I finally made the enormous effort necessary to match morning light and photography. I was at the East Gate of Zion National Park before sunrise. It was cold. And I was not feeling very creative. I sat my tripod and camera in the general area to photograph Checkerboard Mesa when the sun came over the ridge to the east, then jumped back into the truck to stay warm. The sun didn’t cooperate. Somebody moved East!  

After watching the sun strike formations farther down the canyon, I snapped a few pictures of the famous mesa and loaded everything back into the truck. The light was not special. I missed that pink, rosy effect of morning light. I guess the mountain air is just too clear.  Even morning light was harsh.

We have been here for three days. Every day has been marvelous for site seeing but none of my pictures have been thrilling. I thought it was from doing most of our site seeing in midday light. Obviously, that is not the entire problem. Zion is just too vast to project in two dimensions. As a matter of fact, the entire Southwest trip has been like that - Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, and Grand Canyon. The vastness of the American Southwest overwhelms most photographers. I’m no exception. Everything looks like a common snapshot. I don’t want snapshots. I have tried panoramas but that format is clumsy to display and hard to edit. And, it still doesn’t display the immensity or the feel of grandeur.

I watched a show last night on the Red Desert, the high desert of Wyoming. You can span the horizon for hours and see nothing. Of course, the desert is teeming with life. Throughout the deserts, plains, mesas, buttes, plateaus, peaks, canyons, mountains and valleys of this great southwest, life is watching us see nothingness. It is that perception of nothingness or the vastness that is so difficult to represent on film - or in digits. I’m thinking I need to get closer, concentrate on detail - contradict the perception of nothingness.

I was concentrating on the texture of some huge boulders with steep cliffs as a background when movement distracted me. Big Horn Sheep!

Young Desert Big Horn in Zion National Park

They were just a few yards away but I was working with my 12~24 lens. I watched for a few minutes, hoping they would not notice me. That was no big deal. Cars began stopping and the big ram and a slightly smaller one bounded up the slope but the females stayed right by the edge of the road, eating leaves off a favorite bush. The rams stood higher on the hill, watching.

Note: The ram shown in the picture is the smaller of the two. I had already inserted the photo before noticing the difference.

I crossed the road to get my 300mm lens out of the truck. The herd remained near the edge of the road for at least fifteen minutes. I took dozens of photos — up close with detail. Again, my pictures are not thrilling. These are wild things; a part of the grandeur, the nothingness, the vastness. I don’t get that feeling from my photographs. They seem to have learned to accept tourism as a part of their daily life. It’s almost like going to the zoo. I don’t know if it is sad or if I should be glad that they are so adaptive. I guess that is part of my enigma.

This time, however, light really is part of the problem. I have some sharply focused and well-composed images but the light is dull. They were in a dark, shaded area the entire time. Maybe I need to learn to adapt.

We may try again tomorrow. My wife was very envious when she found that she had missed the Big Horn. They are not nearly as elusive as the park literature reported.
l8r

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We’re here. It’s awesome: Simply indescribable. Defies expression or description. I’m not sure a picture is going to be a thousand words. It’s hard to determine which way to point a camera.We pulled in a few minutes before we were supposed to arrive. After a chat with the nice lady at the registration desk, we pulled into camping spot number 14. We had been a bit anxious about being preempted by a Rockefeller, Roosevelt, or Kennedy but the reservations office was true to its word. We had what Jane had been led to believe was the best camping spot on the North Rim. It is right on the rim of the canyon.

There was a young couple still in the spot when we arrived. They were still packing their equipment from a night of tent camping. I pulled in and parked while they finished packing. We couldn’t resist a walk along the rim. What a fantastic site. Our door faced the South Rim. That gave us beautiful light both for sunrise and for sunset. For those planning a visit to North Rim Campground, the campground layout can be viewed online. There are several sites much like number 14, at least four. Reservations must be made far in advance.

We completed camp setup, had lunch and selected a driving tour to Cape Royal Point and Hiking Trail. The drive is about 20 miles and the hike less than a mile. Every turn in the twisting road brought more ooohs and ahs. The drive was made much longer because we stopped at nearly every overlook and viewpoint.

