On The Road Again...

Okay, so I've been remiss.

I try to update my blog, at the very least, when I travel. I didn't do this during the last trip I made, which was back in June. It was a great trip, there just weren't a lot of photo ops, and that's kinda' what I'm about.

Regarding that trip, though, I will say this: Barberian's Steakhouse in Toronto has, without question, the finest steak on the planet. At 47 years old, I've had more than a few steaks, and there is simply none better. Not cheap, mind you. Dinner for five was over $700.00, but it was amazing; well worth the price of admission.

I guess, now, I'm nothing but a corporate shill. I'm cool with that.

I'm sitting in my den, pondering the almost completely packed suitcase on the couch across the room. It mocks me.

I've been looking forward to this trip for a while. In fact, I think I've been looking forward to this trip than I have any other I've done.

I'm leaving in a few hours for Calgary, Alberta. Whence I land, I'll be meeting up with my buddy Andy Lund. We'll then drive west to Canmore, Alberta. Canmore's a little town in the Canadian Rockies which sees its' population more than triple during the Canmore Folk Music Festival. We're one of the festival sponsors this year. Andy's a festival veteran, having done many around the United States, but this one's my first.

Before the festival, though, we've got some cool things on the schedule. Tomorrow morning we'll be rafting down the Bow River. Tomorrow night, we've got a radio interview to do. The festival starts Saturday and runs through Monday (which is a holiday up there). Then we'll spend next week doing shows in Canmore, Calgary, and Edmonton.

Our accomodations in Canmore should be cool. When it looked like the only place in town was going to be two rooms at the local Econo-Lodge (say it with me now: "Blech"), I was able to score a one-week rental of a two bedroom condo right in Canmore.

I've packed too much; I always do. I'd rather not fall short in the "Dude, I've Got No Clean Socks" Department. I've got two bags (ones a gym bag 'cause, you know, I go to the gym). I've got way too many packs of cigarettes but, at $12.00 a pop in Canada, I'd rather be bringing some home than running out.

So, I hope to maintain this little narrative during the trip. There are certainly going to be more than enough photo ops. I'm taking my Canon 40D (with a full lens assortment) and my Canon G10 and Andy's taking my Canon 20D. I'm thinkin' we've got it covered.

More from the road later...

I Love Layovers...

I'm sitting in the Aviator's Club in Denver International. For those of you who don't know, it's the only place in the airport where you can enjoy a smoke. Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm working on it.

Some hammerhead of a woman just walked in here, had a cigarette, and walked out. Ordinarily, that would be of no special note. Unfortunately, this woman was pushing a stroller.

You can see the problem.

One of the waiters told her that their "legal age" policy is strictly enforced. The woman decided it would be a good idea to argue. Freakin' brilliant. The smoker in me has to give her credit, though. She used the time she spent arguing with the waiter to smoke her cigarette. I think the waiter was a breath away from calling airport security when she said "Fine! I'm leaving!"

Some people's kids, I swear.

There's another woman sitting two tables from me, wearing the most ridiculous looking hat I've ever seen. Actually, it's not that ridiculous. It just adopts that special status on her. She's also using a cigarette holder that's a mile long.

I enjoy flying through Denver for this reason. As a photographer, I watch people. Sadly, most or of an ilk I prefer not to photograph, such a Hat Woman. But it's an interesting commentary, I think, on the general appearance of society. People have stopped caring what they look like.

I'm wearing jeans, a button down shirt, and shoes. Nothing fancy, but certainly presentable. Such appears to not be the case with the woman, seated at the bar, wearing sweat pants with the word "JUICY!" spread across her impressively large ass. That's not juice. That's sausage gravy.

A guy at the bar is juggling quarters. Another is leaning almost completely across the bar so he can hear the Yankee game. The guy next to him appears to be either asleep or dead. I truly suspect the former, but the latter would make for a better story.

Oh, my. Hat Woman has a cow-print purse. The woman is the personification of fashion.

Watching people like this makes you wonder how people look at you. I'm rarely concerned with what someone's perception of me is. At 47, it's highly unlikely that I'll be changing any time soon if someone doesn't care for me.

But, for God's sake, the least I can do is dress well...

