The Great Elephant Migration

A coexistence story

Of all the places you might expect to find an Elephant Herd, New York City’s Meat Packing District is probably not high on the list, and yet here they are.

 

Going on now through October 20th 2024, the installation of 100 life-size Elephants – created by the Coexistence Collective – are on display between West 15th and 13th streets along 9th Avenue, and on 14th street between 9th and 10th along with a few other locations. (see the map link below)

https://thegreatelephantmigration.org/pages/newport-info

 

Each of these masterpieces is modeled after actual Elephants and hand crafted out of Lantana Camara by the Collective. With their names and a bit of background (family ties etc.), they’re incredible works of art and craftsmanship – and they’re for sale  - proceeds benefitting conservation NGOs in the US and around the world.

 

If you’ve never heard of Lantana Camara you’re not alone, but in fact these noxious shrubs are one the most invasive species on the planet - smothering nearly 300,000 sq. kilometers in India - 186,411 sq. miles for the metric challenged amongst us.

 

Visit https://thegreatelephantmigration.org/ for the full story.

 

So, grab your camera or phone and your walking shoes and visit this remarkable exhibit.

 

Click here to visit my gallery of photos captured during my visit.

Yosemite 2024

Planning for this trip began Fall of ’23, knowing that accommodations in the National Parks often require booking a year in advance.   Early in the process we learned that Yosemite does not allow pets in any of the hotels inside the park – for the safety of the pets.  Many pet owners chose to board their pets outside the park during their stay but that wasn’t an option that we were interested in.  That meant we needed to choose a hotel near either the western or the southern entrance to the park.  For when to go, we selected late May in the hopes that most of the roads would be open by then as many of them are closed for the winter while the waterfalls from the snow melt were still flowing strong.  On our arrival, the valley and access roads were open, Glacier point road opened the week before our arrival and only the Tioga road was still closed.  Important to note that between April 13 and June 30 no reservation is required to enter the Park between 5 AM and 4 PM on weekdays, and from July 1 to August 16 reservations are required daily.

For this trip the best option was the southern entrance and we chose the Best Western  Plus Yosemite Gateway Inn in Oakhurst – about twenty minutes south of the entrance,  The Best Western is a pet friendly hotel with a nice restaurant right on the property and had nice rooms with plenty of space and exterior access for ease of loading and unloading gear.

We chose the northern route traveling on Rt 80 all the way to Sacremento and then South to Oakhurst.  There’s no direct route across the Sierra Nevada mountains as you’ll see further on.  The trip was 44 hours and we broke it up into six days and five nights to get there.

We packed most of the gear the night before except for the precious cargo - the kitties and the camera gear - and at 5AM we were ready to roll. From previous road trips we learned to pack two separate small bags; one for the “overnights” containing jammies, a sweater for the early morning and toiletries, and one with shoes to keep in the car for hiking and other terrain changes.

With the third seat removed the “Jet” - as we affectionately call our 2011 Suburban which I completely refurbished a few years back - holds everything we need for the longer road trips while still leaving visibility out the back window.

The trip out was fairly uneventful, the farms – many of them owned by the Amish and Mennonites- were beautiful in the morning light.

Red Barn Full Moon

Sunrise behind us in the rear view mirror.

During the planning process, we were pleased to find that Red Roof Inns checked the boxes for exterior access, pet friendly, and allows kitties. They’re only available east of the Mississippi but that was good for our first two stops.

We arrived at the Red Roof Inn Toledo and although Trip Advisor listed as a “good place to stay overnight” our experience was different.

The room was dirty, the bedspreads had holes in them, fixtures were hanging out of the walls by the wires, and refrigerator’s freezer section was literally a big block of dirty ice….you get the picture. We were tired and just wanted to rest so I called for some takeout Pizza from a little place nearby and we called it a night.

The next day however I changed the reservation for DesMoines to the Hampton INN.

We ran into some weather as we went through  Ohio, Illinois and Indiana and with all the news of Tornadoes lately and this being prime Tornado season we were on watch as we headed across.

Before too long we were headed into some of the storms. They look serious on a weather map and even more so in person.