One negative to the majestic scenery was a soft haze over the canyon. It eliminated the color from distant objects. I had remembered to pack a polarizing filter. It did reduce the haze but there was little that could be done to eliminate it. We’re not sure what was causing the haze, or if it is permanent. There were no burns in progress. It could be left from recent burns. I suspect it was coming from a coal-burning power generating station in Page. That wasn’t confirmed, however, and is a bit controversial for the intent of this post.

I later learned to use the Auto Levels function of Photoshop to make the haze more acceptable.

Grand Canyon Haze

What that did is cause a blue monochromatic effect behind the bright red sandstone cliffs and ridges in the foreground. It seemed to push the color forward, sort of “in your face.” Maybe not a perfect solution but I found the effect pleasing. It’ll have to do.

I imagined the canyon to be a model; a beautiful, very professional model, a super model. The canyon helped me make photographs. It seemed to say, “Look! I put that dead tree there for you. Use it as a foreground.” Or, “Hey, wait for the clouds. They cause a beautiful dappled effect.” Taking a bad image is difficult but I did manage to delete about half of the hundreds I was taking each day. I’ll have to eliminate a few more. I’m running out of disk space.  

Exposure caused some difficulty. Usually, I set the aperture and let the meter choose the shutter speed. That wasn’t working with the dark, saturated colors in the canyon and high values of the clouds in the sky. Getting the darker colors to match exposures with the clouds and sky required a gradated neutral density filter. Fortunately, I had bought one just before leaving on this trip. It has come in handy. But, the ND filter doesn’t do much for eliminating haze. The polarizing filter got most of the work. I changed to Manual Exposure to handle the over-exposed skies and brought the shadow values up with Photoshop.

Note: It is not possible to recover clipped (over exposed) highlight detail. On my Nikon, I set the review mode to “highlights” to see any clipping. It will blink black. In digital, always expose for the highlights and process for the shadows. Just the reverse of the good old days.

I thought of stacking filters but was shooting a lot of wide angle and stacking caused too much vignetting. Besides, rotating a polarizing filter and keeping a rotating gradated filter in sync is a huge pain.

We were flabbergasted after our drive to Cape Royal Point. We included a three-mile jaunt to Point Imperial, the highest viewpoint in the park. It was a day of great memories. We were exhausted after the drive, more from the excitement than the short hikes we took. I did manage to transfer pictures to the computer before quiet time. You are allowed to run a generator from 7-9 in the morning and 6-8 at night. I may not have mentioned that there are no hookups. We’re boon docking. There is a dump station for dumping the sewage and fresh water to fill the water tank. We’ll dump on the way out. And, I do have access to WiFi at the General Store. The coffee there is pretty good too.

We’ve just returned from another exhausting day of fun. I’ll save more excitement for another post. It is just getting better everyday.

L8r

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Page was simply a rest stop on our journey to the Grand Canyon. After aborting the planned trip into Antelope Canyon, we simply relaxed and refueled the bodies. We did make a trip to the local Wal*Mart for groceries and a few essentials. Refueling the truck has been going much better than planned. We’ve found diesel for less than $4 twice and seldom paid more than $4.10. I know that sounds ridiculous but it is much less than we had budgeted. And, surprisingly, Hurricane Ike’s effect has been minimal.

We left Page with no particular place in mind. We had two days to kill before our reservations on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Jane wanted to see the Vermillion Cliffs of the Grand Staircase Escalante so we took the northern route through Utah, headed toward Kanab. Still smarting from the disappointing result of Antelope Canyon, I considered a side-trip to another “must see” site - The Wave. The Wave is another unique result of erosion and uplift. You can read a good summary of The Wave by searching the Internet. To make a long, disappointing story even longer, we didn’t get to see The Wave. I screwed up.

As we had no place to spend the night, Jane was constantly rattling off possibilities. We visited a BLM Visitor Center just across the Utah Border. There was no camping but Jane and the host discussed possible campsites. Shortly after leaving the Visitor Center, we came across a unique, little-advertised campground that looked like a small western town - almost a movie set. The road leading in was also western movie set.

We passed horses inside a split-rail fence on the way to the saloon. That indicated horseback rides - the horses, not the saloon.. A few campers were parked on a flat area above the line of western buildings. The campers were taller than the few scrub junipers that provided shade for the snakes and scorpions.

