Along the rugged and scenic corridor of Cape Perpetua lies the mysterious Thor’s Well… It is also known to some as the Gate to Hell or the Drainpipe of the Pacific.
The cape has a rich history and was used heavily by Native Americans for thousands of years to gather shellfish for food. The cape was named by Captain James Cook in 1778, as he searched for the Pacific entrance to a Northwest Passage, he discovered it on St. Perpetua’s Day.
This stretch of coastline primarily consists of rough basalt rock and has other interesting natural features such as the Devil’s Churn, Cook’s Chasm and the Spouting Horn.
Thor’s Well is situated right on the edge of the ocean and the phenomenon can only be witnessed around the high tides. During these times the surging tide forces ocean water in from below and bubbles up and out of the opening, sometimes in a violent spray… Then the water drains back down into the abyss (hence the Drainpipe of the Pacific) and the process repeats until the tide recedes.
It is completely and hypnotically mesmerizing to watch, as hours of your life are melted away and washed out to sea with the tide.
To capture these images I used a 6-stop neutral density filter to extend the shutter speed out to around .8 sec. – 1.3 sec. to get the movement, and timed the shutter release as the water began to drain back down into The Well.
After the spectacle at Cape Perpetua, we back tracked a bit to the town of Yachats to check-in to our next nights stay at the Fireside Hotel.
To be continued…
