A visit to Montana's Glacier National Park is a must for anyone who loves the Rocky Mountains. Located on the US - Canadian border, it was named for the many glaciers that carved the mountains into their present shapes. Unfortunately, the glaciers are being adversely affected by global warming and there are some who believe that all 37 of the remaining glaciers will be gone over the next 10-15 years. The park is also home to many large and beautiful lakes. This image is of Swiftcurrent Lake located in the Many Glacier region of the park. This view is from the east shore of the lake taken from the back of The Many Glacier Hotel looking across to the magnificent Mount Grinnell. Boats can be rented from the hotel and, if you are lucky as I was, you have a lone boater rowing toward shore anchoring the composition of the image.
Acadia Guardian
The cliffside Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse in Acadia National Park marks the entrance to Bass Harbor on the southwestern side of Mount Desert Island. This composition is the only decent view of the lighthouse as all other perspectives are really unappealing. The challenge, particularly ay sunset, is getting to this vantage point. There is a slippery climb down from the parking lot and trying to find any spot among 40+ other photographers that can fit there. I was fortunate to get one of the last physical spots on the rocks and, even then, it was hard to get a shot without someone's head, arm or other appendage in it. The light is a wonderful place to shoot and my advice is to get there very early before the parking lot and the rocks are overflowing.
Dawn has Broken
New England's famed foliage is the subject of today's image as we revisit Echo Lake located near Conway, New Hampshire. This image was taken just after dawn and shows the beautiful light and color that was there in all of it's glory for the 20+ photographers that were at the lake. The water was still and the fall foliage was reaching its peak. I decided to shoot a bracketed series so I could make sure that the beauty of the sky and the foliage came through the image. As you can see, Echo Lake is a wonderful location to capture the beauty of the New England's fall season.
Beautiful Day on the Coast
One of my favorite drives in the United States is California 1. The road begins in Orange County to the south and ends north of Mendocino in the town of Leggett. The road is about 650 miles in length and I have driven it probably about 15 times or more. It was the first real scenic drive that I took when I started traveling on business to the west coast. There are sections that are more scenic than others and some have been designated as a scenic highway. My most favorite section is located in Big Sur and is an official National Scenic Byway. For about 90 miles from the San Carpoforo Creek to the Carmel River, the road winds and hugs the cliffs of Big Sur, passing various coastal parks.
On the day I shot this image, the weather was glorious as we left San Simeon for the drive to Monterey. Every pullout seemed to be screaming at me to stop and take a photo. If I had, it would have taken forever to reach our destination. I was compelled to pull over to get a shot of the Bixby Creek Bridge in the distance by my son, whose favorite author, Jack Kerouac lived in a cabin in the Bixby Canyon. He later penned his book "Big Sur" about his experiences there.
Sandstone
Delicate Arch is one of Utah's most famous icons and can be seen on magazine covers, tourist guides and on Utah's license plates. The classic view of the arch requires a 1.5 mile (one way) moderately strenuous hike leading up a steep slit rock trail from the parking area at Wolfe Ranch. It is an exhilarating hike and well worth the effort. There are times that the hike is not feasible whether it be rainy weather or traveling with people that cannot traverse the steep climb. In these instances, there is a viewpoint that gives a good view of the arch, albeit from a very different perspective. The viewpoint is about a mile from the arch and it was from this vantage point that I took this shot. There are normally lots of people around and under the arch, but for some unexplained reason, there were very few people there (the ones that were there were at the mercy of the content-aware brush).
Cameron Reflections
Today we are headed back to the Canadian Rockies to visit the smallest and least famous national park in Alberta, namely Waterton National Park. Given it's location in southern Alberta, it is often the forgotten park when compared to Canada's national parks to north (Banff & Jasper) and the famous U.S. Glacier National Park that abuts Waterton. There is a real relaxed atmosphere to the park that serves as the perfect place to view spectacular scenery, wildlife and enjoy recreational activities. This image is of Cameron Lake which is located at the end of the Akamina Parkway. Cameron is a hidden gem and has some great trails for hiking or you can rent canoes, kayaks and paddle boats. Even though we visited in August, you can see that the mountain face still had snow with numerous small waterfalls tumbling into the lake. The lake was deserted and I had the pick of perspectives.
