ttlphoto.com

Kayaking at Minesing Wetlands

Len — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:27:04 +0000

Since we moved to the Barrie area I have photographed quite often around the outskirts of Minesing Wetlands and have desired to venture into the interior via kayak or canoe. My good friend David Hemmings of Natures Photo Adventures kindly loaned me his Hobie fishing kayak (with pedal drive) so I could have a first hand experience at this style of photography. On the water gives you a much better and safer approach to birds and waterfowl that frequent marshes and if the lighting is right the photography results can be amazing! From a kayak, photography can be challenging, you are navigating the kayak, sometimes with the pedals other times the paddle, looking for subjects and scenery opportunities at the same time keeping an eye out for snags, logs, and most important staying on your intended route.

After a couple of hours of testing out the kayak (placement of gear, ease of use, etc) in our dog diving pool I was excited to be planning a day at Minesing Wetlands. With camera gear organized in a Baja Bag, snacks and water packed and route planned out I was ready for an early Sunday morning kayak/photo adventure at Minesing Wetlands.

About Minesing Wetlands, taken from: The Friends of Minesing Wetlands“ The 6,000 hectare site provides habitat for a large variety of flora and fauna, many of which are rare, sensitive and/or near the limits of their geographical range. Over 206 species of birds inhabit the wetlands, including 114 known breeders and Ontario’s fifth largest Great Blue Heronry”. Many more details, trip planning and maps can be found at the website.

Mother’s day morning was a perfect +12 c with slight overcast, the days weather was predicted to be perfect for this outing. My planned route would begin at the Willow Creek entry point on George Johnston Rd, head West then North via the Nottawasaga River to exit at Edenvale on Hwy 26, with the sun rising behind me it would make for some great morning photography. I estimated this trip to be 4-5 hours as I would be covering between 12-15 km with all the S bends in the wetlands.

By 7:45 am the journey begins.With a slight breeze and the current with me, it was only several minutes before the sounds of traffic where over taken by the silence and sweet notes of the many song birds perched in the trees and throughout the willows, Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, Ducks, Geese, Red-winged Blackbirds and more where visible and very busy on this spring morning.

The Hobie Kayak has a pedal drive system which is excellent for a quite approach at birds and wildlife. You also have the option to use the paddles, however to a bird or any wildlife I would think you might look like some awkward creature with wings flapping in the wind, certainly not going to get great photo opportunities with that going on! So, with the pedal drive and drifting in the current I was able to take in the sights and sounds for the first 90 minutes or so, a few good photo opportunities of birds along Willow Creek where captured with the dslr gear, the scenery photos and video where taken with an iPhone.

I continued west when the creek became narrow and quite fast in a few spots. With the water high and fast moving the Hobie was extremely stable and I never feared an upset that would put me and camera gear in the cold spring water. After navigating these spots and 2 portages I arrived at the most peaceful location I have encountered in years, it was magical. I spent the next couple of hours drifting with the current while taking in all the sights and sounds, around every bend was another amazing scene, with geese, ducks and many over birds filling the air with song. What was really amazing was I was less then 5 km from home where I certainly did not expect this beauty to exist at a wetland. The iPhone scenery images do not due justice for the true beauty of the area, next time a wide angle lens will be making the trip.

Now, 3 hours later I was on the north bound leg of Willow Creek heading towards the Nottawasaga River when I came to a very large swamp area. I call this a swamp area because there really was no distinguished route, it looked like trees being over taken by water, such is the case here in the spring when many smaller tributaries feed into Minesing en-route to the Nottawasaga and then Georgian Bay. Using my iPhone map and gps I determined I was still on the correct route and took my time using the current and basic sun compass skills to continue to the Nottawasaga.

There was quite a lot of shade in the swamp area, so I anchored to a tree for a snack and noticed something swimming across a large open area about 100 yards away. I decided to make way to where it had headed and was quite surprised when I found a raccoon a few feet up a tree from the water line, there was no solid land for 100′s of yards in any direction, where this guy was coming from or going too I have no idea, he was however very wet!

