God's Sculptures and Road Trip Observations

​Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Got in to Manitou Springs, Colorado late on Monday. The main reason for the stop was to revisit the Garden of the Gods. Since the weather was not promising, we checked into the hotel and got back into the car with hopes of catching a sunset shot there. Unfortunately, the sunset was not to be with the cloud cover. There was one moment when the sun peeked through allowing me to get this shot of the rock formations.​

​We decided to take a breather from the driving and spent Tuesday morning in Manitou Springs. We headed up to Denver where it has been raining ever since. Our plan is to spend time in the city Wednesday before we head on towards Oregon on Thursday.

​Food Update - When I travel, I am always on the lookout for restaurants that have appeared on the Food Network, particularly Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins. Here are a quick review of the places we have eaten.

  • The Bagel Deli in Denver - Awesome Matzah Ball soup. I am not Jewish, but after eating this soup, I wish I was.​  On par with the soup at Flakowitz in Florida and would need a side-by-side taste test to determine a winner. The brisket knish was very good but the texture of the kishke was not to my taste. 
  • Bang! in Denver - Great gumbo served with jalapeño cornbread. Just the right amount of heat. ​
  • Bangkok Kitchen in Maumee (just outside of Toledo)​ - The best Thai food that I have ever eaten. Hastn't been on any Food Network show but should have been.

Road Trip Observations

  • Rest Stops in Ohio are the best I have ever been to. Nebraska has the worst.
  • The speed limits on highways in many western states range from 65–75mph. Why can’t the northeastern states wake up and smell the roses?
  • Drivers in the Mid-West actually get out of the left lane when a faster car is behind them. Try getting drivers on the east coast to do that.
  • I knew that Iowa and Nebraska was flat and open but never realized that there were no trees to be seen – only farmland.
  • I like driving but didn’t realize how much my butt hurts after driving for 10+ hours. Never been a RV guy but the ability to stand up and walk around is now more appealing.
  • It seems to me that tolls are outlawed west of Indiana. They should really be outlawed in all states.
  • Living on the east coast, you can’t drive 15 minutes without being in a traffic jam. I just drove almost 2,000 miles in the last 3 days and I am still waiting to get in one.
  • Does Nebraska have cell phone service? If so, I have yet to use it.

Abstract Spires and Road Trip!

​Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado

I just finished the second leg of a road trip to Oregon. My son Greg is headed to Oregon to stay with friends for a few months to see if the Pacific Northwest is to become his new home. He was planning to drive across country by himself but I offered to go with him. Friends and family who have travelled with me know that I plan everything in great detail when going on trips. This time, there is no plan other than trying to get west (to the Rockies) as fast as we can and then we will decide where else to go once we get there.

Holy Toledo - We left Connecticut on Saturday morning and ended up in Toledo, Ohio for the night after about 661 miles of driving through 4 states (Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio). We hopped in the car on Sunday morning, drove 688 miles through another 4 states (Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska) and ended up in Omaha, Nebraska. As I write this, our plan is to make it to Manitou Springs, Colorado late on Monday (a mere 612 miles) and maybe stay in the Denver area for a couple of nights and try to get some rest. The weather in Oregon looks pretty awful (lots of rainy days) toward the end of the week so I don’t know where we will be after Denver. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I haven’t been to the Denver area in a while and I thought I would post this image that I took last time I was there. It is the Air Force Chapel in Colorado Springs. This image was the first HDR image that I ever processed. Looking at the original HDR image now, it has all of the problems that you would expect from a first one – over-processed, lots of ghosting, too much grunge and radioactive colors. For this version, I took one of the brackets and processed it as I normally do. Much better result this time around (although I liked the HDR version when I first processed it).

Not sure how often I will be posting the rest of the week but I will try to get a few up as we move on west.

Capri Transport

​Capri, Italy

One of the ports that we visited on our first Mediterranean cruise was Naples, Italy. We were offered two tour options for the day that were quite different. The first was driving the famed Amalfi Coast and the other was a day trip to the Isle of Capri. We debated long and hard and decided on Capri. After a nice 90-minute ferry ride from Naples, we spent a great day first being driven to Anacapri where we decided to take a one-seat ski lift to the top of the island. Afterwards we ended up in town before we took the funicular down to the Marina Grande to await the ferry back to Naples. Being a little early, I wandered around and found these boats just waiting for someone to take them out.

The Frenchtown Inn

​Frenchtown, New Jersey

Growing up outside of Philadelphia in South Jersey, I sometimes would spend a day driving up the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River and come back on the New Jersey side. There are a lot of quaint towns along the river and there is rich history too. The town of Washington’s Crossing, for example, is the site of one of the seminal moments in the birth of the United States.

