Last week Carol and I jettisoned the homestead for another camping run up to our adopted town of Brookings, Oregon, just north of the California border. We left behind some unseasonable 95-100 F. temps in Sonoma County and the always impeccable and dependable Harris Beach State Park delivered as usual. Perfect mid-seventies with some morning fog.
About and an hour north of Brookings sits the small town of Port Orford that's increasingly become more interesting the further we dig into it. Driving up coastal Hwy 101 we stumbled onto the
easily overlooked Arizona Beach State Recreation Site, complete with a private beach and it's own 'Golden Pond'. We loved the place and enjoyed a laugh in
the irony of its name. In Port Orford further excavation revealed the fresh water Garrison Lake and its community (perhaps developed in the 50's) that backs right up to the beach front. And we finally checked out the nearby maritime museum — originally established as a Coast Guard outpost for rescue missions between 1934-1970. The restored architecture and quality of the sea-faring artifacts in and around the grounds were unexpected.
Leaving town we did a return visit to the world class contemporary
Hawthorne Art Gallery and finally met the owner. It's somewhat a surprising presence (in Port Orford of all places) considering the caliber of the gallery and the work inside. Then you take in the view from the sculpture high above the dramatic Battle Rock Wayside Park and you see why it's planted there.
Just another prestine seascape in a coast littered with them!
Heading home down Hwy. 101 in Northern California included the mandatory stop in the forever quirky town of Orick and some quality time in the irrepressible Ferndale. We finally called it a day spending the night in Humbolt State Redwood Park at Albee Creek campground. The next morning we visited a couple very quaint and very quiet towns along the majestic redwood 'Avenue of the Giants'. They included Miranda, Phillipsville and Piercy which delivered up plenty of photo opps.
All and all a great trip spanning five days and speaking of photography, with a few exceptions my shooting was all about 'found abstraction'. Just like wild blackberries it's a genre that thrives in this neck of woods —
once you burrow in past the surface grunge ; )
