Rock Harbor Sunset

Looking to scout some new locations on the Cape for photography, I found myself at Rock Harbor in Orleans. I had never been here before, but it's a great sunset location, looking directly west. It's probably the first over-water western view on the Cape and is just a few minutes off the highway.

The harbor itself is very unique, lying about one mile in from the sand flats that extend out to the ocean. It's only accessible by a narrow channel at high tide. Along the way to the harbor are trees that serve as channel markers with signs rather than traditional buoys.

This is one of those beaches where crowds turn out to take in the view. So, it's not exactly a quiet spot, but everyone is friendly and interested in the colors. With the amount of people, I was surprised to see a crane fly in so close and was glad I was able to grab at least a few shots of it in the channel when the sky had turned a deep purple.

Managed to spend a few hours here pre- and post- sunset, so more pictures of different areas are coming soon!