Something About Those Skies at Rockaway Beach | Oregon Coast Photo Expeditions

Published 05/31/21 at 7:25 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Rockaway Beach, Oregon) – Skies are skies above any Oregon coast town – correct? Well, probably. There's simply something about the open air above Rockaway Beach that perhaps frames the rest of the atmosphere in some unique way. That great blue yonder (even if it isn't always blue) can take on some especially cajoling qualities under the right conditions in this 100-year-old Oregon coast hotspot.

You may not always notice it, but frequently the skies play the biggest part in an especially fetching scene along these shores. Rockaway Beach seems to have a way of pointing out these magnificent moments to your eye. Several photo expeditions over the years conducted by Oregon Coast Beach Connection seemed to all but completely prove this.

That great expanse of sand here lends itself well to whatever is happening above. This, at times, is reflected in the wet sands of Rockaway with remarkable effect (as in the photo at top).

Another moment of reflection – both visually and personally – may lead to discoveries like this. There are times that sky seems indistinguishable from the sand. This is always mind-blowing, and if you just take the time to notice. It can give you the feeling you're walking out onto the sky itself.

The skies of the Oregon coast are always especially dramatic in springtime. Few photographs of Rockaway Beach exhibit that better than these moody yet heavenly cloud formations and muted colors.

Perhaps some of the atmospheric magic happens here because of the presence of Neahkahnie Mountain about 12 miles to the north. This headland, along with the rest of Cape Falcon, seems to attract its own weather system. Here, it appears to direct traffic in the air overhead, causing the clouds to be quite engaging. [ There is some science behind this: Unique, Rare Oregon Coast Phenomena: When Headlands 'Wear a Hat' And Why ]

What people often miss about the Oregon coast is what happens just after dusk, just after those amazing sunsets. Indeed, you don't even need a wowing sundown that's visible to produce exceptional sights. Case in point: at this moment, about a half hour after the sun went down, there were too many clouds to even see that sunset. Still, the post-dusk moment yielded this fantasy scene.

On a particularly dreary late fall day, the northern edge of Rockaway Beach, by the Nehalem Bay jetty, never saw much sun. But closing in on dark, even without the amazing sunset color splash, some exciting shades emerge.

Then, if you want to get really esoteric and ethereal, hang out on Rockaway Beach late at night, long after the last traces of any sunset have disappeared. On a cloudless night, you will not be disappointed.

In fact, you'll likely find the experience transformative, and literally out-of-this-world, as the rest of the galaxy and large chunks of the universe appear above you.

Hotels in Rockaway Beach - Where to eat - Rockaway Beach Maps and Virtual Tours

MORE PHOTOS BELOW

More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....

LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted