Bryce is for Lovers

Bryce has this magical shot you can get if you're up before dawn and conditions are right. People who follow this blog can guess what happened: I got up before sunrise, and everything was super cloudy. Socked in, not a trace of color in the sky. Waited until sun crossed the horizon, and still nothin'. So, I went back to bed, and got this shot instead for what I saw for when I got to sunrise point.

The Gates of Bryce

I'm kind of fascinated by the people who work at tollbooths and gates. It's just seems like such a boring job, I would go nuts doing it (unless they let you have the internet -- which something tells me toll booth operators don't get). As a result, I've been trying to capture portraits/candids of these people as they work. This is the shot from the entrance to Bryce -- the ranger, fwiw, was incredibly helpful. And every national park we went to had a park newspaper, which left me with funny visions of park animals running a printing press.

Big Love

Since we were sort of planning stops as we went, we weren't able to get a hotel in Bryce proper (probably for the best -- nothing there looked super exciting). We ended up getting a great private cabin near Bryce, but with one catch: it was in a tiny, tiny, tiny little town called Tropic. This is what you need to know about Tropic, Utah:

Me: "So, where can we eat in Tropic?"
Inkeeper: "Well, there's just the one place, Clarke's."
Me: "Didn't I see a pizza place on the way out this way?"
Inkeeper: "Well, if you want to count that as a restaurant..."

Clarke's was one of those places that did good breakfast, but terrible, terrible dinner. The one thing it had that made me really happy was this nice microbrewed porter from Utah.

The Road to Bryce

Bryce is quite near Zion, and is in fact just on the other side of a tunnel through the mountains. The climate, terrain, and vistas change drastically as you head through the tunnel -- a little like driving into a new world on the other side of the mountains.

B in Zion

Miles hiked by B in Zion: 17
Miles hiked by me: 3.2

Painted Zion

One thing about the day I spent in Zion -- almost everywhere you went, there was a majestic scene. I shot this while we were having a bite of lunch outside of the park.

You Sexy Thing

Apologies for interrupting my chronological narrative.

I was out shooting on 6th street late last night, and I noticed something weird happening with my d700. Trouble focusing, then the mirror started having problems lifting back up. In the morning, the mirror had died completely. Result? No image in the viewfinder, no focusing, and some sickly noises as the mirror tried to lower.

Took it to Austin's largest camera store, and they took one look at it and said: "Yup, you're going to need to send that end". ETA from Nikon for fixing this sort of thing appears to be a month+ (assuming it's even worth paying fo the fix). Result: I walked out of the camera store with another body.

I've had my d700 for three years, and it is without a doubt the sexiest machine I have ever had occasion to own. It's been everywhere with me: Uluru, the Paris Catacombs, the Pantheon, Market Street, foggy beaches, downpouring streets, rainbowed hills, airports, trains, cars, rooftops, Christmases, Pi Parties, birthdays, weddings, and almost every date with Betsy.

When someone asks me why I shoot Nikon, the answer is: It felt good in my hand. That was my d700 -- it always felt right.

It made it two weeks with us across the country; I'm just sad it couldn't make that last mile.

Picnic at the Narrows

Hiking the Narrows is a famous activity at Zion. Naturally, I hadn't heard of it. When I mentioned that I was going to Zion to my much more outdoorsy, sleeps-with-scorpions-in-her-tent friend Robin, she started IM-ing me and hopping up and down:

"Are you going to hike the Narrows?!"

I Googled the hike, and discovered:

(i) It's 16 miles one way.
(ii) The gorge is generally flooded with the Virgin River, and requires you to wade through it for most of the hike.

The short answer is that unless the road trip was going to end with them finding my body dead of exposure five miles into the hike, no, I would not be hiking the Narrows.

Happily, you can get to the beginning of the Narrows by taking a (dry) one mile or so hike. Very pretty, and as it turned out, there was so much water in the river from spring flooding, the hike was closed anyway. Take that, ultra-hikers!

Even more happily, for once being overcast worked to my advantage. Without direct sun, I was able to handhold this wide around 1/8ths, and get the slow-water effect that is frequently (over)used in landscapes, and of course, Cartier-Bresson teaches us that the best thing that can happen to a river is to have people picnicking beside it.

Welcome to Zion

Along with being spectacularly beautiful (perhaps more beautiful even than Yosemite -- though those may be fighting words), Zion had a really neat system of shuttles that ran every eight minutes throughout the park. They took you to every major vista & trailhead, and downtown Springdale, which (conveniently) was just an eighth of a mile away.

Sunset over Zion

Here is wisdom: Whenever I plan for a sunset, it always ends up being the least interesting variation of a sunset possible. Have tripod? Guaranteed: Flat, cloudless sky. I shot this from Canyon Gorge in Zion, shooting toward a mountain (I believe) called the Watchman. In the best of circumstances, I think I would need some clouds or snow to act as a reflector here -- even a grad neutral density filter could really save me from such a dim foreground.

