(OT) Back from my travels
After driving around the country semi-aimlessly for just over a month (about six weeks I think), I finally arrived back "home" to Atlanta. Can't exactly call it home since I no longer have a residence here... but I now realize more than ever that despite my prior reluctance to calling it home, over 10 years Atlanta has become everything that is familiar to me. And Man, it's good to be back! In short, the trip was phenomenal. This country (USA) has so much to see, it's incredible. I spent significant time in 3 of the dubya's (Wisconsin, Washington, and Wyoming), as well as Montana, South Dakota, Illinios and Minnesota. Also passed thru about 5 or 6 other states, but didn't get to venture off the highway much in those locations. I'm told by family that photo mailers have already started to trickle in (I mailed as I exposed), so any worthwhile photos (?) should start popping up on my website in a week or two. But herein lies the problem with not ever having been anywhere: I was so awestruck by the beauty of most of these places that I occasionally fell into a stupor (okay, moreso than usual) and found myself more inclined to just sit there and soak up the atmosphere rather than trying to capture it on film. So I didn't burn Nearly as many rolls as I thought I would. I'd guess that I still have about 40 unexposed rolls in the boot... but when I did shoot, I at least strived for a notch or two above "vacation photo" status. But in hindsight, I'm thinking that far too many of my shots were too cliche / typical shots... Either way, I'll find out just how bad it was once I return up north and rip the boxes open. In Pentax news, I met a handful of non-list pentax users (all amateurs, or slightly advanced) on the road and pointed quite a few of them to the PDML, so they are likely lurking out there somewhere. Accordingly, I hope that you all have been on your best behavior... though I doubt that very seriously. Thanks again to Jim M., Mark R., and Maris L. for letting me crash at their pads when needed. Much appreciated. Lastly, 10 Random blurbs about my trip: 1. Yellowstone was a disappointment. I enjoyed the other national parks much more. 2. I bumped into a lone Bison (almost quite literally) during a 10 mile trek thru Wyoming woods. After deciding that he sufficiently scared the @#&! out of me, he decided to keep going and surprisingly kept the trail while letting me tag along. We hiked together for about 2 miles before he turned off trail and went his own way. Great conversationalist. An experience of a lifetime. 3. Elks do serious damage to cars (and people!... but mostly dumb tourists). Especially during mating season. Herds of pronghorns are also fun to watch and photograph... but if you kill the engine to reduce vibrations while shooting from the window, make SURE that you also turn off your headlights. either that, or deal with a dead car battery in the middle of Nowhere, Wyoming. Not fun. Just trust me on that one. 4. With 8 stitches needed after just 1 week on the road, I learned that tree branches are just as deadly as mountain lions. 5. I got to Minneapolis just in time to see the Yanks beat up on the Twins... and then to Chicago in time to hang out all night with (absolutely crazy) cub fans for a couple of nights. Man, the electricity! Cub fans are great! 6. Custer State Park (SD) is beautiful. But that president-face-in-the-mountain thing, was a bore for me. Devil's tower was suprisingly interesting, however. 7A. Film is very much alive and kicking, seeming to outnumber the digicams in most of my touristy locations by about 20 to 1. 7B. Disposible cameras will never die. 8. Despite what the spedometer says, 4-door Honda Civic filled with cargo tops out at about 97mph. 9. Birds in national parks will steal the food right out of your mouth.. literally! I found out the hard way, and it scared the hell out of me. 10. It's nice to be back... but I now have the travel bug in a serious way. It won't be long before I set those tires spinning again. Just over 10,000 miles logged on this trip alone. oh... one more! An 82mm Hoya HMC Circular Polarizer can bounce three times during a decent down a cliff before the glass shatters. It's nice to be back. I hope all has been well. Best regards, - jerome
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
jerome <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >I now have the travel bug in a serious way. It >won't be long before I set those tires spinning again. Just over 10,000 miles >logged on this trip alone. As long as you keep sending these road trip reports I won't complain! >oh... one more! An 82mm Hoya HMC Circular Polarizer can bounce three times >during a decent down a cliff before the glass shatters. Ouch! What does one of those cost? (Don't tell me.) -- Mark Roberts Photography and writing www.robertstech.com
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
