Utah Color - Colorado River Scenic Byway, Moab, Utah

One of the classic scenic byways in the southwestern US is the Colorado River Scenic Byway. Also known as the River Road or Route 128, it follows the twists and turns of the mighty Colorado River for 44 miles, from the town of Moab to Interstate 70 just west of Grand Junction, Colorado. Along the way are some of the prettiest landscapes and rock formations that you will find. From the road, especially in the early morning light and late evening light, the orange sandstone takes on this wonderful glow that is accentuated by deep blue skies. Despite is beauty, it remains a relatively unexplored destination when compared to the other main attractions of the area, namely Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. That is a shame, as it can hold its own with them.

This particular section of the road is known as Professor Valley. It reminds me very much of Monument Valley, three hours to the south. It's beauty is so captivating that is has been the backdrop for many western movies and can also be seen in many television commercials.

Savannah Protection - Fort Pulaski National Monument, Georgia

Fort Pulaski National Monument, Cockspur Island, Georgia

I have discovered a penchant of mine several years ago for old forts. I never went out of my way to visit these relics of past wars, but would visit them as part of being a tourist. It wasn't until I visited Key West a few years ago that they became a favorite photographic subject.  At that time, in my quest to visit all of the US National parks, we took a boat ride to Dry Tortugas National Park. There, I photographed Fort Jefferson and was mesmerized by the brickwork and cascading walkways that seemed to go on forever. So, now when I visit a new area, I check out to see if there are any old forts in the area.

When I visited Savannah, we made a side trip to Cockspur Island to check out Fort Pulaski National Monument. Fork Pulaski was built in 1847 along the Savannah River to protect the port city of Savannah. It had a minor historical role in the Civil War, first being occupied by the Confederate Army, and later used by the Union Army to shut down the port of Savannah and also as a POW camp.

Upon gaining entrance to the fort, I headed to the lower section to find the cascading walkway that I loved. Sure enough, the walkway had the requisite brickwork that I loved to shoot. A bonus was a cannon at the far end of the walkway. If you look closely on the floor, you can see the tracks where the soldiers could move the cannons into position to fire.

Oxbow Foliage - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Oxbow Bend is a classic photographer destination that has been photographed countless times. You never know exactly what you will get when you arrive there before sunrise. Sometimes you get some crazy clouds that are lit up beautifully above Mount Moran, and other times you can't get a glimpse of the mountain at all. Every time I visit, it is a new experience. 

On my last visit there, the foliage was out in full display. The typical spots to shoot from are to the right of the parking lot or down by the banks of the Snake River. While I dutifully captured those shots, I wanted to get a wider shot of the foliage. The challenge in getting the shot I envisioned was trying to balance two desires. First, I wanted to shoot with the early morning light. Second, I wanted the whole shoreline to be lit up in a way that would show off the foliage. That proved to be difficult, as the section I wanted to be lit was in shadow during the best soft light. I made my way down the shoreline further than I have been before, and from there it was a waiting game. Finally, the hillside lit up, and I got the shot. Because there were clouds that morning, I cropped the boring blue sky out, giving the photo more of a panoramic look.

Towering Sandstone - Lake Powell, Arizona

One of the highlights for me visiting Page was our boat ride to Rainbow Bridge National Monument. Reflecting back on the 4-hour round trip ride, I am not sure what was most impressive: Rainbow Bridge or the sandstone rock formations along the way. As we left Page, the formations kept getting more and more impressive. They tower above Lake Powell, and you feel quite insignificant in comparison to the overall landscape. To give a feel on how big some of the formations are, I included a houseboat in this composition. The houseboats on Lake Powell are no small things, ranging from 50 -75 feet long and sleep anywhere between 8-16 people. I am not sure how big the houseboat in this photo is, but it is so small in comparison to the formation. I think it gives some scale to the landscape along Lake Powell.

Idyllic - Yosemite National Park, California

Lambert Dome, Tioga Road, Yosemite National Park, California

Most serious photographers will look back on some of their photos and cringe at how they were edited. Sometimes we want to hide those photos from others, and other times we go back and re-edit them to give them new life. This is especially true when the photo brings back some fond memories. This photo is one of those that fit the latter case. I shot this back in 2010 on my very last visit to Yosemite National Park. We wanted to get out of the valley with its crowds and explore Tioga Road. The light was pretty phenomenal that night, and all I wanted to do was stop at every opportunity and capture the experience. When we came upon Lambert Dome pictured here, I knew that it was that moment I was hoping for. The water was perfectly still and the Dome was perfectly reflected. This granite rock formation towered about 800 feet above us and was perfectly lit. You don't always get these perfect conditions, and that is why I had to re-edit the photo to relive the moment.