A cowboy ambled down the wooden steps to the truck, flirting with Jane. “Mighty nice smile, M’am,” he grinned. We talked a bit about things to do and sites to see. I mentioned The Wave and he said, “We can get there but you gotta get a permit from the BLM and they only give ten a day.”

That’s when I remembered and felt really stupid. I had looked it up before leaving home. You can request a permit online or be at the BLM Visitor Center before nine o’clock for one of the ten lottery drawing slots. The permits are for the NEXT day! We would have to spend a night, drive to the Visitor Center early hoping to get drawn for a permit, spend another night, and then hike (or ride horses) to The Wave.

While all the discussing was going on another cowboy walked out on the wooden porch rolling a cigarette. He sat in a rocker, leaned back and took a huge drag (or hit?). Not sure about his brand of tobacco. Mighta been wacky weed? Looked like a fun place to stay but I was getting the feeling that these were just “tokin’ cowboys.” Besides, I think Jane was smitten; I didn’t want her around that cowboy for three days.

We drove on, enjoying the countryside and especially the pink cliffs of the Grand Staircase Escalante. We made it to Kanab too early to stop. We decided to pull on to Jacobs Lake and hope for a camping site. Jacobs Lake is in the Kaibab National Forest and only 45 miles from the North Rim Camp Ground. As it turned out, the National Forest Campground at Jacobs Lake was under construction. We did find a very expensive commercial campground right on the edge of Kaibab National Forest. We checked in there for the two nights prior to our reservation at the North Rim.  By the way, Jacobs Lake is a service station and restaurant.  We drove right past before realizing it was Jacobs Lake.

It was still early after getting the camp setup. Keeping track of time in this area is very confusing. Being in Arizona, however, gave us more daylight time. Just trust me. Explaining the difference is too difficult. We drove back down the cliffs to Fredonia and out to the Pipe Creek National Monument on the Kaibab Paiute Reservation. The living museum there documents the settlement of the area by Mormon ranchers.  It is well worth the drive.  Plust, we found diesel for $3.80.

The last day before our arrival at the North Rim was spent hiking and exploring the flora and fauna of Kaibab National Forest.

Kaibab Squirrel, Silver Ghost of the North Rim

I got some neat pictures of the Kaibab Squirrel and a Stellar’s Jay. The Kaibab Squirrel is unique to this area. It is colorfully referred to as “The Silver Ghost of the North Rim” I think that refers to the white tail that flashes and flickers constantly as the squirrel streaks through the pines.
We departed the Kaibab National Forest very early by our normal standards. Again, the various time zones were in our favor. Checkin at the North Rim Campground was not until eleven, so we stopped several times to view the beautiful mountain meadows along the way. There wasn’t any visible wildlife. We were too late for animals and too early for checkin. It was, however, a scenic trip and very exciting to see our destination just around the bend. We are in the Grand Canyon National Park, North Rim Campground. It is going to be difficult to find words to describe this. I will logoff now; taking some time let it all soak in.
l8r

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We pulled into Goulding’s Trading Post and RV Park early. It is a nice RV Park but not nearly worth the prices they charge. And, it is difficult to put up with the rude staff that knows you are trapped. It is directly across the highway from Monument Valley Navajo Nation Tribal Park. We were in place and fully connected before noon and by mid-afternoon, the place was packed. We were surprised at the influx of campers. We had been here at the same time last year and it was almost lonely. This year, Europeans are flocking to America to take advantage of the “weak dollar” bargains.Also, the weather seemed much different. Last year was very hot with regular late-afternoon storms. The locals call this time of year Monsoon Season. We found it much cooler than last year, almost cold. And, there was no rain to bring rainbows and colorful clouds over the valley. It was just dusty and crowded.

We chose to venture into Utah and follow a few “off the beaten path” roads. Jane took over the driving and let me take pictures. Our first destination was Valley of the Gods. It is neither a National Park nor a State Park, just a “point of interest” on Utah maps. It is billed as a smaller, less commercial Monument Valley. We followed US-163 through Mexican Hat to Utah-261, loosely planning to see Gooseneck State Park and Valley of the Gods. What started as a couple of hours of site seeing turned into a major adventure.

