Pacific Northwest: A Photo Series

I joked after my friend Mike and I got back from our road trip that I'd shot so many pictures that I'd be sharing them until Christmas - as it turned out, that was spot on. Since mid-August I have shared hundreds and hundreds of images from around the Pacific Northwest and reached thousands of people in the process. 

From the top of the Space Needle to the foggy coast of Cape Meares, from Kurt Cobain's hometown to an aircraft museum in a WW2 blimp hangar, from a restaurant inside an old power plant to a hike to the top of Multnomah Falls - the list of things I loved about this trip could go on and on.

It's been my pleasure to share this incredible experience with you all, and if you're curious about all of the various locations that I captured you can see the complete list of photo sets that I shot around Oregon and Washington here. Thank you for sharing the journey with me, and giving me an excuse to enjoy it all over again.

Christmas Reruns

It's that time of year again - at last! Today is my last day of work before Christmas break, all of my contract projects are done for the year, my holiday shopping is complete, and we're coming down to the last few blog posts before my end of year recap. I'm feeling great and can't wait to take a much needed break! To kick off the festivities I thought I would share a few holiday reruns from my Christmases past. And yes, just consider the ridiculousness as an added bonus.

Sad Little Snowman (2007)



Clumsy Claus (2001)



Dorm Xmas Tree (2006)



The Gizmo Tree (2007)



We Two Kings (2009)

Driving the Pacific Northwest Coastline

One of the biggest motivators for taking a road trip around the Pacific Northwest was my desire to drive the coast highway through Oregon and Washington. It was with my friend Dave in 2010 that I drove the PCH in California from L.A. to San Francisco. I described the journey through Big Sur as a near perfect drive. It was only natural that I'd be inspired to see what the rest of the road was like.

Driving along the coast in the Northwest was just as beautiful and photogenic as I imagined it would be. Mike and I spent a lot of time touring various sites from the Cape Meares Lighthouse to Oceanside Beach in Oregon, crossing the Astoria-Megler Bridge, and exploring the North Head Lighthouse and Seaview Beach in Washington.

We also drove an absolutely gorgeous back road through Oregon as we cut across from McMinnville on our way to Tillamook. The road twisted and turned through a canopy of massive trees, and because we were essentially in the middle of nowhere we had the road almost entirely to ourselves. This kind of driving was what this trip was all about. We had nothing but time to kill, and the freedom to get lost.

Having now driven the 101 in all 3 states, I'd happily go back and do it again - explore more lighthouses, walk barefoot on the beach, stare in amazement at the cliffs as they disappear behind the fog rolling in, etc. There are so many interesting places to see as you go, and honestly, that view never gets old.