Out for a Stroll
There is no better city to walk around than Venice, Italy. It has such a unique feel to it that transports you to a different time. Sure, the fact that the "streets" are canals contributes to the feel. But so do the gondolas, even though they are there for tourists rather than for transportation. Maybe it is the wonderful buildings, some of which have been there for hundreds of centuries. Maybe it is the museums that scream the Italian Renaissance wherever you look. Or it could be the history or the food. I could go on and on. When I edited this image, all of my feelings about Venice came rushing back to me. My wife and friends had headed back to the hotel to rest and I decided to spend the late afternoon just walking around with no destination in mind. When I came across this scene, I knew I had a winner (at least in my mind). Venice should be on everyone's bucket list.
The Chateau
Back from an unplanned week away from the blog. Been a busy week and I am glad to be back. Today's image is of the Chateau Lake Louise located on the lake of the same name in Banff National Park. The original Chateau was gradually built from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The hotel is not an inexpensive one but if you are going to splurge on any hotel in Alberta, this is the one to do it. The hotel sits on one end of the emerald waters of the spectacular lake and is perhaps the most picturesque hotel in the Canadian Rockies. The view from the hotel is the beautiful Victoria glacier that hangs suspended above the frigid waters.
This photo of the hotel was taken a little after dawn from the dock across the lake. The morning was still and the lake was glass-like.
Malta Waterfront
Quick post and run today as I need to prepare for my fantasy baseball draft this weekend. This image is from our Mediterranean cruise as it was leaving port in Valetta, Malta. The setting sun bathed the waterfront in light and shadows and made for a beautiful departure from the island nation.
Early Light
After viewing fellow photographer and blogger Rick Louie's gorgeous image of Herbert Lake last week, it reminded me that I had a number of images of the lake that I haven't looked at in a while. I tried to find one from a different vantage point and this is it. The image was taken about one half hour after dawn (also known as the golden hour). Herbert Lake is located on the Icefields Parkway just north of Lake Louise in Banff National Park. The lake is only a few feet off of the road and the only obstacle is a guard rail. While I enjoyed the beautiful light and scenery, I thought of my poor wife who was dragged out of the hotel before dawn and was sleeping in the car. What photographer spouses have to go through for a photo.
Island Protection
I first visited this lighthouse on my tour of New England lighthouses with my son as he searched for a location for his movie short. While we loved the light (known as either the Cape Neddick Lighthouse or Nubble Light), my images were pretty awful as it was mid-day and the light and glare was terrible. I decided that I needed to revisit sometime in the future. That chance came in the fall during a vacation with friends. We were staying in Kennebunkport and decided to take a boat tour out of Perkins Cove in Ogunquit to see the island from all sides. The tour is a nice way to spend an afternoon seeing the beautiful Maine coast and it's most southern destination is the lighthouse. The tour circles the island (or at least 90% of it) before heading back to Perkins Cove. The best vantage point, whether it be from a boat or on land, is this one that shows the full lighthouse.
Purple Mountain Majesty
When visiting the Canadian Rockies, the first places that come to mind are Banff and Jasper National Parks. There is so much to do and see that many don't usually explore further into the Rockies. When we visited Jasper, the weather was downright awful with rain most of the days we were there. A little bored, we decided to take a trip west into British Columbia to see if we could at least find somewhere where it wasn't raining. As luck would have it, we found Mount Robson Provincial Park. The park is located entirely within British Columbia, bordering Jasper National Park. The park is named for Mount Robson, which is pictured here and is the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. Mount Robson stands tall within the park rising about 7,500 feet from Berg Lake to the summit. As I framed this image, I immediately thought of the words, purple mountain majesty from the song.
Walk in the Park
One of the national parks that I have always wanted to visit is Everglades National Park. It is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States and encompasses about 1.5 million acres. I was hoping to visit the main part of the park before a cruise leaving from Fort Lauderdale but the main part of the park was too far away to visit in the time that I had. As I was researching the park, I noticed a small entrance on the northern edge of the park named Shark Valley. Shark Valley is located along Tamiami Trail near the Miami Dade-Collier County line. While it is a small section of the park, wildlife abounds such as alligators, raccoons, deer, lizards, snakes and and all sorts of birds. Visitors can either hike a 15-mile trail or take a tram. There is an observation tower, seven miles down the trail that gives a great view of the surrounding area.
