Monday May 24, 2010 The Final Chapter

In the last post, I had a picture of a horse on a red chair and a picture of the US Mint sign. Did you guess the city? Denver, Colorado!

We have been blessed with 3.5 weeks of splendid weather, glorious national parks and incredible experiences. To see such natural beauty is a true gift.

The last three days we have been chasing the blue sky, trying to capture some dynamic images of three state capitals: Denver Colorado, Topeka Kansas and Jefferson City Missouri. As we mentioned several weeks ago in the blog, we will always drive out of our way to photograph a state capitol building. We have sold at least two hundred state and provincial capitol building images over the years. We have them from Augusta Maine to Pierre South Dakota.

When we arrived in Denver, we were shocked and disappointed. We had been to Denver over thirty years ago for a photography convention when we were young and foolish. Now we are just foolish. Lol

The city we remembered did not exist. The downtown area is at least three times larger than the late seventies. That is to be expected. What we did not expect was to see the decay of a once vibrant city. Trash everywhere, crumbled pavement, a liberty bell with missing plaques, homeless wandering everywhere and drug deals going down 20 feet away from you. To say we were shocked is an understatement. To say we were disappointed was putting it mildly. We photographed what we could, including the Art Center, Denver Mint, City-County Building, Public Library, interior of the Capitol and statues. We quickly left town, disillusioned. Roads to the interstate were littered and dirty.

We camped in the parking lot of the biggest Walmart we have ever seen. We went in the store and it was at least twice the size of the Fort Gratiot Michigan Walmart. We lucked out and got a free wireless signal from the Home Depot next door. We turned on the generator, watched a little television, and surfed the internet.

We were up early on Saturday morning, with a long trip ahead of us to Topeka Kansas. The wind was absolutely horrible, consistently fighting with the motor home. It was effortless to stay focused while driving. You were on your toes and sporting white knuckles. We encountered a two person motorcycle accident along the way. Perhaps the wind caught their bike and they lost control. Drivers had already stopped and were trying to comfort the passengers who were lying on the pavement. As we drove, we saw fire engines and ambulances rushing to help them.

We stopped at the Eisenhower Museum and Library in Abilene Kansas. Eisenhower lived in the home with his five brothers and parents until he entered West Point in 1911 at the age of 21. He visited the home six times before 1938 and even came once with his son to pour a concrete patio slab for his mother. The town of Abilene was old and again in rough shape. We captured two historic homes, the Lebold Mansion and the Seelye House. Once regal and well preserved, even these homes are showing neglect. The grounds of the Eisenhower site were not the best we have seen. The stench from what we think was a water treatment plant filled the air.

On to Topeka Kansas. We circled the capitol building, looking for a morning shot we could capture. The building is undergoing an extreme makeover and scaffolding abounds. It was very tough to get a good shot. Topeka is also the home of the famed Brown vs. Board of Education, where African American third grader Linda Brown was refused admittance into her neighborhood White school.

While Topeka did not have homeless circling the capitol building, the town looks like it is in need of a significant facelift. Crumbling curbs, sidewalks; neglected signs, worn buildings all suggested a tired city. The capitol dome was in really rough shape.

Next, we stopped in Independence Missouri to visit the historic home of Harry and Bess Truman. We visited here about twenty years ago. Let’s just say that Harry would have given them hell. Just blocks from his home were unused billboards, covered in graffiti and gang symbols. The home, once visited by Nixon, Johnson, Ford and Carter looks tired. 20 years ago when we visited we had access to the interior. We remember seeing a toaster on the kitchen table and the study of Harry that looked, as it was when he last visited. The last time we were here, the Old Chrysler was in the garage, waiting for Harry to take Bess for a spin. Today, it was inaccessible, undergoing renovations. We stopped at the drugstore where Harry first worked, the Courthouse where he worked and the Presidential Library as well.

What do the last three stops suggest to us? Perhaps that the natural beauties we have in our great country such as the Grand Canyon and White Sands Monument maintain their beauty despite time. Manmade attractions (cities, buildings, streets, etc.) need maintenance and care.

