Initially, my plan was to spend most of the trip in Seattle, Olympic National Park, the Oregon Coast and Crater Lake. Since this was a long driving trip from Chicago, I also planned break up the drive by stopping at some locations (Yellowstone, state capitols, etc.) along the way. Once I reached the western states, I was fighting white, hazy skies for the vast majority of the days:

SEATTLE

Unfortunately, conditions were not very good for photography when I finally reached the Pacific Northwest. While in Seattle for three days, I never saw Mount Rainier. Each morning I was positioned at an overlook that I previously scouted for a sunrise--only to walk away with no images due to thick fog. I experienced the same thing for most sunsets. After I left Seattle for Olympia (about 65 miles south), the Weather Channel on my iPhone indicated that the weather was finally clearing for the day in Seattle--so I drove back to Seattle and finally captured some nice cityscapes from Alki Beach.

Seattle skylineThe Seattle skyline viewed from Alki Beach Park in Seattle, Washington on August 3, 2013.

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

It was a long trip, so I was optimistic that things would improve. I had three days planned for Olympic National Park. On the first day, I visited Hurricane Ridge, but the haze was so thick I couldn't see the mountain range. Once again, no images. The next day I planned to photograph the Sol Duc waterfalls and then one of the primitive beaches on the Pacific Coast. I was thinking how the diffused light of a hazy sky would be a good thing for the pictures of the waterfalls, but that morning there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the direct light and high contrast made it difficult to capture good images of the waterfalls and surrounding old growth forest. It was the worst of both worlds--thick fog along the coast all day...but, hard light with high contrast in the inland forests!

One of the rangers told me that the forecast was for fog on the coast for the next three or four days. I replied that some fog could be a good thing for sunrises and sunsets. Diffused light is generally much better than a clear sky for the colors. He smiled and said that this isn't that kind of fog. This is the kind of fog where you can't see the water!  And, he was right.

Over the next couple of days of mostly unproductive sunrise and sunset attempts, I did capture a few images at Rialto Beach when the fog temporarily lifted enough that I could see the water and the nearby seastacks...but that was about it. It was time to move south to the Oregon Coast!

Rialto BeachSeastacks in the Pacific Ocean at Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park, Washington on August 5, 2013.

OREGON COAST

Let's just say that the conditions along the Oregon Coast weren't much better than in Washington. So, I cut that portion of the trip short and drove inland to Salem to photograph the state capitol. The next morning I met my aunt and uncle for breakfast in Eugene. When they asked me where I was headed next, I told them that I didn't know! Initially, I hoped to spend two nights at Crater Lake. But, reports indicated that the smoke was so thick at Crater Lake that visitors couldn't see the lake! I checked the Crater Lake webcam on my phone later that afternoon and saw this:

Fortunately, my travel plans are always flexible, so I revised the rest of the trip right then. I scrapped Crater Lake. I decided to give the Oregon Coast one more try--this time Bandon Beach. After that, I would drive south to Sacramento, then stop in Carson City and Salt Lake City on my long journey home. This ended up being a very good revision to the trip! I finally had some good light for photography one night at Bandon Beach, and there was an abundance of interesting subjects to photograph in Sacramento and Salt Lake City.

MAKING ADJUSTMENTS

When I planned this trip, I envisioned capturing several great landscape images of the amazing beaches along the Washington and Oregon Coast. I scouted four impressive overlooks for cityscapes of Seattle. I expected to come away with excellent images of the lush rain forest at Olympic National Park. In the end, I captured very few of the photographs that I set out for when I left Chicago.

But, by no means was this trip a bust. I immediately began to seek out subject matter that was more suitable for the conditions. Here are a few of the adjustments that I made along the way.

While in Yellowstone, I tried to use the fog to my advantage.

Steamy landscapeSteamy landscape near the Mud Geyser just south of Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming on July 28, 2013. I visited places such as the Wolf & Grizzly Discovery Center, where diffused light was appropriate for the subject matter.

Wolf eyesCloseup of the eyes of a wolf at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center at 201 S Canyon Street in West Yellowstone, Montana on July 28, 2013 I concentrated on more macro images--where the diffused light is an advantage or where I can control the light.

HibiscusRed hibiscus flower at the Volunteer Park Conservatory at 1400 E Galer Street in Seattle, Washington on August 2, 2013. I photographed many interiors--including ones that I had no intention of visiting while planning the trip.

Hotel front deskHotel front desk at the 1880 Town in Murdo, South Dakota on July 25, 2013. This photograph consists of five exposures blended together using HDR Efex Pro2 software to create a high dynamic range (HDR) image. Other interiors included 9 state capitol buildings, a prison and several churches.

Utah State CapitolUtah State Capitol building on Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City on August 15, 2013. This photograph consists of three exposures blended together using HDR Efex Pro2 software to create a high dynamic range (HDR) image. Old Idaho State PenitentiaryCell block at the Old Idaho State Penitentiary at 2200 Warm Springs Avenue in Boise, Idaho on July 31, 2013. This photograph consists of three exposures blended together using HDR Efex Pro2 software to create a high dynamic range (HDR) image. Cathedral of the MadeleineCathedral of the Madeleine (1909) Roman Catholic Church at 331 E South Temple in Salt Lake City on August 16, 2013. This photograph consists of five exposures blended together using HDR Efex Pro2 software to create a high dynamic range (HDR) image. And, every so often during the course of this 27 day trip, the light would cooperate!

Coquille River LighthouseSunrise at the Coquille River Lighthouse (1896) from Bullards Beach State Park at 52470 Highway 101 North in Bandon, Oregon on August 12, 2013. Bandon BeachBandon Beach in Bandon, Oregon on August 10, 2013 In the end, this was one of my most productive photography trips.