Photography Archives - John J MacDonald Photography

Anniversary Getaway

Published on October 28, 2023October 28, 2023 by admin

We started dating fifteen years ago, after six months of flirting. Two years later we married at 10:10am on 10/10/2010. For our 13th anniversary, Lori, my wonderful wife, planned a four day/three night getaway in a rustic cabin on a working cattle ranch just outside of Tillamook, Oregon. We, Lori, Willis and I, headed south on US101, stopping at the Lilliwaup Store for ice cream at the recommendation of our good friend, Vickie. It was well worth it, great ice cream! We then took a back route through Raymond, Washington, stopping at Fort Columbia State Park before crossing the Astoria-Megler Bridge into Astoria, Oregon. Lori found a great view of the bridge from Fort Columbia and I couldn’t resist taking some photos.

While in Astoria we stopped for lunch at a food truck Lori had discovered, Surf 2 Soul. Lori got a shrimp Po’ Boy, I had stacked chicken mac and cheese (blacked chicken on Cajun spiced mac and cheese). Willis, poor guy, had his regular kibble. We also got peach cobbler that was to die for. The food was plentiful, enough for another meal the next day, and just incredible. Jordan, the owner/chef, was as friendly as could be. Photos courtesy of Lori.

Stuffed, we left Astoria and headed south to Tillamook. Arriving at the cabin just before dusk, we ate a light dinner (still stuffed from lunch) and settled in for the night.

The next morning we awoke to the sound of mooing cattle. I’d seen longhorns before while driving through Texas but never this close. The fence separating us from the cattle was about 15 yards from the cabin! Our only concern for this getaway was Willis’ reaction to the cattle. We quickly found that concern to be unfounded, he couldn’t have cared less about the cattle. And the cattle couldn’t have cared less about him. Several of them were quite photogenic, as you can see below.

There was a beautiful sunset previous evening, but I didn’t have my camera ready. I was hoping for a repeat this evening. It did not let me down and my camera was ready.

Besides being on a cattle ranch, the cabin was on the Trask River. Lori and I spent much of our time relaxing, reading and watching the river flow by while Willis explored as far as his lead would allow. One morning I went down to the river to get photos of the sunrise. The sunrise to the east was not very interesting so I turned my attention to the west and took a few shots.

The morning of day four our getaway came to an end. Lori used her incredible Tetris skills to pack up the car, we said good bye to the rustic cabin, cattle and Trask River and headed home. What a great time I had with these two!

For more information on places mentioned in this post:

Fort Columbia State Park: https://parks.wa.gov/find-parks/state-parks/fort-columbia-state-park , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Columbia_State_Park

Astoria-Megler Bridge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria–Megler_Bridge

Surf 2 Soul: https://www.facebook.com/Surf2Souloregon , https://www.yelp.com/biz/surf-2-soul-astoria

Cabin/Campsite: https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/land/oregon-tillamook-trask-river-5x5h1jkm?adults=1&children=0

To see more of my photos visit https://jmacdphoto.com/

#Photography #Cattle #LongHorns #Trask River #Astoria-MeglerBridge

Sierras 2023

Published on October 28, 2023October 28, 2023 by admin

The 14th annual camping trip to the Eastern Sierras with buddies, Al and Paul, was in late September, the 17th to the 22nd. I left Port Ludlow for the two day drive on the 16th. Following an overnight rest stop in Klamath Falls, Oregon, I arrived at the Big Bend Campground early afternoon the 17th. Al and Paul had gotten there couple hours before me and had most of the camp set up. After some catching up and a beer, we finished setting up camp and headed off to the creek. Paul and Al fish, I take photographs. From this first day: the waterfall near the entrance to Big Bend Campground and Al fishing somewhere along the creek.

We spent the next day along the creek, as well. I started above the waterfall, getting photos of the waterfall and the creek just below, then stopped at various places along the road with access to the creek. Found an odd mushroom and flowering thistle along the way.

