Q&A:
Why did you do this?
Simply put – because I could.
Where did you go?
*In sequential order –
My grandmothers house in Southern California
Las Vegas, NV
Williams, AZ
Grand Canyon National Park – South Rim, AZ
Cameron, AZ
Sunset Volcano National Monument, AZ
Wupatki National Monument, AZ
Flagstaff, AZ
Sedona, AZ
Oak Creek Canyon, AZ
Slide Rock State Park, AZ
Jerome, AZ
Prescott Valley, AZ
Red Rock Canyon National Park, NV
Las Vegas, NV
St. George, UT
Springdale, UT
Zion National Park, UT
Red Canyon, UT
Bryce City, UT
Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
Kanab, UT
Jacob Lake, AZ
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, AZ
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, AZ
Page, AZ (Horseshoe Bend, Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon)
Monument Valley, AZ&UT
Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, AZ
Gouldings, UT
Mexican Hat Rock, UT
Four Corners, UT/AZ/NM/CO
Cortez, CO
Moab, UT
Arches National Park, UT
Canyonlands National Park, UT
Capitol Reef National Park, UT
Torrey, UT
St. George, UT
Las Vegas, NV
Grandma’s house, So. Cal
What was your favorite place?
Visually: Probably Bryce Canyon National Park
Photogenically: Antelope Canyon
Enjoyment: Zion National Park
Spritually (feeling most at peace): Bryce Canyon National Park
For meeting cool people: Page & Sedona, AZ
Least favorite?
Probably Flagstaff, AZ... I was only there for a short time but there was a Purina Dog Food factory there and I was downwind of it once and I thought I was going to lose my stomach, the smell was so bad! It was like sticking your head in a bag of dog food and closing it around you and breathing deeply... gross.
Which days of the trip are you most thankful for?
The days I got to spend with my sister!!
Meet any cool people?
Yes! Lots! The ones that stick out the most in my mind are the three photographers I met at Horseshoe Bend outside of Page, AZ. These three guys were on a whirlwind photography trip of the southwest and they had it planned down to the wire! We were all photographing this amazing sunset at Horseshoe Bend, which is a famous section of the Colorado River which bends into a horseshoe shape canyon. We were up at the top of the ridge looking down on the canyon. I knew who the real photographers are because they stuck around after the sun actually set waiting for the clouds to turn into that wonderful shade of pink, which it did! After the pink disappeared we started talking and we all hiked the giant sandy hill back together (because they didn't want me to have to use my pepper spray on the coyotes... hehe!), which was actually very nice of them. When we got back to the parking lot they shared a beer and some pretzels with me and we just stood around talking photography and travel and they gave me some wonderful tips about the places I was headed that they had already been. It was really nice and they didn't give me the skeeves, but yes I still kept my pepper spray on my wrist, Mom. :)
Any regrets?
No, not really. There are places I would have liked to spend some more time in and places I didn't get to visit that I wanted to but I had to make those decisions based on necessity and best use of my time our and about. I'll get to those places someday!
THE NUMBERS:
4,108.4........... miles driven
42................... days on the go
14................... tanks of gas
11................... National Parks & Monuments
5..................... RV parks
5..................... traditional campgrounds
9..................... hotels (6 of them were in Vegas for WPPI)
7..................... blocks of ice
9..................... bundles of firewood
3..................... visits to a laundromat
4..................... speed traps (at least)
3..................... herds of wild mustangs
12................... road walkers
Hundreds...... of baby cows
Several.......... snow covered peaks
Numerous..... strange tiny little towns
Countless...... rock formations in the shapes of animals, birds, cars, trains,
buildings, boats, clothing articles, cartoon characters, people,
famous people, and even the white city from LOTR.
I also had a few small world moments -
* I got a call for a wedding in Monterey this summer, but the couple lived in Las Vegas, which I was literally on my way to when the call came. So I met with them in Vegas, they booked me, and I shot their engagement session the second time I was in Vegas.
