I spent two weeks in Oregon in November of 2021. My time there was a mostly a mix of rain and overcast skies, with the occasional tease of a sunbeam. The rains broke on a Saturday and I took advantage of the welcomed change to visit Yaquina Head. I have photographed the lighthouse on the head before. On this visit, I took in the lighthouse from different angles - different to me, at least. I started up on the bluffs of the head capturing both the lighthouse and the rocky coastline its light protects ships from.

I then turned my attention to Cobble Beach at the base of Yaquina Head. I descended a long, winding staircase to the base of the cliffs. Cobble Beach is a patch of coast covered in fist-sized black stones, smoothed by eons of rising and falling tides. The moderate mid-morning tide allowed me to walk a good segment of the stones and enjoy the the calm surf lapping the stones on the shore.

After photographing the ocean and surf, I walked south along the stones. Plenty of other visitors were enjoying the day. Looking down at your feet is almost a necessity, navigating the beach as the stones shift with each step. That also yielded its own photographic rewards. Any object with a bit of color stood out strongly against the slate gray and black stones.

I finished my time on Cobble Beach photographing a group of rocks at the southern end of the beach. The tides would not allow me to continue walking south. Among the rocks, a few harbor seals were nestled in, sunning themselves. They were quiet, almost motionless. I hadn’t noticed them at first. They blend in so well with the rocks, muscles, and seaweed. It was their glistening backs that gave them away.