Happy Trails To You ....

Folks,

I am writing this from Lansing, Michigan.

Yesterday's run from Kansas was uneventful.  Lots of billboards recommending pro-life second only by the amount of Adult Superstores - especially in Kansas and Missouri.

In fact at one exit, there was an adult superstore with a bill board just in front of it advertising that Jesus restores and saves and pornography destroys and on the other side of the exit was a Russell Stover candy manufacturing facility.  There is no doubt that with regard to child pornography and some hard core stuff, pornography certainly is destructive.

However I will bet you that our friends over there at Russell Stover have had a more negative impact regarding, obesity, diabetes, hypoglycemia, and related health issues and costs than most pornography yet no billboard in front of it.

Also what the hell do you do with a warehouse full of dildos and vibrators anyway - out there in flat farming country where all you grow is grain, corn, grass and cattle?  And why are so many women getting pregnant and considering abortions that we need to dedicate so much billboard space to it?  And how are the two related?

Wait a minute - if they all simply used dildos and vibrators then no one would get .... OK .. OK ... I see it .....

This journey started in Michigan so it is only fitting that it end here.  It's been a great run and a great time - about 14000 km and about the same amount of pictures.

If I was forced to list my favorite moments of the trip - speaking strictly of what I was seeing that was new or what I was seeing that was different I would have to say,

a) Yosemite

d) Dead Horse Point

c) Moab the town

d) Moab the brewery

e) Las Vegas - speaking of dildos and vibrators - hey, it stays in Vegas ....

Vegas was a surprise - I really enjoyed the city and observing what it has to offer - and with free parking at every hotel, it has a lot to offer a non-gambler like myself.

Yosemite was a photographer's dream - I simply have to go back - and while there, investigate the high Sierras.

Another observation that I didn't blog about was the amount of machinery, all of it US made, rusting in the fields and backyards of America.  If that is not a metaphor for where this once great and proud nation finds itself right now ....  The challenges the US faces are many and daunting - in the past it was the very act of facing these challenges that made them great.  The current economic situation will test them to the fullest - the world is watching to see if this nation is still proud and is still great.  For the good of us all, we hope they will pass this test and in so doing re-invent and transition/re-position themselves for the 21st century - as usual time will tell and the times will be telling.

Well that's it - the last blog for this trip - sort of going out with a whimper but sometimes it is best to silently edge towards the door and exit without saying goodbye - the situation sometimes cries out for that ..... yes, it sometimes does .....

Remember that the road goes on forever but we don't - so grab a piece of road before it's too late.  It's the greatest release the 20th century brought us - Ford with his horseless carriage and Eisenhower with his freeway system -  use them while they, and we, exist.

To quote from verse 9 of the Krome Koan, 'Time is the best teacher - unfortunately it kills all its students.'

'Tramps like us, baby we were born to run .....'

Phil

Going ... Down

Folks,

I left Moab under a veil of low cloud and rain/snow this AM - finally thwarting the raven-crow beasts. The snow continued lightly off and on through Vail to Denver, then the sun appeared.  Driving from about 90 minutes west of Denver on I-70 is like driving the 401 - skiers are coming, skiers are going, skiers are skiing - man, it's busy.  Where's the recession/depression - oh yeah, I forgot - that's 'main street' America - it's Wall Street out here.

As soon you roll off the mountains into Denver you are on the high plains and the change is dramatic as it is sudden.  No more canyons, mesas and buttes - just flatland and grass as far as the eye can see.

Once you hit Kansas, the flavour immediately changes as well.  Now we have have billboard messages about abortion - 'thank Mom for choosing life' - 'abortion stops a beating heart', etc. Maybe it's me, but I would be attacking this one step up the line - meaning, before conception, with some good scientific  medical information about the body, how it works and what to do to prevent a pregnancy that might lead one to consider abortion.  I didn't see any signs or billboards like that.