*In Zion National Park I saw a guy playing with a really REALLY nice 4x5 large format camera. This of course sparked camera envy in me, so I went over to talk to him. It turns out he bought an 8x10 large format camera from one of my colleages in Monterey while he was visiting the area.
* In an animal museum outside of Bryce Canyon I met two gentlemen and their wives who own wineries in Monterey's wine country.
* Driving around in Arches National Park, I was often following a van with Jim Vreeland Ford license plates from Buelton, CA, which is very close to where I grew up and is the dealership my parents often bought their cars from and one of my HS friend's Dad worked there, etc.
And here's a photo to leave you with... from Sedona, AZ on the top of a ridge at sunset:
What was your favorite place?
Visually: Probably Bryce Canyon National Park
Photogenically: Antelope Canyon
Enjoyment: Zion National Park
Spritually (feeling most at peace): Bryce Canyon National Park
For meeting cool people: Page & Sedona, AZ
Least favorite?
Probably Flagstaff, AZ... I was only there for a short time but there was a Purina Dog Food factory there and I was downwind of it once and I thought I was going to lose my stomach, the smell was so bad! It was like sticking your head in a bag of dog food and closing it around you and breathing deeply... gross.
Which days of the trip are you most thankful for?
The days I got to spend with my sister!!
Meet any cool people?
Yes! Lots! The ones that stick out the most in my mind are the three photographers I met at Horseshoe Bend outside of Page, AZ. These three guys were on a whirlwind photography trip of the southwest and they had it planned down to the wire! We were all photographing this amazing sunset at Horseshoe Bend, which is a famous section of the Colorado River which bends into a horseshoe shape canyon. We were up at the top of the ridge looking down on the canyon. I knew who the real photographers are because they stuck around after the sun actually set waiting for the clouds to turn into that wonderful shade of pink, which it did! After the pink disappeared we started talking and we all hiked the giant sandy hill back together (because they didn't want me to have to use my pepper spray on the coyotes... hehe!), which was actually very nice of them. When we got back to the parking lot they shared a beer and some pretzels with me and we just stood around talking photography and travel and they gave me some wonderful tips about the places I was headed that they had already been. It was really nice and they didn't give me the skeeves, but yes I still kept my pepper spray on my wrist, Mom. :)
Any regrets?
No, not really. There are places I would have liked to spend some more time in and places I didn't get to visit that I wanted to but I had to make those decisions based on necessity and best use of my time our and about. I'll get to those places someday!
THE NUMBERS:
4,108.4........... miles driven
42................... days on the go
14................... tanks of gas
11................... National Parks & Monuments
5..................... RV parks
5..................... traditional campgrounds
9..................... hotels (6 of them were in Vegas for WPPI)
7..................... blocks of ice
9..................... bundles of firewood
3..................... visits to a laundromat
4..................... speed traps (at least)
3..................... herds of wild mustangs
12................... road walkers
Hundreds...... of baby cows
Several.......... snow covered peaks
Numerous..... strange tiny little towns
Countless...... rock formations in the shapes of animals, birds, cars, trains,
buildings, boats, clothing articles, cartoon characters, people,
famous people, and even the white city from LOTR.
I also had a few small world moments -
* I got a call for a wedding in Monterey this summer, but the couple lived in Las Vegas, which I was literally on my way to when the call came. So I met with them in Vegas, they booked me, and I shot their engagement session the second time I was in Vegas.
*In Zion National Park I saw a guy playing with a really REALLY nice 4x5 large format camera. This of course sparked camera envy in me, so I went over to talk to him. It turns out he bought an 8x10 large format camera from one of my colleages in Monterey while he was visiting the area.
* In an animal museum outside of Bryce Canyon I met two gentlemen and their wives who own wineries in Monterey's wine country.
* Driving around in Arches National Park, I was often following a van with Jim Vreeland Ford license plates from Buelton, CA, which is very close to where I grew up and is the dealership my parents often bought their cars from and one of my HS friend's Dad worked there, etc.
And here's a photo to leave you with... from Sedona, AZ on the top of a ridge at sunset:
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