Category Archives: travel

Road Trip – Part 2

personal, travel, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’m on a cross country trip from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Reno, Nevada to deliver an older conversion van for my son and daughter-in-law to use as a “camper”.

Normally, this is a 2000-mile drive on Interstate 80, but I modified the route slightly to visit the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Here’s the path.

In Road Trip – Part 1 I described the itinerary from Grand Rapids to the Tetons.

Here I’ll fill you in on the remainder of the journey from the Tetons to Yellowstone National Park. During the next 30 hours, I took in a lot of scenics – so hang on for a fast ride!

As I was driving north of the Lake area, I spotted this elk grazing in a heavily wooded area.
West of Canyon, I found this coyote crossing a wide open field.

The next morning I awoke early enough to see the sunrise along the Madison River.
I arrived at the Hayden Valley to find the mist hanging above the Yellowstone River.

Still early, I watched this White American Pelican fishing for his morning meal.
From this overlook you can see the Yellowstone River winding its way through the Hayden Valley.

A glance upwards and I see this small flock of geese flying towards the river.
Heading north at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone are the powerful Lower Falls.

Onward to the Lamar Valley in the north end of Yellowstone. Here is an osprey searching for prey on the tall hill below.
A short distance away I run into a sizeable herd of hungry bison casually grazing in the field adjacent to the road.

This bison was resting comfortably nearby.

Why did the bison cross the road?
My last stop on my whirlwind visit to Yellowstone is at the Norris Geyser Basin for a hike through the amazing moonlike terrain.

Steamboat Geyer. That evening, it errupted – the first time in 2 years. I just missed it.
Here’s a colorful mud pot sending steam and gurgling noise into the air.

Can you can see how the Emerald Pool gets its name?
This view shows the vast extent of Yellowstone’s thermal areas.

Vixen Geyser

Watch the Vixen Geyser in action

After my hike through the geyser basin I make my way over to the van, set my bearings to leave the park through West Yellowstone, MT and follow the Snake River in Idaho for a while until passing through the high plains of Nevada to Reno.

Making this stop off at these two national parks is undoubtedly a very enjoyable way to turn a long distance vehicle delivery road trip into a mini-vacation.
 
 
Written by: Arnie Lee
 
 
 

 
 

Road Trip – Part 1

personal, travel, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I just returned from another road trip, or should I say half of one. I was delivering an older van that’s been sitting in the driveway for a few years to my son and daughter-in-law who live in Reno, Nevada. In a straight shot, it’s just over 2000 miles from our home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. But I saw the drive as a chance to stop off and enjoy a couple of our magnificent national parks. Anyway, this was only a half of a road trip since I flew home after delivering the van.

I’ve taken to the road cross country dozens of times before so I know the routine. Waking at 4am, I leave Grand Rapids, point the van towards the West and go. Indiana, Illinois and Iowa are a breeze. And while I don’t mean to disparage any part of the trip, Interstate 80 through Nebraska is one of the least interesting 450 miles unless you like seeing corn and wheat fields galore. Afterwards, the slowly rising mountains of Wyoming are a welcome sight. By about 9pm, I pull into Rawlins, Wyoming for a late dinner and some sleep.

I’m up early the next morning and leave the interstate for the northern trek towards Moran Junction – the Tetons and Yellowstone. What a lovely part of the world with vast cattle ranches, scenic buttes, craggy overhangs, deep cut gorges, abundant wildlife. Without having to leave the vehicle, I’m thrilled to view the scenery.

My first order of business is to visit the Tetons where the mountains just pop up from the earth without any intervening foothills. This range across the valley known as Jackson Hole is simply breathtaking.

After driving 1600 miles, I’m more than ready for a hike and head for the trailhead at Taggert Lake. It’s early September and there are many other outdoor lovers enjoying the same sights along the trail.

Next on my agenda is a hop over to South Jenny Lake. Having visited this area several times before with my family, I have an emotional attachment to the lake and its energizing surroundings.

Then on to Oxbow Bend where the Snake River winds through the tree-lined valley. You’ll recognize the view from this iconic location – there’s a myriad of Oxbow Bend photographs that adorn walls and calendars everywhere. From this spot, just point your camera at the mountains, click and you’ll capture an unforgettable view for yourself.

Over to the Jackson Lake Dam. Here the water from the various rivers in Yellowstone collect and feed the Snake River. After the water passes through the dam, it serves the farms and citizens of Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. And by the way, the white water rafting downstream is very exciting!

My last stop in the Tetons is at Colter Bay. This is not only a popular camping area, but its large marina handles water craft for the crowd that enjoys the amazing Jackson Lake surroundings and vistas.

At this point, I head north along the John D Rockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway which connects Grand Teton National Park with Yellowstone National Park.

If you’re still with me, you can continue with my visit to Yellowstone National Park in Part 2 of the road trip.

Not Afraid of the Water

equipment, informational, movie, personal, photograph, techniques, travel, video, , , , , , , ,

There’s a few weeks still left on the summer calendar so jump on in – the water’s fine.

After seeing a demo of this camera last January, I took the plunge and ordered this Nikon 1 AW1.

What’s unique about this camera is that it uses interchangeable lenses and can be submersed – the specs say down to 50 feet. But I’m not a diver so I haven’t used the camera that deep. Instead, I wanted a camera for snapping the family on the beach or in the water.

A sandy beach isn’t a problem – just dip the camera into the water to clean it off. Underwater shots are easy – especially if you’re wearing a pair of goggles – the LCD screen is very visible beneath the surface.

This camera is also built to be rugged. Nikon says that it can withstand a fall from 6 feet, but I didn’t test out this “feature”. When winter arrives it can withstand freezing temperatures down to 14 degrees.

The camera with an 11-27.5mm interchangeable lens sells for about $750. I bought the orange silicone protective sleeve which makes it easier to hold underwater.

The AW1 is mirrorless with a 14.2MB sensor. It’s very compact. Two lenses are submersible: the 11-27.5mm zoom and a fixed 10mm. You can mount other Nikon 1 lenses but they are not submersible. The built-in flash works underwater too so you can add light should you find the subsurface water dark. If you’re using the AW1 in an outdoor pool, the photos and videos are excellent.

This is a lightweight, compact camera that takes good quality photos and videos and as I’ve experienced is really a blast to use. And a lot of splashing won’t hurt a bit.