On Tuesday, at Al’s urging, we went to May Lake in Yosemite. May Lake is near the center of the park. You take a narrow gravel road, off the main route through the park, for several miles, ending in a parking area. From the parking area it’s a mile and a quarter hike up the mountain to the lake. There’s a great view of Half Dome along the way.

It started raining as we were driving back to the campsite. Since the rain was not conducive for cooking dinner over a campfire, we decided it was time to go to Mono Cone for a dinner of burgers, fries and ice cream. By the time we got back to the campsite the storm was raging, loud thunder echoing through the ravine, lightning and heavy rain. With no chance of a campfire, we called it an early night.

Wednesday found us going to Tioga Lake and Ellery Lake. Both lakes are between our campsite and Yosemite. We’ve visited Tioga Lake pretty much every year, this was our first stop at Ellery Lake. That’s Paul fishing at Tioga Lake. The other photo is Ellery Lake.

Our final day was spent along the creek. The first photo is Paul demonstrating how to cross the creek, followed by the same shot without Paul. The rest of the photos are scenes along the creek.

Friday, the 22nd, we broke down the camp, said “Goodbye until next year” and I started the two day drive home. Another trip to the Sierras with good friends was over.

For more information on places mentioned in this post:

Yosemite: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_National_Park , https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm

May Lake: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/may-lake-trailhead.htm

Tioga Lake: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tioga_Lake

Ellery Lake: https://www.yosemitehikes.com/tioga-road/highlights-ellery-lake.h

Big Bend Campground: https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/inyo/recarea/?recid=20608 , https://www.monocounty.org/listing/big-bend-campground/1327/

Lee Vining: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Vining,_California , https://www.facebook.com/p/Mono-Cone-100063668375027/

Previous blogs from Sierras trips: https://jmacdphoto.com/eastern-sierras-2021/ , https://jmacdphoto.com/bodie-california-a-ghost-town/ , https://jmacdphoto.com/wildlife-photography-the-bear/

To see more of my photos visit https://jmacdphoto.com/

#Photography #LandscapePhotography #Sierras #EasternSierras #Yosemite #MayLake #TiogaLake #ElleryLake #LeeViningCreek

Crater Lake 2021

Published on June 30, 2022August 20, 2023 by admin

My last post, Eastern Sierras 2021, ended with saying goodbye to two good friends and starting the two day drive home. The goal for the first day’s drive was to get halfway home and stay at the same dispersed camping area I had stopped at four days earlier on the drive down to the Sierras. I got there in the early evening and, to my surprise, got the best site at the top of the hill with a view of Crater Lake in the distance. There was just enough time for dinner, freeze dried something mixed with boiling water, before darkness settled in and calling it a night.

In the morning I was greeted by a gorgeous sunrise over Crater Lake. Despite being bitterly cold, photos had to be taken. Then quick pot of coffee and a freeze dried breakfast and off to see Crater Lake up close. The park was truly minutes from the campsite.

The drive from the park entrance to the lake alone was worth the price of admission (to be honest, I got to there before the park rangers were at the entrance so it was free) (to be more honest, it would have been free anyway, I have a National Park Senior Pass).

Then suddenly I was at Crater Lake.

After a couple hours I had made my way about halfway around the lake. I could have stayed for hours more but there was a long drive ahead of me and I was ready to be home.

For more information on Crater Lake visit https://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crater_Lake_National_Park

To see more of my photos visit https://jmacdphoto.com/.

#Photography #LandscapePhotography #CraterLake

Eastern Sierras 2021

Published on June 17, 2022August 20, 2023 by admin1 Comment

OK, where did the last nine months go? Paul, Al and I got together for our annual Eastern Sierras camping trip at the end of September; here it is June and I’m finally posting about it. I say annual except we had missed the last two years; schedules didn’t work out in 2019 and Covid took care of 2020.

