Edge of the Hurricane

Last week Peaks Island had the fortune (or misfortune) of being on the edge of the passing Hurricane Bill. Mix that with some very high tides brought on by the full moon and last week the back shore (the shore facing east, towards the open ocean) got pounded by a lot of very awesome waves.

My Dad piled my Mom, me, and two dogs into the car and we took a ride around the island, cameras in hand. It's a small island, only three miles wide at it's longest end and about five miles around. So, we were on the back shore in no time. And, we weren't the only ones.

Lots of people turned out to watch the awesome forces of nature hit the island. Some even tried to defy the forces of nature by sitting out on rocks and almost daring the waves to hit them. Of course, some got doused. And, of course, there is always the stories in the papers the next day of someone getting hit by a wave, sucked out by the undertow of the ocean, and drowning.

Luckily, no one on the island got killed. Just wet. Very very wet.

But it did make for a great day of taking photos. Churning seas, massive waves, and onlooking crowds made it hard to take a bad picture.

One of the spots we stopped and took a bunch of photos was a place called "Whaleback". It's a strip of rocks that looks like a humpback whale's long back.

Over the years I'm amazed it's still standing after taking the constant pounding from the ocean. My Mom says in the last few years pieces of it have eroded away but, over all, it's still standing strong.

To see how large the waves are click on the second photo and see if you can find the little people on the left watching the show. It makes it easy to see how one can get hit by a rogue wave and snagged out to sea before you even know what's going on.

And here is my Dad, rocking his Colorado pride, having a great time on a great day. He has the smile on his face of a happy little kid. Don't be surprised if this photo shows up on his Facebook page soon. I think it's a great shot of him.

So, thank you Hurricane Bill. Thank you full moon. And thank you Mother Nature.

You put on one hell of a show.