Immediately after snapping a few photos of the raccoon I herd splashing and turned to see 2 Otters playing in the water. They climbed onto a nearby log and it didn’t take long for some Otter “fun” to take place, “fun” = mating! A couple of times they would fall into the water, climb back on the log and once again have some “fun”. Then in a split second she decided to take off and he gave chase, under the water they went and where gone… then not 50′ from the kayak he appeared all smiles (check out his grin in the photo, those teeth!), after several seconds of checking me out he disappeared again and was gone.

After 2 more portages and plenty of navigating around fallen trees and stumps I reached the Nottawasaga River. The current in the river was much quicker then the previous creek and swamp area, I packed the dslr gear away and paid more attention to navigating and the water then to photo opportunities. I heard some voices along the river and saw 4 people in canoes in a marsh area to the east of the river, as I was looking for an entry to their location I heard quite a few birds overhead, which turned out to be Baltimore Orioles. Quickly I anchored to a tree and was able to get the camera gear out and snap a few photos before these beautiful birds took flight and headed up the river.

The people canoeing where very familiar with the wetlands and river and gave me some advice where to look for herons and other points of interest. I learned that the heron rookery along my route has basically disintegrated from time and the herons have relocated to another location in the wetlands. One of the gentlemen in the group has done work with The Friends of Minesing Wetlands and informed me to contact them or the Nottawasaga Conservation Authority and they together will clear the portages. It is nice to know that this place is taken care of so many people can enjoy this hidden treasure.

My exit point was now about 3km away and my scheduled pick up time with Katherine was approaching, I needed to get moving. With the Hobie pedal system and the faster moving Nottawasaga River this distance was covered in just under 45 minutes. Katherine arrived about 10 minutes after I did, which gave me a few minute to lay on the grass and absorb the experience I had over the past several hours.

If your a nature lover and would love to get out and see this beautiful part of Ontario, please visit the above website and let me know hen you are going. I will certainly be venturing soon into the wetlands via other access points and blogging about the adventure.

Enjoy the photos

My first iPhone Video clip of the swamp… they will get better

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you enjoyed this post please share

Willow Creek entry point at George Johnstone Rd.

Tree Swallow

Red-Winged Blackbird (male)

Red-Winged Blackbird (female)

Interior Wetlands

Greater Yellowlegs

Female Common Grackle gathering nesting materials

Black-Crowned Night Herons

Solitude and Peace (iPhone photo)

Otters Mating... sorry about the interruption

Male Otter, check out those teeth!

I could have stayed here for a few hours (iPhone photo)

Tree Swallow

Canada Goose takes flight

Male Common Grackle

Beauty around every corner (iPhone photo)

Male Wood Duck

I think this is a Yellow Warbler along Willow Creek

Baltimore Oriole along the Nottawasga River

Raccoon swam to this tree. There was no solid ground for 100's of yards!

Along the Nottawasga River (iPhone photo)

Solitary Sandpiper looking for snacks

Nottawasaga River still over the banks

High water marks, this was a couple of weeks ago

Canoeing on the Nottawasaga River

The New Website is LIVE!

Len — Sun, 06 May 2012 07:06:00 +0000

After several months of designing the new TTL Photo website I am ready to let it out of the bag, or off the server (is that what a techie would say?)

There are still a few fine touches to be completed, such as a newsletter sign up form, a secure contact form and the Fine Art Prints catalogue to be completed with online ordering of prints and canvas wraps. Many of the images you see on the website will be available in various sizes to grace your walls or brighten the office, imagine a 4′ x 12′ panoramic print of the majestic snowy owl greeting your clients at the office, wow!

My blogging has fallen behind with time dedicated to workshops and the lack of time at the computer. I had many Snowy Owl Workshop clients go home with amazing images of the majestic snowy owl. The Wildlife Workshops and Raptors in Flight where also great success for the participants, view participants images under the “Photography Workshops” page…. more of their images to come, people, people, send me those photos

Stay tuned to the upcoming changes and blogging via Facebook, Google+, 500px or check back weekly for new and exciting things.

Smile you never know when a camera, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry or Droid will be pointed in your direction

SMILE

spread the word

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Len — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:16:36 +0000

Katherine and I headed to Longmont, Colorado on April 23 for her to attend a certification workshop for Canine Fitness and Conditioning presented by FitPAWS Conditioning Equipment. Of course we took a few of the dogs along for the drive and hopefully would find time to hike them in Rock Mountain National Park.