We recently stayed in the town of Lambertville, NJ for a family birthday party. I had not been to the area since I moved to Connecticut in 1992. We spent the day driving along the river and stopped in the town of Frenchtown, NJ. Strolling in town, I came upon the old Frenchtown Inn. It was originally built as a hotel in 1805 to serve the river and ferry traffic. The town was a favorite stop for people travelling by horse and carriage, or by riverboat, between New York and Philadelphia.

The 1900's saw the hotel prosper with the Roaring Twenties, and then gradually slide into disrepair with the Depression and the decline of river traffic and the railroad.  Since 1985, an on-going renovation project was started. The first floor was transformed into three beautiful dining rooms and a bar area, which resulted in a fine dining restaurant in Frenchtown. The restaurant has perennially been rated among the top in the State.  

I thought that this side of the inn truly conveyed the historical look and feel of America’s early years and tried to convey that through this photo.

Swiss Serenity

​Mount Pilatus, Lake Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland

The Swiss countryside is so lush and beautiful that, until you visit there, you wonder if photos of it were created in Photoshop. The surrounding area around Lucerne is no exception. Sailing on Lake Lucerne, you are transported from the city to a patchwork of small villages with their ancient houses and picturesque chalets. The villages are usually separated from each other by beautiful landscapes with the magnificent and rugged Mount Pilatus as a backdrop.

The day we took our trip on the lake was awesome. Every direction I looked was more beautiful that the last. As photographers, we always hope we will get that magical day that everything we shoot is good. This was one of those days for me.

The Basilica

​Basilica Santo Stefano, Bologna, Italy

Santo Stefano's Basilica is a religious complex located in the Eponymous Square in Bologna, Italy. Built in the 5th century, the complex’s driving force was Saint Petronius, bishop of Bologna.

Originally there were seven churches that lends to its local name of Sette Chiese ("Seven Churches"). Today, only four of the churches remain. Entry into the complex is via the 11th-century Church of the Cross, which houses the bones of Saint Petronius and leads through to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This austere octagonal structure probably started life as a baptistery. Next door, the Courtyard of Pilate is named after the central basin in which Pontius Pilate is said to have washed his hands after condemning Christ to death. In fact, it’s an 8th-century Lombard artifact. Beyond the courtyard, the Church of the Trinity connects to a modest cloister and a small museum. The fourth church, the Church of Saints Vitale and Agricola, is the city’s oldest.

This image is from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where part of the octagonal roof can be seen. I wanted to get a composition that showed the cross along with the ancient brickwork.

Sailing to Marken

​Sailing from Volendam, Netherlands

After spending a few days in Amsterdam, we wanted to spend a day outside of the city and tour the Dutch landscape and traditional villages. Fortunately, friends of ours had been to Amsterdam just prior to our trip and recommended a tour to the villages of Volendam and Marken. Volendam is a fishermen's village and is a popular tourist destination. Located on the Ijsselmeer (Lake Ijssel), it has a great seaside feel to it, reminding me of some of the towns on the Jersey Shore with their boardwalk.

Marken, on the other hand, has a much different feel to it. Located across the Ijsselmeer, it was once an island but is now officially a peninsula with the building of a causeway from the mainland. Marken is well known for its characteristic wooden houses, is less crowded and commercial and has a tranquil atmosphere.

One can reach Marken from either a bus or by ferry. We luckily chose the ferry and enjoyed a beautiful trip. As we left Volendam’s enclosed harbor onto the Ijsselmeer, I was amazed on how many sailboats were out. I am no stranger to seaside locations, but I have never seen so many boats. This photo shows just a few of the sailboats that were out. The lone red sail of this sailboat stood out on the lake.

Light and Shadow Play

​Basilica di San Petronio, Bologna, Italy

Every photographer has a story when the camera “police” go a bit overboard with their enthusiasm to prevent the photographer from shooting. I have one of these stories that I have never posted about. We were on a tour in Bologna, Italy, and visited the beautiful church, Basilica di San Petronio. Upon entering the church, I asked whether or not photographs could be taken inside the church and while the admissions person did not speak English, she knew enough to point to a sign that plainly stated, “No Flash Photography”.

After entering, I started to take photos of the interior of the church along with everyone else. Of course, most of the people taking photos were using a flash but I decided not to. After about 20 minutes, I heard a lot of yelling and it took a moment to realize that it was a guard yelling at me. I tried to explain to the guard that I wasn’t using flash and that others were. No matter what I said, he didn’t understand what I was saying despite a lot of pointing. Finally, our tour guide came over and discovered that he wasn’t accusing me of shooting with a flash but rather was shooting with a “professional” looking camera. The camera in questions was a Nikon D200, which was far from a professional camera. Anyway, I was asked to leave the church.

