During my last visit to the Oregon Coast, a welcome break in the rains let me enjoy Strawberry Hill. This little pullout along Route 101 is well worth the stop.

I hadn’t even made it to beach level and had to stop to capture images. The sun cut through the clouds, throwing down golden light on the rocks and beach to the north. I purposely kept the glare in the scene, so the tide pool in the foreground stood out.

The light held and I hurried down to beach level. The tide was receding, though now and again, the right set of waves would push a surge of water among the rocks. I worked one composition with half-buried rocks and another with a deeper channel of water. Both worked out well.

The afternoon would be a short one. A low bank of clouds held at the horizon, blocking out chances for a purely golden sunset. The sun did make a last push through a gap in the clouds… one last burst of color to the sky before fading for the day.