The road into Valley of the Gods nearly beat us and the truck to death - pure washboard. It is desolate. The only human inhabitants of the area are the owners of a bed & breakfast at the entrance to the valley. There are no power lines leading in. It looked as if they had only solar energy. Surprisingly, there were several guests there. Anyway, we made only three miles of the 17-mile road before aborting.

Next came the real adventure. Highway 261 is a road that ascends the cliff to Cedar Mesa. A long section called the Moki Dugway is a series of gravel switchbacks that offer breathtaking views and fearful falls over sheer cliffs. Had she not been the driver, Jane would have been screaming the entire way. But, she was having a blast gunning that big diesel truck up the mountain and sliding the rear end around those switchbacks.

Moki Dugway is a series of switchbacks

I swear she was having a grand old time. It was my turn to be afraid. 

We stopped several times for photos and to view the valley far below. You can see four levels of switchbacks from one viewpoint. The Moki Dugway took us to SR 95 where we turned left for Natural Bridges National Monument. Our short outing had turned into a monumental adventure.

Natural Bridges National Monument is a major attraction in its own right. We needed a lot more time to enjoy and hike to the three natural bridges (arches). We checked the camping but there doesn’t seem to be a place large enough for a camping trailer. Mostly, it was tent camping or popups. We completed the loop drive and checked several scenic overlooks, then made note to add Natural Bridges National Monument to our list of more places to visit.

We left the bridges with the sun getting low in the sky. SR-95 is a very scenic route but we missed a lot of the sites (and photos) because it got dark on our way to Blanding and our junction with US-163 for our return to the RV Park. It was nearly ten o’clock when we got home.

I got up the next morning to get sunrise pictures. The inspiration was lacking.

Monument Valley Sunrise

I took a few of formations silhouetted against the rising sun. I drove south on US-163 to get morning light on a Navajo farm I had noticed earlier. Nothing was really working. I headed north across the border to the point in Utah where Tom Hanks ended his long run in the movie Forrest Gump. Nothing! I guess I was just frustrated. Monument Valley was not the place I expected. Too many people!

That afternoon we took the self-guided 17-mile loop through the valley. That too was frustrating. It was a traffic jam. And the dust was stifling. If there had been a decent picture, it was ruined by the cloud of dust over the valley. It was so disheartening that we returned to the trailer before sunset.

We left Monument Valley the next morning, Sunday, September 14, with no particular destination. We ended up in Page AZ because we drove past one of my “must see” sites. Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon on Navajo Tribal lands that requires a guide to visit. It is just minutes outside Page. We thought we had made reservations for a Photographer’s Tour at 3:30 that afternoon. That got screwed up and I got pissed and refused to reschedule anything with the same people. Sometimes my reasoning is not reasonable. I had wanted to take that tour for a long time. Oh well, another adventure for the “to do” list.

L8r
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I was reminded of that infamous old adage yesterday (Sept 10) as our planned personal guided tour into Canyon de Chelly failed. We were so organized. Jane, my wife, is the organized one. She had a checklist and queried me often on my readiness. I’m the one less likely to have a plan. But, my camera and lenses were clean, all the filters organized, and I was in a great frame of mind for creating art. All the equipment and extra clothing were loaded into the truck. We had checked and rechecked our plan. Then it rained. And rained. And rained.This is what separates “Professional” photographers from all other photographers. My definition of Professional Photographer is someone who depends on photography to feed and clothe the family. I’ve made money with photographs; some years were quite profitable. But, I never gave up the day job.

Keeping a stiff upper lip and hoping for clearing skies, Jane and I drove down to the Holiday Inn to meet Daniel, our Navajo guide. Daniel tried to smile but I could read between the wrinkles. He left the decision to us. It was raining as we discussed the situation. We finally decided to cancel in favor of better weather the next day. I suggested to Daniel that Jane and I would drive the South Rim Trail and try again tomorrow for the trip through the canyon.

We were a bit skeptical but with nothing else to do started out on the South Rim Road in drizzling rain. We pulled into the first overlook, Tunnel Canyon Overlook, and my thoughts were not positive. All I saw was dull, lifeless light. Jane pointed out how much more vibrant the canyon walls are in the rain and low and behold … a waterfall. Water runoffs occur quickly when the rain is falling on solid rock. What was saw was not a river or creek dumping water over the cliff. It was a temporary waterfall made by the dreary conditions. It actually made a pretty photograph.