We leave Independence, heading for Jefferson City Missouri. We originally intended to make St. Louis our last stop (ran into rain on Route 66 when our trip began) but we have now concluded that St. Louis will have to wait for another time. We are going to make Jefferson City our last gig on this adventure.

Jefferson City was exactly what we needed for our final photo op. Everything that Denver and Topeka weren’t, Jefferson City is. Missouri apparently loves its capitol building and the grounds that surround it. It shows. Everything is manicured. Flowerbeds are already sporting annual flowers. All the fountains are flowing. The capitol building itself is surrounded with all kinds of statues, tributes and honors. Missouri became a state in 1821. A great statue of Thomas Jefferson stands proudly in front of the capitol building, atop an incredible set of stairs. Behind Jefferson are great columns. Another wonderful piece around the building is a tribute to Lewis and Clark. Since the city is on the Missouri River, Lewis and Clark are an important part of the city and state’s history. There are great fountains in the rear of the building and a manmade waterfall honoring veterans and fallen soldiers.

We have had a great time on this wonderful trip. We have seen so many new things, revisited old places and learned how beautiful and different this great nation is.

Once back in our little town of Lexington, we’ll return to pickleball, golfing nine holes at the local course and pondering our next trip.

We clicked the shutter about 8,000 times this trip. In the next month or so, we will cull probably half of the images, work them, caption them and send them to our agents. Hopefully someone, somewhere will want to use a few over the coming years. Might be an agent in Herzegovina, might be an advertising agency in Colombia, might be a magazine in Poland. We never know. What we do know is that other countries seek images of the American lifestyle with regularity.

We drove 6,500 miles, visited eleven states, seven state capitals, thirteen National Parks. We were gone 27 days, spent a little over $2,000 (not including food) which works out to be about $75 a day. Not bad when you consider that includes our travel expenses and lodging.

Our next big adventure will be Hawaii. That will be our 50th and last state to visit. We keep looking for the 57 states Barack Obama said we had when he was running for President. Unless we have annexed a few Canadian provinces, we think we’ve hit them all.

Thanks for “riding” with us!

Dennis and Ilene

Saturday/Sunday May 22/23, 2010

Taking a break from the blog today and tomorrow.

Figure out our next destination?

Monday, I will have a trifecta:

State Capitol buildings of Colorado, Kansas and Missouri.

Friday May 21, 2010

Good morning, Colorado! We wake up to spectacular weather. Perfect temperature, slight breeze, the kind of day that would make a perfect school field trip. Ah, yes, memories.

Before we leave Grand Junction Colorado, however, we are going to take the 23-mile scenic drive through Colorado National Monument. The Park celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. Although I am pretty sure both of us are on rock overload, it is impossible to pass up this opportunity. The road will begin in the canyon, ascend quickly with switchbacks and then run along the rim of the canyon. Maybe that is why it is called Rim Rock Drive. lol

We take a couple pics on the ascent and then begin stopping at turnouts with regularity. Bicycling enthusiasts love this Park for its steep climbs and low vehicle numbers. We spoke with one couple that lived in California and retired to Grand Junction. They were both biking nuts. I asked them what motivated them to bike these difficult climbs. The woman quickly respond, “So I can eat more” and her husband finished with “drink more”. Gotta love it. They were probably in their early 60’s but were in perfect shape. Another lone bicyclist who stopped at a turnout at the top of a steep ascent was breathing heavily. I asked him how much he bikes a week. He said not as much as most, probably 50 miles. Okay. I am impressed. He said he was getting ready for a race but work gets in the way. I hate it when that happens.

