James Marvin Phelps Photography

Terrible Tilly by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Terrible Tilly Tillamook Rock Light Clatsop County, Oregon June 2026 Perched on a jagged basalt rock 1.2 miles off the Oregon coast near Cannon Beach, Tillamook Rock Light isn't your average postcard lighthouse. Completed in 1881, it earned its terrifying nickname because towering Pacific storms routinely smashed right over the top of the 133-foot-tall tower, launching massive boulders through the glass and flooding the living quarters. The extreme isolation and deafening, constant roar of the ocean drove multiple lightkeepers to madness during their months-long shifts. But its history only got weirder after it was decommissioned in 1957. In the 1980s, the abandoned rock was turned into a columbarium—a final resting place for cremated human remains—housing about 30 urns before its license was revoked. Today, Tilly stands completely abandoned, closed to the public, and claimed by thousands of nesting seabirds and sea lions.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Yaquina Head Lighthouse Newport, Oregon June 2026 Standing tall on a massive basalt headland, Yaquina Head Light is a visual masterpiece. Looming 93 feet above the crashing Pacific surf, this iconic black-and-white tower has guided ships since 1873. Surrounded by dramatic tide pools and swirling seabirds.

Cape Meares Lighthouse by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Cape Meares Lighthouse Tillamook, Oregon June 2026 Standing just 38 feet tall, Cape Meares is the shortest lighthouse on the Oregon coast—but sitting on a 200-foot cliff gives it all the height it needs.

Blumenthal Falls by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Blumenthal Falls Oswald State Park Oregon June 2026 Blumenthal Falls is a small but striking waterfall that cascades onto the beach at low tide, and directly into the Pacific Ocean at high tide. It’s one of the few waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest that can be viewed plunging straight into the ocean.

Wreck of the Peter Iredale by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Shipwreck of the Peter Iredale Fort Stevens State Park Oregon June 2026 In October 1906, the four-masted steel barque Peter Iredale ran aground at Fort Stevens during a fierce Pacific storm. Over a century later, its rusted iron skeleton still emerges from the shifting sands of the Graveyard of the Pacific.

Seaside Serenity by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Seaside Serenity Haystack Rock Cannon Beach Oregon June 2026

Star Fishing by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Star Fishing Western Gull Cannon Beach, Oregon June 2026

Roosevelt Elk Bull by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Roosevelt Elk Bull Cannon Beach, Oregon June 2026 This beautiful elk bull looks stunning in his summer coat, with his antlers in velvet. It was a fun moment in the early morning on the shore of Cannon Beach.

Bald Eagle by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Bald Eagle Cannon Beach, Oregon June 2026 Walking Cannon Beach at low tide early in the morning, I crossed paths with this magnificent creature.

Black Oystercatcher by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Black Oystercatcher Cannon Beach, Oregon June 2026 If you walk past Haystack Rock at low tide, you might hear and see the Black Oystercatcher. With soot-black feathers, yellow eyes, and neon-orange dagger bills, these striking shorebirds are icons of the Oregon Coast.

Ole Bolle Troll by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Ole Bolle Troll Portland, Oregon June 2026 Ole Bolle, the incredible 19ft troll at Nordic Northwest. Handcrafted by Thomas Dambo from recycled wood and pallets, he’s peeking into a little red cabin looking for a snack. A PNW must-see!

Panamint Reflection by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Panamint Reflection Panamint Mountains Cottonball Basin Death Valley National Park California January 2014

Salt Creek Reflection by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Death Valley Memories Salt Creek Reflection Panamint Mountains Cottonball Basin Death Valley National Park California January 2014

Sunrise Inferno by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Death Valley Memories Sunrise Inferno Devil's Cornfield Death Valley National Park California October 2013 Now and then, you get lucky. This spectacular Death Valley sunrise was captured from the Devil's Cornfield, looking east to the Grapevine Mountains.

Desert Contrast by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Death Valley Memories Desert Contrast Mesquite Flat Dunes Death Valley National Park California October 2013 Some places make you feel like you’ve stepped onto another planet; the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley is one of them. No marked trails, just pure shifting golden sand.

Light Painting by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Death Valley Memories Light Painting Artist Palette Drive Death Valley National Park California October 2013

Old Dinah Steam Tractor by James Marvin Phelps Via Flickr: Death Valley Memories Old Dinah Furnace Creek Ranch Death Valley National Park California September 2013 Built in 1894 to replace Death Valley's 20-mule teams, "Old Dinah" was a historic steam tractor and ore wagon. However, the experiment failed. The machine struggled in deep sand, slipped backward on steep grades, and required constant maintenance, quickly proving less reliable than actual mules.