The Appalachian Trail is the longest hiking-only trail in the world, measuring almost 2,200 miles. It is estimated that more than 2 million hikers hike at least part of the trail each year. Hikers that hike the entire trail in a given year are known as thru-hikers. The northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail is on Mount Katahdin's Baxter Peak in Baxter State Park. The most isolated portion of the Appalachian Trail, known as the "Hundred-Mile Wilderness", is in Maine. The closest town to Mount Katahdin is Millinocket which is home to the Appalachian Trail Lodge. Established as a boarding house in 1906, it has hosted hikers since 1988. In 2006, two former trail hikers took over and now offer a broad range of services for hikers including the Ole Man's Gear Shop.
Millinocket Reflections - Millinocket, Maine
The great thing about fall in New England is that the foliage is some of the best around. The biggest challenge is guessing when the leaves will begin to peak. This year, the foliage is coming much later than usual. My son and I decided to head up to Maine and drive into the heart of northern Maine. Using Bangor as our base, we headed up to Millinocket so he could do some research for a novel he is thinking about writing. We spent most of the day exploring the town and getting into some local color. Near the end of our visit, we found Crandall Park and discovered a different kind of color. Yes, peak foliage had reached Millinocket. Next to the park runs the Millinocket stream and, on the other side of it, the trees were showing off their beauty before going to hibernate for the winter. The stream was very calm and gave us a double dose of color.
Pemaquid Morning - Bristol, Maine
My trip to Maine a few weeks ago was like all of my previous trips to Maine—with a stop to Pemaquid Point Lighthouses. Unfortunately, the weather was not great, so I am posting a photo from one of my previous trips. I wanted to show a different perspective of this lighthouse. There are two classic views that are normally captured. The first one is from the vantage point from the rocks on the southern side, which usually has the lighthouse reflected in the collected water. The other classic view is from the rocks on the other side that show the strata in the rocks that lead toward the lighthouse and the sea. This perspective is from the ground level and is probably the best angle to capture an early morning sunrise. While it doesn't have the drama that the rocks provide from the classic shots, it is still a pretty sight with the right light. This particular morning, the skies had cleared up significantly from the night before. The warm glow from the rising sun cast a wonderful light on the scene.
Katahdin - Millinocket, Maine
I went out this weekend to check out the foliage in northwest Connecticut and it seems that the color will be coming very late this year. The good news is that the photos that I took a couple of weeks ago in northern Maine show that the colors are on their way. I have been anxious to use the new Fuji XT-3 and this is the first photo that I have posted with it. It is an impressive upgrade and is what you would expect from Fuji.
This is a photo from the Abol Bridge on the Golden Road. The view takes in Mount Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine, and the Penobscot River. The mountain was named by the Penobscot Indians and means “The Greatest Mountain”. It is well known by serious hikers who know that it is the grueling northern terminus to the 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail.
Black Rock - Gold Beach, Oregon
The fickle weather of the Oregon Coast is well known by frequent visitors there. It is said that mountains can make their own weather but I suspect that the Oregon Coast can give them a run for their money. When we arrived there, there was a little fog in the distance. It wasn’t long before we noticed that the thick fog was gradually consuming the sea stacks in the distance. The fog on the coast doesn’t roll toward you but rather just engulfs the landscape. As it approached the large sea stack known as Black Rock, I figured that I better get a shot of it before it disappeared from sight. I was able to capture it before the fog arrived, although Black Rock was not completely engulfed before we headed to our hotel.
Stephanie Inn - Cannon Beach, Oregon
On our second photo tour of the Oregon coast, we kicked off the tour on Cannon Beach with a sunset shoot of the Haystack Rock and the surrounding area. As we headed back down the beach after the shoot, I spotted the Stephanie Inn which brought back some great memories. In the 1990s, my wife and I made our first trip to the Oregon Coast and I tried to make it special staying in the best hotels available. There is no question that the Stephanie Inn exceeded our expectations. Not only was it well located with a great view of Haystack Rock but it also was one of the best appointed inns that we stayed in. Add to that a world class restaurant that made it a memory that won’t be forgotten. I just had to snap a shot of it as I walked by.