We stopped at one point that offered a .25 mile hike to an outlook. Now, I did not intend to hike today so I had my Bjorn sandals on my feet. Dennis coaxed me and I figured it might be interesting. I did not take the time to change shoes. Did I forget what they said caused the greatest number of injuries in Bryce Canyon? Shoes, shoes, shoes. Oh, well.
We start the walk and I am somewhat lagging behind. Dennis is teasing me. I photographed a couple new flowers and walked to the edge of the cliff a couple times to get some vistas. Dennis is probably 100 yards ahead of me. Now he begins to whine about the length of the trail. Wait a minute, wasn’t this HIS idea? He whines again and I threaten to not only report this in the blog, but also tattle on him for whining yesterday on the Devil’s Garden trail. He persists.

A minute or two later, he is walking towards me. What? He looks a bit green. The guy who was convinced he had conquered his fear of heights was suffering a relapse. He even handed me his camera and kept walking towards the motor home. Now, when Dennis parts with his camera, it is like Charlton Heston parting with his rifle. You know, “from my cold, dead hands…” It’s funny, but it’s not funny.

I continue the trail and was rewarded with some wonderful views of the canyon and the mountains beyond. There are also images of the Colorado River in the distance. After about ten minutes, I could hear Dennis calling my name. I answered his call, asking him if he was worried about the camera or me! He claims it was me. Lol

We took shots from places like Book Cliffs View, Independence Monument, Grandview, Cold Shivers (there was a strong, cool wind at the point) and more. Independence Monument was meant to honor John Otto, who settled and worked in the Park for one dollar a month. He was even married in the Park. His wife was said to have lamented about her husband’s passion for the Park. She said that Otto considered just owning a cabin as an encumbrance. Can you imagine? Apparently, the Park was his mistress.

We finally leave the Park and travel through Grand Junction towards I-70. Once on the boring pavement that permits travel at 75 miles per hour. Sheeesh.

Did I say boring? I was mistaken. I-70 is a pretty interesting and picturesque highway. For many miles, it parallels the Colorado River. Then it hooks up with the White River. We drove along side a river full of rapids, fast water and folks white water rafting! We even saw two guys trying to water ski on the rapids! Thankfully, they had helmets on their heads. We couldn’t get pictures, but it was great to watch. We go through Vail and lots of snow covered areas. We had been through Vail over 30 years ago. Back then; it was a quaint but upper crust town. Now it is full of timeshares, condos and eating and shopping. The renowned ski slopes are still there. Massive.

We climb to 11,168 feet and go through a number of mountain tunnels. Thankfully, they are much wider than those we have previously encountered.

We passed a town and an exit called, “No Name”. Can you believe it? Imagine the town’s conversation when trying to decide on a name: “We can name it Redsville or Prunesburg or No Name.” I think the town might be short on creativity or perhaps long on knowing how to get a passerby’s attention.

Now, here is a challenge for you: here are two pictures...can you identify our next destination?

Thursday May 20, 2010

Moab is a great little town of 10,000. As I mentioned yesterday, it is full of hotels, restaurants and campgrounds. What I didn’t tell you was what I learned about the place from the Vietnamese fellow who did my nails. His name is Andy Lu. Andy came to the U.S. in 1993 with his parents. His Dad was with the South Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam Conflict and worked with the U.S. soldiers. When Saigon fell in 1975, his Dad was not able to escape. He was arrested by the North Vietnamese and was imprisoned for ten years. Anyway, Andy was full of information. He played a DVD about the area as I had my nails done. Moab is not just on the map because of Arches as I had surmised. It is on the map because of the many natural resources it has and of which it takes advantage. Moab has the Colorado River, so it has kayaking, white water rafting and tubing. It also has incredible hills, mountains and petrified dunes. Because of that, it attracts ATV fanatics, Jeep enthusiasts and motorcyclists by the thousands. There are multiple ATV/Jeep/Bicycle rentals. Moab also has parachuting and hot air balloons for those who like to “get high”. They also have a huge canyoneering (repelling) business. It’s too bac it is so far from Michigan (1,700 miles from home). It would be a great destination for an active family. There is so much to do and there is also gift shopping, etc. Sounds like I am a Chamber of Commerce spokesperson for the town!

