Grand Canyon North Rim Sunset

The 8 hour rule...

I was in California much of the last 2 months of my trip and got to know most of the rest areas along I5 and elsewhere. For the most part they are clean (except the mess outside of Lassen) and safe for the weary traveler. However, they have this ridiculous rule ... you can't stay more than 8 hours out of 24. I understand why ... to a point. They don't want someone living in the rest area. That's what I heard from one snarky cleaning guy as I set up my computer on a picnic table under some big redwood trees up north. I suggested perhaps he was slightly outside his job description and that I had no intention of 'living' in his little kingdom but I did expect some courteous from him. I was a customer and deserved to be treated as such. He crawled away after that but it still made me mad. I used their roads and paid an obscene amount for gas (up to $1 more per gallon than surrounding states) so I indirectly paid part of his salary. When it's very hot and your ride is struggling in the heat you want to pull over and maybe find some shade until the sun get lower in the sky and it cools off some. Or you're tired and want to find a place to cook dinner and sleep ... well 8 hours isn't really enough to do that. But, once the rule exists, there's always someone who feels compelled to enforce it literally. So, when the state trooper would cruise through the area every hour and give you that hard stare you knew it was time to move on ... even if you weren't really ready. It was an insult to a traveler in their state and dangerous. So ... please ... whoever wrote that rule (and similar rules in several other states ... I'm looking at you AZ), back off some ... OK. Make it an unwritten rule ... no one can actually 'live' in a rest area but enforce it with compassion. Is that too much to ask?

Grand Canyon North Rim Sunset

I was heading toward Albuquerque and the cycle's end but wanted to make one last stop. I drove up I15 through Las Vegas and dropped down toward the north rim of the Grand Canyon. It's a very different experience than the south rim. 2500 feet higher, more forested and cooler. And, quite frankly, the canyon looks and feels different. The place was full and then some so I wound up sleeping in the parking lot of the Grand Canyon Lodge for 2 nights but I really wanted to finish this cycle on a high note. On the second day I went out to Cape Royal, a 17 mile drive from the Lodge, and spent the day scouting all the vistas along the drive. There were many but only one, the group picnic area at Cape Royal, gave me a reasonable shot at seeing the actual sunset. So, as I always do, I hung around throughout the long afternoon and, as sunset approached, made my way to the chosen spot. It was a shear cliff, at least 1000 feet straight down, but gave me the vantage point I wanted. I got the usual stares and the obligatory "you're going out there?" question as I set up my equipment and waited for the perfect moment. This time mother nature smiled on me and provided a really beautiful ending to her day. So, enjoy the view ...

Grand Canyon North Rim - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Mono Lake Sunset

Cycle is finished...

I'm back in Crimea. Simple statement but with significant implications. The first cycle of my wandering is over. I ran out of gas ... figuratively ... and decided I needed some time back in a familiar environment where I could recover and clean up the amazing number of images I collected over the last 3 months. Haven't added up the total but it's well over 10,000. Not bad for 3 months work. There's lots of good stuff in there but it needs to be culled and sorted and analyzed. I know there's lots of mistakes in the Lightroom database ... keywords aren't right and some images are in the wrong place. And I need to fix a lot of bad stuff in those pictures. For example ... many of my images have jet contrails in them. Really out of place when the subject is nature and her beauty. So I'll be learning all about healing brushes in both Photoshop and Lightroom in the coming days. I've also got issues with how Photomatix treats noise. Seems that several noisy images creates a real mess in Photomatix. I get popcorn sized kernels in the sky for some reason. The best solution I have right now involves running Noiseware on all the images and aggressively knocking back the luminescence noise both before and after Photomatix. That works but there's a price ... I lose some resolution and I hate to give even a little up after so much effort to capture it. But because the final image is almost noise free I can aggressively sharpen and not see any additional sky noise. That helps ... some. But I need to get on the Internet and see what can be done about this problem.

Some statistics for you:

Miles traveled almost 10K. Number of major places visited is 32+. Number of days on the road tops out at about 75 give or take. I'm now an expert on rest areas in 5 states. I've seen more McDonalds than I care to remember (for the free WiFi) and have buckets full of memories ... both good and bad. I'll be talking about much of this in the coming days and weeks so stop by regularly. I promise to be more diligent in my postings ... it turns out to be very hard to find accessible Internet connections that don't have lots of 'issues' and I needed electricity too as my laptop battery went south early in the trip. It's a problem I need to resolve before the next cycle begins.

Image issues...

Most of the images I've put on this blog have been OK but almost every one has issues. I mentioned the contrails and noise already but there's a whole host of things that aren't really right. I plead my situation as the cause ... it's almost impossible to find a good place to edit photos on the road. I often had to set the computer on my truck's tailgate and edit under a tree. Reflections were a constant problem and, as any editor can tell you, background light can make a mess of your colors and everything else. I did all I could but I was often rushed. It was more important to get the images ... to spend time scouting out locations during the day and photograph during the golden hours. Working at night was often prohibited as national parks impose a strict generator rule (no later than 8 pm in most cases ... just as the sun was setting). Everything conspires to make editing a major problem. So, I'll probably be posting some of these images again after they've been given the respect they deserve. Hope you don't mind.

