Standing on the edge of Waikiki Beach, bracing yourself against 30-40 MPH wind gusts and the cold, pelting rain, with a couple of friends and a Nikon Z6 at high tide is an exhilarating way to spend a morning. I was not on Hawaii’s expansive Waikiki Beach but rather in Washington State on tiny Waikiki Beach at Cape Disappointment where the mighty Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean. But as winter getaways go, I’ll take this over Hawaii any day. Winter storms and high tide create an unforgettable spectacle of raw power and beauty at Cape Disappointment. The waves are never the same twice and the wave patterns are not the same two days in a row. The roiling surf with its crashing waves is at eye level separated by a huge unstable pile of logs that shifts constantly by the powerful tide surges. The eye level view makes it possible to get photographs that create the illusion that the photographer is standing in the surf. What better way to get a feel for the magnificence and awe of the ocean?