I am in Salina, Kansas tonight - just rolled in when the hail started pounding down and the lightning picked up - no Toto we aren't in Moab any more - we are in tornado country - batten down the hatches dude - looks like a K2!!

Steve Fossett started and ended his successful global circumnavigation from here.  It's an ironic tragedy that he crashed into the Sierras in a small plane after all he had done.

I am 4000 feet lower at this point than in Denver so there has been a continual decline of the plains as I motored eastward - in point of fact I have not been at this low an elevation for almost 5 1/2 weeks - with all this extra oxygen I am positively light-headed - but then, I've always been light-headed.  The high point today was Vail Pass at 10,600 feet - and yes, it was snowing.

Tomorrow I'll take a run over to Kansas City (ribs at Arthur Bryants - drool, slurp, smack) then up to Des Moines and over to Chicago - not sure if I'll make Midland, MI - that would be a 15 hour run - we'll see.

Time changes tonight so I lose an hour there and then I lose another hour going to Eastern Time - yikes, the clock is running away from me.

No pictures tonight - this was strictly a pound the pavement day - very snowy, rainy and dull - we'll see what tomorrow brings re: picture taking weather.

Gotta grab a bite to eat.

To quote verse 64 of the Krome Koan, 'If we weren't meant to eat animals, why are they made of meat?'

Phil

That Mother Is A Goose...

Folks,

(to be continued)

Of course it was Canadian Geese or the Canada Goose that I was referring to ... mais oui ...

It turns out though that they are all currently under contract to Al Qaeda to disrupt US domestic air flights - so there was no help to be had there.

Unfortunately there is only one solution and that is to leave and that is what I will be doing tomorrow AM - they win - for the time being!!  I'll be heading to Michigan before ending the trip back home.

It's been a great experience out here and I hope to return to Yosemite and the Sierras and Moab in the fall - also try to squeeze in America's first National Park - Yellowstone.

Also Moab is definitely a dirt bike/mountain bike kind of spot so I think we'll be biking it in the fall.  A unique spot - a little bit of California attitude in Utah - who knew.  Now I know why the Mormon fundamentalists turn their nose up at this place - people here are just enjoying life rather than being afraid that someone, somewhere might be enjoying it!!

Speaking of fun and feel good places - Moab is certainly one but so is The Moab Brewery - just a great watering hole and gathering place for locals and itinerants alike.  It is big on my list of great establishments and I hope they continue to do well.  I am going to have to grab a T shirt and beer glass.

Actually I just returned from the Brewery and I could not find a color I liked in my size - oh well, in the fall.  There were three guys in there - they work construction and they obviously had been in there for a while because they were loud.  Every word they used started with 'F' - one of them started talking about a new secretary and said, 'for  woman, she's pretty smart' ... I think you get the idea - first time I have run across that out here on the trip - they were out of their element without realizing it.

I have included a photo of the condo I have been staying in and a sign I have been observing since I arrived in town.  Time to move - watch for just a bit more madness from the road.

To quote from verse 5 of the Krome Koan, 'I get enough exercise just pushing my luck.'

Phil

PS - Saint Patrick's Day is coming ... 

Hark ... Raven Bad ...

Folks,

It became obvious yesterday that the Raven-Crow beasts were not happy that Yvonne was here with me and therefore for her safety, she has moved on to Salt lake City and will leave for home tomorrow.

I have consulted the locals in the Moab Brewery and I have been advised to adopt a shaman alter ego to confuse the gathering Raven-Crow horde.  I was also advised to consult the Great Spirit - naturally that has to be Canadian Rye Whisky of which I just happened to have an adequate supply.  In addition I had to 'bathe in smoke' - an old Indian method for warding off demons.  Luckily the local bikers were able to help in that regard - something to do with Jamaica and Lebanon and blondes ... I don't remember ...