It takes Paul and Al 6 to 7 hours to get to the Big Bend Campground. For me, it’s a two day journey, so I stopped about half way. Lori found a dispersed campsite and sent me the coordinates, which I entered into Maps and followed the directions without much thought or knowledge of where I was headed. I arrived in the early evening without much time before it got dark, so no exploring. The two best sites, at the top of a hill, were occupied so I settled into a spot down the hill. I had no clue I was less than ten minutes from Crater Lake.

I got an early start the next day, arriving at Big Bend late in the afternoon. Paul and Al got there about an hour later. We barely had time to set up camp and eat before darkness set in. Due to drought conditions, campfires weren’t allowed so we cleaned up after dinner and called it an early night.

The next day was spent along Lee Vining Creek, the stream that runs along the campground. Al and Paul fishing, me shooting pictures.

The following day we went to the Virginia Lakes, an area between Lee Vining and Bridgeport that we had visited several years ago. There are six lakes in the Virginia lakes group, you pass three of them on the trail up the mountain; Big Valley Lake, Blue Lake and Cooney Lake. That’s Blue Lake in the pictures below.

Above the Virginia Lakes are the Frog Lakes (did not see one frog at any of them, then again, no sign of Virginia around the Virginia Lakes either). We continued our hike up the mountain in search of the Frog Lakes. It didn’t take long before we came upon them. The three Frog Lakes are small lakes which may have names but I don’t know them. The lakes are connected by small creeks, one is pictured at the top of this post. That’s Paul in the distance, fishing at one of the Frog Lakes in the picture below.

Our last day was spent around Lee Vining Creek again. This time we had company, that squirrel hung around the whole time we stayed at this one spot. I think he was hoping to get one of our energy bars. That’s Al in contemplation, soaking up the sun and getting in some last minute fishing.

And before we knew it, it was time to head home; breakfast, breaking down camp and saying goodbye until next year to the Eastern Sierras and two good friends. Then the two day drive home with a stop at Crater Lake along the way, but that’s to be left for another post.

Previous Eastern Sierras Posts: jmacdphoto.com/bodie-california-a-ghost-town/ jmacdphoto.com/wildlife-photography-the-bear/

To see more of my photos visit https://jmacdphoto.com/.

#Photography #LandscapePhotography #Sierras #EasternSierras #LeeViningCreek #VirginiaLakes #FrogLakes

Fox Gloves and a Rose

Published on June 30, 2021August 20, 2023 by admin

Neither Lori nor I realized that there were roses in the backyard when we bought our house. Months later, one of us saw a rose through the dining room window. A beautiful white rose all by itself. Since then red and now pink roses have bloomed. Oddly, only one color at a time. This year it was pink, it bloomed a few days ago. Lori pointed out how good the light was on it so out came the camera.

The same day as the rose bloomed, Lori called out from the front yard. Wild fox gloves grow in our front yard and she saw that the morning light was great on them, too. BTW, she frequently sees great photo opportunities for me. Thanks, Honey!

To see more of my photos visit https://jmacdphoto.com/.

#Photography #Flowers #Rose #pinkrose #foxgloves

The Squirrel

Published on June 18, 2021August 20, 2023 by admin

We’ve left our backyard natural; trees, shrubs and all. Our dog, Willis, loves hanging out and exploring in the backyard. And he obsesses over the squirrels who chatter at and relentlessly tease him. He’ll frequently be seen standing staring up into a tree for 5 to 10 minutes or more without moving. A couple days ago Willis had been out for quite a while. A squirrel was chattering nonstop but Willis was surprisingly quiet, so I checked on him. This is what I saw:

I checked again half an hour later. The squirrel was still chattering and Willis hadn’t moved a bit. I looked up and there was the squirrel on a branch not 10 feet up. It was time to get out the camera.