Day 7...

I don't normally do seven day trips. Leaving San Diego on a Monday and returning on a Sunday is a rarity for me, and I'm not a big fan of it. For some reason, I think I would almost rather stay two or three days longer. Somehow, it just doesn't seem as bad.

But this was a good trip. I'd never been to northern British Columbia, despite intentions to the contrary. The photo ops were plentiful. The drive from Hinton, Alberta through Jasper National Park is one I would definitely like to make again.

Alberta, from Grande Prairie to Edmonton, was flat, straight, and long. Not necessarily something I'd like to do a second time.

My drive today is a short one; from the Hampton Inn & Suites in Leduc, Alberta to the Edmonton International Airport, which is just down the road. I'm guessin' 20 minutes or so.

I think I can handle that...

The Beginning Of The End...

My drive from Grande Prairie to Edmonton was uneventful.

And straight.

And very, very flat.

What should've taken about four hours took more like 5-1/2, and it felt like six. It just wouldn't end.

I fly back to San Diego tomorrow. Today will be spent with a client here in Edmonton, some dinner tonight, and then an 11:00am flight tomorrow, with a layover in Denver. If you have to have a layover, Denver'snot a bad place to do it.

This has been a good week, both business-wise and leisure-wise. Jasper National Park remains, clearly, the high point. Incredible views, amazing wildlife; just an all-inclusive damn good time.

All I need to do is get through today incident-free, and this week is in the books...

Heading North...

The morning of Wednesday, May 14, we left the Price George, BC for the thriving metropolis of Fort St. John, BC. Fort St. John sits about five hours north.

We fueled up in Prince George, and decided to drive for about an hour and then stop for some breakfast. What we failed to realize at the time, though, is that, up here, there aren't exactly a lot of places to stop and eat once you're outside the towns.

Our luck held solid, though. About an hour into the drive, we happened upon "The Grizzly Inn":



Now, I'd told Wayne that I wanted to find some local "greasy spoon" as opposed to a Denny's or something like that. Well, mission accomplished. They come no greasier than The Grizzly Inn.

But it was good.

When we sat down, our waiter told us that it was too late for breakfast. When I asked if there was no way to get breakfast, he replied "Not really. My Mom can't cook breakfast to save her life". So, I asked "Do you cook?". He replied that he did and, if we could wait until his Mom finished cooking lunch for another table, he'd be happy to cook breakfast.

Score.

The drive was plagued by some rather extended bouts of rain; sometimes hard. Unlike the drive from Hinton to Prince George, there wasn't a lot of wildlife to see. We did, however, see a black bear along the side of the road. He was a little bigger than the one I'd seen the day before. Time wasn't on our side, so we opted not to stop.

Our next stop was several hours later, after the coffee had run its' course. After negotiating a rather extended grade down the mountains, we stopped at a most welcome rest stop. We were driving down the "Pine Grade", so this was the "West Pine" rest stop:



Wayne was shy at first:



It was cold down here, but we didn't mind walking around in shirt sleeves. The snow was not far away, though:



Wayne and I each wanted shots of ourselves with the snow in the background. I know, I know. Who cares. I always take a lot of photos of the people I travel with, but rarely am I on the other side of the camera. Ergo, you get photos of us with snow in the background:





We'll be leaving for Grand Prairie, Alberta later this morning. This drive will be a welcome one; only about two hours or so. That'll be a nice change from the 5-1/2 hours I've dealt with each of the last two days...

Jasper National Park: A Study In Break Pads...

I lit out of Hinton, Alberta after a rather hearty breakfast at the hotel. I stopped at a Petro Canada to fill up, and I was on my way.

It had rained a bit Monday night, but it seemed to have moved on a bit. The drive was met with periods of rain and some sunshine, although the majority of the time it was just overcast. That has a downside and an upside. The downside is that the colors in the photos tend not to be as vivid as they would be if I was shooting in the sun. The upside is that I didn't have to deal with harsh shadows created by the sun. All in all, it was a trade off I didn't mind making.

