Rasta Nail

One of my favorite fall/winter liqueurs is Drambuie, which is made from fine scotch and various herbal extracts. Drambuie is a little sweet on its own, so some people like having a Rusty Nail, which is scotch mixed with a little Drambuie. For me though, rum works just as well and tones down the peaty scotch notes and sings with the rum really well, similar to a spiced rum punch. I like a high quality rum from Jamaica here, like Appleton gold because it helps balance the sweetness of the liqueur, but any somewhat dry rum works well.




Rasta Nail

2 ounces quality gold or anejo rum, preferably Jamaican

1/2 ounce Drambuie

(serves 1)


Mix rum and Drambuie together in a glass neat or on the rocks. Garnish with lime twist and grating of nutmeg.
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Oregon Coast/Lincoln City to Florence

This summer we headed to the Oregon Coast for a couple of days before spending some time outside Portland near the Columbia River Gorge at Edgefield. It was the first time we had been to the coast in years, and it was my daughter's first time there. The route from Portland to Lincoln City through Pinot Noir country is a slow road interrupted by many small towns with stop and go traffic. Not my favorite. My impulse choice of a Van Halen greatest hits CD wasn't helping any. It always amazes me though, how much things change once you reach the coast. We arrived at Beverly Beach State Park around 4 pm, which was later than we had expected. There is a well established campground a few hundred yards from the beach which proved to be comfortable and convenient. We had long turned off Van Halen and were soon sleeping in a glade near a river next to the Pacific.  

It was much cooler here than even Lincoln City just to the north. This is typical for the Oregon Coast but still took me by surprise. When the sun comes out on the coast, you'll see sunbathers. When the sun is blocked, people are wearing layers as if it is a winter day. Take a bend in the road and you might need your shorts, another bend and then a sweater. It's hard to overestimate how variable the weather is, and both nights we stayed at Beverly Beach, it rained a little bit. Not enough to require reconfiguring our tent, but enough to make us aware of it. But just because it can be misty, foggy, even rainy at times, it is always interesting and often breathtaking. 

Beverly Beach is away from the bustle. Although the whole Oregon Coast is interesting, the stretch from Lincoln City to Florence is my favorite. The area from Bandon to Crescent City California is also incredible, but less accessible without a long drive through the dunes which was beyond the scope of our trip.

Bridge at Beverly Beach

Yaquina Lighhouse is definitely worth a stop, just before you reach Florence. Although we were not able to see the inside of the Lighthouse, we did see glimpses of the gray whales who call the area home, as well as an incredible beach of polished black lava stones. The sound of the waves raking through the stones was loud and unforgettable. 

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

It was fairly brisk at Yaquina Head.

There are many churns in this area of the coast, which are areas where the coast goes inland slightly, like a small bay. Waves enter the churn and make unpredictable, dramatic landfall as well as a roiling motion around the rim of rock. This one is called Devils Churn, and is one of my favorites. I like how the white splashes stand out from the black rock and orange mineral deposits. The weather cleared and we had a bit of sun for this entire stretch of 101.

Devil's Churn

Cape Perpetua is not far from Devil's Churn, just a few miles south, along one of the most twisty, dramatic sections of the coast. 

Cape Perpetua

There is a blowhole here very similar to the ones I've seen on O'ahu. This one is at the inside of another churn. Waves enter the churn and are pushed through lava rock, pressurized by the force and sent out as mist through a hole in the top at a rate of around 3 per minute. Although it looks like steam, it's actually just cold salt water. The waves can get pretty big making landfall just under the bridge!

This is surely one of my favorite areas of the coast, this little bridge with the coastal road snaking along the outlet of Big Creek. It's just a couple of miles before you reach Heceta Head Lighthouse. The distinctive bluffs of Cape Creek, upon which the lighthouse sits, can be seen in the center right of this picture. After the next set of bluffs, the coast flattens out and the dunes begin. Big sand dunes for miles and miles. 

Heceta Head Lighthouse

Wahkeena Creek/Fairy Falls

Wahkeena Creek

I had visited Wahkeena Falls along the glorious Columbia River Gorge historic highway many times before 2014, but this was the first time I ventured beyond the Falls themselves. Well, actually, the second time. The first time was in July when I was visiting Portland, and happened upon this trail. I was looking for interesting watercourses to photograph, and after some prodding, the nice lady at the Multnomah Falls visitor center mentioned Fairy Falls, which are further up from Wahkeena Falls. I didn't have a tripod on that trip, but got a few interesting pictures and it encouraged me to return later in the summer. It turns out there is much more up there than I could have imagined. Wahkeena Falls is fed by Wahkeena Creek which flows in a gorge above the falls, one of the most beautiful areas I've ever visited. It is so green and lush, with all of that water and rainforest, it feels and looks like Maui.  

The hike up is pretty easy, which lowers expectations for what is to come. Once you pass the overlook of the Columbia River Gorge, the trail turns dusty and a little rocky, but nothing a decent pair of sneakers can't handle (I wore my flip flops). 

Eventually I reached Fairy Falls

Fairy Falls

All good things must come to an end, so I headed back down the trail toward Wahkeena Falls.

Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree National Park is about an hour outside Palm Springs and a couple of hours from Los Angeles. It is a plateau with rock formations everywhere, and unusual bushes which are called Joshua Trees. They have leaves similar to a Palm, with twisted branches.

Quite an amazing sunset on the way back to Palm Springs, although that road back can be quite windy.

Fairy Falls

These pictures were taken on my first trip up Wahkeena Creek trail. I wasn't really prepared for the incredible beauty I saw, and I did my best hand-held using props and my hands to keep it level. The light was truly great on this day though and I regret not having my tripod. When I returned a month with better gear or so later, the light was a big harsher at Fairy Falls, but better along the creek. Here are those pictures.

Spun Camera

Wahkeena Falls