Storm Light At The South Jetty

As I sit and write, I hear the unmistakable patter of the rain as it pelts the southwest side of our house.  Weather wise, yesterday was a much more interesting day because one minute the wind was howling and pelting rain.  Then twenty minutes later, it would clear for as long as thirty minutes and it would be just beautiful.  During one of the short lived periods, I made a fast run to the beach and returned with a couple of images that depict a bit of the storm’s intensity.

 

The waves from the Pacific ocean that pummeled the South Jetty could best be described as agitated and angry!

 

  

The dunes were hammered by near constant winds which were clocked at 30 miles per hour when the image was made.  Notice the bend in the antenna on the left side of the photo.

As always, the storm light was brief and the rain and hail soon returned.  I can’t wait until June!

Ugly Weather On The Horizon

 

As is my custom, I check the National Weather Service’s forecast for our area each morning.  It came as no surprise to read the following in the special weather statement:

THE UPPER RIDGE WHICH HAS GIVEN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST SUNNY AND
WARM FALL WEATHER WILL SHIFT EAST THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT.
THIS WILL ALLOW AN INCREASINGLY STRONG WESTERLY JET STREAM TO
IMPACT THE NORTHWEST OVER THE WEEKEND.

THE FIRST STORM IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE COAST THURSDAY NIGHT AND
FRIDAY WITH A GLANCING BLOW TO NORTHWEST OREGON. RAIN AND WIND
WILL BE MOSTLY ALONG THE NORTH COAST.

The “ugly weather season” begins in earnest this weekend so I decided it might not be a bad idea to take a hike.  I have been wanting to explore more of Cape Disappointment State Park in Washington, so on a whim I grabbed my boots and hit the road.  After considering all the options, I choose to hike to the  top of McKenzie Head; I figured that if it was good enough for William Clark in 1805, it would do just fine for me today.   In 1805 it must have been a struggle to reach the top, but today it’s little more than a leisurely stroll.

During the second World War, the site became part of the harbor defense of the Columbia River, the site was also known as Battery 247.  Many a cold night was spent atop of the head by the soldiers who manned the battery’s six inch guns.  Today, the guns are long gone and the battery is slowly crumbling, but I returned with a few images of a nearly forgotten installation.

 

A portion the battery’s command post which is slowly crumbling as the forest vegetation encroaches

 

 

 

A view from the bunker where the gun’s ammunition was once stored

Sunset Over Trestle Bay

 

This past Saturday evening, the lovely wife and I took an impromptu trip to the beach in the hopes of catching a stellar sunset.  Recent attempts have been thwarted by the near constant fog bank and this trip was no exception.  Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a rather stiff wind and a sun that was rapidly sinking into the fog.

Once again, this is about as good as it gets!  The national weather service is predicting a major rain event to last for the majority of the weekend; perhaps the sun has set for the season.