It is also clear that the Raven-Crow beasts have no intention of letting me leave Utah, so drastic action will have to be taken before Monday AM.  Unbeknownst to them, I have a secret weapon - one that makes it's home on every golf course and man made green space in North America. These creatures migrate south as the Northern climate cools and reverse that course as the Northern climes warm again.  They leave refuse everywhere they stop and strip the landscape of it's flora and fauna.  They pollute the local watering holes and their vocalizations pierce the quiet solitude of the golden pond and the serene grassy meadows - no I am not talking about Quebecers .....

To be continued .....

To quote from verse 79 of the Krome Koan, 'Mon ostie de saint-sacrament de câlice de crisse!

Phillippe

Take a Hike ....

Folks,

We took the Fiery Furnace hiking tour in Arches National Park yesterday.

I have to admit that as exciting as rock art is to me, arches just don't do it for me.  So the tour was an interesting side look at the desert ecosystem and the processes at work in arch formation.  It was warm here yesterday - 72F and sunny - a great day.

The mission statement posted at the Visitors Center at the entrance to the park promises, 'extraordinary arches and awe-inspiring landscapes' - oddly enough the same mission statement as the Moab Brewery where indeed many extraordinary arches and awe-inspiring landscapes have been sighted.

I was shooting hand held on the hike so I managed to capture some of the typical desert topography here against the backdrop of the LaSal Mountains and Entrada Sandstone.  

I managed to capture some of the wildlife - it wasn't easy - yet, as I approached up wind the animals seemed to freeze, become almost statuesque, frozen if you will.

The raven-crow beasts were out in force, so the quickening has started so I can only assume that something is eminent - they are gathering for the kill - they know I leave soon - they must act quickly - stay posted.

Today is Moab Town day - we are going to 'do the town' - I'll be covering from a photo point of view so it promises to be interesting .... a strange mix of  pioneer stock, cowboy real, hippie throwback, extreme sporter skateboarder/mountain biker recent arrivals and alternative lifestylers.  Something will give and I think the raven-crow beasts know this - it could be today ...

To quote verse 161 of the Krome Koan, 'Finish your beer. There are sober people in China.'

Phil

What's The Point Beating A Dead Horse, Deer?

Folks,

We were back at Dead Horse Point yesterday - next to Yosemite one of the better photographic locations I have ever visited.  The Point gives you a different look every 5 minutes as the angle of light changes.  Couple that with deer on the high plain of the Point and you have a unique combination of photo ops.

I ran into an older gentlemen photographing old weathered wood because the light just wasn't right for landscape photography.  Which just reinforces that when you have a camera in hand nothing is off limits for image capture.

We were watching a local program last night about the efforts to preserve the local petroglyphs - mostly from vandalism - people either adding their own personal statements - usually of the Dick loves Jane variety or the ravages of Mother Nature.  They are using infrared photography to recover what the original underlying image looked like and then digitizing that to have a permanent record.

The fascinating part of all this is that they are finding that the petroglyph artists themselves in a lot of cases have 'written' over previous petroglyph art.  In other words, later petroglyph artists vandalized previous petroglyph artist's work.

It's ironic that today we are trying to preserve history (which has been vandalized) by both preventing vandalization and restricting access.

Aren't today's vandals, tomorrow's petroglyph artists - won't that art be just as important 1000 years from now?  Or to twist this slightly did the Freemont and Anasazi cultures have historical societies that tried to preserve more ancient petroglyphs that were being overwritten with 'then' modern graffiti by rebellious youth - the very same graffiti we now record as important history - hmmm.

... plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose ....

To quote from verse 119 of the Krome Koan, 'What if there were no hypothetical questions?'

Phil

Art That Really Rocks .. Really ...

Folks,

I have a unique fascination with petroglyphs - images created on and in rock by abrading or removing part of the rock surface.  Petroglyphs have been found everywhere on earth with the exception of Antarctica - where we'll probably find them once the southern ice cap melts.  Yikes.