lol. Good to have you back. Humor, it seems to me, is the essence of groups like this. At least at times. -Lon jerome wrote: After driving around the country semi-aimlessly for just over a month (about six weeks I think), I finally arrived back "home" to Atlanta. Can't exactly call it home since I no longer have a residence here... but I now realize more than ever that despite my prior reluctance to calling it home, over 10 years Atlanta has become everything that is familiar to me. And Man, it's good to be back! In short, the trip was phenomenal. This country (USA) has so much to see, it's incredible. I spent significant time in 3 of the dubya's (Wisconsin, Washington, and Wyoming), as well as Montana, South Dakota, Illinios and Minnesota. Also passed thru about 5 or 6 other states, but didn't get to venture off the highway much in those locations. I'm told by family that photo mailers have already started to trickle in (I mailed as I exposed), so any worthwhile photos (?) should start popping up on my website in a week or two. But herein lies the problem with not ever having been anywhere: I was so awestruck by the beauty of most of these places that I occasionally fell into a stupor (okay, moreso than usual) and found myself more inclined to just sit there and soak up the atmosphere rather than trying to capture it on film. So I didn't burn Nearly as many rolls as I thought I would. I'd guess that I still have about 40 unexposed rolls in the boot... but when I did shoot, I at least strived for a notch or two above "vacation photo" status. But in hindsight, I'm thinking that far too many of my shots were too cliche / typical shots... Either way, I'll find out just how bad it was once I return up north and rip the boxes open. In Pentax news, I met a handful of non-list pentax users (all amateurs, or slightly advanced) on the road and pointed quite a few of them to the PDML, so they are likely lurking out there somewhere. Accordingly, I hope that you all have been on your best behavior... though I doubt that very seriously. Thanks again to Jim M., Mark R., and Maris L. for letting me crash at their pads when needed. Much appreciated. Lastly, 10 Random blurbs about my trip: 1. Yellowstone was a disappointment. I enjoyed the other national parks much more. 2. I bumped into a lone Bison (almost quite literally) during a 10 mile trek thru Wyoming woods. After deciding that he sufficiently scared the @#&! out of me, he decided to keep going and surprisingly kept the trail while letting me tag along. We hiked together for about 2 miles before he turned off trail and went his own way. Great conversationalist. An experience of a lifetime. 3. Elks do serious damage to cars (and people!... but mostly dumb tourists). Especially during mating season. Herds of pronghorns are also fun to watch and photograph... but if you kill the engine to reduce vibrations while shooting from the window, make SURE that you also turn off your headlights. either that, or deal with a dead car battery in the middle of Nowhere, Wyoming. Not fun. Just trust me on that one. 4. With 8 stitches needed after just 1 week on the road, I learned that tree branches are just as deadly as mountain lions. 5. I got to Minneapolis just in time to see the Yanks beat up on the Twins... and then to Chicago in time to hang out all night with (absolutely crazy) cub fans for a couple of nights. Man, the electricity! Cub fans are great! 6. Custer State Park (SD) is beautiful. But that president-face-in-the-mountain thing, was a bore for me. Devil's tower was suprisingly interesting, however. 7A. Film is very much alive and kicking, seeming to outnumber the digicams in most of my touristy locations by about 20 to 1. 7B. Disposible cameras will never die. 8. Despite what the spedometer says, 4-door Honda Civic filled with cargo tops out at about 97mph. 9. Birds in national parks will steal the food right out of your mouth.. literally! I found out the hard way, and it scared the hell out of me. 10. It's nice to be back... but I now have the travel bug in a serious way. It won't be long before I set those tires spinning again. Just over 10,000 miles logged on this trip alone. oh... one more! An 82mm Hoya HMC Circular Polarizer can bounce three times during a decent down a cliff before the glass shatters. It's nice to be back. I hope all has been well. Best regards, - jerome
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
It's good to hear you enjoyed your trip, but don't worry that you could have taken more pictures. It was a holiday, not an assignment, right? It's better to soak up the beauty around you with the naked eye when you can. The photos are a record of that experience and feeling. If you see the whole trip through the viewfinder, the experience and emotion are diminished. I'm just saying there's a happy medium. You brought the camera to serve you, not the other way around. Pat White
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
> Hi, > > Thursday, October 9, 2003, 4:36:15 PM, you wrote: > > > Here's a cheerful thought. I learned today that the whole of > Yellowstone is in the caldera of an enormous and very, very powerful > active volcano of extraordinary magnitude. And the centre is rising. > When it blows it will change the entire planet. > > Cheers, > > BOB > Well at least the potholes in the roads will be filled in then. Dave
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
> Here's a cheerful thought. I learned today that the whole of > Yellowstone is in the caldera of an enormous and very, very powerful > active volcano of extraordinary magnitude. And the centre is rising. > When it blows it will change the entire planet. yeah. All of these parks are amazing in their own respects. Along those lines, the movie they showed at the visitor center at Mt. St. Helens (i *think* the most recent volcano to go off in the states, Hawaii aside) really freaked me out. It ends with the statement "... because it's only a matter of time!" And then the curtains open and your staring (thru a glass wall) into the open crater of this massive volcano. The effect was super cool... but it had me ready to get off that volcano... and fast! The power of nature to transform the landscape. Amazing. The earth is indeed very much alive.
