Hot Springs and Marys Peak Sunset

Hot Springs, October 19

Cougar Reservoir, much lower than last time

One-lane bridge over the McKenzie River

Deer Creek Hot Springs

McKenzie River

Marys Peak Sunset, October 22

I tried this a little over a week ago but was clouded out. At 4097 feet above sea level (and 3800 feet above Corvallis), Marys Peak (plural Marys, no apostrophe) is the tallest mountain in the coast range. It is 23.5 miles by road to the top from my house, which also makes it the closest mountain destination. The view from the top is amazing, looking out across the valley to the Cascades and across the coast range to the Pacific. The slopes are forested, but the top is a unique native grassland, maintained by the harsh winter climate at that elevation. A great meditation spot, and ideal to watch the sun sink into the ocean!

The shadow of Marys Peak stretches across Corvallis - 20 minutes to sunset

Mt. Jefferson

The Three Sisters (~100 miles distant)

Coast Range! (looking SW)

Ten minutes to sunset

Coast range and mountaintop prairie (looking NW)

Five minutes to sunset. That straight line on the horizon is the ocean, and the mountain on the right is Table Mountain (2802 ft)

Two minutes. (Manual exposure at 1/4000 second).

One minute

Thirty seconds. The sun flattened into a line above the ocean before quickly slipping out of sight.

Gone!

The beautiful blue-purple of volcanic ash-enhanced twilight (ash from an eruption in Alaska in August).