The main attraction at Avatar Grove, an ancient gnarly western redcedar. Avatar Grove is an awe inspiring grove of old growth western redcedar and huge Douglas-fir trees. It’s hard to describe the feeling in this quiet forest near Port Renfrew. The trees are immense, towering over a forest floor covered with a chaotic jumble of fallen moss-covered wood, deer fern, …
Hiking
Rossiter Lake Ramble
I’ve been meaning to hike down to Rossiter and Divers Lake for some time but they’re a bit off the beaten track and access is essentially in and back. Both of these gorgeous lakes were added to Strathcona Provincial Park back in 2003. Rossiter Lake Access to Rossiter Lake (the first lake in the chain) is via logging roads. I …
Campbell River’s Canyon View Trail
Campbell River’s Canyon View Trail (accessed via parking areas at the old BC Hydro powerhouse and at the logging bridge at Woodburn Road) is a moderate 6 km loop that is excellent for wildflowers in the early spring. The rich soil of the Campbell River flood plain is perfect for both white and pink fawn lilies (Erythronium sp.) and the display can …
Finding the Source of Nile Creek
One often hears off-hand mentions of interesting locations that other photographers have been to: the name of a small creek, a description of an out of the way waterfall, vague directions to the location. These places are usually a little off the beaten path, but still relatively accessible and well used by locals. One of the first of many little drops …
Twin Falls in Olallie State Park
Even in the wet drizzle of a grey day, Olallie State Park is a special place. The South Fork of the Snoqualmie River tumbles over boulders as it makes its way down through the Cascades towards Everett and ultimately, Puget Sound. I stopped in on my way south to Seattle back in December, 2013 when the trail was still in …
Smith Rock State Park
View of Picnic Lunch Wall. In the early morning this entire face is nicely lit. Misery Ridge Trail rises to the right corner of this formation. If you’re looking for a stunning location to do some winter hiking think about checking out Smith Rock State Park near the town of Terrebonne just north of Redmond, Oregon. While primarily known as …
Whychus Creek Adventure
Even with a good guide book it can be difficult to find places that are a bit off the beaten path. Roads may have changed, descriptions are often not quite right, and distances may be inaccurate. Usually a bit of back tracking and second guessing is involved to make it to your final destination. Such was the case with getting …
Damon Point State Park
During spring break this year I did a week long road trip down Route 101 through Washington and Oregon so this post is a bit of a retrospective. One of the places that I visited was Damon Point State Park, a bit of a nature refuge in the tourist town of Ocean Shores. I stopped in at the tourist info …
Sol Duc Soul
I spent several days working my way from Port Angeles, Washington south to Pacific City, Oregon with plans to photograph some of the beaches and waterfalls along Route 101. One of my first stops was Sol Duc falls in Olympic National Park. At this time of year, the hot springs and resort weren’t quite open and there was still plenty …
Neck Point Nature Walk
We’re not a really a family that enjoys shopping, especially for non food items. I tend to hit my threshold very quickly and can’t remember the last time I spent longer than a hour in a mall looking at clothing. Typically we try to plan our urban consumer experience like a military exercise—clear objectives, get in, get what we need …