As we progressed, we found ourselves in the thick of it but fortunately not for very long and and no Tornadoes to deal with.


Ohio, Illinois and Indiana were somewhat unremarkable from a scenic viewpoint and our next stop was DesMoines Iowa.  The boys were amazing travelers resting quietly in their Kennel on this and all the legs of the journey. They were happy though to settle in to a nice room on their second night

 

This western leg took us across western Iowa, Nebraska and on to our next stop – Laramie Wyoming.   Through Iowa and Nebraska the number of giant wind turbines was a surprise.  There’s something majestic and calming about these sentinels in the fields. Despite all the negatives from the red states – they sure don’t mind them as much as they’d have you believe.  Despite a thorough search we could not locate the eagle graveyards so widely reported.

Following the disappointment with Red Roof Inn in Toledo, we were apprehensive about Motel 8 Laramie but it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.  What a great little Hotel and bonus – the Mexican restaurant across the parking lot Corona Village was excellent!  This is apparently the ultimate pet friendly hotel in and around Laramie – there must have been 20 dog owners in our section of the hotel.

 

From Laramie you drive across the prairies and hills of Western Wyoming, and the foothills of the Wasatch mountains of Utah. 

 


Down from the Wasatch into Nevada and across the Salt Flats to our next stop – Elko Nevada and Thunderbird Hotel.  This is a boutique hotel and a not so great part of town but the room was clean, and the owner was very attentive.

Bird on a wire outside my hotel room, but he ain’t singin……….🎵

From there it was into the Sierra Nevadas and the our next stop – the Best Western Golden Key in Auburn.  The elevation as you pass through the mountains and Donner’s Pass gets up to around 8,000 ft, and this was the only time the boys complained as we suspect their ears were popping like ours. The hotel was excellent, the staff were great and friendly, and we ventured down to the Black Bear diner for some excellent takeout.

We headed out early the next morning for Yosemite and the Best Western Plus Yosemite Gateway Inn in  Oakhurst.  This is another excellent, pet friendly hotel with good access to the park and an excellent restaurant right on site.

 

Since this was our first trip to Yosemite and despite a lot of research, videos, books, and maps we didn’t have a good idea of the terrain and the time to get into the park.  Google Maps lists it as 20 minutes to  the entrance and 45 minutes from the entrance to tunnel view – the first stop in the Park.  Since in order to be in the Park for a 05:30 sunrise It means you’re heading out at 04:00 in the dark on unfamiliar roads, the actual drive time is more like 90 minutes.  The park is located in a Valley surrounded by the Sierra foothills to the west and south and the Sierra mountains in the east, so getting there requires a long climb up and then a descent into the valley.

 

Once down the other side, you pass through the valley Tunnel and open up to “Tunnel View”.

 

From there as you travel through the park this amazing place opens up with wonders at every turn.



There were two “moderate” (if you’re 22 years old with 3% body fat) that we wanted to tackle on this trip, the “Mist Trail” up to Vernal Falls with the return trip on the John Muir trail past “Clark Point” , and the hike to Artists Point. With the falls flowing at full volume, the Mist Trail hike was everything it was reported to be (or warned about). The 900 + narrow steps carved into the granite walls on the way up are not for the faint of heart, but worth every hard fought step.

The reason it's called the Mist Trail, with my intrepid bride climbing the steps ahead.

At the end of the Mist Trail you can travel back down the steps to the starting point or take the John Muir trail up and over the hill and back down the other side, we chose the latter passing through Clark Point - a pretty amazing sight on its own.

Next we tackled Artists Point, another “moderate” trail but this time we brought the trekking poles which we had bought specifically for these hikes but due to misplacing the rubber tips, didn’t use on the Mist Trail hike - big mistake!

The view from Artists point is similar to the tunnel view but but from 400 ft higher elevation and we were there by ourselves… a real treat in a busy park.

Part of the plan for this hike was to reproduce an image that was part of our 30th anniversary gifts so I had brought along a tripod and remote release. The result…..

*Note: No kitties were harmed in the filming of this image, they were resting safely back at the hotel and only their photos were used in post production.

