Coastal Escape

All photos copyright 2009 Wes Hatcher Photography

My Favorite Place...

Every once in a while I get a crazy wild hair to visit the coast. Even though its about three hours away from where I've been staying, the drive doesn't seem to bother me as I know when I wake up I'll hear the sound of the Northern California surf crashing outside my makeshift campsite. This trip was different, when I reached my favorite quick tent pitch there were new signs that read day use only, no camping. How dare the state/federal government place restrictions on our lands. Determined to go to bed (at about 1:15 am) I pressed on to another of my MVP's (most visited Places). The other beach lies at the end of a deathly curvey muddy dirt road. The road starts in a meadow where the elk graze and procedes to take you directly into the deepest darkest stretch of one of the many redwood rainforests in the Pacific northwest. Once I arrived at the end of the stretch the road starts to hug the bottom of sheer cliffs winding nearer and further from the beach as I go. A couple of creeks meander off of the hills and cross the road, just shallow enough to safely traverse with the Audi. I make good time getting to the first campground, and sure enough on a staurday night all the sites are full. It is now around 2 am and I know I am exausted but don't seem to feel the effects just yet. There is one last hope for a bed at the end of the road lies a parking lot for one of the areas attractions. No camping signs greet me and at this point I cant take it any more. I park the Car and procede to grab the essentials; tent, pillow, sleeping bag, food and clothes. The beach is at this point about three hundred yards out and I have a maze of elk trails and swamp crossings to navigate in the pitch black night. Once safely over the makeshift log bridges I settle on a site not knowing where the tide actually is and I frankly dont care at this time of the morning. With the tent put together its time for a snack and a warm sleeping bag. It is at this time that I realize the sky is completely covered with stars, burning so brightly due to the lack of the lights of civilation. Deciding to lay there with my head laying partially out of the tents door, I begin to soak in the view. At that time I realized I was witnessing a summer meteor shower with the occiasional passing of a satalite. I counted about ten of each and dozed off into a wonderful dreaming state. I awoke with a little chill and realized the tent was still open. Rearanging the bag and pillow I was now ready to give into the sandman literally. A few hours later I woke up to the crashing surf only about a hundred yards away. The morning light was creeping up over the cliffs behind me. I knew the morning would be the best time to use the warm light and fog for photos. Spending most of the morning wandering around shooting. The energy of the ocean and the area I chose took over. I was at peace for the first time in a long while since moving out of South Lake Tahoe. I know I'll I will always hold this spot in my heart, drive unbelieveable lengths to get here, and always long to come back to the ocean. I'm going to let the photos speak for them selves because I could probably write about the North Coast all night.

Why

Sometimes I wonder how Wild animals wind up in captivity. Most places will tell you that they rescued an animal and brought it back to health. Some places will tell you that the bird can no longer fly or was a menace to someones property. I cant see the harm in letting this owl free to fend for him self. What the picture dosent show is that he's in an 8'x8'x8' enclosure with walls on three sides and a screen front and gravel for a base. It seems as if the animals in captivity have developed a sort of birdy depression. The blank stares that emit from inside the cages make you wonder what the captives are thinking. ( Why am I still here... When is my next mouse comming, I'm hungry...If I was out there I could go get all the food I want... why is this guy looking at me an talking like that.) Granted if the old owl truly cant fly, then thats great this place is feeding and taking care of him, but then ask this, why do they have leather restraints on his feet to keep him from flying away. I think he is the star of their outdoor show which means. he can fly and think for himself. I still just hope someday he'll be set free for one more soar or flyby before its too late.

Thunderous day

With all the thunderstorms weve had this summer I thought about revisiting an image or two. Here are the strikes I liked best out of the 25 or so I got that day. Just before the storm got bad a sailboat hauled past to get back into the marina in time. I thought for sure he was gonna get fried with an aluminum mast sticking up into the rain. The storm lasted till just before sunset wich was just as spetacular.

Highway 50 @ 12 a.m. South Tahoe here I come...

Circa 2009

Had to update my Tahoe Queen shot after a few more years of lookin at it there was some things I wanted to change. haha. Thanks to Captn. KK and my breaking an entering/trespasing we got it done. The water was just a tad colder this year, and it was only 10 o"clock in the morning so it was pretty chilly.

First Queen Backie

Kris Kierce Photo. 2006ish South Lake Tahoe