Picture of the day - January 23, 2008

Haystack Rock in silhouette

Photo courtesy of Winston Rockwell. The last two "Pictures of the Day" have featured spectacular images of a sunrise in Key West and a sunset on the island of Cuba, so in order to maintain a little geographical balance I decided to head up to the Pacific Northwest this time around. Photographer Winston Rockwell captured this beautiful sunset image of Cannon Beach and her famous monolith Haystack Rock, and the following is his quite interesting story behind the photo: There are few places more photogenic than the seashore at sunset. I've always been drawn to the ocean, and the west coast of the U.S. has some of the prettiest and most scenic beaches around. Some are flat sand where visitors dig razor clams, frolic in the surf, or stroll along searching for sand dollars, seashells, or other treasures. Other parts of the shoreline here are so rugged and rocky that only the more daring choose to explore them. Some of the most scenic stretches of coastline are closed to the public entirely, being on Native American land and inaccessible except by boat. Cannon Beach, on the northern coast of Oregon, is somewhere in between. It offers plenty of flat sand for barefoot walks, yet there are huge rock outcrops that jut from the sand like the exposed bones of the earth. One of the best-known of these monoliths is 235-foot tall Haystack Rock, the third tallest such formation in the world. Haystack Rock, and its companions The Needles, are pillars of basalt formed by lava flows from the Grande Ronde mountains over 10 million years ago. These and others like them make these beaches among the most stunning in the world, particularly as the sun goes down. The weather here can be unpredictable, even in summer, but on this night, I was blessed with a clear sky and a beautiful sunset... and a golden opportunity to capture the beauty of this world to share with those less fortunate than I.  --Winston Rockwell   Visitor Comments... Name: Ron E. Trees Town: Spokane, WA I love today’s picture of Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach. Our family loves the Oregon coast and we try to make it there at least once a year. Thanks for sharing this picture which brings back MANY happy memories!! Click here to comment on this picture.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"