Roadtrip Images

Valdez Eagles & More There’s lots to photograph in and around Valdez. The wildlife is abundant, especially the eagles. You’ll need some special gear to get good shots though. The Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery There are many places in and around Valdez to view eagles. One of the best however is the Solomon Gulch Fish Hatchery outside of town. This fish hatchery rears massive quantities of Coho and Pink salmon to stock the area fisheries and the waters around the […]

Catching sunrise on the Alaska Range in the summer requires some effort. In June sunrise is at 4:00am!

The scenery in Alaska is just on another level. The mountains, the wildlife, the ocean and the glaciers. And taking a glacier hike was certainly an awesome experience.

Lake Louise is a gorgeous scene in Banff National Park. Just need to capture it at the right time of day.

The Palouse region in Eastern Washington is a very unique photography destination. Rich farmland in a sea of rolling green.

Palouse Falls is an unexpected waterfall in the middle of a very productive farming region.

Thor’s Well on the Oregon Coast is quite the rock formation. It looks like a hole in the ocean at first glance.

Death Valley has many picturesque locations to shoot. One of the best are the sand dunes. Especially at sunrise.

There are many beautiful views in Yosemite and a photographer can spend years here. Here are three that with the right weather can be awesome.

Every year in February Horsetail Falls becomes a Firefall. It only happens if three conditions line up.

Yosemite in the winter is a magical place. And you don’t need blue skies and sunshine either.

The Amalfi Coast in Italy is a wonderful meeting of land and sea. Positano is one of the best examples of an Amalfi Coast town.

The Castel Sant’ Angelo in Rome makes for a dramatic scene, especially at night. Add in a bit of rain for atmosphere too!

So, we decided to take the road trip international. We went to Italy. First stop was Rome and the Vatican.

Another year has come and gone. They go by so fast. Here’s a look at some of the highlights of 2018 as well as some 2019 plans.

Landscape photography is a low percentage game. Great photo’s are infrequent. Many times, despite your best efforts, you strike out.

Death Valley has many iconic locations for photography. One of the lesser known locations is the mud flats. They can be just as photogenic.

Photography in the Narrows is a special experience. The light, the colors and the textures combine for one of the most unique landscape photography locations on the planet.

The Many Pools Trail on Zion’s east side has some wonderful reflection shots. The view off in the distance isn’t bad either.

So, you have your eye on a new 5th wheel and now you’re wondering how much truck do you need to pull it. You’ve come to the right place.

Milky Way Photography takes a few extra steps to do it right but it’s a lot of fun. Especially in a dark sky like Bryce Canyon NP.

Another iconic scene of the old frontier days in the American West. The buck & rail fence. It makes for a nice foreground for the Teton Range.

Getting a nice, clean mirror image photograph requires some special conditions. A smooth lake is an obvious one.

Panorama Photography is a great way to capture the immense scenery in Grand Teton National Park.

It’s the rut season in the Grand Tetons. The moose are getting frisky again. Saw this young pair the other morning.

Early morning moonset over the Teton Range in Grand Teton National Park. We almost didn’t go out since the sky looked pretty bleak at first light.

Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park is an impressive sight. Waterfalls this big require a different approach to photograph.

With the smoke from wildfires making photography difficult all over the West, we’ll take a look back at Glacier NP. 

Glacier NP light rays finally broke through the clouds. Glad we were in a good spot to watch.

We’ve wanted to visit Glacier National Park for some time. Saint Mary Lake on the east side of GNP is a must see.

One of the objectives of this lifestyle is to get off the beaten path a bit more. Going off the grid. To do that we wanted to go solar.

We’ve been offline for awhile taking care of some things. Today’s post marks a restart of sorts…

Sunrise & sunset in the Grand Canyon can bring some wonderful light. Yavapai Point is a great location to experience it…

On one of our last mornings in the park, we were fortunate to witness this misty morning sunrise…

Shooting wildlife in low light is a challenge. Fortunately newer cameras and lenses make it a bit easier…

It’s spring in the Smokies and the bears are out. They didn’t seem too upset with the people trying to get pictures…

The Eureka Dunes in Death Valley are so impressive they deserve another look.

