Smith Rock & The Milky Way

On a recent trip to Central Oregon I had to swing by Smith Rock to photograph it at night, and to my surprise you could see a faint outline of the Milky Way despite the near-by towns Terrebonne and Redmond producing light pollution, and to another surprise – nobody else was out there!

Smith Rock State Park packs in more scenery in a square mile than anywhere else in Oregon. The landscape is a feast for the eyes (the crags), the nose (sage and juniper), the ears (bird calls), touch (rocks made of welded tuff) and taste (lick the rocks, I dare you). Just knowing that Smith Rock is less than a three-hour drive southeast of Portland (or 30 minutes north of Bend) keeps many people sane on the five days they can’t be there.