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Thor’s Hammer, Bryce National Park, Utah<br /> Hiking down into this canyon was a thrill until it was time to hike back out. That’s when I knew how out of shape I was. There were these folks in their 80′s that were zipping back and forth, up the switch backs like it was nothing. I was embarrassed! I came back home and put myself on a diet and lost 30 pounds. Nothing like a bunch of 80 somethings to motivate you back into shape. Living at sea level in Phoenix, I blamed it on the high altitude in Utah. I guess in the end “no excuses”!
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Thor’s Hammer, Bryce National Park, Utah
Hiking down into this canyon was a thrill until it was time to hike back out. That’s when I knew how out of shape I was. There were these folks in their 80′s that were zipping back and forth, up the switch backs like it was nothing. I was embarrassed! I came back home and put myself on a diet and lost 30 pounds. Nothing like a bunch of 80 somethings to motivate you back into shape. Living at sea level in Phoenix, I blamed it on the high altitude in Utah. I guess in the end “no excuses”!

national parkbryce canyonthors hammerTravelUtah

  • Italian District in San Francisco, California<br /> This little Italian food cart had a charm all it’s own, tucked along a major street of competing Italian restaurants that seemed to be everywhere. I spent 2 years in Italy, so as they say in Italian; “Amo il cibo Italiano”!
  • The Love Of Italy- Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre<br /> Riomaggiore is one of 5 Cinque Terre cliff towns located on the Ligurian Sea in Italy. I had spent the day scoping out possible evening shot locations and grabbed this one mid-day while a storm was brewing. I believe Cinque Terre is one of the most exciting places to come in Italy. It’s got a lot to offer everyone. Easy train stops at each town, great restaurants, great hiking, water activities, you name it. I spoke to many Americans who come to this area and spend a week just hiking along the Ligurian cliffs between each of the villages. Great part they say is, anytime you want to stop, just go into the next village and catch the train that seems to run evey 20 minutes. We spent 3 days here and it definitely wasn’t enough time.
  • Cowboy at Goldfields Ghost Town, Arizona<br /> Well, not really. It's just one of those rare moments I took a photo of myself pretending to be a cowboy. Though I spent most of my life singing country music and touring the country, I've since retired and enjoy seeing what I look like with a little HDR magic. While doing this, I started attracting a crowd with alot of questions on what I was doing and why I was taking multiple shots. It's bad enough taking pictures of yourself, and then have everyone curious. I was answering alot of questions and the "golden hour" was approaching. It became time to move on.
  • Sunset in Canyonlands, Utah<br /> I spent a number of nights and one early morning capturing this majestic location called, Green River Overlook in Canyonlands. This particular evening the wind was whipping up out of the canyon and I didn’t dare let go of my tripod for fear it would end up in the deep crevasse that was just behind me. I stayed low to the ground for fear I would be thrown into the deep hole also. A half dozen of us avid photographers were teetering on one rock all vying for our spot to catch the sunset. One by one they drifted away and I held my ground ’til the bitter end and the bitter cold.
  • Thor’s Hammer, Bryce National Park, Utah<br /> Hiking down into this canyon was a thrill until it was time to hike back out. That’s when I knew how out of shape I was. There were these folks in their 80′s that were zipping back and forth, up the switch backs like it was nothing. I was embarrassed! I came back home and put myself on a diet and lost 30 pounds. Nothing like a bunch of 80 somethings to motivate you back into shape. Living at sea level in Phoenix, I blamed it on the high altitude in Utah. I guess in the end “no excuses”!
  • Irelands B&B’s<br /> While traveling in Ireland in early September, we found many B&B”s were at the end of their season. It’s a great time to go for prices and alot of the time you’re the only one in the place. I love to photograph B&B’s with their ambient light. It brings a nice warm soft hue to the room. In the evening everyone settles in, so I go lurking through the halls and open rooms with camera and tripod in hand, and start snapping. The antique furnishings alot of times, is like going through a museum. Most of them are older and when the walls start talking back at you, you get the heebies and go back to your room and lock the door. By morning, the smell of bacon and eggs and pastries wakes you to fine breakfast before heading out for another fun day on the suicidal backroads of Ireland.
  • Time Worn Stairs of Dubrovnik, Croatia<br /> Old town Dubrovnik has thousands of stairs with everyone upstaging the other with fancy entryways and flowered pots. This was an arduous climb, going up and down each corridor looking for the most photogenic doors and stairways. But I was determined to find them all one by one. I usually come back from these photo excursions, losing weight. I guess there’s easier ways to do it, just not as much fun. Dubrovnik is one of those places you wish you had a week, just to try all the different fancy outdoor restaurants that line the cobblestone breezeways.
  • Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco<br /> San Francisco can be overwhelming to drive in, if you’re not familiar with the town. We were looking for the “Crooked Street”, aka, Lombard Street when our GPS just happened to find this place. If I was actually looking for the “Palace of Fine Arts”, I’m sure the GPS would have taken us somewhere else. It wasn’t doing well this night, finding our way in downtown San Francisco. Sometimes, just pulling out the map, like in the olden days, works just fine. Despite it all, what a pleasant surprise to find this magical place, all lit up and waiting for me to take an array of HDR photos.
  • Lake Powell, Arizona<br /> Lake Powell is one of those kind of lakes you could spend a life time exploring. I’ve done a fair share of exploring, boating, fishing, skiing, hiking, camping, scout outings, performing at the Wahweep Resort, 4th of July’s watching fireworks over Glen Canyon Dam, houseboating, jumping off cliffs, getting lost, and yes, even photographing this marvelous place. This Vista shot is just north Glen Canyon Dam at sunset.