Spent a week working with some great students in Beaumont, TX on a Habitat Build. They gave up their Spring Break to help others in need.   

Many people come to Zion National Park in the Fall to see the Cottonwoods along the Virgin river in full color. In the winter they have another draw for photographers.

The Towers of the Virgin in Zion National Park are an impressive view. Even more so when there’s a clearing winter storm.

The Sailing Stones of Death Valley have intrigued people for years. Only recently have they figured out how they move.

The Eureka Sand Dunes in Death Valley are huge. Some up to 750′ tall. Getting there however requires 43 miles of bone shaking dirt road.

Star trails record the movement of the stars over the course of several hours. Blending that with a recognizable foreground like Zabriskie Point takes some work.

The Badwater Basin in Death Valley has a number of features. The salt flats are probably the most visited but not far away lies another interesting spot. The Badwater Mud Flats.

The view from Zabriskie Point in Death Valley is pretty nice and synonymous with the park. Sunsets from here can be pretty amazing too!

Winter sunrise on the Sierra Nevada Mountains with the Alabama Hills in the foreground. It’s quite a contrast of colors and textures.

Mount Williamson is one of the prominent peaks of the the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. It was also the subject of one of Ansel Adams’ very popular prints. We set off looking for his tripod holes.

The Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Southwest Arizona can look pretty sparse at first but with the right combination of elements a pretty dramatic photograph can be made. Shooting into the sun is one of those elements but you have to overcome some issues first.

Cathedral Rock near Sedona, AZ is one of the iconic views around this interesting city. There are a number of vantage points to view this from. We thought this was one of the better ones.

Now that we’re nearing the end of 2017 I thought I’d look back on where we’ve been and share a little about where we plan to go in 2018.

  Merry Christmas from Arizona!

  Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona should be on everyone’s bucket list. It’s listed as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. When you walk up to the rim for the first time it’s easy to see why.

The Antelope slot canyons near Page, AZ have an amazing array of shapes to photograph. This combined with the reflected light inside the canyon create some amazing images. You can’t just walk through them though, you need a guide.

  The Subway in Zion National Park is an amazing rock formation. Although taking this subway requires a very demanding hike.

The Narrows in Zion National Park is a very unique hike. It’s unique because the river is the trail. You have to hike in the river, sometimes up to your waist.

  The Watchman mountain. It’s one of Zion National Parks most recognizable landmarks. The usual viewpoint for photographers is from a crowded bridge. We found a better spot.

The Wave in Northern Arizona is one of those “must see” locations for a photographer. It’s a little involved to go there but it’s worth the effort.

The area around Page, AZ has a number of interesting features and Horseshoe Bend is one of them. I’ve wanted to photograph this location on the Colorado River for some time.

South of Moab in the Cedar Mesa region, there are a number of Native American ruins to explore. We visited a few.

Not far from Moab, UT lies Canyonlands National Park. Arches NP may be more popular but Canyonlands is far more scenic.

Delicate Arch is one of Arches National Park’s iconic landmarks. Our recent hike there was an interesting visit.

If you’ve been following along on our adventures you know we spent over 3 weeks at Grand Teton National Park in Jackson, Wyoming.

Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park has several homesteads and classic barns that are popular spots for morning shots.

Signal Mountain is a 7720′ summit that is a great vantage point to view the northern end of the Teton range. I had been here many years ago to photograph sunrise with my large format gear. I wanted to come back and explore it again.

We had been scouting locations in Grand Teton National Park for awhile and were on a riverbank when it started to rain. It had been sprinkling on and off most of the day but this one seemed like it was going to last for awhile.

On our way out West, we stopped in the Badlands of South Dakota. We found a cool off the grid campsite just outside the National Park. Not only were the views pretty wild, it was FREE!