After a quick 2,500 km 2 day drive we arrived at our hotel destination in Louisville, CO, home for the next several days. Louisville, has an elevation of 5338′ which is about 5,000′ higher then home in Barrie, Ontario. I did not notice the elevation change until I went for my first 30km scouting bike ride, I find it’s always a good idea to orient myself for any longer rides that might take me away from our home base for a few hours.

The view driving from Louisville to Bolder is amazing as you head into the foothills and see the Rockies looming in the background. Each morning we headed in Bolder to pick up breakfast and coffee at Panera Bread, nothing beats the Power Sandwhich and coffee to get you going in the morning. With sandwich’s and coffee on board we head to Longmont, where Katherine departs at the workshop and I with the dogs continue to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), via Estes Park. The 45 minute drive to Estes Park reminded me a little of Yellowstone’s East entrance road, with twist and turns that have you on the breaks and really paying attention… until you have drove it a few times it can be a little nerve racking, especially the return, which is more of a downhill grade. I am sure this road is very popular with the “sports car” enthusiast in their Mini’s, Porches and Vettes, having a little extra traction and performance control over the Dodge Caravan sure would be a blast! Of course the bikers, motor and cyclist where grinning from ear to ear too

On route to RMNP and coffee nearing a refill I found a small shop in Lyons, CO named The Stone Cup. This is one cool little coffee shop, it use to be the town post office, so maybe all the people are there by habit or the coffee and pastries are just that good? I stopped here 3 days in a row for coffee and a pastry (banana bread with chocolate chips…. heaven!). The 3rd time was with Katherine and she found the sweetest coffee mug (with a frog on it) make by local artist Sherry Laurienti of Pottery Perfection LLC, of course we picked up more pastries and coffee refills, yes, darn good coffee too!

After arriving in Estes, taking a quick look around (it’s a small town, not a “park” it’s just named park) I did not know this! On and upward, follow the signs to RMNP, which is just several minutes away through the very touristy downtown of Estes Park. The Beaver Meadows visitors centre just east of RMNP was a worthwhile stop for maps and several questions for the park rangers, they where very helpful in knowledge of Elk, Birds and Big Horn Sheep viewing areas. After a short potty walk for the dogs, off towards the main park gates we went. Less then 100 yards from the park gate was my first encounter with Elk (first image), always a great sign when your goal is photography . There was very little traffic on this Thursday in the park so I pulled over and snapped a few dozen images before the Elk headed across the road and into the meadow to join several others.

At the main gate I was created by a very friendly park ranger who informed me it was free week at RMNP, sweet! An Elk and free admission in the first 10 minutes on my first day in RMNP, this is going to be a great few days! And what a few great days it was, so it’s time for the photos to take over, enjoy

3 days at Rocky Mountain National Park was not enough of the beauty and the majestic views. Definitely a return here is on the things to do list

Elk near main gate

First Scenery photo, sent to Katherine in class

Mountain Bluebird

Clark's Nuthatch

Pica

Big Horned Sheep

Big Horned Sheep up on rocks

Katherine photographing Elk

Stellars Jay

Horseshoe Park overview @ RMNP, CO

Katherine walking Zindzi above 11,000'

Elk

Clark's Nuthatch in flight

If you enjoyed this post please share, thank you

Crows attack Snowy Owl

Len — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:17:18 +0000

Young Snowy Owl attacked by Crows!

Today’s plan was to visit the Minesing Swamp with my good friend Vince looking for hawks, herons, and if we where real lucky we would locate a snowy owl or two that is know to frequent the area near Minesing. Unfortunately Vince has been under the weather for the past few days, so i ventured out alone with my big coffee mug and a full thermos of Katherine’s homemade chicken noodle soup…. it’s so good, warms me to the heart xoxo

A short drive from home takes me to the swamp area, which today had no activity, no hawks, no herons, nothing but a cold wind! I ventured on to the north side of the swamp and was lucky to see a large gathering of Sandhill Cranes starting to take flight for the continuation of the migration south. Over the past week I have watched thousands of Sandhill Cranes arrive and depart from the same area.

