Tree in Solitude

"I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity." - Albert Einstein

I read this quote from Albert Einstein and almost passed it by, before scrolling the page back up to look at it again. Then I imagined this tree, hunched over the canyon rim of Dead Horse State Park in Utah.

How fitting.

I had spotted this tree years ago on a trip to the southwest. The setting was simple - nothing in the background to distract except a dark grey sky. It was a vision of solitude. As a sapling, it must have struggled and fought for every inch gained for its roots and drops of water. Wind must have buffeted the poor young tree, threatening to tear it from the cracks in the rock. Maybe, if it had  other trees surrounding, the elements would not have been so harsh. Yet the tree withstood to grow in maturity with strength and beauty.

How many times in our youth do we yearn for someone to stand with us against the elements and when we turn to look for someone to buffer us we're standing alone? The only action we can take to survive is to dig in and hang on to our vision, beliefs, and selves. And in time, we too grow into our beauty and strength. We find we can stand on our own.

Revisiting Photos

There are times where I just can not make myself dispose of an image. Even if it doesn't thrill me at the time, I wonder if there is a way I can "play" with it later to make the image more interesting and affective. I will see potential in an image and save them for later. So I tuck them away for a cold and dark wintery evening. After a blog post by Moose Peterson about converting what he thought were lackluster images from Monument Valley into Black and White, a light went on in my head.

I flipped through my southwest folders looking for images I had put aside. I may have already played with them but they just didn't work well for my eye. They seemed dull, the geologic striations blended together, the sky was just there - it didn't pop. But I held onto the images in hopes that I would find a way to make them look as I felt was I was shooting. And I did.

Using the Black & White layer in Photoshop CS4 and the preset for high contrast blue filter, I found that the marvelous geologic striations became more pronounced & even took on a life of their own. The wispy clouds in the sky became noticeable. In the end, I came away with an image I am extremely happy with - one that captures the essence of the place.

Fall Road Trip 2009

Four Corners, 10/2-10/9/09

There is a fabled land of strange yet beautiful landscapes. A place I visit every so often. Not nearly enough. Each image reminds me of what I love about the southwest and why I desire to return. I come from a land that is green and moist. I dream of a land that is brown and dry. The grass is always greener? For me it's either brown I desire or no grass at all.

Michael & I decided to hit a few places on this road trip that were either old favorites or something one or the both of us had never seen. Makes for a long list and an exhaustive trip, so we slimmed it down a bit and still almost tried to put too much in to our trip. We ended up cutting a few things out along the way and added a special place or two.

Read on and you'll visit four amazing states and places that mark them as extra special.

Spring Road Trip 2008

Another Spring and another road trip. I had planned to return to the Southwest and backpack through Bryce Canyon. But plans have a way of changing, so then came plans of exploring the Oregon Coast. But weather has a way of changing plans also. What I decided finally was a visit to some old Washington & Oregon favorites and few new sites as well. The best of the final plan was that I'd be able to travel with Olympia, my Yellow Lab mix who has been my companion for the past eight years - longer than my husband.

I started out at Mt St Helens then went to Cape Disappointment. From there, I traveled up the Columbia River Gorge for waterfalls and flowers. After a few days there, I continued east to the fabled Wallowa Mountains and the Zumwault Prairie. It was up to Palouse falls before heading home with one tired dog and several stories to tell. Tune in later for those fantastic stories and images.

The Road Home

3/31/07-4/1/07

When I left Zion and headed north towards home, I was ready to leave. It had been a long week, full of adventure and beautiful sights. I thought I may make a detour or two, but ended up driving straight home - back the way I had come. North through Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. In all I had driven over 3000 miles to see the southwest a glorious wonderland.

But the northwest beckoned and I needed to heed the call. I was going home with stories to tell and pictures to show. I hope you enjoyed the stories and images I have shared. And maybe, you might decide to travel there yourself.

Roadtrip: Spring 2007

March 23-April 1

There I stood on the overpass leading the commuters from the train to their cars. I watched as the Sounder disappeared down the tracks, thinking about doing the same. I was lost in the idea of traveling on, away from the city and my daily grind. Where would the train take me? Where could it take me? I shook myself from my thoughts to follow the rest of the commuters fighting their ways to their cars.

That was in October. From there, I told Michael I needed a vacation - to somewhere - in the Spring. March would be nice. Somewhere I had never been before. Sadly, after changing jobs, he didn't have the vacation time so wouldn't be able to join me. However, he encouraged me to go on my own, explore the world and have a wonderful adventure. But where to go?

Should I take the train to Montana as a friend suggested? I could play in the snow-covered hills outside of Glacier National Park. But then I really got to thinking. If I head somewhere in March, I would want to head south - to warmer climates. Get some sun, warm up the bones. South was where I turned. After reading and article on Glen Canyon and the Grand Staircase-Escalante area, my mind was made up. I would tour Southern Utah & Northern Arizona for a week near the end of March, a place I had never before ventured into.

In the following days, I will tell you all about my adventures in the prairies, canyons, and plateuas of Utah and Arizona. I saw Golden Eagles larger than life, more Mule Deer than I could count, and a Bobcat running across the road. I made new friends (including a black kitty who kept me warm on one very cold night). I hiked into canyons of all shapes and sizes, over slick rock and through arches and drove over 3000 miles round trip.

So come back for further installments of the fun and fascinating RoadTrip: Spring 2007.