I've Been To The Edge and Back...
...and I'm thankful for guardrails and digital cameras...

All right, all right, I know I sound like a stark-raving madman here, but I have a good explanation for all of this mayhem I've caused so far...for who-knows-how-long here on the Oregon Coast, it had been gray and rainy. And then, rainy and gray. 100% Precipitation a lot of the time. So, last Saturday, when the Sun came out, I dropped everything, taking the Digital Camera out for a stroll.

Back a couple of weeks ago, I went to Shore Acres State Park, and took a few rainy day pictures, and when I left, me, the photo-terminator vowed, "I'LL BE BACK...", and that's exactly where I returned 'cos there were some sections of the coast around here I've still not seen...and, yea, verily, I have Lived To Tell The Tale. I've been to the Mountaintop...well, clifftop...and have seen Into The Great Beyond.

Many trails criss-cross this part of the coastline, and some of the trails are even PAVED, which provides really great traction, because after all, a lot of rain falls down here. I went for a walk, heading south from Shore Acres, along a trail which led me to this viewpoint...

See the guardrail in the above photo? Well, that really came in handy. First, I determined that it was indeed mounted into the ground solidly, and then I leaned over as far as possile, extending my arms, camera in hand, and pointed it straight down...folks, here's what a sixty-foot dropoff to the ocean looks like...yeeks...I have a fear of heights, you know...ack ack aaaaack...

It's one of those moments of serendipity, where something Really, Really Works Beyond Your Wildest Dreams. I knew I was close to the edge, but I didn't know I was THAT CLOSE! And although the camera 'display' showed me what I'd just shot, I had no idea this picture was so drastic 'till I saw a bigger version of it. Egad; all I can say is, Thank God For Guardrails...

-

The next photo shows Simpson Beach, and displays more accurately how high up I was when I took the previous photo. Simpson Beach is in a cove, and is quite placid most of the time, but a few weeks ago, two people were swept out to sea by a 'sneaker' wave from this beach; no wonder anyone going to an ocean beach is advised to "Never Turn Your Back On The Ocean"...

-

This is probably as close to being a "thrillseeker" as I Will Ever Get. Some people walk on bi-plane wings; others hurl themselves in a barrel over Niagara Falls; me, well, this is as daring as I get. Still, taking photos has somehow become a really satisfying activity; it's as if I can actually Take some nature home with me. And it gets me out into the fresh, open, very clean Ocean Air. Ahhhhh....

-

"So, if you went to the ocean", you ask, "where is the ocean?" Okay, okaaay, here ya go...I took one last photo from this place before heading northward to explore more of Shore Acres. And, here 'tis...

-

-

Notice that leaning tree near the center of the photo; it's hanging on for dear life, doing all it can not to end up crashing on the rocks below. From up here, where I took the photo, the horizon is approximately 25 miles away. And, the water is Cold. Brrr.

-

If you'd like to see more of the photos I took on January 3rd (I still find it fairly amazing to be Actually Relatively Warm when outside this time of year), all you gotta do is click on the little thing below and you'll be instantly teleported to a slideshow of sorts...title of the slideshow: "January At Shore Acres"...

...and today, Sunday, it was back to winds and rain, but every once in a while, I'm rewarded for my patience whenever a day like Saturday rolls around...