Super Moon, bah
Near midnight Friday the almost full moon hung in the perfectly clear night sky framed by plum and spruce branches and bathing my view with dazzling light. Yes! Full moon due on Saturday, the closest to earth this year, dubbed a “Super moon” in the press, and expected to appear in exaggerated size on its rise over the horizon.
Saturday dawned clear so we planned a photo shoot; moonrise due at 8:15.
Off to high country (relatively speaking, Mt. Yoncalla is 1,804 ft.,) through two locked gates, then winding up logging roads through Douglas fir forest to the top of a ridge with a 180 degree view of the peaks and valleys of the coast range to the volcanic Cascade range in the far distance. The bases of Mt. Jefferson (10,495 ft.) and the Three Sisters were visible but their tops were lost in the shifting clouds. We watched as massive thunderheads formed. Oh oh.
We waited for the emergence of the moon, debating where exactly on the horizon it would appear. That question wasn’t resolved; the moonrise remained hidden behind the clouds. It is beautiful country, but I was moonstruck and didn’t think about shooting a landscape.
We conceded defeat but took a drive by the Drain Reservoir as it was near by. Again, I didn’t take any photos, which is a shame because it’s a lovely site ringed by the rounded shapes of deciduous trees so distinct from the conical shape of the firs rising behind them. A beaver swam into view! There were many birds, including a huge buzzard. A deer darted across our path. Love the smell of the forest. Ah, nature. It was a lovely evening.
Saturday dawned clear so we planned a photo shoot; moonrise due at 8:15.
Off to high country (relatively speaking, Mt. Yoncalla is 1,804 ft.,) through two locked gates, then winding up logging roads through Douglas fir forest to the top of a ridge with a 180 degree view of the peaks and valleys of the coast range to the volcanic Cascade range in the far distance. The bases of Mt. Jefferson (10,495 ft.) and the Three Sisters were visible but their tops were lost in the shifting clouds. We watched as massive thunderheads formed. Oh oh.
We waited for the emergence of the moon, debating where exactly on the horizon it would appear. That question wasn’t resolved; the moonrise remained hidden behind the clouds. It is beautiful country, but I was moonstruck and didn’t think about shooting a landscape.
We conceded defeat but took a drive by the Drain Reservoir as it was near by. Again, I didn’t take any photos, which is a shame because it’s a lovely site ringed by the rounded shapes of deciduous trees so distinct from the conical shape of the firs rising behind them. A beaver swam into view! There were many birds, including a huge buzzard. A deer darted across our path. Love the smell of the forest. Ah, nature. It was a lovely evening.
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