Red Hills - Kelly, Wyoming

The Red Hills are a great side trip when you are visiting Grand Teton National Park. Located east of the Tetons, it is a beautiful drive where you pass lakes and ranches. I have been here a number of times and the weather has always been so-so, until the last time when this photograph was taken. Photos of this often include the ranch to the right of the hills, but I wanted to focus on the foliage of the aspen stands that dot them.

The hills on my visits here have never looked that red to me, but rather more of an orange color. I was a bit puzzled by this, so I did a little research. Turns out that the hills were not named for their color. In the early 1900's, there was a bitter feud between two Jackson Hole ranching families. The feud resulted into a bloody showdown between the families, and shortly thereafter they were called the Red Hills.

Not So Hidden - Glacier National Park, Montana

Hidden Lake Overlook, Logan Pass, Glacier National Park, Montana

There is nothing like exploring our National Parks on a hike, especially with friends and fellow photographers like Jaki Goode Miller and Bobby Strader. The gold at the end of some of these hikes are usually magnificent mountains and snow-fed lakes. One of these treasures can be found in Glacier National Park on the Hidden Lake Trail. Climbing about 500 feet in elevation on a 1.5-mile from the Logan Pass parking lot gets you to the overlook where Hidden Lake becomes visible. It sits right below the beautiful Bearhat Mountain, part of the Lewis Mountain Range. Standing there and looking down at this scene was awe-inspiring and is the reason I have fallen in love with the western United States. I wanted to hike down to the shores of Hidden Lake, but that required another 1.5-miles of hiking and we just didn't have enough time to meet up with the rest of our group. Suffice to say, if you have a chance to take this hike, do so.

Touch of Orange - White River National Forest, Colorado

Capitol Creek Road, White River National Forest, Colorado

With all of the foliage images that I have posted in the past few weeks, I have often contrasted the difference between the New England foliage with its many colors and the Colorado foliage with its mainly yellow color. As I was reviewing some of my Colorado photos, I came across this photo that I took in the White River National Forest off of Capitol Creek Road. Here among the blanket of yellow aspen leaves is proof that there is a little variety in the foliage with a small touch of orange.

Searching for Gold - White Pass & Yukon Route, Skagway, Alaska

This may be a strange title for this photo, but is actually quite appropriate. The White Pass and Yukon Railway (WP&YR) was built in 1898 as a result of the Klondike Gold Rush. The gold rush itself started in 1896 and attracted over 100,000 prospectors to the Yukon. The building of the railway was quite impressive, taking a little over two years to complete. This is especially so when you take into account that the railway is 110 miles long, climbs 3,000 feet through rugged mountains with grades of almost 4%, and has numerous tunnels, trestles and bridges. 

Maybe the most interesting thing about the railway is that it served prospectors for a little over a year. By 1899, gold had been found in Nome, Alaska, and most of the prospectors packed up and headed there to strike it rich. Today the train runs as a seasonal tourist attraction, beginning and ending in Skagway, Alaska.

Going to the Sun Stop - Glacier National Park, Montana

If you are looking for rugged mountains, pristine forests, mountain lakes and waterfalls, look no further than Glacier National Park. According to Wikipedia, there are over seven hundred lakes in the park, along with over two hundred waterfalls. Most of these natural destinations are scattered throughout the one million acres of the park, which requires some hiking. Almost all of the trailheads originate from or near the one main road that bisects the park, the Going-to-the-Sun road. The good news is that some of the more famous waterfalls are pretty close to the road and require only a little walking to get to. For example, McDonald Falls (pictured here) is located at the north end of McDonald Lake and is at most a hundred yards down an incline from the road. 

When we arrived here at the parking area, it had been raining off and on in the afternoon. The rain had just stopped and the sky was overcast. This is actually the best sky for shooting waterfalls, as the clouds create a huge softbox that eliminate any sun glare on the water. I immediately knew that with all of the  "steps" in the rocks, a long exposure would accentuate the water movement. 