Despite this little issue, before I left, I was able to get this window in the church that had some great sunlight shining through, illuminating its shadow on the wall.

All Lined Up

​St Mark's Square, Venice Italy

The city of Venice conjures up visions of gondolas, canals, piazzas and bridges. The city is steeped with history and its museums hold treasures of days long ago. One of the most visited parts of Venice is San Marco Square. The square is home to three of the most famous places in Venice, namely Saint Mark's Basilica, the Doges Palace (including the infamous Bridge of Sighs) and the Campanile di San Marco. The square is often so crowded that it is hard to move through it.

The day I took this image, the crowds were at their normal density. I wanted to get a shot that was a bit different from the norm that would capture some of the splendor of Venice’s architecture. This composition shows a few of the many statues that line the square with the Campanile di San Marco acting as the perfect background. The intricacy of the columns and stonework are also on display.

​

Canyon View

​Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona

The American Southwest is home to one of the largest concentration of National Parks and Monuments in the United States. Known as the Grand Circle, it encompasses portions of five states – Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Nevada. It is one of my favorite places to visit and I would need to spend years trying to take in all that the Grand Circle has to offer. Why so long you may ask? Here are a few numbers that give the enormity of the challenge: the Grand Circle contains 12 National Parks, 21 National Monuments and 29 Scenic Byways. Add into that the multitude of State Parks and you get a sense of the magnitude and beauty that is contained there.

Much of the scenery is obvious with large sandstone rock formations, buttes and mountains that are seen from great distances.  Other parts of the scenery are not as obvious until you start to really explore and discover caverns and canyons like the one pictured in this image of Canyon de Chelly National Monument along the eastern border of Arizona. From ground level, there is no indication that there is a canyon that encompasses 131 square miles until you walk up to the edge and get a view of the immense canyon floor. It is part of the Navajo Nation and there are numerous ruins along the walls of the canyon. While this image shows a minute portion of the park, one still gets a sense of how huge and beautiful it is.

Late Night Bridge Crossing

​Cologne, Germany

The night scene in this image was taken from the roof of our riverboat this past September. We had docked on the Cologne waterfront along the Rhine River. After a day of wandering the streets of Cologne, it started raining just before we re-boarded the boat. I was hoping to get some night shots after dinner and hoped that the rain would stop. I went up to the roof after dinner and this railroad bridge was the first thing I saw.

Known as the Hohenzollernbrücke Bridge, it crosses the Rhine and is the most heavily used railway bridge in Germany. Originally, the bridge was both a railway and street bridge and was heavily used during World War II. In 1945, German military engineers blew up the bridge when Allied troops began their assault on Cologne. Today, it is only accessible to rail and pedestrian traffic.

I really liked the glow of the bridge after the rain and was able to catch a train crossing the bridge during this 11-second exposure.

Glowing Rocks

​Camden Hills State Park, Camden, Maine

Maine has the most stunning and rugged coasts on the Atlantic Ocean coast. The official length of its coast is 293 miles, but when measuring actual coastline including all of the coves and jetties, it logs in at more than 4,500 miles. Factor in the more than 4,600 islands that are part of Maine and you total approximately 7,000 miles. It is no wonder that one of Maine’s primary industries is shipbuilding.

The coast has very different characteristics depending on where you visit. Acadia National Park in northern Maine has some of the most spectacular and rugged scenery on the east coast. A mere two hours south, many of the beaches consist of rocks – not very rugged unless you try to lay on them. The beach in this image is part of Camden Hills State Park and shows how rocky the beach can be. I was able to capture this image just after dawn where the rocks took on a great glow from the rising sun.

Tunnel Ahead

​White Pass & Yukon Route, Skagway, Alaska

The White Pass and Yukon Route is a Canadian and U.S. narrow gauge railroad that links the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. The railroad was built during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s to transport prospectors to the gold fields.

The railroad track traverses 100 miles and climbs 3,000 feet in 20 miles.  The ride features steep grades, cliff-hanging turns, two tunnels (including this one) and numerous bridges and trestles. The steel cantilever bridge was the tallest of its kind in the world when it was constructed in 1901.

When I first looked at this image, I wondered why the people in the cars ahead of me were sticking out in precarious positions to get a good shot and then I remembered I was one of those idiots just a few cars back. What we won’t do to get the shot.