And, Jane is a real trooper. She held the umbrella over my equipment and us as we slogged along a muddy path to get the right angle for a photograph. She was a bit frightened, I think. She said several times, “Be careful. Be very careful. There is nothing to stop us if we slip.” She was right. It was a sheer cliff below the path - a drop of several hundred feet. We got the picture and had fun together. Jane is a clean freak. We stood in the rain getting soaked, me laughing at Jane, as we cleaned the mud from our shoes to keep from getting the truck interior dirty. 

We drove the length of the South Rim Trail with it raining the entire time. Spider Rock is the last overlook. By then I was so disappointed that we just sat in the truck and talked. It had also gotten cool. We were much higher in elevation and Jane had gotten wet. We turned on the heat and just talked. We left Spider Rock, driving slowly on the return, discussing plans for our next adventure. We were all the way back to Tunnel Canyon Overlook when the skies changed to blue and a huge rainbow appeared over the canyon.

I pulled in to Tunnel Canyon Overlook and snapped a few images of the rainbow. I had lost the creative juices. Nothing was feeling right. We moved back up the trail to Tseyi Overlook. I took a few pictures of the Navajo farm below. The light was nice and the images were better. Remnants of the rainbow mark the passing of a storm as shadows sweep over the Navajo farm in Canyon de Chelly.

Then, I decided a rainbow over Spider Rock was the image I wanted. Needless to say, we broke the speed limit getting back to Spider Rock. There was barely any part of the rainbow visible when we got there. Heavy shadows surrounded the tall sphere known as Spider Rock. I took several pictures from several angles but wasn’t thrilled with the result. We closed shop. Evening was upon us. Maybe I should be inspired by evening? How about a moonlight image of Spider Rock? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm….

Anyway, we are saving the original plan for another day, and I’ve decided that I may not be a Professional Photographer … by my own definition … but I am certainly a Persistent Photographer.   Thanks to Jane. :-)
l8r

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We crossed the Tusas Mountains today, a leisurely drive from Pilar through Taos and following US-64 over the mountains to Chama. We arrived early in order to pick up our tickets for tomorrow’s train ride on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The Rio Chama, a great trout stream, is right behind our camper. When it is quiet I can hear the water running. Unfortunately, I made a last minute decision to leave my waders and fishing gear at home. Maybe I will get to see someone fly-fishing. I really want a picture.

We stopped at the Chama Visitor and Information Center on our way back from the train station. They have free Internet so Jane sent me back to the RV for my computer. She wanted to watch the episode of Big Brother that she missed Thursday. While she was watching the rerun, I learned that the old steam train would be returning from Antonito (Colorado) and was easily accessible to photographers. 

Antique Narrow Gauge Steam Engine

I jumped in the truck and ran out highway-17 to intercept the train. That was fun, exciting and rewarding. And, I met a few other photographers with the same idea. We followed the train all the way back to Chama, taking pictures then jumping ahead of the train for the next viewing area.

Access to the Internet had closed before I could check email or post to the blog. I’m entertaining myself by editing pictures and running some much-needed backup. I also need to make more space on my hard drive.  JPEG files use a lot of space. Tomorrow may be more of the same. The train ride is an all day excursion. The visit center will be closed before we return. I hope to have some great scenics from the trip and maybe a few train images from an “on board” perspective.

Cumbres - Toltec Narrow Guage Train

Chama Continued:

I was right; the “onboard” perspective is different. We boarded the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad at 10:00 a.m. in Chama, New Mexico for our 64-mile journey across the San Juan Mountains to Antonito, Colorado. As you may be able to discern from the above picture, it was a quite nostalgic journey. This old narrow gauge railroad and its historic coal-burning steam engines are remnants of a time in the west that many railroad buffs try diligently to preserve. Except for a few full-time engineers, the staff is volunteers, many of whom spend each season “working on the railroad.” One of the Docent, equivalent to a tour guide, was from Georgetown, Texas. Since we are nearly neighbors, she immediately tried recruiting us into the volunteer staff.

