I left the Oregon Coast on May 2nd to head for the Mountains of Utah. My last couple of posts have been about wrestling with the world of fake news and Ai. All over the web now you can find people romanticizing “van life”… These are mostly women that are making a living from doing this.
Kudo’s to them! Men would be hard pressed to have their following, so more power to them! However the reality forces hit me hard on my trip. Like one of my followers said… You seem to be the “trouble magnet”… I hit massive wind, rain, snow in May, and some of that massive wind ripped the awning right off the side of my Trailer!
No, I was not parked and being stupid, leaving the awning out in windy conditions… I was driving down the road at 65 mph! A freak gust caught the awning, opened it up, threw the 18′ roll up part in the ditch, and then left the support arms fling around while I was driving.
AND… perfect timing… the front arm ran into a speed limit sign and ripped that right off the side of the trailer! Those arms were attached using some pretty stout lag screws so I have no idea yet what that internal damage is. Oh well. I survived. The trailer is still operable so life goes on.
On my Oregon Coast PhotoSafari I also lost my favorite camera lens to an accident. Mix that with a cold and it’s been a trying two weeks! No problem! It’s all my fault! I’ve been dwelling far too much on the negative lately. The force is pointing out that negativity attracts more negativity! Karma is a killer… straighten up!
So on the positive side! I arrived alive and in tact at my friends house in Cedar City, Utah. YeeHaw! Looking at the Mountains again! Amongst great friends. As I write this the winds are whipping right along at about 50mph. My Rv is rocking and rolling and I’m happy to be in the great state of Utah again!
This is where I will spend my time until I’m forced out of the high country. Around me is some of the most captivating country anywhere in the States. I can be in the high desert or the high mountains within an hour. I will not have to deal with temperatures above about 75 degrees. The overnight lows will be in the 30’s & 40’s. Perfect sleeping weather!
This part of the world also has very few skeeters! Another huge positive! At the 8500 foot level and above is where I will spend most of my time. If you don’t like the weather up there, wait ten minutes and you can be in a hail storm. I went through four of those last summer.
I love that funky weather! It makes for dramatic images, and the added benefit of showing you just how alive you actually are. I’m looking forward to really getting back to creating some awesome work. My last post was made up mostly of iPhone images. This post will show some stuff from my big boy camera.
Positivity Creates More Positivity!
In the Summer months, while I’m in the high country I am less exposed to Television, and specifically the news. Now-a-days the news is so sensationalized and negative it is difficult at best to overcome that.
In the high country all I usually wish to know is what’s the weather and where is the fire? Utah received a lot less snow this year. A LOT less! One of the lakes I measure this by is at 9,000 feet. Last year in my first trip up the hill the lake was still frozen and above the dam. This year? Thawed out and already way below the dam!
This is the first year I’ve ever seen it so bad. I hope the crazy flatlanders keep their wits about themselves and obey the fire restrictions! Last year I had to report a few folks. This year I’ll be on top of that big time! I do not wish to escape another forrest fire like I did in ’22! I hope people have not forgotten what happened in Southern California!
It’s Milky Way Season Again!
Well it’s been the season for a couple of months now. However once June hits ya’ll don’t have to stay up until all hours of the night. I’ll be doing a Milky Way PhotoSafari every month of the season until September. All of my PhotoSafaris will be conducted in the dark skies of Utah.
For those that reside in Las Vegas these will give you a break from the heat and great locations with very dark skies. For those that travel, Las Vegas is a very close airport to Southern Utah only a couple of hours away. Also Vegas is the cheapest Airport in the West to fly into.
Compared to other educators out there my PhotoSarfari fees are exceptionally reasonable! Plus if you contact me, discounts are available. In addition all attendees of this Summer’s Milky Way PhotoSafaris will receive a free fine art photo print of their work! This is not offered by anyone else that I know of!
The best time of the month to shoot the Milky Way is during the new moon. All the new moons this Summer are near the end of the month, so you can plan accordingly. I will teach you how to obtain shots of the Milky Way no matter what gear you have. So don’t think you can’t do this.
My June PhotoSafari is already posted. We will be in a totally cool location! You can sign up for that one by clicking the button below. My July, August, and September PhotoSafaris will be posted next week. Stay tuned!
This Months Featured Photographer!
Is Thom Wright. Thom is also a member of my Campfire Group. Thom is married and owns a trophy business in addition to his passion for Photography. Sports Quest Awards and Engraving Inc. is the name of his business. If you need anything at all in the way of awards, engraving, or ad speciality items, Thom has got you covered!
Thom has the perfect setup! His business is designed so that he can travel in his Motorhome all summer! This year Thom and his wife are taking the trip of a lifetime to Alaska! He will spend most of the summer up there with a group of RV friends. I can’t wait to see his images from one of my bucket list locations!
I consider Thom to be in the top five of my students when it comes to PhotoShop. Thom already had an awesome eye when I met him, but like a lot of us struggled a bit with PhotoShop. Now? He’s a wizard! For a link to Sports Quest Awards click the button below.