I’m not sure how long the squirrel hung around but Willis didn’t budge and kept staring up at the tree for hours. Like I said earlier, he’s obsessed

To see more of my photos visit https://jmacdphoto.com/.

#Photography #WildlifePhotography #Wildlife

Autumn Colors in Sequim, WA

Published on March 18, 2021August 20, 2023 by admin

In early November last year, Lori saw photos online of trees with beautiful red leaves at the John Wayne Marina in Sequim, a town less than an hour away. We headed there the next day to enjoy the autumn colors and get in some photography. It was an overcast, rainy day in Port Ludlow but we decided to go anyway. Port Ludlow is on the edge of the Olympic Rain Shadow, so we get less rain than Seattle and other nearby areas. Sequim is dead center in the rain shadow, they get even less rain than we do so we took a chance on better weather. It was still overcast when we got to Sequim, but no rain. The trees weren’t as full as the pictures Lori saw, taken only a two days earlier, but there were still plenty of autumn colors both in the trees and on the ground.

We had lunch inside a restaurant for the first time in nine months. The food was excellent, Lori had a seafood salad while I had tortellini with a cream sauce that was more like a thick chowder. The restaurant seemed COVID safe at first since we were the only patrons. As we were finishing, however, more patrons arrived and were being seated too close to us. We paid and left quickly.

Our day enjoying the autumn colors of John Wayne Marina had come to an end. The rain showed up just as we headed for home.

Sequim https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequim,_Washington
John Wayne Marina https://portofpa.com/186/John-Wayne-Marina
Olympic Rain Shadow
http://www.olympicrainshadow.com/olympicrainshadowmap.html

To see more of my photos visit https://jmacdphoto.com/.

#Photography #LandscapePhotography #Landscape #AutumnColors #Marina

Columbia River Gorge

Published on March 1, 2021August 20, 2023 by admin

Lori, Ruby and I went on a quick camping trip to the Columbia River Gorge in mid-October. We were in search of that elusive camping spot where we could set up camp and stay for a couple weeks. So we packed up the van and headed south. Driving east from Portland we were treated with beautiful views and enjoyed seeing ships and kite surfers on the river.

Our first stop was the town of Hood River, Oregon. Our good friends Vickie and Troy told us to get pizza at Pietro’s Pizza there, best anywhere per Troy. We got a large Barmaid pizza (Canadian bacon, beef and pepperoni) and I have to say it was damn good! Unfortunately, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs. We weren’t sure what to do with the leftovers as our cooler didn’t have room (half the pie). Problem solved when we stopped at a small, independent gas station. We gave the rest to the owner who was quite pleased to have dinner for himself and his wife.

From the gas station we went to our first campsite. Turkey Hole is a small camp area just outside of Lyle on the Washington side of the Columbia River. Turkey Hole is on the Klickitat River, a tributary of the Columbia. It was getting dark and lightly raining so we hunkered down for the night in the van. Turkey Hole is a good stop-over spot but not the site we’re looking for.

We headed out early the next day. Rather than make breakfast (and the associated clean up) at the camp site, we opted to get takeout from a restaurant. This took us to The Dalles, Oregon.

With Yelp as our guide we went to several establishments that were not currently open, including a cafe in the hospital (Yelp didn’t mention the hospital part) before finding Kainos Coffee. Good breakfast sandwiches and very good coffee.

Our next stop was a potential camp site near the John Day Dam outside of Rufus, Oregon. The John Day Dam is one of 14 dams on the Columbia River, three in Canada and 11 in the US, which are primarily for hydroelectric power, irrigation and flood control.The camping area was mostly gravel and dirt with no shade, with train tracks running directly next to it. Not what we’re looking for but it did afford the opportunity to get some shots of Mount Hood in the distance as well as a passing train.

We spent some time checking out a possible camp site closer to the dam. While walking along the river we came across some interesting platforms used for placing fishing nets and marveled at the power of the water being released from the dam after turning the electric generators.