Fall comes early in the North country. We’re used to that. But in August? It just seems early to me.

So it’s been awhile since I posted anything. Summer always seems to get in the way. Too much going on and not enough photography. That’s about to change.

We recently had the opportunity to attend the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show & Balloon Festival. We met up with some good friends and expert balloon chasers to show us the ins and outs of hot air ballooning.

Milky Way photographs are very popular online these days so I thought I’d try some more night time sky photography. There’s quite a bit to a shot like this and I learned a few things I’ll do differently next time.

We saw this thunderstorm developing out over the water while doing some work on the boat. Only problem was I didn’t have my camera with me! We’ve been having daily thunderstorms for almost two weeks now but this one seemed different.

There are 129 lighthouses in the State of Michigan and during some recent windy conditions I decided to visit one nearby. It’s called Point Betsie lighthouse and marks a point and shoal area on the Lake Michigan shoreline.

So, we’ve been away from the website for a couple weeks. We were out on the east coast but we didn’t travel in the motorhome. We had an important family event. We became grandparents!

As I mentioned in our “unwinding from a previous lifestyle” post, we had some work to do to get our sailboat ready for spring launch and put up for sale. We completed that work and she recently went in the water for the season. It’s an interesting process.

On April 26, President Trump signed an executive order instructing the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a review of all National Monuments over 100,000 acres created since 1996. His concern is that previous Presidents use of the Antiquities Act overstepped their authority when declaring National Monuments such as Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears. There is a public comment period open now but will end soon.

Northwest Michigan is well known for its abundance of lakes and unique bays off Lake Michigan. It’s truly a boaters paradise in the summer. It’s also well known for its cherry crop and is the self proclaimed “Cherry Capital of the World”. And right now, the cherry trees are in full bloom.

While working on the sailboat to get it ready for spring launch, I still plan to get out and make photographs. It can’t be all work. Gotta have a little play in there too. Case in point is this recent image from Manistee, MI which is near where we’re working on the boat.

When you decide to embark on a location independent, mobile lifestyle, there is some unwinding to do. The longer you’re in a traditional lifestyle, the longer it takes to unwind from it.

With snow at the higher elevations and a few cold mornings at the lower elevations, the afternoon sun warmed things up and the mountains started their spring bloom.  Each day as we drove into the park you could see changes from the day before as more of the tree buds started to open.

On our way North from our winter escape, we stopped for a week in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Although it was early spring there, I think we experienced four seasons worth of weather conditions.

While visiting family near Dallas, we rode out a pretty significant storm. Not a fun thing in a home on wheels. There were lots of predictions and watches up for the area so we kept an eye on the weather radar all evening. 

In last week’s post, we got the framing for a new Habitat for Humanity house well under way. This build took place in Louisiana, just north of New Orleans. In part 2, we finish up the walls and work with a new crew.

Karen and I have had our eye on a Habitat for Humanity group called RV Care-A-Vanners for awhile. Once we got the coach we looked around for a nearby build and found one in Louisiana.

So, our time in Florida has come to an end. It’s only fitting then that we had a nice sunset as we left the Sunshine State.

On a recent visit to Gulf Island National Seashore, a late afternoon scene caught my eye. It was a high contrast situation and the sun reflecting off the water and sand was what I wanted to capture. I didn’t anticipate it at the time but this was a perfect scene for black and white.

For many people, film photography is a thing of the past. Something they gladly left behind once the smartphone came onto the scene. There is a community of photographers out there however that still prefer film. I was one of them.

Well now that Dave has everything done to tow the Jeep it was time to do a shakedown cruise. We really needed to test out and make sure everything on the motorhome worked while we still had a place to fix any issues.

Continuing from last week I finish the install of the supplemental braking system and get the Jeep hooked up to the motorhome.

RV’s need protection from potentially bad campground shore power and the Jeep we tow behind the motorhome needs to brake when the motorhome does.

Now that we have the coach “home” it’s time to get after a few maintenance items. First up is some roof sealant repair.