Still, it was nice seeing the last rays of sunset kissing the top of that mountain. But I guess I'll leave the landscape photography to professional madmen who will go and camp out in parks for weeks while they wait for winter storms to break; I just don't have the patience for it.

The Road to Zion

Our next stop after Vegas was Zion National Park -- even from the car, pretty awesome place.

B at the Grand Canyon

Well, Betsy *and* some tourists, but she felt like they added some verisimilitude to the scene.

Contents of Betsy's Pocketby

The morning we left for the Grand Canyon, Betsy decided it was time to "clean out her pocketbook". I estimate about half the volume of the purse was emptied into the trash bin.

This photo is presented without comment.

The Grand Canyon

This was the view from the Canyon floor. It's an impressive sight, but by 10am, the light is sufficiently harsh that it isn't going to be winning any prizes for landscape photography.

Hoover Dam

Hoover is really my favorite dam -- I've seen it in person, and it's equally cool from above.

It's a Chopper, Baby!

While we were in Vegas, it was revealed Betsy had never seen the grand canyon. We didn't want to spend the time driving there and back, so I had an alternate suggestion (something I'd done some years ago): Helicopter tour of the grand canyon!

Off we went in a helicopter, departing out of the nearby town of Boulder.

Party at the Golden Steer

A few years back, my friend Cory recommended this steakhouse to me in Vegas. Despite being a vegetarian [1] [2], he somehow knew about one of the awesomest steakhouses in Vegas. Along with amazing prime rib, the place is straight out of the 50s -- red leather seats, guys in suits & tuxes serving you, and kick-in-the-head martinis.

Along with all this, they have these crazy sparkler-style birthday candles -- in the dim light of that place, they explode -- and the light is very unlike anything outside the fourth of July.


[1] I was once quoted as saying: "Asking a vegetarian for restaurant recommendations is a little like asking a quadriplegic for jogging trails". [3]

[2] Cory has since repented, and now eats chicken & bacon.

[3] Yes, I am a monster.

The Golden Nugget

The Golden Nugget, where we stayed, is also home to the world's largest gold nugget. They have it on display, and people come to gawk. :)

Swimming with Sharks

In Vegas, we rented a room at the Golden Nugget, a hotel where I've always wanted to stay. Think: resplendent squalor, or shabby chic -- and the centerpiece of the hotel is a gigantic golden nugget on display.

Perhaps the best part of the hotel is the pool area, which is vast and has a tank of fish and sharks swimming around for people to see as they slide through a transparent tube.

Liked this in B&W, but B liked it better in a Kodachrome-y blue.

Vegas

I've never actually driven into Vegas before, so I got to see some angles on the skyline I don't normally see. As gaudy as the Trump tower is, I have to admire it as a compositional aid. :)

The Lady and the Mcdonalds

Our path from Palm Springs to Vegas took us through Barstow, which after visiting, I now understand why Hunter S. Thompson had to have his drugs take hold here. ;)

The chief attraction is this McDonald's they have set up as a train station, surrounded by all the things you might never expect McDonald's to sit still for: "Thrifty Ice Cream Store", fortune telling machines, gas station, Panda Express (!). Somebody in charge of brand control for them probably has a heart attack every time they see pictures of the place -- definitely grandfathered in from an earlier era. Best part, you eat your meal in the train cars, which have been set up with normal McDonalds booths.

More disturbingly, the cellular network cut out about 30 miles south of Barstow. I figured it was just being out in the desert, but it wasn't working anywhere in town either. Curious, we stopped to get gas -- and found that the credit card machines weren't working. Went to this McDonald's station, and the card readers were out there too. When I asked the girl at the counter, she said, "Oh, it's because the cells are all down. It's because of the sonic booms."

What?

We went outside, trying to figure out if the girl was just pulling our leg, or some sort of sonic boom had knocked an antenna loose. Right as we were discussing it, boom -- sonic, that is! We both jumped about a foot in the air as we worried it was an earthquake.

Cell network was still off, too -- and it stayed off until we crossed the Nevada border.

Why would sonic booms be disrupting the cell network? All sorts of bad X-files episode plots ran through my head, and I was almost ready to Believe the military was doing some sort of testing out in the desert. Well, that or a fiber cut. But I like the idea of an experimental EMP test better, since that made the internet withdrawal easier to take.

Ruby & Lola

Ruby Montana (our hostess) and Lola (our host dog?) posed for us just as we left. :)

Ruby runs a place that's both very exciting and very chill at the same time, and I felt like I was in one of the middle-century road trip photo books I'm so fond of. After saying good-bye to Ruby and leaving her with some nice wine from Napa, we took off for our next stop, Vegas!

The Cabbie

This is another one from my class project. This guy was a natural -- he didn't require any posing at all. I asked B to hold the flash up as high as she could, and I liked the outcome.

I have an operating theory: I've basically never met a cabbie I wouldn't want a portrait of. Lots of character, lots of attitude -- might be a fun subject for a photo project.