Mono Lake Sunset

Mono Lake is one of those really unusual places in the world. Because it's trapped with no drainage, over time it has become very salty and alkaline. Something like 3.5 times the salinity of the oceans and 100 time more alkaline. When the wind blows, even a little, foam forms on the shore. But, contrary to the opinion of one Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain), the lake is not dead. It's brimming with life ... brine shrimp and small flies thrive there in the spring and summer. And birds ... huge flocks of birds come. I was amazed that it's the nesting ground for 80% of all seagulls in California. And it's a major flyway stopover for birds migrating north and south. It's anything but dead. But it's at risk ... big time. The LA water authority, in the 20s, confiscated the fresh water sources for the lake and sent the water west to feed the growing metropolis. Mono Lake started to dry up and that created a major disaster. Only through a long and costly legal battle has the lake been able to partially recover. Of course, just when there's a light at the tunnel's end, the drought really took hold of the west and the recovery plan is in danger again. There's no water, almost no snow pack, and that's spells disaster. They need water and there's none to be found.

Anyway, I was in Yosemite and it was just too tempting to take rt. 120 over the Sierra Nevada and drop down on rt. 395 for a one day visit. I arrived early and went to the visitor's center. It was obvious that the big draw was the tufa ... the calcium carbonate tubes that grow in the alkaline environment of the lake. They form when fresh water, brimming with calcium leached from volcanic mountains to the south, interacts with the alkaline salt water of the lake to form crystals of calcium carbonate. You can actually watch this happen when the conditions are just right. So, in the really oppressive heat of the afternoon, I drove to the south end of the lake and wandered out to the huge formations on the shore. They're not really all that pretty up close but, as a backdrop to a spectacular sunset, they are perfect. It was one of those moments a photographer dreams about and now it's here for you to enjoy.

Mono Lake Sunset - 35mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Not much here technically. I bracketed the shot as the dynamic range was way too much for my sensor. Then into Photomatix to get the tone mapped image followed by some final added touches in Lightroom.

Lassen Volcano National Park

I apologize ...

I have to humbly apologize for being sloppy. I've ignored this blog for some time now and it's mostly my fault. I've been in places where internet access is just not that good or that cheap. California and now Oregon are becoming free internet deserts. When I started this in Utah and Arizona I was always able to find a free internet connection somewhere. Usually in a campsite or in a national park ... somewhere. But California has broken my back. I've not found a single state park that has internet access and campgrounds .... HA HA HA. You've got to be kidding ... right? For $33 I get a bare campsite and maybe an expensive shower but none of them think free internet is somehow a draw. And forget the usual commercial establishments. McD has plastered all over the place signs warning you that loitering is prohibited. You have 30 minutes to eat your food and get the hell out. And, many don't have electrical outlets so I can plug my now battery free laptop in. So I've been taking my pictures and hoping I'd eventually be able to find the place with electricity and a tolerant staff to let me do this. In desperation, I came into an McD this morning and found lots of plugs. I just sat down and started typing like crazy, hoping no one would come over and tell me to get out. So far, they haven't so I've been able to get lots of work done. This is my last post for now and hopefully you've got some nice pictures to admire. And I'll try to be more aggressive and, during the next 2 weeks, get some more posts out.

Going home for a while

The time has come for me to exit America for a while and go back to my family. I've got thousands of images that need processing and I can't do that sitting on the tailgate of my pickup. I have a nice little office in our flat and lots of time to work so I've almost concluded my trip. I'll be back in December for another round. But you need not despair ... I'll blog as I process my images and provide pithy comments about the world's gradual slide into chaos and other interesting issues. You should come back because buried in that hugh stash of images are some really beautiful stories and things to see. And I'll hopefully be more forthcoming about my techniques. I'll be exploring Photoshop and Lightroom a lot more during this rest period and I'll let you know what I find. I'll on I5 right now just north of Sacrament, slowly making my way south. I'll be hitting Yosemite and King's Canyon and maybe Death Valley before turning east and spending a few days on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. I've got 2 weeks to fill before hitting Albuquerque on June 25th. I leave for Russia on the 28th.

Lassen Volcano and Manzanita Lake

Lassen Volcanic National Park is a place more people should visit. It's got so much to learn and see. It's the only place in the world where you can see all 4 types of volcanoes. It has sulfur vents and mud pots and steam and ... well, it has everything. 100 years ago last March it blew, making it only 1 of 2 volcanos to do that (Mt. Saint Helens is the other). You really should go visit.

