Photo-of-the-Week #210 To Be Specific, This Is The Pacific, The Oregon Coast, May 2015

What an awesome week of trekking and exploring it has been. I captured this lighthouse photo along the rugged Oregon Pacific coast. I was traveling north from Coos Bay, Oregon to the small town of Otis, Oregon where I turned northeast toward Portland and my destination just outside the small and pretty city of Newberg, Oregon for a few days to visit another friend from my Air Force days.

This lighthouse was only one of several I saw along my route. Actually, it's one of many lighthouses along the coast. Being from the east I'm more attuned to the Atlantic coast that is generally not near as rugged until you get north towards the Maine and Canadian shoreline. I have spent about seven days in Oregon as I write this narrative for this week's photo. To say that my experience in Oregon, so far, has been awesome would be an understatement.

I've been through Oregon before (the operative word being 'through'), but this time I have been to Crater Lake (more to follow on this) and through parts of the beautiful, lush mountains and valleys of the Cascade Mountain Range. I've seen numerous volcanoes, waterfalls, a gorge, quaint and pretty towns and villages and areas where it seemed like there were very few human inhabitants.

And speaking of the human inhabitants, I've met so many diverse, terrific, warm and friendly people. And, that's not to mention the diversity of places they migrated from, including numerous from my home state of New Jersey.

I selected this week's photo because, to me, it depicts the majesty of the mountains and forests that come right to the edge of the Pacific Ocean, the ruggedness of the coastline, the vastness of the Pacific Ocean and the tiny, yet significant presence of humanity in the form of the lighthouse. It's another portrait of the beauty and richness of the continent U.S. citizens call home, while, at the same time, illustrating how small we are in comparison to all that nature provides.

Every state I visit has unique and interesting characteristics and qualities. I'm often asked what place or sight I've experienced, so far, is my favorite. My only honest answer is, "All of them." I know, that seems non-committal and evasive. The reality is, there are places that attract me enough to leave me wanting more and with plans to return. However, I still have to travel through other parts of this land to reach the places I will return to. I always discover new, interesting, often awesome and frequently exciting people, places and things as I travel to my intended destination. How great is living free?