  • Indian Graffiti at Grey Mountain Trading Post, Arizona<br /> On route 89 to Page, Az, I happen to catch this colorful artwork on the side of the road, just before the Grey Mountain Trading Post. I just had to check it out. Someone decided to get creative on the side of some tanks, and I thought it looked kind of cool. What do you think? I looked at these tanks on Google Earth and their painted white. Makes you want to go..mm?
  • Smokey Sunset at The Grand Canyon, Az<br /> When I first saw all the smoke and haze hugging the Colorado River and canyon walls below, I didn’t think much about photographing it. But the more I looked at it and the way the layers of canyons went off in the distance, maybe I can pull something out in HDR. With Photomatix, Topaz and a little Photoshop, it all came together and created it’s own kind of mood. The Grand Canyon kind of does that to you anyway.
  • Just Another Day in Paradise, Az<br /> It’s hard to believe this is the desert around Phoeniz, Az. It was just one of those days when the air was exceptionally clean, and rare “puffy” clouds were floating through Phoenix. I grabbed the camera, got on the bicycle, and headed out into the neighborhood. We live in a lake community, so great “photo ops” are not far away. Most people hate the heat of summer here, and I’m no different. I plan alot of road trips in the summer, to cooler climates.. But, after the summer heat breaks, everyday for the next 8 months becomes, “just another day in paradise”!
  • Red Maple and Rhododendron in Bar Harbor, Maine<br /> We’ve found early June, late May is a great time to visit Bar Harbor, Maine. Flowers are in full bloom and the tourist season hasn’t quite begun. Easy time to find B&B’s and we love the cooler weather and sitting out on porches at night. Don’t get much chance to do that in Phoenix in the summer. This sign leads down to a path that ends up at the bay. After dinner is a great time to walk along the bay and enjoy the sunset.
  • “The Flintstones ” lived here! Watson Lake, Prescott, Arizona<br /> Well..maybe not, but everytime I see these rock formations, they remind me of the “Flintstones”. “The Dells”, as this place is known, have these rocks sprewed everywhere on Watson Lake in Prescott, Arizona. My daughter was on a date on the lake and told me it would be a great place for HDR photography. So I just had to make a special trip to see them for myself. I took photos at sunset and then again at sunrise. I remember having to sneak in that next morning because the park was closed. Sometimes you do what you have to do to get the shot.
  • HDR-Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan<br /> This classic hotel was built in 1887 on Mackinac Island, just east of Mackinaw City on Lake Huron, Michigan. Everyone who visits wants to relive the famous 1980 movie, “Somewhere in Time”, starring Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour. With sprawling Verandas and scenic overlooks across Lake Huron, fountains and gardens, a little romance of yesteryear is in the air. Some dramatic clouds rolled in making an HDR photo so much the better.
  • Puna Coast at Sunset, Big Island, Hawaii<br /> Volcanic rock seashores on the leeward side of the Big Island of Hawaii are rugged and hard to maneuver when you’re carrying a tripod and photo gear. One fall and you’re pretty busted up, especially wearing sandals. But the beauty pulls you in, and all you can think about is finding a scenic vantage point and then wait for the right moment to capture this memorable place. When you’re there, you never want to leave. When you’re gone, all you think about, is when can I come back.
  • Sunset at Lake Huron, Michigan<br /> On the way up to Mackinac Island, we followed the east coast of Lake Huron. I figured there would be opportunities to catch the lake when conditions seemed right and there were. I’ve spent alot of time photographing oceans and never spent much time on the Great Lakes. When you’re there it feels alot like being on an ocean and that is what I was hoping for. This photo was taken with 3 photos merged into Photomatix and then post processed in Photoshop CS5.
  • Turquoise Blue of Cancun, Mexico<br /> I don’t think you can find more beautiful and warm waters than they have in Cancun, Mexico. I spent a day going in one big circle, wading through the huge long pool, back across the Caribbean Sea and then the pool again. Cancun is one long white sand beach, with hotels lined up the whole stretch. We’ve stayed at various hotels here, but you never grow tired of peering out into this hypnotizing Caribbean Sea.
  • Crystal Bay, Lake Tahoe, California<br /> We picked a great time to visit Lake Tahoe. In early June nobody was there. We were one of the only travelers in our hotel at Kings Beach. We drove around the whole lake and decided we liked the northern and eastern area for photos of sunsets and rock formations, such as the one found in the photo. It was down a path from a residential area that had public access. We found out that folks here don’t take kindly to people trespassing on their property. They paid for the view and they want it all to “themselves”!
  • Moon Over The Gold Nugget, Shell Beach, California<br /> The golden hues of the sunset on this giant rock or “Sea Stack” of sorts, kind of reminded me of a huge “gold nugget”. I wander if there is one, somewhere buried deep in the earth, waiting to be found. One gold piece that size would make you rich as Bill Gates. I digress.<br /> <br /> This beautiful beach we stayed at this summer, is called Shell Beach, which is just north of the infamous party beach-Pismo Beach. We were there a few days before July 4th celebrations and from our room high on the cliffs of Shell Beach, we could watch the R.V’s and campers clamouring through the sand dunes, looking to find a place on the beach to celebrate the 4th. Pismo Beach is one of the few beaches I know of, where you can drive right down on the beach and set up camp. Pretty cool idea.<br /> <br /> In 1971, while stationed at Vandenburg Air Base, I had the rare opportunity on Pismo Beach, to see the bioluminescence of phytoplankton, light up the waves and our footprints as we walked. I have never seen it since. I have heard, the Island of Viques, off Puerto Rico, has seen these little “light up in the dark fish”.<br /> <br /> More info on Photoplankton <a href="http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/offbeat-news/introducing-natural-glow-in-the-dark-water/913">http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/offbeat-news/introducing-natural-glow-in-the-dark-water/913</a>
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