Sandhill Cranes near Minesing, Ontario

Around 9:15 I headed to the location that a snowy owl was located last year in late Dec. This year the reports of Snowy’s are a few weeks early and the numbers are huge!! This is being described by many birders and naturalist as an “explosive year” for owls, this is a great sign, as the past few years the populations have been very low. Human impact is the #1 factor in the loss of many owls and several owl species have been moved to the endangered or near extinction list.

Did I find a Snowy? OH YEAH

Driving down the county road I noticed a very white object a few hundred yards into a farmers field. You have to look several times and you keep second guessing yourself when you really want that white object to be a snowy, it could be a plastic bag, a piece of styrofoam, (human impact there) or just another seagull or remaining mound of snow from the recent dusting. After several minutes of watching the “little marshmallow” (that’s what they look like to me) it flew several feet, so finally I knew it was a young male snowy! It was gathering material and going back to the small mound where I first viewed it on, it woul disappear behind or into the mound then pop out and sit for 30-40-50 minutes and look all around, then fly again several feet for materials, or maybe a vole.

Young male Snowy Owl, first Snowy Owl of the year

All this time I sat patiently and waited for some real flying, or maybe some great action of it grabbing lunch from the numerous gulls that where in the adjacent field, occasionally a gull would come over to check on the little marshmallow.

Seagull checking out the young snowy owl

3.5 hours had past and this snowy has not been much of a flyer or hunter, I guess nest building is top priority right now for this young male.

THEN SOME ACTION!

From out of nowhere came 2 black crows, these crows where headed straight at the snowy, he was up in flight very quickly and fast, however no match for the crows coming in at speed. In a matter of seconds one of the crows was on him and the other not far behind, the snowy looked much more agile then the crows and was doing turns and dives that would make your head spin, several times the second crow would come in at a different angle and cut the snowy off, the few photos of contact are when the two crows seemed to be working together. At one point a seagull came into the action, more of an observer yet I am sure still another concern for the snowy. This aerial attack lasted about 5-7 minutes and ended with the snowy being taken to the ground where I could not see it, I assume this was from exhaustion and not injury or an attempt to kill by the crows. I had to drive a couple minutes to the area I saw them go down and was surprised to see the snowy surrounded by 4 crows on the ground. I was able to get 1 photo off when a very large female snowy flew into the scene and the crows exited extremely quick! She chased them about 300-400 yards then flew high over the little male and headed back the way she came from. The male rested and checked his feathers for several minutes before flying off in the same direction as the large female went.

Young Snowy Owl takes off very quick!

Young Snowy Owl being chased by crow

Second crow appears in the chase

Crow closes in on the snowy owl

Crow takes a bite!

Amazing aerial acrobatics from both birds

Several times things get quite intense for the snowy

Gull comes in to check on the action, it left very quick!

Grounded Snowy surrounded by four Crows... 1 vs 4, come on now!

Snowy Owl alone and safe to preen and catch his breath

When I was leaving the farmers lane the property owner came out and we chatted for several minutes (I have his permission to be on the property from last years owl). They have had a family of owls here for almost 15 years, he figures the young male is venturing out from the family and making his own nest/burrow for mating or maybe caching food to impress a young female (i just researched that).

Looking over the images from today, I noticed the the young male when being attacked was always looking to the south and trying to fly more in that direction. This is where the large female appeared from, it’s now obvious that he was bringing the crows to her direction for his safety, nature sure is amazing!

The day ended with another flyover of the Sandhill Cranes with a beautiful Dec sunset….. what an amazing day to start the winter season!!

Sandhill Cranes at sunset near Minesing, Ontario

Update on the young male snowy. I followed up the day with some googling to find out more about owls and crows, very little in my search was located so I forwarded the photos and details to local falconer Matt Lieberknecht, Matt has an incredible knowledge of raptors and their behaviors so as luck would have it, he was very quick to explain to me what I had witnessed. Crows attack young owls in the day, they try to poop on them during the aerial battle and when the owl cleans it feathers of the poops it eats the waste, this can lead to a very sick owl that may die within a few days. Now why would crows attack owls? Owls raid crows nest at night and kill the crows, I guess that gives crows the right to poop on the owls then. The reality of survival and the life cycle of nature played out before my eyes….

