Oregon Coast

 

Magical light filters through the forest at Oswald West State Park.
Nehalm Bay, on the Oregon Coast
Stormy waters by Oswald West State Park
Surf’s up at Oswald West (look to the lower right for the surfer, if you can see him).

(Click on each photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Last weekend I headed to the Oregon Coast, not quite sure if the 8- to 10-foot waves would allow for a surfing dip in the ocean. My trip took me to Nahalem Bay by Manzanita, Oswald West State Park and Cannon Beach.

Oswald West always astounds me. Surrounded by steep coastal bluffs and a coastal rain forest, the snug bay is among the most visited surfing beaches in Oregon. On this day, the ocean was a frothing brew of crashing waves. Even then, I spotted three to four fearless surfers on short boards navigating the mini water towers and dropping down without fear.

I decided I had to get in myself. Further up the road, I parked near the Needles, a sand bar near Cannon Beach’s famed Haystack Rock. To my surprise, I was able to catch some foamy rides that ended surprisingly well as they hit the shore.

The ocean’s beauty seems more raw on these days. Humans feel more powerless. I felt tiny on my small board, bobbing like a fishing lure. A juvenile harbor seal swam circles around me, curious about why I was in its habitat on such a tempestuous day.

Manzanita Beach driftwood
Driftwood piles high on the south end of the beach of Nehalem Bay State Park.

On the northern Oregon coast, a lovely spit about three miles long juts south along the Nehalem River. The south end of the spit is protected as Nehalem Bay State Park. Driftwood piles high at the mouth of the Nehalem River, next to the stone jetty. It is a really nice spot.