Castle Valley Oasis - Castleton Tower, Moab, Utah

Castle Valley is an area northeast of Moab off of the Colorado River National Byway (aka River Road or Route 128). The Moab area is mostly desert and has the characteristic orange color of sandstone found in the southwest that always contrasts well with blue skies. The sandstone is everywhere and there are some really cool rock formations that have been formed through erosion over the centuries. The formation in this photo is known as Castleton Tower. Often when I am in these serene places, my mind wanders and my imagination kicks in.

I can almost see a man lost in the desert that has been surviving without water. He comes over the crest of a dune and spots this oasis and wonders to himself, "Is that really water or is it a mirage?" That is the thought in my mind as I click the shutter button to capture the moment. I know that this is not a mirage but real. Could what I imagined really have happened sometime in the past? Probably not, but who knows?

Eye Contact - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Over on my Facebook page, I have been participating in a seven-day Wildlife Challenge with a number of other photographers. Today is my seventh and last post for that challenge, and I thought that I would post it here on the blog. Head on over to Facebook to see the rest of my wildlife postings, as well as the other photographers' photos.

There have been numerous news stories over the past few years about bad encounters with wildlife. Usually, all of those encounters end up with a human being getting seriously hurt or killed by an animal. Given my experience with some of the visitors I have seen in our National Parks, it is usually the humans that have brought it on themselves. We have seen stories of people getting gored while they were taking selfies of themselves with a bison in the background. I don't understand what they are thinking when they do something stupid like that. Bison are territorial and may decide to protect themselves when someone violates their territory. My rule of thumb is this: when a bison makes eye contact with you as this one did with me, make sure you have an escape plan close at hand. In this instance, I was right next to my car door and I slowly got into the car until he walked away. Just because these bison may weigh up to 2,000 pounds, it doesn't mean that they are slower than you.

Banff Beauty - Banff National Park, Alberta

Waterfowl Lake, Icefields Parkway, Banff National Park, Alberta

There are times that you stop at a location and the scene just takes your breath away. When Jeff Clow and I stopped at Waterfowl Lake along the Icefields Parkway, that was the case. As we worked the scene looking for different compositions, none of them conveyed the whole scene in its entirety. It is at these times when I realize that the only way to properly capture the essence of the entire scene is to shoot a panorama. 

Into the Fog - Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Paradise Road, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

After flying across country and driving almost two hours, the last thing I wanted to see was Mount Rainier totally socked in. I did a little hiking before I called it a day, and I was hoping that the next morning would be clear with some nice cumulous clouds. After rising before sunrise, I headed out to catch a sunrise reflection in the aptly named Reflection Lake. The mountain was in full view, but as I started down the road into the valley, this is what waited for me. Fog and lots of it. Don't get me wrong, I really like fog, but not too much of it. It sets a great mood to most photos. I stopped along the way to get this shot of the surrounding mountaintops just peeking above the fog. I wasn't going to get that reflection shot of Rainier this morning, but did manage to get it the next day.

Break on Through - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Being a travel photographer with a special fondness for mountains, whenever I go to the Rocky Mountains, my excitement level reaches high levels. To get to these destinations, you spend a bit of money, endure painful airline security, sit in cramped airplanes and have at least one layover (sometimes two). When you begin your descent, you start to think of all of the great shots you will take, and then it happens, your plane gets below the clouds and you realize that the mountains are socked in completely. Yep, those photos showing the golden light that you dreamed of turn into a white nothingness. You hope that the sun will break through for the rest of your time there, but sometimes it doesn't.

On my last trip to the Tetons, our group was faced with such possibilities. As we drove around the park, we all looked for the change in the weather that would revive our hopes. A tiny little break in the clouds would indicate that a better weather front was coming. As soon as a tiny little peak was there for a few seconds, all you could hear was a lot of cameras firing away, shots that none of us would taken had we had good weather and visibility. But when the sun finally puts on a push to break on through, photos like this one happen quite quickly. To those who weren't there with us, this photo shows the beginning of a change that made the rest of the tour meet our photo expectations.