Happy to announce the young male snowy was sighted on Jan 10th, 2012,

If you enjoyed this post please share, thank you

U-Fli Championship

Len — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:29:31 +0000

This is the second year I have photographed the amazing canines at the U-Fli Championships at Purina Farms near St.Louis, MO. If you have never been to Purina Farms for a dog show or participated there, you are missing out on one of the best and most beautiful dog facilities in the country. The place is amazing, the grounds are immaculate and the event centre is HUGE!!

The 3 ring schedule was broadcast via wifi so you knew which ring your team was in and went off without any issues. Teams where always lined up and ready to go, with 200 races each day finishing by 5pm was a great accomplishment. Lots of credit to the organizers, judges, flaggers, score keepers, etc to keep the event running smoothly. I did witness a team on Sunday get lost in the shuffle and run out of their time to show up. However, when they appeared late, the opposing team said…. “bring it on, where here to race”, now that’s great sportsmanship!

I could write more about the canines, the venue, the dogs and all the friendly faces I met this past weekend but I know you would like to see some photos.

Below are some favorites from all the great action.

TO THE TEAM PHOTOS **NOTE** If you see dogs in your team that do not belong, please email me the photo #s and I will correct them asap. If you know what team they belong to that would be of great help, thank you Len. Email: ttlaction photo @ execulink.com (remove the spaces)

TEAM DVD PRICING!! Ordering all your team(s) photos will give you the BEST pricing for digital files. Pricing is for Large or Small file sizes and does fluctuate based on the number of photos each team has and how many teams. Please email for a quote, email: ttlactionphoto @ execulink. com (please remove the spaces). More information about the digital files in the below link.

Please read the important following link about DIGITAL FILES

Under the menu tab “Event Photos” you will find other important information about our products. Hover curser over the “Event Photos” tab to see the various drop down selections

Photographing 3 rings some dogs or teams may have been, I apologize in advance if your team or dog was missed.

Check back to this page at 9pm for a few details on ordering Team DVD’s, pricing and more.

If you enjoyed this post please share, thank you

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Len — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 05:05:31 +0000

Honey, do we have time for a quick detour?

Katherine and I debated all of 2 minutes when we saw the signs for Badlands National Park in South Dakota, would we have time to make a quick detour and get a few photos? With the final Badlands exit approaching and it was near 2:30 pm our time would be short, our decision was quickly decided by one of the dogs whimpering to go potty (honestly, it’s always the dogs creating the delays) . A moment later we are taking exit 131 onto hwy 240 to Badlands N.P, which was only 10 miles off the Interstate. And the dog held off for potty until we made it into the park .

Within minutes of entering Badlands N.P, it was like being transported back in time 35 million years ago! We where amazed at such a difference the land was from only a few miles back on Interstate 90, by now we both realized this was not going to be “a short detour”. Around every corner, up every hill and down every curving valley road was another incredible view. The views kept us complete awe with amazing sand formations that where created over millions of years ago by wind and water and that continue to sculpt the pliant soil into sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires that resemble medieval castles.

Without knowing more about this land and history one would think this was the perfect landscape for dinosaurs, however this was not the case as was learned in the brochures. To read more about the history and perk your interest to place the Badlands on your bucket list, go here Badlands National Park Overview

Several miles into the park was the visitors centre, a great place for a few souvenirs and the park rangers had some great tips where we might see American Buffalo, Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, Coyote and the Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs. We made notes on our park map and headed out again to view and photograph this amazing place.

Our “short detour” in the Badlands took almost 5 hours of our traveling day, it was the most amazing detour we have ever taken and at some point we will make this part of another trip so we can spend an entire day or maybe two experiencing it via hiking and more photography.

Since this is a photographers site and blog, it’s time for some images, enjoy

Wind and water sculpted pliant soil into sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires

Young Female Mule Deer

Spires that resemble medieval castles

Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs, always on alert

Chubby Black-Tailed Prairie Dog

American Buffalo herd grazing

American Buffalo

Large Male American Buffalo looking over the Badlands

Bighorn Sheep watching Len, watching them

Bighorn Sheep, back light at sunset

This is cyclist heaven!