The trip across and through the mountains was absolutely breathtaking. I can only imagine how much more magnificent it might be in two weeks when the leaves begin to change. As for pictures, I discovered that the “onboard” perspective was a bit more restrictive than I had hoped. It was either a picture from the left window or a picture from the right window. I’m talking about pictures of the train. Each curve, and there were many of them, would offer another view of the old engine spewing coal dust and steam. The sulphur smell was very strong at times and there was no way to avoid the soot and coal dust that settled on your clothes and your body.

Another “onboard” obstacle was the motion. There was not a still moment. We were rocking and rolling and swaying and jerking. And when we found a smooth straight area the steel wheels on the steel track created such a vibration that it was difficult to get a sharp image. Since the stock agencies reject so many images taken at ISO 400, I chose a very wide-angle lens and shot wide open to obtain the necessary shutter speed to overcome the train’s impact. It seems to have worked on a few images.

A pointer for all you photographers that I have learned from endless rejects: view your images at 100 percent to accurately judge the technical quality. Anything less and you won’t see all the artifacts and graininess. Judging sharpness will also be more accurate. Try sharpening an image at 100 percent and you can see if it is “really” sharp. Also, don’t try editing at any higher than 100 percent. That will only create problems that don’t actually exist.

The train made several stops along the way. It had to stop several times to take on water. We crossed the Cumbres Pass at 10015 feet. That was the highest point. We stopped in Osient for a huge and delicious turkey dinner for lunch. Staying awake for the rest of the trip was difficult.

The last five or six miles heading into Antonito was high desert plains. It was a steep descent with many switchbacks but the scenery was much less spectacular than the Cumbres Pass and Toltec Gorge. The return trip was on a large bus. The scenery again was spectacular but most of the passengers were either tired of taking pictures of sleeping from the overabundant lunch.

That night we made preparations for our departure. Our next stop would be less hospitable; no showers, no laundry facility; no Internet. We showered for the last time for several days and Jane did all the laundry. Arizona, here we come.
L8r

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Rio Grande Gorge, Taos Pueblo, Mission San Francisco de Asis, the High Road, Santuario de Chimayo, Sangre de Cristo Mountains.   With Taos as a hub, the entire surrounding area is an artist’s paradise.  The work of Ansel Adams, Georgia O’Keeffe and the current crop of fabulous artists has done little to diminish the desire for artwork from this area.  Every way you turn reveals another masterpiece.  Originality, however, is another story.   What you see has probably been done before.  If it was not seen by artists from the days of Adams and O’Keeffe, it has probably been sculpted, painted or photographed by one of the many artisans who currently inhabit Taos and its environs, not to mention the hordes of visitors who pass this way annually.   But, it is certainly a thrill walking in their footsteps and seeing it through your own eyes … or viewfinder.

 Three years ago, my wife and I hosted a campground in the BLM Orilla Verde Recreation Area of the Rio Grande Gorge.  I spent nearly three months trying to capture the natural beauty with a 4-megapixel point and shoot camera.  I had tons of beautiful images, most of which have been ruined by over-zealous post processing or lost in the bowels of a crashed computer.  In these past three years, I’ve learned a lot and increased the “horsepower” of my photography equipment.  We are here for only a few days but I will try to restore some of those lost masterpieces. The culture is my subject.  I am fascinated by history, especially history of the Southwest and the people who are that history.  On the first day after our arrival, I visited the Taos Pueblo.  There are some restrictions on photographing the residents and some of the spiritual events, but the architecture and lifestyle make some beautiful and educational imagery.  If you plan to visit, you should know that you will have to sign a release stating that your photographs will not be used for any commercial purpose.  There is a charge of $5 for each camera and you will need to attach certification that your camera is legitimate.  The pueblo is open daily except during certain religious ceremonies.  The schedule is posted on the Internet, just search on Taos Pueblo.Taos Pueblo and the city of Taos lie at the base of Taos Mountain.  The legend mentioned in a previous post is about the magic of the mountain.  It declares that anyone visiting the area for any length of time and seeing the beauty of the mountain will forever be drawn to Taos.  Since we are here, it is difficult to dispute the claim. 