What amazed me the most when I entered the park was how close the birds and alligators were to the entrance. You could literally walk up and touch an alligator if you wanted to (but why would you?). This bird was having a nice leisurely walk in the park right next to the entrance to Shark Valley and I thought it's colors would make a great image.
Shipwrecked
This image is a shipwreck lying just off the beach of Cape May, New Jersey. The ship was the S.S. Atlantus and was built by the Liberty Ship Building Company. Launched in December 1918, it was used to bring home US servicemen that fought in World War I. In 1926, there was a plan to use it and two other concrete ships as a ferry dock. Unfortunately, a storm hit and the Atlantus broke its moorings and ran aground where it is today. Now, it's just a twisted hulk of concrete and rebar poking out of the bay.
Sail Reflections
Canada Place, with its iconic white sails, is located in the heart of Vancouver’s downtown harbor front. We had finished our Alaskan cruise and we were staying in the Pan Pacific Hotel that is part of Canada Place. Whenever one sees images of Vancouver, the sails of Canada Place are front and forward and almost every tourist guide shows it's image. I tried very hard to shoot it from different angles and, while I managed to get a couple that I sort of liked, I wasn't happy. It wasn't until our last night that I spotted this reflection of Canada Place in the windows of the neighboring pier. While I had noticed this view before, it was the great light and clouds that made the shot for me.
Chilling
This image is of the town of Perast located on the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. Near Perast there are two small islands: one is called St. George island which houses an old monastery. The other is called Gospa od Škrpjela, home to the chapel of Our Lady of the Rocks. We had just left the chapel and were on a relaxing short boat ride to Perast. Perast has an interesting history. The Republic of Venice owned the city between 1420 and 1797 as part of the Venetian Albania. It has sixteen Baroque palaces, seventeen Catholic churches and two Orthodox churches. After the French Empire conquered and dissolved the Republic of Venice in 1797, it became part of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy and later was included in the Austrian Empire. During World War II it briefly was annexed to Italy by Mussolini. After 1945, Perast became part of Yugoslavia and ultimately became part of Montenegro since its independence in 2006.
Visions of Banff
One of the most photogenic places on Earth is located in the Canadian Rockies. Banff National Park is a destination for any landscape photographer and no visit to the park would be complete without a stay in the Town of Banff. The town is located about 75 miles west of Calgary, Alberta and about 35 miles east of Lake Louise. The town was the first municipality to incorporate within a Canadian national park and is known for its surrounding mountains and hot springs. It is a destination for almost all outdoor sports, especially skiing. While not as high when compared to the US Rockies, it's elevation of 4,800 feet is still the second highest in Canada.
This view of the Town of Banff from Mount Norquay shows it nestled in the valley to the right of Mount Rundle with the Bow River running past.
Spring is Coming
Looks like spring is almost here in the northeast. The forecast is for the mid to high 60s all week. I spent some time this weekend reviewing some of my images and spotted this abstract of a fern that I shot near Enders Falls in Granby, CT. The fern's color reminded me of the transition from brown to green that happens every spring. I hope that I am not celebrating it's return too soon.
Spaceship
Quick post and run for today. This image is an abstract taken during my trip to Florida last month. I'm sure that fellow photographer and blogger, Jim Nix, will recognize this immediately as it is one of his favorite places. This abstract is of Spaceship Earth in Disney World's Epcot. Epcot to me is the park most designed for adults in the Disney complex and it was great to visit after a 17-year hiatus. It was great to see all of the new things they have added there since my last visit. The Test Track and Soaring rides quickly became my favorites. Have a great weekend everyone.
All Aboard the Durango-Silverton
This is an image of the Durango-Silverton train that I captured right before boarding it in Durango, Colorado. The train makes round trips daily to Silverton, Colorado to the north, a 3.5 hour, 45 mile trip trip through the rugged San Juan Mountains. The train is a narrow gauge, which is better suited to navigate the sharp curves of the mountain terrain. Once used to haul silver and gold ore from the Silverton area, it now serves as a tourist attraction. The ride itself is a spectacular trip passing open ranges, herds of horses, beautiful streams, waterfalls and spectacular mountains. The train often winds onto the "highline", a famous section of the railroad where the train crawls along the face of high cliffs. The engine crew will usually "blow" the engine on a railroad bridge to clean sediment from the boiler. It also stops for water at Tank Creek water tank for it's engines.
I highly recommend taking this train for anyone visiting southwest Colorado.