The oldest petroglyphs are estimated to be 12000 years old - the ones in this region, about 1000 - 2000 years old - left by the Fremont/Anasazi Indians.

There have been many theories on whether the petroglyphs are a form of communication or primitive artistic expression, graffiti, etc.  There are some individuals here in North America that are convinced that the petroglyphs in the four corners area hold the key to Montezuma's legendary lost treasure - see here,

http://www.so-utah.com/feature/montzuma/homepage.html

There are many modern day scientists who theorize that it was the drive to communicate and the need for artistic expression that resulted in the rapid increase in brain size and capacity of hominids resulting in present day homo sapiens.  And I think there is some resonance there and that is why we are fascinated by petroglyphs.  In some very primal part of our brain stems there is a collective gene memory (meme) of these images and what they may mean.

One of the most famous petroglyph panels is Newspaper Rock - just on the entrance to the Needles area of Canyonlands.  We were there yesterday to view that and photograph it.

One of the aspects of specifically traveling to photograph something is being alert to the serendipity around you that may result in an unexpected photo op.  Some of the best and classic photographs have been taken simply because the photographer and camera were presented with an opportunity, while lasting only a moment, was captured as just a whim while waiting for the main subject to be ready - or traveling to or from a shoot.

The photos included herein - with the exception of the petroglyph one, are ones that just presented themselves while photographing the petroglyphs or traveling to/from the petroglyph sites.  They are not classic - just an example of the kinds of things that can happen if you are simply 'out there' with a camera in hand.

To quote verse 87 of the Krome Koan, 'If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?'

Phil

PS - strangely enough, other examples of this type of rock art can be found in the Moab Brewery ... yes, very strange ...

Stay Away From The Lite

Folks,

At the Nikon School of Photography one of the points that the instructors made is that photographer is really about the capture of light - and therefore using the light, or manipulating the light, to give the subject interest.  In fact they suggested that once you have decided what the photographic subject is, you simply focus on the light and find a way to make the light and and the lack of light in the subject area, make a great photo.

In other words you have to train yourself to see in black and white - looking for luminance information only.  There are filters that allow you do this - they exclude the colour information from the scene and allow to view light and shadows - I have one - it`s essentially a monocle but I have not yet been able to use it effectively.

The light here is Utah is interesting and it is not surprising to see a gathering of Nikon and Canon cameras at sunset here in the parks.  There is no doubt that the light in the golden hours of one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset is tremendous - flat, creating great shadows and creating those yellows and reds that really make a photograph sing.

However, at this time of year, there is still about 8 hours of light left and Ansel Adams took all his great photos at mid day because he needed the most light he could get to put him in a `sweet aperture`zone with regard to his full format camera.

The other thing that is going on is that the photo magazines have all hammered away at the fact that landscape photos should have a foreground interest - a boulder, plant, water, etc.  Also, most of these locations have been photographed to death, so the photo itself has become iconic - i.e., everybody wants to reproduce that particular photo.

So what we have is a bunch of folks trying to take the same picture and indeed producing the same picture - I call it Photo Lite.

If you know me at all, while that crowd is doing that, I am trying to come up with a different way of looking at the same thing or  indeed, the same thing shot differently - different time, different emphasis, different angle, different presentation, etc.  I am searching for the heavy light - I know it`s out there.

We were in Canyonlands yesterday - basically standing on a high plateau looking out over the Green River and Colorado River sandstone maze - maze meaning, the canyon cut-outs made by time, erosion and geology.  The challenge there, is that you are basically shooting into the sun - but sometimes in so doing you find some heavy light and the muse takes notice.

I am not saying that happened yesterday but I sense I was close - the Raven-Crow beasts were out in force like Tolkien`s Dark Riders or Nazgul - I knew I was on to something - obviously, so did they.  We were forced into the Moab Brewery afterwards to exorcise the demons.

To quote from the Krome Koan, verse 41, `I may be out of my mind but at least I get out once in a while.`

Phil