The High Road is the mountainous road between Taos and Santa Fe … actually it goes to Espanola but it is the road that is important, not the destination.     We took a shortcut through Dixon to Truchas on our way to Santuario de Chimayo, a legendary mission on the edge of Chimayo.  Truchas is an artist community, high in the Sangre de Cristos and offers access to many artists’ studios that are usually open to tourists.   It is a great place to get a feel for the area.  I was more interested in updating my images of Santuario de Chimayo so drove straight through Truchas.  By the way, Robert Redford made a movie in Truchas, something about “bean fields?”Chimayo is a center for woolens and woven fabrics — clothing and rugs.  There are also several excellent turquoise jewelry shops there.  Jane has already contributed to their business, thank you.  J  We had planned a visit to a very nice restaurant tucked away in the valley near the Santuario but the restaurant had burned to the ground.  That disappointment was short-lived.  We had a fabulous short order type meal on the grounds of the mission.  Jane had tamales and I had a tamale pie.  It was more like a soup but absolutely scrumptious.  And, very spicy – one of those Two Coke meals. 

A stop in the Espanola Wal*Mart for less expensive diesel and we returned through the gorge to our temporary home in Orilla Verde.

l8r

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This article is not specifically about photography or cameras.  It is more about my (our) first love – TRAVEL.   A selection of photographs from the trip will scroll across the home page until a more current batch is called for.  The images referred to in this article will be among those images scrolling across the home page.  The two not referred to in this article are a shot from the Taos Pueblo and another from the old wooden gate at Santuario de Chimayo.

My wife and I left Tow (Llano County) Texas on Labor Day, headed for another Southwestern adventure.  I am writing this in the Rio Grande Gorge (Orilla Verde) BLM Recreation Area near Taos, New Mexico.  We hosted a campsite here in 2005.  The natural beauty of the gorge has changed little since then.  The legend of Taos Mountain has worked its magic on us.

We spent our first night in Lamesa, Texas.  The city of Lamesa maintains free electric and water hookups for travelers and overnight visitors to their city.  The RV Park is in the city park, surrounded by shady trees, grass and family picnic and play areas.   There is no checkin/checkout.  You simply pull into the RV area and connect.  It is a wonderful way to welcome visitors to your city and to attract customers to local businesses.  It wasn’t until a few miles up the road that we learned several West Texas and Panhandle cities had adopted the practice.  If you are an RVer, it would be well worth planning a stop along the roads through Lamesa, Brownfield, Levelland, or Littlefield.  The highways through these towns are an excellent choice for North/South travel through this part of Texas.  It is a smooth, flat pull with little traffic.

 We entered New Mexico through Clovis.  Hard times were evident in the city but farms and ranches were green and looked healthy.  Driving such open and seemingly desolate roads leaves me in a dream world, imagining the times when horses were the main mode of travel.  Or, powered transport was in its infancy. 

The railroad opened the west to the world.  The high, wind-swept plains of New Mexico are laced with tracks.  Railroads are resurging, replacing the 18-wheeler as commercial transportation’s mode of choice.  Trains passed us frequently, loaded with transport trailers from J.B. Hunt and others, traveling east and west through the wide-open spaces of our great southwest.  The price of fuel has made train transport much more economical than highway travel. 

 The dusty rose haze in the background is the remains of a passing dust storm.  The isolated ranch is testimony to the hardy souls who have inhabited this area since it was opened and developed by generations of forefathers.  They have endured dust storms, drought, freezing winters and untold struggles with human issues as well as the weather.  These are the real conservative Americans; the folks who have practiced and do practice the culture mouthed by so-called “conservative politicians.”   We stopped along the Llano Estacado for lunch.  This Historical Marker is on the far side of the highway from the ranch and railroad track.  The sign documents the wild and rugged history of the area.  The windmill and stock loading pens in the background speaks to the success of the men who brought cattle ranching to the area. 

Our second day on the road was much longer than planned, probably because we made very few stops.  The light was not very good.  I passed on many picturesque scenes because of it.  Rather than spend the night in Tucumcari or stop before Santa Fe, we decided to push a bit and arrive early in Pilar – site of the Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center.  I would liked to have photographed the gorgeous homes of the fortunate few who live on the outskirts of Santa Fe but let anticipation of arrival preempt some excellent lifestyle scenes.  That was a mistake.  I know that such opportunities should NEVER be missed.  I must learn to give priority to my photographic instincts.  It’s not the destination, Dummy!  It’s the Journey. 

 I’ll speak more about the Legend of Taos Mountain in the next article.  Maybe the next article will be more about photography. L8r 

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