My "ride" for this trip is a 2009 Dodge Nitro. Kinda' boxy on the outside, but it's nice and roomy on the inside. It also has a good deal of power if I need it. And, as far north as I'll be heading on this trip, I still don't think I'll need the 4X4:



My first encounter was with a deer. Don't ask me what kind of deer; I don't know. Whitetail, maybe? Really, I don't know. "The kind of deer that eats fruits and leaves and stuff". How about that?



I was a bit surprised that, when I got out of the car, the deer just stood there. I would've expected it to dart off into the woods. There were two of them, though, so I guess they figured they could take me if I got too close.

So, I figured I had my "wildlife shot", but I kept the Canon 40D on the passenger seat. You know, just in case. Well, I'm glad I did. As I came around a bend, I saw a camper and two cars pulled over to the side of the road. As I got closer, I saw why:



This male elk was standing, literally, at the side of the road. There was another nearby, but it seemed to have more than a passing interest in the Bounder RV parked on the roadside. But when I say "roadside", I mean "roadside":



Since I knew I'd be making this drive, I decided to bring the full photo rig. I've gotten to the point that, when I travel, I only bring the Canon G10. But, since I'd never been here before, and because I've heard about the wildlife here, I decided to bring the 40D, the Sigma 17-70mm, and the "Bigma"; the Sigma 50-500mm Sigma. It really had some benefits:



I'd gotten out of the truck and got down on one knee for that shot. When the elk lifted his head to look at me, I immediately turned to see just how far away from the truck I was. You know... just in case. Those antlers may have been fuzzy, but I was pretty sure I didn't want to feel just how soft as he pinned me to the ground with them.

The elk gave me one last glance as I got back into the truck. I still had a long drive ahead of me and, as much as I would've loved to have been able to just stay here and shoot these magnificent animals, I had to get back on the road.

The drive itself had periods of grandeur and boredom. I have this habit that, when I'm bored, and a camera is nearby, I'll take photos of just about anything:





Oh, and if it wasn't for GPS, I have know idea where I'd have ended up.

Jasper National Park is at no loss for vistas. This is one of those instances where I would've paid for more sun:



This is another "Damn, I wish there was more sun" shot. This is Moose Lake. Here in mid-May, it's still largely frozen over:



After driving a while, I was light on coffee (which is never good). I found the Cafe Mt. Robson, so I stopped in:



As nice as this place was, I was the only one in the restaurant. I'm guessing the owner was glad I didn't order any food, so he wouldn't have to clean the grille.

Before long, the wildlife started showing up again. This herd of elk were off in a field a few hundred yards from the road:



I saw more elk than anything else:



There were so many elk, I was worried I was going to wear out the brakes. It seemed that, around every turn, there was another reason to stop and grab the camera.

I finally decided that I had more than enough elk photos to satisfy all the need for elk photos that mankind may ever have. So, I set the camera on the passenger seat and headed down the road.

About an hour outside of Prince George BC, I was thankful that all the stopping I did in Jasper hadn't worn out the brakes. On the side of the road was a black bear. I couldn't get on the brakes fast enough and, to be honest, I almost ran off the road trying to stop. Hey, that'll happen when you're doing 140 (kph):



Unlike when I was shooting the elk and the deer, I opted to stay in the truck when I shot the bear. He was a juvenile, but I'm pretty sure that, at best, I'd have had my hands full if he came after me. I erred on the side of caution with my decision to just roll the window down and shoot from the driver's seat.

Up until yesterday morning, I would've said that Banff National Park was just about the most perfect place on the planet, and I have said as much, and I've said it often. But Japser offered so much more. The vistas were every bit as perfect, and the wildlife viewing opportunities of Banff simply cannot compare with those of Jasper; it's simply no contest.

So we're off to Fort St. John today. It's about a five hour drive, so we want to get on the road. I'm not planning for too many photo-ops along the way but, you know, sometimes you just never know...

Well, this is certainly a trip I’ve been looking forward to.

As I’ve said before, Banff National Park is just about the most perfect place I’ve ever been. The scenery rips the breath out of you. Well, on this trip, I’ll be driving through Jasper National Park, on my way from Hinton, Alberta to Prince George, British Columbia. I’m told Jasper is even more inspiring than Banff, so I’m looking forward to that.

