2020—Cape Disappointment

Cape Disappointment does not disappoint. At least in this day and age. Located at the extreme south western tip of Washington State where the Columbia River crashes into the Pacific Ocean, it was dubbed Cape Disappointment by Captain John Meares when his expedition failed to cross the river bar in 1788. In 1856, the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse was built to guide sailors into the treacherous mouth of the river. In the winter, storms can create huge waves that crash over top of the lighthouse. On our visit there this past week, the storms had calmed from the previous week. But even without the spectacular waves, it is still a gorgeous place to visit. I took his photograph with more than two stops of negative exposure compensation to darken the image. The photograph was taken about 9 in the morning and when the sun disappeared behind a cloud, the dark exposure suggested a moonlit night instead of daytime. Adding the lighthouse beam in Photoshop completes the illusion.