American Buffalo with itchy nose

American Buffalo Males scratching bellies

Always remember to check your camera settings, but sometimes you can create something…unusual

Mule Deer overexposed... oops! A little photoshop editing too

Yellowstone N.P – Wolves

Len — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 01:03:54 +0000

I love photographing wolves and to capture the elusive wolf in Yellowstone National Park, I think it justifies it’s own post

The one image I have always wanted to capture is of a wolf in Yellowstone. With only 2 short days at Yellowstone, the destination of choice for wolves is Lamar Valley. Lamar Valley is known for large Bison Herds and the better chance at seeing wolves then most places in the 2 million acre park. We had planned to make Lamar Valley by noon and spend a couple of hours photographing the scenery and hope for some good images of Bison and if luck was on our side see and photograph some wolves.

Our drive from Cody, Wyoming to Lamar Valley was to be about 2.5 hours via the east gate. With little traffic on a late Oct day, we where making good time and had just stopped for a quick “doggie pottie break” at Fishing Bridge, this is at the intersection for the Grand Loop Rd, up to Lamar Valley (Hwy 212). A couple hundred yards after turning onto Grand Loop Rd, I spotted something (i was certain was a wolf) in the Tall Pines about 50 yards off the road. Luck was with us, as there was a turn around right there, we turned around back to the east road and to the left saw two wolves coming through the snow right towards us.

From the vehicle I was able to get several images of one of the wolves, it had stopped to catch a rodent and then continued catching up with the other. They crossed the road about 50 feet in front of the van and off they went into the vast country of Yellowstone. From some web research via NPS, i believe these wolves are from the Mollies Pack. Unfortunately Katherine was not able to get any images, her camera had fallen out of reach and was suck behind a dog crate.

This was certainly one of those “right place, right time” moments. After continuing on the Grand Loop Rd to Lamar Valley, we arrived at the junction of Norris Canyon Rd and our route further north was closed due to ice and snow. Even a simple 2 minute stop, like a “doggie pottie break” had an impact on getting the wolf photos below.

We never made it to Lamar Valley that day, we continued on and spent extra time at Mammoth Hot Springs and photographed all the amazing features (see Mammoth post). I have crossed off my bucket list “wolves in Yellowstone” but not Lamar Valley…. looks like we are going to have to go back

If you enjoyed this post please share, thank you

Wolf locates rodent in snow, Yellowstone National Park

Did he get it? Yellowstone National Park

YES! You can see the rodents tail. Yellowstone National Park

Wolf approaching, about 150' from us!! Yellowstone National Park

My favorite Yellowstone National Park Wolf photo

Catching up to the other wolf. Yellowstone National Park

Low traffic in late Oct, crossing the road was not an issue. Yellowstone National Park

Looking very healthy on this fall day. Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone N.P – Mammoth Hot Springs

Len — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:51:06 +0000

Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming…. there is no other place on earth like this…. AMAZING!!

Due to the closure of the road to Lamar Valley we where able to gain some extra time for more photos at Mammoth Hot Springs. We drove past the very parking area at the hot springs in search of a “nicer facility” (90% in the park where closed this time of year). As we descended a very steep grade of 11-15% a maximum of 25 mph and winding S turns, coming up the hill was a cyclist spinning his pedals at a very high cadence and averaging about 2 mph. Packed with gear for a very long road trip he sure had his work cut out for him…. as a cyclist I honestly think (ok, yes i would have been) pushing the bike up that hill .

Without locating a nicer facility soon, we turned around and returned to the hot spring parking area facilities, passing the cyclist once again. In the 15 minutes since first passing him, he had successfully climbed another 1/2 mile up the hill…. go man go!!! As the facilities where being used and the dogs got out for a quick potty break the cyclist appeared and was slowly approaching us, of course I had to get a few images and yelled out a few words of encouragement. Whens he got closer he began a conversation with me while still spinning the high cadence and climbing the hill… and not even close to being out of breath… geesh! He then pulled over and we had a brief chat about his bike and his destination. He had left Anchorage, Alaska in mid May and was heading to Mexico with an arrival goal of Jan 2012….. OMG!!!! After a little more conversation he was on his way, we passed him a few more times during the day and each time he would wave and then slowly fade in the rearview mirror, and me thinking… “i should have when i was younger, could I do that now”…. hmmmm, and on a budget of $3,500!!

Cycling from Alaska to Mexico

9 months on the road on $3,500, what a trip!