I took this image on the 2nd day of my visit. Lake Manzanita is right at the north portal and gives one a beautiful view of the volcano. I was forced to get this shot early as the clouds were disappearing, blown to the west by a strong wind. By the time sunset came the sky was clear. So the image isn't perfect but it's still very nice. No pano here, just a straight HDR shot. Photomatix and Lightroom were all I used. Hope you enjoy and visit this special place.

Lassen Volcano with Manzanita Lake - 24mm(1.6 crop),f/11,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Crater Lake ... day 4

Crater Lake ... day 4

It's with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to Crater Lake. It's such a beautiful, peaceful place. It's hard to imagine that beneath that tranquility lies a still active but dormant volcano. Most people assume it's dead because there's no steam rising from the cone. But the rangers will tell you that there are thermal springs at the bottom of the very deep lake and that the USGS believes the volcano will, someday, awaken again. Not for a long time but someday.

Anyway, I sadly packed my truck for the last time and headed for the rim for one last picture. It was absolutely the wrong time ... just after noon ... when I arrived. Any pro will tell you to stay away from the sky at that time of day because everything gets washed out by the intensity. But the sky was so damn beautiful with all the white clouds and the blue ... oh man. And the lake was unbelievable blue due to it's clarity and depth. Yes, the water is actually that deep marine blue. Everyone who sees it is blown away by the color. This is one of the cleanest bodies of fresh water in the world. No inflowing rivers to dump junk. All the water comes from rain and melting snow. And it is cold .... so, I set up the camera and took my pictures expecting they'd come out crappy. How surprised was I when this emerged from Photoshop. So, don't be afraid to take a chance when the sun is shining bright ... you might just get something spectacular.

Crater Lake Daytime - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Crater Lake Sunrise

Crater Lake Sunrise ... finally

You may have realized I'm not a morning person. Sleep is too precious to me. So, when I wake early, which I do most days, I look not for a reason to get up but for a reason to return to sleep. And, unfortunately, most morning I find an excuse. It's usually the lack of stars which tells me there's thick cloud cover and a sunrise trip isn't worth the effort. Fortunately, this morning there were lots of stars at 4 when I looked out my truck's window and a nice scattering of clouds. So I crawled out of my warm sleeping bag and made the 7 mile trip to the crater. The sun was still well below the horizon but that wasn't going to last much longer. I literally ran up the hill to the spot I'd already chosen for my sunrise shot and I got the camera ready. It was worth the effort ... don't you think?

Crater Lake Sunrise - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Crater Lake - day 2

I'm cursed I think ... or very lucky

Bad weather seems to follow me. On this trip I've seen more snow, wind, rain and cold than I'd every anticipated. And it continues here in Crater Lake. It started raining last night and rained and rained ... and the fog which I had so desperately tried to get away came back in massive quantities. All day the crater was shrouded in fog and I sat in my truck and chewed my finger nails and cursed the weather god once again. When will I get some luck? Well ... it's said that a photographer's best friend is bad weather. That's when you get the most dramatic skies and the most awesome sunsets. So, keep on coming bad weather.

Crater Lake Sunset ... day 2

After a day of rain I noticed, as I huddled in my little truck, that the sky was clearing. With high hopes, I drove the 7 miles to the crater edge and this is what awaited me. I hurriedly set up my camera and started snapping. Lots of frames later I had my image. Used the same processing as I always do with HDR panos and now I present you with Crater Lake at it's best.

Crater Lake Sunset - 16mm(1.6 crop),f/18,HDR,ISO 100,license CC BY-NC 4.0

Crater Lake Sunset

The San Fran Bust

I have to report that San Francisco was a huge bust. I was so concerned about my truck and breakins that I was distracted from doing what I wanted to do. There has been an epidemic of car robberies lately and I couldn't find anywhere to park my truck and feel safe. Even at the Cliff House, a very famous restaurant on the beach, it was made very clear to me that I shouldn't leave anything of value in my truck or it would most certainly be stolen. Well, I have computers, generators and camera gear in there and I wasn't really comfortable leaving any of that stuff for very long. So, after 2 very frustrating days, I just drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and kept heading north. Maybe next cycle I'll be able to figure out a way of leaving the truck in a safe place and simply using the very good public transportation. But, this time, I have nothing worth showing. Sorry.

Crater Lake Sunset

I drifted along the California coastline, trying to get some good stuff. It was very frustrating to spend hours sitting in a spot with beautiful rock formations and crashing waves only to be frustrated as, around 3 in the afternoon, the fog would start drifting in and, by sunset, I couldn't see the rocks, the surf or the sunset. It's not too interesting photographing fog. So, after several days of this I turned the truck away from the coast and headed north toward Crater Lake. I didn't really escape the bad weather all together as it rained for 2 days while I was there but I was able to get some really nice images. I'll not bore you with the details ... just let you drink in the absolute beauty of this special place.

Crater Lake Sunset - 16mm(1.6 crop),f.18,HDR,ISO 100, license CC BY-NC 4.0