“Jet” waiting for us after the hike.

Our last stop before heading home was Glacier Point. The road had just opened the week before our arrival and we were glad to be able to take advantage.

There was a good deal of snow along the roadside on the approximately 45 minute trip to the point and a short walk to the view….again well worth the trip.

 

We spent four days in the park and could have easily doubled that but we headed for home on Sunday morning, this time taking the southern route through Fresno, Bakersfield, Las Vegas and on to our first stop – Provo Utah.

 

Since the boys had done so well on the trip out we did the marathon approach on the trip home and cut the trip down to three nights and four days arriving back home on Wednesday.

Breakout 2021 - The Finger Lakes

Having been “trapped” inside by COVID19 since early 2020, we had hoped that the number of vaccinations would be high and the infection rate low such that we could finally hit the road again without fear of getting sick. Unfortunately the response to vaccine availability has been too low and so with 50 to 100 thousand new cases per day we’ve had to remain cautious and limit travel and contact.

With that in mind, we decided to limit the scope of this year’s road trip and travel to the Finger Lakes region of New York and the city of Ithaca, and limit the trip to four days.

For this trip, sort of a trial run for major road trips in the Suburban, I packed too much gear for the destination but with future trips in mind I wanted to get some practice in loading the bags with a variety of gear and working out of the back of the vehicle to set up and capture the images.

Nine lenses, Three bodies, filters and accessories.

Nine lenses, Three bodies, filters and accessories.

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We hit the Road at about 05:00 and headed for the first stop - The Corning Museum of Glass. It was a foggy and misty morning, not the greatest for driving but not bad for photographers.

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The Suburban is great for our purposes and after a quick stop along the way we arrived at the Corning museum.

We were happy to see that there was a pretty good crowd at the Museum, too many of the patrons were unmasked and we even heard some grumbling about masks.. {eye roll}. The outdoor shop that we had visited two years ago was not set up this year due to COVID but we ventured on.


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For the next two days we visited the falls in the area - Buttermilk, Taughanock, and Ithaca, along with circumnavigating Cayuga Lake to take in the local scenery and wineries and a stop for lunch.

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The Finger Lakes is beautiful region of NY State, with towns like Seneca Falls at the north end of Cayuga with many historic buildings, like the place we stopped for lunch.

On day four it was time to head back home - again a foggy misty morning, and when the sun finally arose, we could see that the fall colors had progressed, even after just four days.

All in all an excellent trip. Accompanying photos in the Gallery.

Great Falls Maryland

If you’re in the Northern Virginia, Maryland, DC area there’s a gem of a National Historical Park within minutes and worth the trip.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Park and in this case Great Falls Park – part of the C&O Canal Park – is a place full of beauty, history and adventure. The park spans 184 miles from Cumberland Maryland – southeast of Pittsburgh PA -  to Washington DC and Great Falls Park is about 15 miles of the southern section beginning at the Great Falls tavern in the north down to Sherwin Island in the south.

Many of you who live in the area are well aware of the park as apparent by the number of joggers on the trails.

I suspect some however have not stopped to read the history of the park which from a Nature and preservation standpoint is one that offers cause for optimism.  You see, in January of 1954, the Washington Post published an editorial in support of a government plan to convert the Canal into a highway.  Having read the editorial, Associate  Justice William O. Douglas – an avid naturalist – proposed that the Canal be preserved as public space and invited a number of luminaries, naturalists, and journalists to hike the length of the canal with him to better see and understand the natural beauty and value of the place.

Word of the hike spread and on March 4th, 58 hikers set out from Cumberland with Justice Douglas for the 184 mile hike.  Five days later nine men including the Justice completed the hike and the Post issued a reversal, now supporting the preservation.

During our visit we didn’t hike the 184 miles, but our short trek along the “Billy Goat Trail” offered a good glimpse of the beauty and history.

Accompanying photos in the Gallery.

 

 

 


Quebec via NY

For our first trip post retirement, we chose a short jaunt to Quebec via NY - and coincidentally, my 70th Birthday celebration in a unique (to us) location.