Ritchie

My last assignment for my portrait class was to get three photos in Palm Springs and three from Las Vegas. Betsy was good enough to walk around downtown Palm Springs with me for an hour after dinner, and I had her hold my flash while I approached strangers to take their portrait. Palm Springs proved to be a very friendly, approachable place -- as it would turn out, almost no one turned me down. It's not clear if this is because of the civilizing aspect of B's presence, the fact that it's a pretty laid back place, or both. :)

Even Yiddish Cowgirls Sing the Blues

Our room at the Coral Sands.

Patriotic Pastries

Presented without comment; found in the Ralph's in Palm Springs.

Ruby's At Night

Shot after a long night out on the town in Palm Springs. Love the technicolor mood. :)

Lola in the Good Light

Ruby has an army of chihuahuas and chihuahua-like dogs at her place, any one of which is eager to sleep with you. Lola likes Betsy best, so ended up clambering into bed with us after our first night there.

For whatever reason, Betsy (bless her heart) is one of those people who seems to naturally get up early in the morning -- sometimes even at hours I go to bed. So, I heard her rustling around at 7am, and stared bleary-eyed and glass-less at the couch at the other side of the room, and saw Lola sitting in some particularly nice early-morning light. According to B, I snapped off an order: "Dog in good light; take picture now!", and then promptly went back to bed.

Like Old Times

Ruby's place is full of vintage memorabilia, and she has impeccable taste. Seen here is a classic chair with leopard print repair work. In the corner is a gas stove -- which, frighteningly, is identical to the one in my college apartment (except mine was on the verge of going to stove heaven). I cooked my first pancakes on that stove -- I've been a vintage man all along!

Wild Nights

The proprietress of our hotel, Ruby Montana, went out to dinner with us our first night in Palm Springs. She drives a convertible, which I believe is B's natural automotive environment.

Sunbathing

We both did what we do best when we got to the Coral Sands -- Betsy sunbathed and read out by the pool, and I took a nap. When I woke up, this is what I saw. :)

The Coral Sands

When we got to Palm Springs, we headed straight for the Coral Sands, Betsy's favorite hotel there. Basically: Awesomest hotel evar!

More on this later, and how I spent my first night with a chihuahua.

Windmill Country

We knew we were getting close to Palm Springs when we saw the ginormous windmill farms of San Gorgonio Pass.

San Luis Reservoir

We passed this reservoir on I-5 and I liked the clean lines of its shore.

Central Valley

Last pic of cars on the road for a while, I promise. ;)

Liked this one a lot though, and captured the early morning drive pretty well.

Power Up

Look out of the window on the I-5, and you could be convinced that the powerlines run the show.

The cows are probably a close second.

Rollin'

We got up at 5am on Tuesday morning, I packed furiously until 6:10, and then we were off.

As someone who has never, ever, ever (ever) been a morning person, this was an incredibly painful wakeup for me. The good news is, it meant we missed rush hour traffic heading south out of the Bay Area, and then again when we passed through LA on the way to Palm Springs. I liked to think the other vehicles we passed were also executing on a similar sly plan.

This was shot somewhere near the Pacheco Pass, as we were headed towards I-5.

Oysters at the River's End

I'm not much for food photography, but I am much for oysters, so here we are.

We had an amazing lunch of oysters and champagne at a place called the River's End. The place has an amazing view of the Russian River meeting the Pacific Ocean, and the oysters are fresh & awesome. :)

Saint Teresa of Avila, Bodega

Our innkeeper pointed us to a scenic drive in Western Sonoma that lead us through the town of Bodega, and up the coast and back to the hotel. Betsy and I both perked up when we heard Bodega is home to the church from Hitchcock's The Birds. I went there to photograph it, whereupon B pointed out, "Hey, you know Ansel Adams photographed this church too, right?". If you live in California, it's good odds Ansel Adams scooped you. ;)

Sadly, there weren't any flocks of homicidal birds on hand to frame the church, but the clouds were pretty cooperative.

Cheers

A friend of ours was getting married in Novato this weekend, so we decided to start the road trip right after that. We drove over to Guerneville, and holed up in a little place called the West Sonoma Inn. One of the primary reasons for picking it was the hot tub out on the deck, which we immediately put to good use with some morning mimosas and champagne.

I noticed Betsy looked really good framed by champagne glasses, and I was a little daring and got the camera with us in the tub. Totally worth it. :)

Roadtrip 2.0

My girlfriend Betsy is going to grad school, and she needed to get her car across country (as well as back home). That could mean only one thing:

Road Trip!

So, here we are, taking our time on a three week journey across the country. We're starting in California, heading through the desert southwest, on to Texas, and then passing through the southeast and up to North Carolina for the finish.

This blog is where we'll be posting fun photos from our trip as we make our way across the country. If you're into photography, love travel, or are just friends of ours wanting to follow along, this is the blog for you. :)