A New Obsession

This is the photo that started my new passion with photography.  I was on a two week whirlwind trip of Europe's capitals with one of my sons.  Every two years our Christian school takes the Juniors and Seniors to Europe.  I've gone with all three of our boys.  I regret that I couldn't go with Laurel, but I was nursing a six-month old!
This photo was taken somewhere in the south of Italy; Capri maybe?  I can't remember, but when I got all forty of my rolls of film back from the processor and looked at them, this photo struck me as being really good (I say that in all modesty).  I was hooked!  That was about five years ago.
More to come on my photographic journey.  

Rediscovering the Chicago shoreline

We recently completed and delivered a presentation called "Paddling in Chicago," a historical journey down Chicago's manmade coastline that explained why and how today's familiar features were created. In the process, we learned things we didn't previously know, and rekindled our own interest in our local shoreline.

Today we returned to one of the places that fascinate us most: the far South Side, where the shoreline is built of cast-off relics from the demise of the US Steel Southworks plant. At its peak, the plant employed 20,000 people and produced beams that were used in the Sears Tower and other skyscrapers. When it closed in 1992, it left behind a pile of twisted steel and concrete boulders, weeds and imporverished neighborhoods.

A peaceful docking spot.

And yet, this section of the shoreline is lovely. The massive slabs of casting material look like volacanic boulders; broken-up hunks of concrete buildings and staircases seem like strangely sculpted rocks.

Elsewhere this might be a lichen-covered rock. Here it is a steel-impregnated casting slab.

A piece of rebar stands in for a sturdy root or belay rope.

That "standing in your boat" game turns out to have a practical application.

Chicago's shoreline is anything but natural, and sometimes we mourn the lack of wild spaces around here. But after industry leaves, nature starts to take over, and there is a pleasing, post-urban quality to this stretch of shoreline. The more we learn about it, the more we appreciate it.

Relaxing singletrack ride

Wind was starting to kick up this morning. Decided to take a relaxing dirt ride at Manawa. Met Ryon and his sons, asked me about the Manawa trail. Gave them a tour of some of the trails - Both Sidewinders and Wood Chopper. After that, I headed out for my normal route. Construction equipment were removed what I was riding there.
Talked with one of the workers. One area of the trail is soft/muddy from the construction. They will be back in 2 weeks for more work. In the mean time, ride around the taped off area.
After my ride, I headed to the UP Museum to check out the Photo Contest. I don't know how to figure out what they want. True, art is subjective. but I don't know why some of the winners even placed! Some sure don't seen to depict their subject matter. Others look like they were categorized wrong. There were several much better photos ( in my opinion) than the "Best in Show".
I will have to take a hard look whether I want to enter next year.

Horseshoe Bend

My timing was a little bit off today. Apparently I just missed, by a matter of minutes, the opportunity to photograph a California Condor perched on the edge of the gorge at Horseshoe Bend. As I walked the trail to the edge of the gorge, I met another photographer who was heading back to his car. He noticed I was carrying a tripod and he stopped to tell me about the condor. He said there was a condor that had been sitting on a rock right on the edge of the gorge for close to half an hour. He pulled out his camera and showed me the images that he had just taken. They were unbelievable. Condors aren't exactly the prettiest birds, but they are big and very rare. This guy had some great shots of the bird, but did not have a website to share where the shots could be seen.

I may have missed the chance to photograph the unique bird, but I still had a great time at Horseshoe Bend. The bend is just a few miles south of Page, Arizona on the Colorado River. It is very easy to get to via a relatively short (although sandy) trail from the highway. During my visit there were about 50 other people there at the same time. The little parking lot at the trailhead was almost full, and included one tour bus, which apparently was filled with French people. Which brings me to one oddity of this trip... at times it seems as though I have heard more French than English being spoken as I visit some of these areas in the southwest. Today I felt like I was back in France as the people from the tour bus were spread out along the trail and I could hear French being spoken almost the whole time I was at Horseshoe Bend. I guess the southwest has become quite popular with European travelers!

Ride to Malvern

Its not that I have not been riding - I have (a bit). Just there was nothing to report, nothing worth photographing. Rode pavement to/around Lake Manawa. After the heat we had last week, I rode a little later in the morning. One morning it was 59 when I headed into town for coffee - last week it was 78 at 6am.

Yesterday, I was ready for a ride on the Trace. Since I did not have a planned trip to CB, I rode South from Silver City.

Over the first couple miles, I was wondering how far I could make it - would I make my goal of Malvern (8.5 miles). By the time i was at the Silver Creek Bridge, I was in my pedaling rhythm and felt better.

Hydration stop at the bridge and pushed on to Malvern. G2 and granola break at Malvern and back toward Silver City.

At Janke Rd, I met and visited with Greg & Bonnie Pierce (and their son?) of Pierce Crossing Guesthouse in Malvern. There were out for their Wednesday ride.

Quick stop back at the Silver Creek Bridge (hydration). A mile North of the bridge I was stopped by a solo rider heading South. He was asking how far to the next town. Gave him some pointers into Malvern (refill his G2, etc) and gave him info about the Wabash Trace and towns along the way. He is from Council Bluffs and thinking of longer rides on the trace, likely with a friend or two.

With the stops to visit and only making 8.7 mph on the ride, the morning was shot when I got back home. Was my first ride to Malvern for the year. Tired when i got home, so napped.

Taking the next couple days off the bike.

Winter on Hungry Jack Lake

Here is another view of Hungry Jack Lake, this time a wide-angle view. The other day I posted a close-up, abstract shot of the snow drifts on the lake that was taken with my telephoto lens. The clouds were really neat above the lake when I made this photo. Because of the winds, the clouds were moving fast and it was fun watching the shadows move across the frozen surface of the lake.

Mercedes Livestock Show

Decided to head on down to the Livestock Show at the Mercedes Livestock Arena

We start out at the Chainsaw CarvingAt this point Gary guesses a dolphinI was thinking maybe a Goat or RamNow it's becoming more obvious from this angleYep - it's a horse



We wander into one of the Exhibit Halls . . . . and find BBQ'sTexans take their BBQ very seriously!



The thought of BBQ makes us hungry!How about something from a Texas Size Griddle?Texas Size Ice Cream might be good. . .But we opt for a Baked Potato stuffed with Brisket - now what for dessert?It's hard to eat without a knife!

Oh Yeah! The Livestock!











There were some interesting ridesTraveling Shows

and of course the Lumber Jacks!






Next door was the slingshot rideand last but not least the greased pig wrestling


Meanwhile we keep on Trek'n Melissa & Gary