Some photos of Katherine taking in the scenery and the smells at the Mammoth Hot Springs.

Katherine at Upper Basin

Katherine with a different perspective of "bubble dome"

Katherine taking in the view at "dried up basin"

Upper Basin has an incredible view

Unique and eerie place

If you enjoyed this post please share, thank you

Yellowstone National Park, Day 2

Len — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 01:04:45 +0000

Wow! What a great day in Yellowstone National Park.

Honestly we have some great images to go here, but I need to figure out why they are not appearing with out messing up all the other content in other post, it could happen

Grand Tetons to Yellowstone National Park

Len — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 01:03:16 +0000

One of the most memorable days on our 10,000 km trip across the states.

Wyoming is certainly one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring states that either of has ever been in…. yes, almost as beautiful as Alaska

I want you to feel the beauty through the photos, Katherine will lead you with the story. And maybe a short video clip

The plan was to make Jackson, Wyoming for the night after leaving Hurricane, Utah early in the morning. However, with several stops along the way for doggy potty breaks and some souvenir shopping…Len! We pulled into Kemmerer, Wyoming around 8:00 pm, which left us about 2.5 hrs south of Jackson and it was dark! I pulled into a small service centre and spoke with the town sheriff about the drive to Jackson, he advised me this was not going to happen for a “tourist” not a night, not knowing the mountain roads, too much wildlife on the roads and the weather is unpredictable at this time of year in the mountains. Plus as a tourist you should be doing the drive in the day time to take in the beauty of Wyoming, more on that later.

Now Kemmerer, Wyoming (pop 2,651) has 3 hotels, a fully booked Comfort Inn and a 2 private motels, the Antler Inn and the Fairview Motel. The sheriff told us to head to the Scroungymoose Pizza (you have to love that name) then head over to the Antler Inn for the night, said they would take dogs…. he saw the “dog taxi” license plates. We passed the Antler Inn en-route to the Scroungymoose, it was in total darkness with only the neon “No Vacancy” aluminating the light dusting of snow that had fallen since our arrival at Kemmerer. We found the Scroungymoose it took several passes by what looked more like a 4 bedroom duplex then a pizza restaurant. As it turns out the owner was the cook, dishwasher, prep-boy and possibly delivery driver! He moved form Europe 22 years ago so he could climb the peaks in the U.S.A. A huge topographical wall map was covered in colored pins showcasing his accomplishments, of course our conversation turned to photography and he lead me down a hall to his personal collection of images of peaks and mountain ranges he has climbed. Amazing what you can learn and be inspired by one individual in the time it takes to cook a pizza. So with pizza in hand we bid farewell and head to the Antler Inn, which certainly looked closed for the night , however as directed by the sheriff I knocked on the door and was greeted by a younger lady whom may have just put the kids to bed or was getting ready herself. With a sign on the door “no pets” she told us not to worry, take the corner room, the hunters have not showed up, (did she mean not back from hunting or not checked in yet). Anyhow we had a room for the night, huge room, hot pizza, a few cold beers and out of the cold Wyoming air that was blowing in some winterer weather… oh oh

We planned an 8:00 am departure from Kemmerer to make Jackson and then on through The Grand Teton National Park, enter Yellowstone National Park form the south and exit the west entrance near Cody, Wyoming for our scheduled 2 nights accommodations at the Big Bear Motel, our departure point for day trips into Yellowstone N.P.

Fate was certainly behind us the previous night, meeting the sheriff and following his direction sure was the right decision. That drive from Kemmerer to Jackson is one I would NEVER want to do at night, the turns, the winding roads, the ups and downs and of course a little bit of snow had fallen one night through some of the higher elevations of the route. Oh, did I mention the scenery, wow!!!

Our Place breakfast place… yummy!

Zelda & Tallulah took Katherine for a walk to a cold creek in Wyoming

Cattle Drive road block at Hoback Junction, Wyoming

Cowboys moving hundreds of cattle to the winter range

Cow not part of the drive, i think it wanted to go with them

Cowboy and his dogs getting the job done... very well!

Len photographing American Buffalo at Grand Tetons, N.P

Grand Tetons National Park, Wyoming

A memorable moment at Yellowstone National Park