We got started with bright blue skies and relatively warm temps. It is going to 77 degrees today. Our first stop when we entered the Park was Park Avenue. What a stunning introduction to what was in store for us. While there weren’t any arches on this short walk, a beautiful vista was for the taking, along with some gorgeous white flowers. A bus loaded with tourists descended upon us and they quickly took over the area. Not a one spoke English. French appeared to be the language spoken by the group.

Driving along the main road, we quickly came upon five different rock formations that had names, based on their appearance. The organ, Three Gossips, Sheep Rock, Courthouse Towers and the Tower of Babel were all around us. The Three Gossips consisted of three pinnacles and each pinnacle had a round head like rock atop. They looked like they were talking to each other. The Sheep Rock REALLY looks like a sheep!

The next iconic formation was Balanced Rock. It looks as the name implies and absolutely befuddles the viewer. How can that rock stay on top of that pinnacle? I think this was Dennis’ favorite as every time we drove by it during the day, he wanted to take more pictures. Lol

Next, we turned and went to the Windows Section of the Park. Multiple arches are located here. Dennis went one way and I went another, each trying to capture in a picture the fantastic things we saw. We spent over an ninety minutes at this stop. I tackled the north and south windows. I climbed the north window and photographed what I could, but I was still looking for that “WOW” shot. One photographer who was a chatty cathy told me that the iconic shot required one to climb quite a series of rocks in order to get. Now, I wasn’t going to leave until I got the shot. I climbed, rearranged my camera equipment to keep it safe and reached the destination Wrong, except for some good light on the arch, it was a waste. Close by was the second arch. Both of these rock formations are incredible and the number of people looking at them and climbing them is great. It’s Thursday morning and there are hundreds of people here. In fact, we had trouble finding a parking place.

Dennis photographed the double arch. You know how he likes those arches; well, the golden arches that is.

We then drove to an area called the Garden of Eden. The song In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly kept going through my head and I annoyed Dennis by singing it. A large group of monoliths shoot up out of the ground. We walk around, capturing a couple pics and then see three guys practicing canyoneering (climbing and repelling) on one of the tall rocks. Cool. We turned around and saw a group motorcyclists park their bikes in a row. Neat shot. A beautiful cactus plant proudly displayed five blooms. Wow.

We turned at the next road and drove to Wolfe Ranch. The remains of the homestead of disabled Civil War Veteran John Wesley Wolfe and his son stands on the land they farmed. Wolfe moved from Ohio in the late 1800’s. The home, a root cellar and corral remain.

Back on the road we pull into an overlook area, providing a panoramic view of the Salt Valley. Snow capped mountains in the background provide a great backdrop for the beautiful valley. Spectacular. The next turnout provided a completely different look. Fiery red rocks, which are even more dramatic late in the day, are before us. Called Fiery Furnace, they are a great example of the rich layers of sandstone.

We drive to the end of the main road and find ourselves at the Devil’s Garden. First we enjoy a lunch overlooking a garden area. The walk at Devil's Garden is over seven miles, but there are multiple arches along the way. While we don’t intend to walk the full seven miles, we did walk two miles to the Landscape Arch. This elongated arch, the width of a football field is dramatic. When you look at the top, it looks like a couple more thousand years and it may collapse. It is comparatively thin on top. As a matter of fact, the Park experienced the collapse of an arch less than two years ago. Wall Arch collapsed on August 5, 2008. Erosion and gravity work against these natural works of art.

Throughout the day, we saw so many hikers enjoying the trails. We saw four or five different flowers. Spring is a great time of the year to visit National Parks! The flowers add a touch to images by adding a touch of color.
It was sad to leave Arches. Dennis and I have admired photographs of this park for over thirty years. We used to be involved in the Photographic Society of America and we would see many stunning photos of Arches (as well as the other parks) in competition. Nothing can compare with seeing them in person.

We head north and then east on I-70. Destination this evening is Colorado National Monument located in Grand Junction Colorado.