The Northeast (and other parts of the country) have been experiencing some severe weather - heat, rain, humidity - like we haven’t seen in decades. Our encounter with the phenomenon on this trip was torrential rain while heading north on the Thuway, At one point we considered pulling over but pushed through and after about 30 minutes it subsided.

Torrential Downpour - yes it was that bad!

After the tense beginning, we continued north for about 4 hours to Ausable (Aus-Able) chasm New York, “one of the nation’s first organized tourist attractions”. Opened in 1870 - 22 years before the Adirondack Park, the “Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks” is great place to visit, especially if you’re on your way north.
Fed from White Face and other nearby mountain streams - whose waters run east to Lake Champlain or south to New York - the river that formed the chasm flows strong and creates rainbow falls pictured below,

There are several choices for how you spend your time at Ausable, walking the rim, a deeper and more difficult hike, and rafting the river, we chose the rim walk. It takes about two hours start to finish and I think well worth it.

From Ausable we headed north on the Thruway for stopover in Plattsburgh. We chose that location since it was convenient, made the next leg a manageable drive and had lots of choices for hotels and restaurants.

For the next leg of the journey we continued north reaching the border with Canada in about an hour.

After a comical encounter with the Canadian Border patrol about transporting alcohol and tobacco we were on our way to Montreal and the next stop - the Montreal Botanical Garden.

The Garden is easy to get to - right off the highway and with ample parking, and on this particular Monday in July not overly crowded. There’s lots to see with exhibits from China and Japan, insectarium, and much more. The two sections that I really enjoyed were the “First Nations” (a nice way of referring to the indigenous peoples) Garden and exhibit, and the flower garden around the ponds just east.

From Montreal, it was about three hours north to Quebec City, and our hotel in the old city. We had researched where we wanted to go, what we wanted to see and where to stay in walking distance since our research also told us the streets are narrow and not suited for larger vehicles so we’d want to do most of our travels by foot.

Arriving at the Hotel Le Priori, unloaded the luggage and then carefully maneuvered the suburban to the designated parking garage a few blocks away, wrestled it up the ramps and turns and shoe horned it into a parking space where we gladly left it for the remainder of the stay.

The weather mentioned earlier was still with us so we had to time our exploring to the forecast and for the most part it worked out. For our first afternoon and evening we strolled the nearby streets and located a restaurant for dinner - Le Bistro Pape-Georges - a fun little cafe where had the mandatory serving of Poutine - a particularly Canadian version of fries, gravy and cheese - along with other interesting fare from the menu.

The next day we headed out early to tackle the 10 must see locations locations around Quebec. The old city is hilly so the walk was pretty strenuous but all in all we did well. First stop was the Hotel Frontenac, one of the more famous landmarks.

The history of Quebec City, its location on the St. Lawrence, and the battle history was fascinating. One of the longer walks was up to “The Plains of Abraham” and it defensive position high above the river and role in the battles between the French and British.

From there we continued on the tour and we can see many of the sights in the accompanying gallery. Worth noting that even if you don’t get to all ten “must sees”, some of the smaller venues along the path are well worth it like the
Chalmers-Wesley pictured below.

After a full day of walking, we were ready to rest up and head to dinner where we had reserved a table at Matto - right across the street from the hotel - for my 70th Birthday celebration!

The next morning we once again maneuvered the Suburban back the hotel, loaded the luggage, bid farewell to Quebec city, and drove the 9 hours straight home.

As always, your comments are welcome and if you have any questions be sure to email me.

A Backyard Story

Beginning in the fall of 2020, nearly a year after the onset of Covid, I ventured out to at least photograph the birds in the backyard. Following the guidelines from Moose Peterson, I added a perch between the bird feeders and their safe place - the bushes at the edge of the woods where they could pause before going to the feeder or wait their turn at the feeder.

Over the next couple of months I added a blind so I wouldn’t have to hold still for hours to catch a shot, and through the cold and snow, began to hone my skills at understanding their behavior and the technical aspects of focus, shutter speed aperture and ISO.

The results so far - I still have a lot to learn - are on the Birds of Civid19 section and I hope you enjoy them.

Morning Dove in Snow

Morning Dove in Snow

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