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
> I'm just saying there's a happy medium. > You brought the camera to serve > you, not the other way around. Excellent Point! Trust me, I had to remind myself of that very thing several times during the trip. It was too easy to get caught up in the "Assignment" mode and lose scope of the enjoyment aspect until it was too late (i.e., until I wore myself out). Happened at least twice. Luckily I met some great people along the way that (thru their own spoken appreciation of the environment) helped me regain perspective on occasion. Thanks.
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
Hi, Thursday, October 9, 2003, 6:22:17 PM, you wrote: > Bob Walkden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>Here's a cheerful thought. I learned today that the whole of >>Yellowstone is in the caldera of an enormous and very, very powerful >>active volcano of extraordinary magnitude. And the centre is rising. >>When it blows it will change the entire planet. > Been reading "Krakatoa"? no, just started reading this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0713996404/qid=1065723234/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_0_1/202-7804832-0159011 -- Cheers, Bobmailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
Bob Walkden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >Thursday, October 9, 2003, 6:22:17 PM, you wrote: > >> Bob Walkden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >>>Here's a cheerful thought. I learned today that the whole of >>>Yellowstone is in the caldera of an enormous and very, very powerful >>>active volcano of extraordinary magnitude. And the centre is rising. >>>When it blows it will change the entire planet. > >> Been reading "Krakatoa"? > >no, just started reading this: >http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0713996404/qid=1065723234/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_0_1/202-7804832-0159011 Than you should have a go at "Krakatoa: the Day the World Exploded", by Simon Winchester (author of "The Professor and the Madman" and "The Map that Changed the World"). -- Mark Roberts Photography and writing www.robertstech.com
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
Hi, Thursday, October 9, 2003, 7:54:13 PM, you wrote: > Bob Walkden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>Thursday, October 9, 2003, 6:22:17 PM, you wrote: >> >>> Bob Walkden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Here's a cheerful thought. I learned today that the whole of Yellowstone is in the caldera of an enormous and very, very powerful active volcano of extraordinary magnitude. And the centre is rising. When it blows it will change the entire planet. >> >>> Been reading "Krakatoa"? >> >>no, just started reading this: >>http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0713996404/qid=1065723234/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_0_1/202-7804832-0159011 > Than you should have a go at "Krakatoa: the Day the World Exploded", by > Simon Winchester (author of "The Professor and the Madman" and "The Map > that Changed the World"). yes, I probably will sometime. Although I think I'll have a break from vulcanism for a bit - I seem to have had a run on it recently, by coincidence. I've just finished 'Pompeii' by Robert Harris, recently watched something on TV about it, and before 'Pompeii' I read 'Out of Eden' by Philip Oppenheimer http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1841196975/qid=1065728559/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_2_1/202-7804832-0159011 which makes a lot of the Toba explosion on Sumatra 74,000 years ago, that gave the ancestors of most of us rather a hard time when it covered the whole of India in ash. It was the biggest explosion of the last 2 million years. http://zyx.org/TOBA.html -- Cheers, Bobmailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
At 10:17 AM 10/9/03, throwing caution to the wind, jerome wrote: you were gone?
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
On 9/10/03, [EMAIL PROTECTED] disgorged: >It's nice to be back. I hope all has been well. Best regards, > - jerome Nice trip Jerome. Glad you made it in one piece (just about ;-) Cheers, Cotty ___/\__ || (O) | People, Places, Pastiche ||=| www.macads.co.uk/snaps _ Free UK Mac Ads www.macads.co.uk
RE: (OT) Back from my travels
Doug, You need to pay more attention... :-) Cesar Panama City, Florida -- -Original Message- -- From: Doug Brewer [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 4:03 PM -- To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Subject: Re: (OT) Back from my travels -- -- -- At 10:17 AM 10/9/03, throwing caution to the wind, jerome wrote: -- -- -- -- you were gone? --
RE: (OT) Back from my travels
Come on now Jerome, let's not start getting soft now. Gew up in the south Bronx, César Panama City, Florida -- -Original Message- -- From: jerome [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 5:35 PM -- -- > you were gone? -- -- -- You Bum!!! -- -- -- -- but thats why we love you. --
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
Quoting frank theriault <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > So now that you're done school, you've had your post-grad road trip, does > this mean that you'll actually have to find a job, and be a productive > member of society? Sorta. I was thinking of moving to Toronto and becoming a bike messenger... what do you think, Frank? Either that, or throwing on a wig and seeing if Tv will let me pass for #38 (or whatever number he's up to now). Or lastly, perhaps I'll just manage the PUG full time. How much does that pay again? Tough decisions ahead.