Sitting in the Aviator’s Club in Denver International, though, all I can do is wait. There have been no delays thus far, so knock on wood. I’ve been enjoying some coffee, a smoke, and ESPN on the widescreen. Flying in, the Rockies were covered in snow, so I suspect I’ll be seeing some of that once I start driving west from Edmonton later this afternoon.

We shall see…

Well, it's certainly been some time since I posted anything. Seems like regardless the desire, the action sometimes rarely follows. I'll try to rectify that here in the near future. I've got a trip planned to northern British Columbia the week after next, and I'm starting to piece together one to Newfoundland in the summer; likely July.

But, as much as my travels permit me some amazing photographic opportunities, they pale in comparison to those of a very good friend of mine, Holt Webb.

I first met Holt at a meeting of the San Diego chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers. At the time, he worked at a local camera shop, and made me some pretty killer deals on camera gear at a time when good deals were exactly what I needed. I was starting to get heavily into digital photography, and that gear doesn't come cheap. Holt helped me out with some, well, let's call it "special" pricing.

Anyway, Holt and I developed a friendship that was deeply rooted in a love for photography. Holt's a pro. I picked his brain every chance I got.

Well, one day, Holt told me he'd be leaving his gig at the camera shop, and would be embarking on a project that he'd dreamed about doing for some time. He called it "Vanishing America". I won't go into what his project entails, other than to say it's admirable and all-consuming. You can check out the project here.

So, Holt was hittin' the road.

He's been back to San Diego a few times since he started the project; three, I think. It's always good to see him when he's back. I try to follow his travels and his exploits on his website, and we e-mail back and forth, but there's nothing like catching up over dinner, trading war stories, and just having a beer or three.

Okay, I lied. Let me tell you the Cliff Notes version of what it is he's doing.

Holts is travelling around the country in a motorhome, documenting those things in our country that are in danger of disappearing forever. He's documenting this with his camera. His photos are varied. He's shot wild mustang herds and he's shot soon-to-be-gone mid-America general stores. He's shot airplane graveyards and abandoned YMCA's. The guy is always shooting.

Along with his motorhome (named "BABS", for "Big Ass BuS"), which is wrapped in one of his photos of the Okeefenokee Swamp...



He's pulling a highly modified Range Rover Defender, known as "The Greasy Beast":



What's cool about both of these is that they run on vegetable oil or diesel fuel. Holt tries to be as environmentally conscious as he can, hence the transformation of both of these vehicles to run on "veggie oil".

I'm not sure how many miles he's logged in these two, but it's a bunch. Cross country trips are not uncommon (he leaves for Tennessee this Saturday night).

So, why am I going on and on about my buddy Holt? Well, because I think what he's doing is just about as cool as it gets. Being a photographer, there's a degree of envy. How cool would it be to spend five years (which is his plan) taking photos? Unfortunately, the reality is that keeping this project on the road isn't cheap.

He has sponsors and some small benefactors, but the fact of the matter is that money is what makes the Vanishing America world go 'round.

If you go to Holt's website, you'll see where you can buy his photographs. For fine art photography, his prices are damn good. You should buy one. You should buy several. If you need artwork, well, there ya' go.

If you're reading this after following a link on Facebook, join the Vanishing America cause. There are over 1,000 members in that cause. If every member donated $25.00 to the cause, it would be a ridiculously huge boost to this project. He's in talks with the Smithsonian (yeah, the guy really is that good), and he's had gallery exhibits of his Vanishing America work. He's doing everything he can to keep his show on the road.

So visit his website, and learn about this project. Learn about what he's trying to do, and how he's trying to do it. I think you'll conclude that what he's doing needs to be done. I know you'd like to do it; Hell, I'd like to do it. But, hey, he's already got the motorhome, so let's just help him do it.

I would say you should feel free to ask me any questions about this, but go to his website, contact Holt, and ask him about it. He's as passionate about this project as anyone could be about just about anything, and he really loves telling people about what he's doing, and why he's doing it.

I'm not sure when he'll be back in San Diego, nor do I know when I'll get the chance to head out on the road with him (which I plan to do at some point), but I know he'll be out there shooting...