Grand Ceiling

Grand Central Station, Manhattan, New York

​

Grand Central Terminal or Station is one of the largest train stations in the world with 67 tracks leading to the suburbs of New York City.  The original station was opened in October 1871. Between 1903 and 1913, the entire building was torn down in phases and replaced by the current Grand Central Terminal. The original ceiling was conceived and finished in 1912 and featured an elaborately decorated astronomical theme. In 1998, a 12-year restoration of Grand Central revealed the original luster of the Main Concourse's ceiling. A peculiarity to the ceiling is that the sky is backwards, and the stars are slightly displaced. One explanation it is God’s view from above.

This was the last shot that I took during our half-day visit to the station. Fellow photographer and instructor Scott Vincent was kind enough to lend me his fisheye lens to capture this image. Thanks Scott.

Beach Light

​Five Mile Point Light, New Haven, Connecticut

The Five Mile Point Light is a lighthouse in New Haven, Connecticut that is located five miles from downtown New Haven and marks the harbor entrance to Long Island Sound.  It replaced the original lighthouse that had a weak light and low elevation, which provided no protection from disaster (at least one ship crashed into the rocks about a mile from the light). This “new” lighthouse was built for $10,000 and opened in 1847. Like its predecessor, its light was extinguished in 1877 when the offshore Southwest Ledge Light replaced it for navigation. Today the beacon is still dark but remains the centerpiece of New Haven’s Lighthouse Point Park and its tower was renovated in 1986.

Totem Pole and Yei Bi Chei

Monument Valley, Navajo Reservation, Utah / Arizona Border

Two of the more famous sandstone formations in Monument Valley are the Totem Pole and Yei-Bi-Chei. Most of the formations in the Valley have descriptive names and it is often unknown whether the names originated with early settlers, the Navajos or others. 

It is pretty obvious how the Totem Pole got its name to anyone who has seen a totem pole. It is approximately 350-foot in height and is all that remains of a butte that has been eroded over the years. It really illustrates the destructive force of nature.

The formation known as Yei-Bi-Che is located just east of the Totem Pole and was named by the Navajo as it resembles a number of dancers emerging from a Hogan. Navajo men perform the spiritual Yei-Bi-Chei dance during a sacred nine-day ceremony called the "Night Way Ceremony".

This image was taken near dusk and can only be taken when accompanied by a Navajo Guide.

Summer Cottage

​Ochre Court, Cliff Walk, Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island has been a New England summer resort destination for the rich for over 150 years. It is known for its mansions that were built during the gilded age of the 1890’s as summer “cottages”. This is an image of the back of Ochre Court that I took at dawn from Newport’s Cliff Walk. Ochre Court was built for Ogden Goelet, a wealthy New York banker and developer. Goelet was an avid yachtsman and Newport is famous for it’s sailing. In the 1940’s, the family donated the property to the Religious Sisters of Mercy. It now serves as the administrative offices for Salve Regina University.

Feeding the Falls

​Niagara River, Niagara Falls, New York

When visiting Niagara Falls, it is easy to come away mesmerized by the power and the beauty of the falls themselves. Whether you see them from the walkways around them on both the Canadian and American side, take a boat ride on the Maid of the Mist or take the elevator down and see them from the Cave of the Winds, it is hard to take your eyes away from them. Photographers look for the iconic shots of the falls and try to capture something different which is virtually impossible with the millions of photos taken there. I too get caught up in the beauty of the falls. One thing that I have tried to do is photograph the surrounding area to give it a more complete sense of place. This image is one of those shots and is a part of the Niagara River that flows past Goat Island before becoming part of the American Falls.

Reservoir Doors

​Barkhamsted Reservoir, Barkhamsted, Connecticut

In January, I posted this image of the Barkhamsted Reservoir located about 20 minutes from my home. I have always been intrigued with this location and visit it regularly for either shooting or just plain relaxing. The wall and structure on this part of the reservoir is actually Saville Dam which, when built, resulted in the flooding and destruction of many buildings and farms of Barkhamsted, including the village of Barkhamsted Hollow.

I always wonder about the round stone structure in the middle of the dam with its small conical roof and great doors. This image is standing in front of the walkway leading to the doors. I sort of want to know what is kept inside this structure, as I have never seen the doors open in all of my visits there. I would probably be disappointed to learn what was in there and maybe the mystery would keep me coming back.

Classic Venice

Venice, Italy

There is no doubt in my mind that my favorite place in Italy is Venice. There is something unique about it that I can’t exactly explain. Perhaps it is the feeling that I get when I walk around and see the ancient buildings, the gondolas and water. I can’t help thinking about the history of the place particularly when Venice ruled the region as a “City State” for almost 300 years.

While many other European cities claim to be like Venice (Amsterdam is known as the Amsterdam of the North), there is only one original. Walking around the city, you come across so many little alleyways that have a gem hidden in them. They all seem to have a uniqueness to them but fall into the classic Venice look and feel. This is just one of the alleyways that I fell in love with.

​