Mount Thielsen - Crater Lake National Park, Oregon
After the first week of our Jeff Clow photo tour on the Oregon Coast, we headed inland for the weekend before the second tour. Our destination was Bend, Oregon, where we planned to explore the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway as well as Smith Rock State Park. Before we left Bandon, we stopped at Tony’s Crab Shack in Old Town Bandon (the crab cakes are amazing) and had lunch. Before we left, I plugged in our destination into Google Maps and it came up with a route that took us over some back roads for our five-hour drive. About three and a half hours into our drive we saw a sign stating that Crater Lake was only three miles away. We followed the road, spent some time there and headed back toward Bend. As we left the park, we pulled over for this amazing scene. Here, Mount Thielsen rose from the landscape towering over the trees. The mountain is part of the Cascade Mountain Range.
End to End Rainbow - Ophir Wayside, Oregon
Sometimes you accidentally come upon a scene that you never anticipated. We had left Bandon before dawn and headed south toward Brookings. After about an hour or so, we pulled into a restroom spot, got out of the car and saw this rainbow that arched over the Pacific Ocean. There were two things that I immediately noticed as unusual. First, it was the only time I had seen both ends of the same rainbow (no, I saw no pot of golds on either end) and second, it was a double rainbow. The other rainbow is barely visible on this photo (if you look at it large, you can see a portion of it), but it sure was visible to my naked eye. Who thought that a restroom stop would result in a photo opportunity?
Sea Stack Heaven - Bandon, Oregon
Walking along the beach in Bandon is a photographer’s dream, especially during the hours leading to sunset. This is when the magic starts to happen and the numerous sea stacks seem to come to life. The setting sun shines its warm light on these numerous and amazing rock formations and they begin to glow all shades of yellows and oranges. Add to that the wet beach, which allows you to see the beauty in double with the formations’ refections. This particular sea stack is aptly named Wizard’s Hat and is probably my favorite one in Oregon.
Kent Falls State Park - Kent, Connecticut
The advantage to living in New England is that you can experience the foliage as it moves south from Maine. I just got back from Maine where I experienced some terrific colors in Maine's North Woods. Back home in Connecticut, the colors are just beginning to turn so I will be able to enjoy the foliage a second time. This photo, shot s few years ago, is what I will be waiting for.
Golden Landscape - White River National Forest, Colorado
Foliage Reflection - Sutton, Vermont
Even in the windows, fall foliage is present.
Smith Rock Beauty - Terrebonne, Oregon
What do you do when you have two photo tours over a two week period and want to do something different on the weekend? If you thought rest was in the cards, you are wrong. We hopped into the car and headed Northeast five hours to spend it in Bend, Oregon. I had dinner there several years ago when headed down to San Francisco. I remembered liking the area and wanted to explore it. On the way there, we stopped for a little while at Crater Lake National Park. Upon getting to Bend, we set out and spent the day exploring the many lakes south of Bend along the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway. The highlight of the weekend was visiting Smith Rock State Park on Sunday. This impressive park reveals its secrets on the many hikes that take you through the rugged landscape along the Crooked River. We only had about 90 minutes to spend there and it is already on the list to revisit next year, albeit for a much longer stay.
Astoria Column View - Astoria, Oregon
Near the northernmost point in the coast is the port city of Astoria. The city lies on the Columbia River a little east of where the river meets the Pacific Ocean. Astoria has a rich history, being the first permanent United States settlement on the Pacific coast. Lewis and Clark, on their famous expedition to the Pacific Northwest, established Fort Clatsop just outside what is now Astoria. Being a port city, it became a hub for the fur trading industry led by John Jacob Astor, who the city was named after. One of the highlights of the city is the Astoria Column that has moments in Oregon’s rich history etched on its cylindrical rise above the city. The views provided offer a 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside. While the view overlooking the Columbia River and the Astoria-Megler Bridge is a favorite composition, the view above looking south is also a beautiful view.
