Summer Migration

Every summer I migrate north, to the land of my birth, upbringing, and tertiary education.  While the winters in Oregon and Washington can be (OK, are) clammy, gray, and wet, in summer there is no better place on the planet to be.  So I venture to the Pacific Northwest when the days are long and the sun is warm.  Enroute...on this trip I decided to take a look at Shasta Dam.  It's six miles west of I-5, and over 55 years and dozens of trips up and down the freeway corridor, I had NEVER visited Shasta Dam!  Quite an oversight.  It's rather majestic, as you can see...and Shasta Lake is almost full, about 15 feet below top level.  There is always something new to see.

Well, so much for the sun...on July 7 Mount Shasta is obscured by clouds, as it was the last time I passed by in March.  It started raining right after I took this photo.

I had lunch with a friend in Medford, then passed through the historic town of Jacksonville.  They've been wearing Levis for a long time there.

A covered bridge over the Applegate River, SW of Medford.  A peaceful spot with a picnic ground.

The river from the bridge.

Another covered bridge, vintage 1920, in Sunny Valley.  This place seems to live up to its name...it's usually sunny there, even on days like this one where clouds prevailed in surrounding areas.  It's between Grants Pass and Roseburg on I-5.

Yet another covered bridge, this one in Drain, just SW of Cottage Grove, OR.  Oregon has many covered bridges...somewhere between 50 and 100 if I recall.

This is the bachelor herd of Roosevelt elk along the Umpqua River just E of Reedsport.  I'm surprised they don't go into town and hit a sports bar.  One would assume they root for the Milwaukee Bucks in the winter.

This is an old favorite spot...Oregon Dunes between Florence and Reedsport.  Did a nice hike to the beach today, which counteracted the massive French Dip sandwich I had along the Rogue River last night.  Maybe.

The wind blows dry sand into microdunes over the wet sand on the beach.

Abstract pic of beach grass in the dunes.  Sand dunes are fine places for abstract photography.

This shot is kind of  abstract, looking toward the sea over alternating forest and dunes.

Windblown surf at Yachats.  Though it's July, there's a respectable coastal storm going on at the moment.

The Yachats surf crashes onto the shoreline.