Originally shared on Instagram on November 15, 2025. Photography and story by Mark Middleton.
I shot this photograph on the Oregon Coast in the early morning hours of February 2018. I was driving alone, following the fog and the sound of the Pacific — something I’ve done more times than I can count.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve flown into San Diego or Seattle, rented a car, and just driven — tracing the coastline of California, Oregon, and Washington. A few days of open road, quiet trails, and a camera. I stop for good food, coffee, a glass of wine, and the kind of stillness that only the ocean can give.
These drives have become a kind of therapy for me — something I do when life feels too full or when I need to remember what really matters. I’ve watched elk graze outside Redwood National Park, walked windswept beaches, and stood on cliffs like this one, waiting for the light to break through.
This photograph, for me, is about those moments of reconnection — the reminder that sometimes, getting lost is the best way to find yourself again. I’ve been blessed to experience that feeling many times.
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