Secluded Beach - Short Beach, Oceanside, Oregon
Along the long Oregon Coast there are so many beaches to be found that it is difficult to see them all. Many are right there in the open while many others are hidden and secluded. A lot of the hidden ones are reachable only by long hikes to get to them while others are right there under your nose. When Jeff Clow and I scouted the coast on a rainy day last year, we were driving by this spot and we noticed two cars parked on the roadside. Curious, we parked there and noticed a small trail that led down to the beach that we didn’t realize was there. We found out that this secluded beach was named Short Beach and was only a little over 1,000 yards long. It features this rock formation with trees on it’s top and the sound of a creek falling to the beach behind me. Turns out, Short Beach is not named after the shortness of its beach but rather for the small creek (named Short Creek) that plummets to its sands.
Sea Life - Meyers Creek Beach, Oregon
The Oregon Coast conjures up images of unusual sea stacks rising from the ocean, miles and miles of pristine beaches, towering capes looking over the vast Pacific Ocean and, of course, the weather. One thing that is often missed by visitors is the hidden life that is exposed when the tide is out, otherwise known as tide pools. When the tide is in, the life beneath is full of activity with starfish moving on the rocks looking for food. Anenomes will utilize their tiny tentacles to sting their prey or defend themselves against predators. When the tide recedes, the sea life clings to the rocks and sea stacks and they become visible to the human eye. There is something quite striking as you look at these beautiful creatures and appreciate that their life is relentless with the changing tides. This photo features starfish in various colors, a green sea anenome and lots and lots of mussels.
Coquille Point View - Bandon, Oregon
There is no doubt that Bandon Beach is one of the most photogenic beaches on the Oregon Coast. What makes it even more so is all of the access points and views it provides. Most visitors spend the majority of their time at Face Rock State Park, where you can stand above the sea stacks looking down at them or climb down the stairs and walk among them depending on the tide. Many are unaware that there is another great spot down the road at Coquille Point. There you can look south toward the sea stacks below the state park or go down the stairs to the beach. Photos from there provide this different perspective to stacks. I took this photo as I was descending the stairs to the beach.
Bandon Sunset - Bandon, Oregon
After a couple of days of intermittent rain and fog on our inaugural tour, the skies cleared up. There is no better place for that to happen than on Bandon Beach. I have often described Bandon Beach as “seasick heaven”. There you can walk almost a mile to the south jetty and feast your eyes on some of the most amazing sea stacks on the whole Oregon Coast. Many of the stacks have unique names while others are unnamed. I decided that I would pick one of the unnamed stacks for my sunset shot and close down the lens to get a sunburst.
Meyers Creek Beach - Gold Beach, Oregon
Ask ten people who are familiar with the Oregon Coast to name their top ten locations and you might get fifty different locations. Yes there are tons of possible candidates along the 363-mile long rugged coastline but there are three that may make everyone’s list and this is one of them. Meyers Creek Beach is located south of the town of Gold Beach and is named after the creek that runs into it. Before anyone tells me that I misspelled Meyers and it should be Myers, I have seen signs that spell it both ways. In fact, I went onto Google Maps and discovered that the same creek has both names on it depending on its location.
What makes this location a top one? There are many characteristics that make it so. The dunes on this beach, while not very high, are reminiscent of the dunes found in the desert. The number of sea stacks and rock formations are very much in abundance, although you can’t see the majority of them due to the fog in the background. When the tide is out, you can walk up to these formations and see terrific tide pools, along with quite the number of starfish clinging to them. When the tide is in the right positions, the reflections of the formations and stacks are just about perfect. Finally, being in the most southern part of the coast, you often have the whole beach to yourselves, as most visitors don’t make it down this far. That certainly works for me along with other photographers.
Face Rock Morning - Bandon, Oregon
The Oregon Coast often gives you very different looks at its beauty. The beautiful rock formations and sea stacks have different looks depending on the weather. Sunny vs. rain. Clear vs. shrouded in fog. Tide is in vs. out. The tide might be the most surprising factor. Some locations are phenomenal when the tide is in with waves crashing against the rocks. Others are terrific when the tide is out and you can check out hidden caves and walk right up to the sea stacks. Spending two weeks there allow you to see the many facets of the coast. This photo of Face Rock was taken on our fourth visit and the only time the tide was out. I was able to get a reflection of it in a puddle left by the retreating water.