CLATSOP COUNTY, Ore. — It’s time to poke around Western Oregon from the valley to the coast on a getaway that offers spring wildflowers, abundant hiking trails and a spectacular waterfall.
State Highway 202 is not the fastest roadway between Portland and the Pacific, but it is the perfect backdoor byway for peace and solitude.
The asphalt unwinds through small burgs called Mist, Birkenfeld and Jewell — places that hold on to history for 50 paved miles to reach Astoria.
A good place to discover Oregon!
Lijah and Gabby Hanley agree that heart-stopping moments are easy to come by on this backroad where little trails lead to big discoveries like Lee Wooden Park just off Highway 202
“Well, this is perfect weather for waterfall shooting,” noted Lijah.
“Oh, it is so beautiful, and I can’t believe we’ve never been here and sun’s coming out too — so gorgeous,” added his wife, Gabby.
The husband-wife team travel the world and capture sights that most of us only dream about.
“This time of year, the moss is starting to green up so everything is just lush. The dampness from all the rain just accentuates and saturates all the colors as well. It is really ideal for waterfall landscape photography like this on an overcast drizzly day like today.”
Today, Lijah eyeballs Fishhawk Falls, the centerpiece of the parkland. The falls does so in a 75-foot foamy moment. He decides on a quick scoot across a downed log for a closer look at the falls.
“I am after a really nice, tight composition! The way the water’s breaking up in the upper falls is nice and then the stream leaves out of the lower left-hand corner to kind of guide your eye into the frame.”
Lijah’s eyes have guided his career for more than 20 years.
“We have a bond because we both enjoy getting out — anywhere — and shooting together does that for us," his wife, Gabrielle Gasche-Hanley, added. "Plus, we run a business together and that’s been really rewarding.”
That much is certain — Lijah picked up his first camera at age 9, and it was a leftover from his mother’s own portrait photography business.
From that moment on, he said he was “hooked.”
“It was awesome! It was my mom’s old Canon Rebel and I fixed the broken shutter and started shooting pretty much anything in my backyard," he said. "From bugs to flowers and anything else that might be around the house. It soon became an excuse to go on longer adventures and explore the northwest.”
At 13, Lijah Hanley won a National Geographic photo contest, and the prize included an all-expense paid trip with a professional photographer to Machu Picchu in Peru.
It was a fine start for a young man on the fast track to become one of the region’s best. He continues to relish the opportunity to travel and shoot anywhere, anytime of the year.
Together they capture beautiful images where the light pierces the scene and creates magic that feels just right. Soon, another Highway 202 pull-off feels right at home at the Jewell Wildlife Area.
The refuge manager Bryan Swearingen greeted the young couple and explained, “Our elk are here all year-round, and if it turns warm and sunny in the afternoon the elk will often move to the edges of the fields or back up in the trees where it’s cooler. Mornings and evenings are best times when it’s warm and sunny from beginning mid-April thru the late summertime.”
Lijah is a big believer in a simple approach to wildlife photography, so he tries to isolate each subject.
“The elk — at a couple of the viewing areas — will come right up next to you. It’s incredible to be that close and personal with these big animals," he said. "We love shooting in the fog or the snow to create these crisp white backdrops so you can really focus on the animal and see all the texture in the fur, their horns or antlers — really isolate the animal against the backdrop.”
Gabby and Lijah agree that it’s important to “dive deep” wherever you travel: it’s the journey that supports the destination.
“We don’t necessarily go to the biggest spots that everyone goes to, the touristy spots, but we look around the area and see what you can find that’s unique and special and little more off the beaten path.”
So, hurry here soon and then slow down on a backroad byway that’s one of the very best around!
Be sure to join us for the next Grant’s Getaways, when we continue to travel along Astoria’s Backdoor Byway with more whistle stops that offer you a chance to meet birdlife up close at the Wildlife Care Center of the North Coast and a fine break from the road life on a lunch stop at the Olney Saloon and General Store.
Be sure to watch the weekly half hour program of Grant’s Getaways. The show airs each Saturday and Sunday at 4 p.m. on KGW.
For something different, you can follow my Oregon adventures via the Grant’s Getaways Podcast. Each segment is a story-telling session where I relate behind the scenes stories from four decades of travel and television reporting.
You can also learn more about many of my favorite Oregon travels and adventures in the Grant’s Getaways book series, including:
- "Grants Getaways I," Photography by Steve Terrill
- "Grant's Getaways II," Photography by Steve Terrill
- “Grant’s Getaways: 101 Oregon Adventures,” Photography by Jeff Kastner
- “Grant’s Getaways: Guide to Wildlife Watching in Oregon,” Photography by Jeff Kastner
- “Grant’s Getaways: Oregon Adventures with the Kids,” Photography by Jeff Kastner
The book collection offers hundreds of outdoor activities across Oregon and promises to engage a kid of any age.
You can reach me: Gmcomie@kgw.com.