RE: (OT) Back from my travels
> -Original Message- > From: jerome [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Quoting frank theriault <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > > > So now that you're done school, you've had your post-grad > road trip, does > > this mean that you'll actually have to find a job, and be > a productive > > member of society? > > Sorta. I was thinking of moving to Toronto and becoming a > bike messenger... > what do you think, Frank? Either that, or throwing on > a wig and seeing if > Tv will let me pass for #38 (or whatever number he's up to > now). I'll need a resume and a picture of your ass. tv
RE: (OT) Back from my travels
On Fri, 10 Oct 2003, tom wrote: > I'll need a resume and a picture of your ass. Let's hope this doesn't turn into a PUG theme. :) chris
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
Hey, Jerome, I've never claimed that ~I~ was a productive member of society! cheers, frank "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer From: jerome <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > member of society? Sorta. I was thinking of moving to Toronto and becoming a bike messenger... what do you think, Frank? _ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
At 10:17 AM 10/9/03 -0400, Jerome wrote: oh... one more! An 82mm Hoya HMC Circular Polarizer can bounce three times during a decent down a cliff before the glass shatters. At least it wasn't still attached to the lens, and the lens to the camera. It's nice to be back. I hope all has been well. Best regards, - jerome I drink to make other people interesting. -- George Jean Nathan
Re: (OT) Back from my travels
...and a good thing too. At 08:41 PM 10/10/03, you wrote: Hey, Jerome, I've never claimed that ~I~ was a productive member of society! cheers, frank "The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer From: jerome <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > member of society? Sorta. I was thinking of moving to Toronto and becoming a bike messenger... what do you think, Frank? _ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus I drink to make other people interesting. -- George Jean Nathan
Re: (OT) Back from my travels (Yellowstone)
> How many guesses do we get as to what brand it was? NONE! because I rather not talk about it Oh my gosh. It was so absurd. I wanted to smack him with a tokina. The funny part is that he engaged me in conversation only to tell me, "I've been looking to shoot some mule deer, but can't find any!". That's funny because I saw so many mule deer that it was ridiculous. In fact, no more than 2 minutes after he pulled off, about 4 of them walked right out of the brush (and I think I heard a mutley snikker from one). I just laughed. I wanted to tell the guy, well, if you get out of your SUV and stop whirling thru the park at 60 MPH "looking" for something to shoot... ya might find something! - jerome (who has no idea why he mentioned Tokina... it just sounded right).
Re: (OT) Back from my travels (Yellowstone)
Thanks. I was last in the world's first national park in 1967. There were hordes of tourists even then, and being conscious of the environment wasn't yet on the horizon for most of them. I got the most from my visit there by taking a very early morning hike to a high area overlooking the basin where Old Faithful is located. With the majority of tourists still asleep I kind of felt like the first human to ever see this phenomenon. Back in '67 you would have hated visiting the valley at Yosemite National Park. Lots of cars. Lots of people. My one burning memory of that place was walking by a camper truck and seeing some family watching TV. I am happy that the park service is banning vehicles in the valley now. I live in Oregon, in the Portland area. I witnessed the power of a volcano when Mt. St. Helens had several eruption in 1980. Mt. Hood, a dormant volcano, 70 air miles from Portland could erupt some day. Not far from Hood is an area called the Three Sisters, three volcanic peaks in Central Oregon. Geologists have detected a bulge growing there that could be a harbinger of an eruption. Thanks for the story. I enjoyed it. Jim A. > From: jerome <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 13:00:49 -0400 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: (OT) Back from my travels (Yellowstone) > Resent-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Resent-Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 13:02:12 -0400 > > Jim, > >> What didn't you like about Yellowstone? > > You sure you wanna know? I should warn you that the word "long winded" wasn't > invented until I got email access some years ago. > > Anyhow... You know... I've been asking myself the same question about > Yellowstone for about 3 weeks now. Haven't quite come up with a definitive > answer. But as my initial statement suggested, I wouldn't say I "disliked" it; > rather, I was disappointed. I expected more. I expected bells, whistles, > music, > and dancing bears with grass skirts and hula hoops. But instead I got stupid > tourists and burned down forests. > > I think it was all the hype. See, my world is very different. Growing up in > (the rougher parts of) Brooklyn, NY, things like national parks and wildlife > refuges never quite made it onto my radar until I took up photography about 2 > years ago. Prior to that, I thought a "state park" meant that the government > helped pay for the fences, handball walls and basketball rims that I played > on. > In fact, prior to this trip I had never heard of ANY of the other national > parks that I visited (Badlands, Glacier, Ranier, etc)... But somehow, I still > knew the name Yellowstone (oh, and Yosemite... but I wasn't sure where either > one was located). I guess because it's the oldest and most celebrated of them > all, somehow it seaped into my brain over time. With that in mind, I thought > it > would be the grandest, most beautiful place I'd visit on my trip. > > It wasn't. In fact, it was far from it. > > The fires if 1988 (?) left seemingly 80% of the park totally scorched, with > only dead wood and otherwise empty fields left to adorn the hillsides > [sidenote: the more I learned about the fire, the more I could appreciate > it... > but still...]. The ice covered mountains and grand vistas that awed me in > Montana and Washington, and also at the Grand Tetons, were gone. The rain > forests of Olympic and the northwestern corner of Ranier didn't exist here > either. The dozens of waterfalls that I had photographed at the previous 3 > Parks on this trip were either missing or dried up. In my eyes, it just seemed > kinda... plain. > > And then there were the people. Oh my gosh, the people. Even in late September > this place was a carnival, and I think that may be what got to me the most. I > could not IMAGINE visiting this place in midsummer. Like a walk-off homerun by > the visiting team, the drones of tourist and the atmosphere that they created > totally killed my buzz. My tranquility was stolen. My pace was quickened. I > suddenly felt rushed. And my nerves agitated. I no longer felt like a *part* > of > nature, instead I became an observer of it like everyone else. Usually, I'm > not > that sensitive to such things but I guess you get used to things quickly. In > the parks prior to this, I would be in camp locales of 100+ sites... but would > often be one of maybe 4 or 5 groups in the entire area! Ten at most (the > beauty > of traveling in fall, I suppose). With "crowds" that small, you get a fair > share of interaction (more intimate at that), but yet enough personal space to > provide a sense of oneness with your surroundings. To make a quick (albeit > clich
RE: (OT) Back from my travels (Yellowstone)
Here is my story from Yosemite... I was there in 1985, if I remember correctly. I had a Super Program and an LX (still have both of them). The latter with slide film. This is where I accidently put my finger through the SP shutter - horrors! It forced me to use the LX for the rest of the day. I did put the blades in place that night and the SP worked great since then. Anyway, I got there late in the week in the spring season. I was at Sequoia National Park for an afternoon and headed to Yosemite that evening. I was able to spend the night at the rustic hotel there. The following morning I got up early and explored. I did not hear my first person until noon. I did not see anyone until 1 p.m. I felt as if I owned the place. Talking to the workers there they commented that the waterfalls that year were the best in at least the previous five years. All in all an excellent experience. It was made all the more special since my supervisor insisted I leave work at LeMoore Naval Air Station as I had worked enough hours that week. Cesar Panama City, Florida -- -Original Message- -- From: Jim Apilado [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 3:45 PM -- -- -- Back in '67 you would have hated visiting the valley at -- Yosemite National -- Park. Lots of cars. Lots of people. My one burning memory -- of that place -- was walking by a camper truck and seeing some family -- watching TV. I am -- happy that the park service is banning vehicles in the valley now. -- -- -- Thanks for the story. I enjoyed it. -- -- Jim A. -- -- > From: jerome <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -- > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- > Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 13:00:49 -0400
Re: (OT) Back from my travels (Yellowstone)
From: "jerome" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > I actually had a guy say proudly and emphatically, "look at my lens!" "Yes it's big, but does it stand up?" > Oh my gosh. It was so absurd. I wanted to smack him with a tokina. > - jerome (who has no idea why he mentioned Tokina... it just sounded right). Nothing against Tokina, but LOL > The funny part is that he engaged me in conversation only to tell me, "I've > been looking to shoot some mule deer, but can't find any!". That's funny > because I saw so many mule deer that it was ridiculous. In fact, no more than 2 > minutes after he pulled off, about 4 of them walked right out of the brush (and > I think I heard a mutley snikker from one). Reminds me of the Kit Kat where the photog was at the zoo behind his tripod at the panda enclosure- waits forever and no pandas, turns his back to have a Kit Kat and the pandas come out doing a musical number on rollerskates.. and of course, are gone by the time he turns around again :) Cheers, Ryan