Connecticut Splendor - Kent, Connecticut

Lake Waramaug State Park, Kent, Connecticut

As you may have noticed, I spent the last two foliage seasons away from my home state of Connecticut. Last year, it was taking a tour of Colorado to see the colors of the aspens against the magnificent mountains. This year, I co-hosted a Maine Photo Tour with my good buddy Jeff Clow. When I got home, I was too busy to get a chance to shoot the Connecticut foliage. So this photo is from a few years ago, and is of my go-to location for foliage photography. Located about an hour from my house near Lake Waramaug State Park, this particular location is privately owned and difficult to shoot. The property is large (some might consider it a mansion) and I wish that I had the run of the place to photograph it. There is no shoulder on the road, so it is hard to pull over to shoot it. I sometimes park on the home's driveway (about a half-mile long), hop out and get in some shots. I am always ready to hop back in the car and take off if I see anyone coming. Perhaps one day, I will get the courage to drive the very long driveway, knock on the door, and ask permission.

Homestead - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

John Moulton Homestead, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Imagine that you decide to move west to Wyoming. You pack up all of your belongings into covered wagons that are more than likely powered by oxen. You brave the sweltering heat of summer and try to stay warm on those frigid nights on the plains. Along the way you see the beauty of the American landscape, but with that beauty comes a ruggedness that many will not overcome. Finally you reach your destination with the magnificent Grand Tetons of the Rockies as your backdrop. You think about relaxing, but no, housing has to be built and food and water needs to be found. Somehow, you survive and raise a family in this location.

These are my fictional thoughts of what might have happened as I compose photos of the John Moulton Homestead. I wonder if I would have survived such a trip without a supermarket to buy food from, a car to get around, a computer to find out what is going on, electricity to power all of my modern conveniences, etc (the list goes on and on). Probably not, but standing in front of these remaining houses and barns with the majestic mountains in the background, I think I might have tried. Just think of waking up every morning and seeing what Mother Nature would have in store for me. I guess for me, shooting photos in this wonderful place is a trip through time that leaves me wondering what really happened.

From the Rocks - Marshall Point Lighthouse, Port Clyde, Maine

I have visited Marshall Point Lighthouse a few times, but I had never shot it at sunrise or sunset. I always wanted to, but my visits in the past were on family vacations with non-photographers. On our Maine Photo Tour, I resolved that I would shoot at both times, as I thought that the light would be great (I wasn't wrong). Every time I have visited this light, I have never seen it with the tide in (I still haven't). I would like to some day, but, with the tide fully out on this evening, we were able to scramble on the rocks to get some unique views of the lighthouse. Not only that, there were some great puddles left by the tide that enabled us to get some terrific reflection shots. This is one of the puddles that my buddy Rad Alzyoud found. Not only did it give us a great reflection, it also gave us an extremely unique composition, one that I had never seen before. I think it is only possible when the tide is fully out.

Winter is Coming - Little Long Pond, Mt Desert Island, Maine

I know, stealing a favorite line from Game of Thrones is lame, but coming up with titles for these images can be challenging. Since I was a big fan of Game of Thrones well before the it aired on HBO, I feel like I can do so. Anyway, there is no doubt that fall is my favorite season of the year. The golden colors of the leaves are magical when you see them at their peak color. It is funny that just when the peak color hits, within a day or two the color is gone and the ground is covered with a blanket of dead leaves. I particularly liked this leaf, as it still had some great color, and the frost left some great looking details on it.

When we were shooting at Little Long Pond just outside Acadia NP, winter was waking up. It was pretty cold (a high of 40 degrees in mid-October) with a pretty steady wind. As some of us walked around the lake, we spotted that some of the leaves on the ground were showing some frost. 

Perfect Alignment - Boulder Beach, Acadia National Park, Maine

Boulder Beach is my favorite sunrise location in Acadia National Park. Getting there takes a little work and an ability to walk on unsteady footing. After scrambling down a steep incline, you are faced with walking on these round boulders that can be tricky to stay upright on (I have taken a spill in the past). The challenge is not only walking on rounded rocks, but also not knowing which ones are loose and which ones are slick from being wet. Despite these challenges, the payoff is worth it.

I have shot from this location many times, and it is hard to get new compositions, especially when there are lots of photographers already staked out. Fortunately, there were only a few photographers there before us and we were able to get into some good positions. I wanted to be able to get to a position with a good angle of the Otter Cliffs and also be able to capture the rising sun. When the sun popped over the horizon and the rock in the foreground was one of the first to light up, I knew I was perfectly aligned.