In the end, we decided not to spend the night and instead chose to go home; our search for that elusive camping spot foiled again.

For more information on the places mentioned above:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_River_Gorge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Day_Dam
http://pietrosrestaurants.com
http://kainoscoffee.com

To see more of my photos visit https://jmacdphoto.com/

#Photography #LandscapePhotography #Landscape #MtHood
#ColumbiaRiver #JohnDayDam

Ruby Beach

Published on February 7, 2021August 20, 2023 by admin

Our hearts were broken and everywhere we looked were vestiges of Ruby, our four legged companion for the last nine years. Two days had passed since we put her to sleep and we needed to get away, take our minds off of Ruby and the reminders of her throughout the house, so we tossed essentials into the van and headed out to . . . Ruby Beach. Ruby Beach is in the coastal section of Olympic National Park on Washington’s west coast, about 25 miles south of Forks. Yes, that Forks. Twilight. Vampires.

We chose to spend the night at Cottonwood Campground, halfway between Forks and Ruby Beach on the Hoh River. It was late afternoon when we got to the campground. We chose a remote site and promptly got stuck in the mud as we drove into the site. Attempt after attempt to free the van failed. After an hour of trying in a light rain and with darkness setting in, Lori called AAA in the hopes they would come out to the wilds and pull us out of the mud. Two pleasant surprises, we had cell service and AAA coming to the campground was not a problem. In fact, the tow truck company knew the campground well. Freed from our mud captors, we moved to a mud free site and settled in for the night. The rain was quite loud but didn’t drown out a scraping sound on the van. It occurred several times at different locations on the van. There were no tree branches near the van, couldn’t have been that. A bear? A vampire? Sasquatch? We’ll never know.

We got moving early the next morning, on to Ruby Beach. A short path led us from the parking area to the beach. There are a number of sea stacks at Ruby Beach and, like most beaches on Washington’s northern coast, a lot of driftwood. Ruby Beach gets it’s name from the ruby-like crystals in the sand. Unfortunately, we never saw the crystals because it was high tide and the beach was mostly under water.

A little farther south is Kalaloch, home of the Kalaloch Lodge and another beautiful beach. Lori had stopped there several years ago with her cousin Laurie Ann and loved it. Unfortunately, the aforementioned high tide and the washed out stairs kept us from going onto the sand.

It was now time to head home, but first a stop at the Big Cedar Tree, said to be almost 1,000 years old. A short drive down a pothole filled gravel road came to a small parking area. It was a short walk from there to the tree. The tree had been over 175 feet tall but a storm in 2014 split it in half. We were impressed

A quick stop in Forks for breakfast sandwiches and coffee then the drive home, another adventure in the books.

For more information visit the following sites:
Olympic National Park: https://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm
Forks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forks,_Washington
Ruby Beach and Klaloch: https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-kalaloch-and-ruby-beach.htm

To see more of my photos visit https://jmacdphoto.com/.

#Photography #LandscapePhotography #Landscape #Seascape #SeaStacks #Driftwood

Raccoons

Published on July 24, 2020August 20, 2023 by admin

Huckleberry, our neighbor Jack’s dog, is a big, friendly, goofy fella that loves frisbee. He drops the frisbee at your feet and barks until you throw it. Lori and I hear Huck’s loud, husky bark several times a day as he and Jack are out front playing. Yesterday, however, we heard Huck make an odd, almost torturous sound we’d never heard before. Turns out, the local family of raccoons were out wandering and took exception to Huck’s running over to greet them. Apparently, they attacked Huck en mass, thus Huck’s painful wail.

By the time Lori and I got outside Jack had chased the raccoons up a cedar in our front yard. There they were, four or five of them, two-thirds of the way up the 75 foot tree just hanging out.

It was tough getting good shots, these raccoons would look away whenever they noticed my camera aimed at them. Apparently they’re a camera-shy bunch. I did manage to get a few good shots and thought I’d share.