So, we were all set to attend the Tampa RV show. It’s the largest RV show in the States and we thought it would be fun to check out all the new designs.

Well, if you’ve been following along you know by now that we sold the house and had to be out by the middle of November.

Early in our stay here in the Florida Panhandle, we had an incredible sunset. It just continued to evolve and travel across the sky and didn’t seem to want to end.

Point Lobos on California’s Big Sur coastline is a State Reserve that can keep a landscape photographer busy for days.

Lake Tahoe in winter has some fabulous vistas. Add in a nice sunrise and you have the makings of a memorable photograph.

Yosemite is definitely one of my favorite places to visit, especially in the winter. Since we’re going to be out there in a couple weeks I thought I’d get the juices flowing with this image of Valley View or Gates of the Valley as it’s also called.

After a day of high winds on Lake Michigan, the waves were crashing into the seawall with impressive force.

I’ve made some changes to the equipment I shoot with so I thought I’d make a revision to the camera bag post.

We have heard a lot of comments, some from the posts on forums and others from people we’ve shared our plans with, that they don’t think the wife could or would get rid of all her stuff.

Well, it was a lot of work. I mean a whole lotta work. But we finally emptied out the house and moved out. Another milestone in the rear view mirror.

Now that we’ve sold the house, we have to quickly sell everything in it to be able to travel full time. Enter the garage sale. Three to be precise.

After a slow September, we had a showing on the house. While we were on a photo trip in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula we had a second showing. That night we received an offer!

The first two weeks in October are usually peak times to visit the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for Fall color.

It’s funny how adversity sometimes brings kindred spirits together.

When you decide to travel full time, a whole series of decisions need to be made regarding how much of your stuff to sell off.

This is the second year Karen and I have volunteered for the annual Father Fred Foundation food drive in the Traverse City, MI area. It’s a great local organization that provides many services to those in need.

Every once in a while the light is so incredible that the image almost makes itself. This was one of those times.

So, we finally did it. We put the house up for sale. It has been a long hard push to get to this point but that milestone has finally been reached.

Since we currently live in Northwest Michigan, one of my favorite places to go for a hike is the Empire Bluffs Overlook trail in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. This is the place that Good Morning America named the most beautiful place in America back in 2011.

I’ve tried doing some star trails in the past and they turn out OK but they haven’t been too interesting in my opinion.  Most good landscape images need some kind of foreground element to give the picture some depth or sense of scale. Star trails are no different. They need something to anchor the photo to the ground.

  Here is another example of just being in the right place at the right time. While scouting out this Lake Michigan beach in northwestern Michigan with my daughter, this thunderstorm started to develop far out over the lake.

After 30+ years of marriage and raising a family, we have a lot of stuff. Most families do, so we may not be that unique but I do believe we have much too much, stuff.

Zion National Park is an amazing natural resource and hiking the Narrows and seeing the canyon walls glow in beautiful reflected light is an experience that is hard to put into words.

When you’re out on your road trips and shooting all those epic vistas, don’t forget to take some time to look for smaller scenes.

Most of us like a beautiful sunset. I’m certainly in that group that will spend countless hours at a favorite spot waiting, hoping for that gorgeous sunset. You know, the one that fills the sky with unbelievable color and maybe with a reflection off the water too.

Yosemite is one of my favorite locations and if you can go in the Winter you’re in for a treat. There are no crowds and Yosemite after a snowfall is just incredible. I had been to this location along the Merced river on many occasions and taken a number of photographs. Some were OK but many were just ordinary.

We recently attended the Grand Rapids RV Show in Grand Rapids, MI with the intent of seeing as many motor home floor plans as possible. Since we have not purchased our full time RV yet we thought this would be a good opportunity to compare features and layouts.

Thought I’d talk about what gear I take for photo shoots. I have different gear for different types of shooting so I wanted to discuss that in this post. The old adage of what’s the best camera really is true. It’s the one you have with you. You need to match the camera gear with the event or activity.