In early October I went with my family to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a usual annual event. I did not take the motorcycles because I was with extended family, and there would not have been time to go riding. Overall a poor year for me riding. Just over 4200 miles when I normally average around 18000 miles. I expect to be back up in that range next year with a planned trip to Oregon for the rally and up to Alaska again to try to reach the Arctic Circle. 

But for now back to the Outer Banks. When I go anywhere I try to do a bunch of photography. I was up every morning before sunrise, going to the beach to try and catch sunrises. The first few days where cloudy and getting sunrises was poor at best. The sunsets, which I went for each evening were no better the first few days. Again a lot of cloud cover. Clouds are great for these photos if it will allow the sun to peek through and do it's thing. As the days went by the conditions improved and I was starting to get some great sunrises and sunsets. The photos included here are from that trip.

The order of shots are a sunrise, three sunsets and a sunrise. The two sunrises are the same morning, and two of the three sunsets is the same evening. The two sunrises were taken the morning after the two same sunset photos and the same day as the third sunset. The sunsets were taken in the hamlet of Duck looking out over a pier that was destroyed in 2011 by a hurricane. I thought it made great subject matter, and kept going back to get the right sunset photo. Photo 2 and 4 are the same evening and the wind was blowing hard. I used a 9 stop neutral density filter to smooth out the waves. This did however cause a little blur in the moving clouds. The next evening, photo 3 it was much calmer.

What I didn't get were storm photos. There was constant threat of storms, and we got rain, but no storms, no lightning. I would like to get some unobstructed lightning photos to add to my portfolio. 

A local ride to Watkins Glen State Park is a great place to get some really nice waterfall pictures. That whole area, and the Ithaca area are loaded with great cascades, and falls. Chittenango Falls which is also near by is one of the better waterfalls in the state. I have photos of these falls, but at this writing, I haven't converted them to .jpeg format. But because the latest post shows first, you will already have seen them by the time you read this.

The top two photos are Cathedral Rock from different locations. Cathedral Rock is located outside of Sedona, AZ.The next photo is from motorcycling in Alaska, and this is Denali NP. The next two photos are at Grand Canyon NP, the next is motorcycling in Glacier NP. The last photo is at Horseshoe Bend in Page, AZ. A story on this Horseshoe Bend photo. To get the shot you have to stand on the edge of the rim, which is I am guessing about 1000 feet down. Doing the same at Toroweap, it is about 3000 feet down. The day I took this shot, two others were standing there with me. I was on one end, and a Frenchman was on the other. He turned away after setting up his camera and as I looked over, the camera and tripod fell over. I yelled, but it was only enough warning for him to turn and watch his camera smash down onto the rocks. It didn't go over the edge, which might have been more merciful for him. I don't speak french, but I understood what he was saying. Poor guy, I am sure it ruined his vacation. The other photographer next to me waited for color in the sky, and finally said he was going. Five minutes later the sky developed color. He didn't get his shot.

The top two photos are at Lake Powell, sunrise, and "Lone Rock". The next three are at Monument Valley. The first one is in the morning at Totem Pole during a nasty sand storm. You can see the sand in the air, and it's effect on the next two at sundown. The bottom two are at the Grand Canyon NP. The lightning photo took a while to get and that is looking out over the Painted Desert. The bottom photo is at Toroweap, on the North rim of the Grand Canyon. You take a 60 mile dirt road to get to it. The last five miles are four wheel drive country.

The top photo is from Upper Antelope Slot Canyon, which I visited once. The rest are from Lower Antelope Slot Canyon, which I visited four times. I prefer the lower canyon because for photography I believe it has better features, and fewer people. Plus as a photographer you can go in unguided for 2 hours, while the upper is guided and busy with tourists. The Upper does have a spectacular beam in what I believe is called The Cathedral. Here I have a couple of beam shots, one is at "Hole in the Rock", and the others are at "The Chief". If you look you can see the profile of "The Chief". Here is a little secret, the beam or ray of sun only occurs at certain times, and is not always visible. You have to have dust in the air. That is where my brother comes in handy, throwing sand into the rays to make the beams visible.

Bryce Canyon NP, Utah. The top photo with the snow was taken in 2008 on my first cross country ride. The rest were from flying into Arizona and driving up to that region in the fall of 2011.

The Wave Coyote Buttes North, Arizona, Utah border.

I try to get out and do a cross country ride every year. I have for four years in a row, and this year was to be the fifth, but it didn't happen. There were a number of reasons, and when it came down to the date I was going to leave for the west, the heat, and fires were going to be a bit much for me. I don't mind the heat, but riding in 100+ degree heat for 12 to 14 hours a day is doable for a day or maybe two, but for better then a week straight would be just too much. 

I had planned to hit the rally in Missouri, then go to Rocky Mountains NP in Colorado, over to Canyon Lands NP, and Arches in Utah. Maybe go back to Monument Valley then up to Jackson, Wyoming, and up to Glacier, Montana. I planned to spend some time at each location to do a bunch of photography. In a way the break is welcomed and maybe I needed the rest.

Next year, 2013 I try for the Arctic Circle again. The BMW rally is in Salem, Oregon, and since I am already half way there, then I have to go for it. I will plan the trip during our long, long, cold winters here in Syracuse. I know that my wife will meet me in Oregon to explore the Washington, Oregon, Northern California areas. She may then meet me again in Alaska like the first time. I expect I will go back to Chicken, AK and pan for more gold. I loved doing it. Fever maybe, but what the heck.

I thought I would stray from the original intent of this blog to add some non motorcycling trip photography. Some of the photos I am going to post are from local motorcycle trips, and quite a bit more are from my yearly visit to my brother in Arizona. I go out there, and drag him around on my photo expeditions. He is a good sport about it.

In the spring of this year I had scored two passes to get into The Wave. This is in the Coyote Buttes area of the Para Canyon Recreational Area. They allow 20 passes a day into this feature. 10 passes are by internet lottery, and 10 passes are by show up lottery. I had been trying for years to get in, and finally scored the passes. The hike in takes about 2.5 hours to cover three miles. But it is well worth it. I will note that Craig, my brother, and I got to The Wave at about 0800 am and did not see another soul until about 1100 am, and then for a total only about 7 other people. Craig and I were the only ones with the proper passes which have to be displayed. A shame that people get the passes, and don't use them, when others who would, can't get them.

On this trip we based ourselves in Page, AZ where we could get to The Wave, Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Slot Canyon, and up to Monument Valley. This whole area is ripe for landscape photography. Another great spot in this area is Toroweap Point. This point overlooks the North rim of the Grand Canyon. I visited this point in the fall of 2011 and met some great photographers there. One photographer, Craig Bill has a website, craigbill.com that has many great images for sale.