Monday, May 16, 2005

Diana in Yellowstone

Well, our first big trip of the year is over. Last week, we had the pleasure of spending six wonderful days in Yellowstone with our Texas friends, Michael and Kelly. Travis (my husband) and Michael are cousins and have been best buddies since they were miniature versions of themselves. Kelly is Michael's wonderful wife. Each year, we look forward to meeting up and spending time together and this year, we drove up to the park together and took a million pictures, got snowed on, saw two black bears and ate a ton of junk. What more could you ask for?!

Here are just a few images I took with my Diana, a camera I really had no feelings for until now. She makes some beautiful color images! These were all made on Fuji NPH 400.


Bacterial mat and sinter deposit at Crested Pool.

Bacterial mat around Solitary Geyser.

The Hula Hoop sign at Boiling River.

Snags along the main road near Fountain Flat.

A chilly view along the eastern shore of still-frozen Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park.

A commonality in Yellowstone -- the Bison Jam. There are also Elk Jams, Eagle Jams, Badger Jams, Moose Jams, Bighorn Jams, Wolf Jams, Bear Jams... Try them all!

Sunday, May 15, 2005

Lilacs

Two weeks ago, I bought a Holga (my second) and a snappy Polaroid back for it and was quickly introduced to the Holgaroid! Today I tried it out in my backyard on my photogenic and fragrant lilac bush and made a simple dry image transfer (my first). I obviously need more practice, but it sure is a fun new method of photography/art for me. Let me know what you think... or, if you have any pointers, I'd be happy to hear those too!

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

More Trippin'



We spent a long, warm weekend in Zion National Park last May with our friends, who also happen to be family. I took this photo of my husband and two nephews at trail’s end at upper Emerald Pool, a beautiful but sandy and populated hike. The first part of the trail is on asphalt, but after you pass the lower pool and waterfalls, you start walking on fine sand, just like what you’d find on a beach. After we passed the middle pool, the trail became steeper (and sandier) but we were rewarded with an oasis-like alcove high in Zion Canyon. As we munched granola bars and jolly ranchers, the boys played on all the massive red rocks lying around.



Virgin River detail, the Narrows, a paved walk that turns into an all-out wade. When the water is low, you can hike for miles right up the river. Of the half dozen times I’ve visited the Narrows, I’ve only gotten about fifty feet up the river before having to turn around due to the fact that I can no longer feel my feet. It’s too cold!



Checkerboard Mesa, along the Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway.




My husband hiking along the White Pine Lake trail in Logan Canyon in Northern Utah. This trail is one of my favorites! After a gentle climb for three miles and a sharp switchback descent for another 1.5 miles, hikers are welcomed by a sparkling hidden lake beneath the craggy peaks of Mounts Gog and Magog. Wildflower season peaks around July 4th, as evidenced from this photo. You’ll see Columbine, Indian Paintbrush, Lupine, Larkspur, Yarrow, Mules Ear, Arnica, Aster. It’s a veritable smorgasbord of color.



White Pine Lake and Mount Magog. (Mount Gog is behind me.) Giant boulders and (I assume) some form of limestone cliffs line the west side of the lake and a limber pine forest and wildflower meadow rim the remainder. The lake is small but the setting is absolutely stunning. We try to pack in here twice each summer. This year, we’ll be taking our thirteen year old nephew (the one on the left in the Zion pic) with us. I’ll let you know how that goes…





My Holga’s first backpacking trip! This was from the first roll that I ran through my plastic camera. The 6x4.5 mask was still in place and there wasn’t a strip of tape or Velcro in sight. My, how things have changed! Travis and I went on a late summer hike to Brighton Lakes in Salt Lake City’s Big Cottonwood Canyon. The trail is short (four miles on way) but steeee-eep and passes Lakes Mary, Martha and Catherine. If you continue on past Catherine, you can climb up her namesake pass and on down to Little Cottonwood Canyon. This photo is of Lake Mary, on Fuji NPH 400.

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Trippin'

It’s May and time for traveling, hitting the open road, trippin’! And we will! We’ve got a trip to Yellowstone coming up, one to Zion and one to Payette Lake in Idaho to catch a Panic show. We’ll go on numerous backpacking trips closer to home, countless hikes and maybe even a couple canoe trips. I just love summer… the sunshine, the freedom, the lazy days. I can’t wait! So, in anticipation of this year’s adventures, here are a handful of photos from our travels last year. Each image was taken with my Pentax ZX-7 and Fuji Superia 400 film. Enjoy!

My husband, Travis, and I went on a wonderful trip to the Seattle area last September. In one week, we put 1000 miles on a rental Hyundai as we visited Olympic and Mount Rainier National Parks, San Juan Island for a little sea kayaking and the Gorge Amphitheater for a DMB show.

This first image was taken in the tiny seaside establishment of La Push, inside the Quileute Indian Reservation. It was here that my husband met the ocean for the first time. While he frolicked in the surf, I wandered around and found this row of cabins which looked like the type of lodging you’d find at a vintage 50’s summer resort. They looked like they’d accommodated summer tourists at one time but had since become vacated and/or privately owned, and subsequently and unfortunately fallen into disrepair. A shame really. They were so quaint.



Detail of a crab shell on the beach at La Push.



After a long day in Olympic National Park, we hopped on the Bainbridge Island to Seattle ferry and enjoyed our first ferry ride. This jumpy image illustrates our excitement perfectly (I know, I know, it’s just a boat, but to a couple of landlocked Utahans, it was pretty cool!). We fell in love with the ferry system and how people use it as part of their everyday travels. My commute to work consists of eight miles of asphalt, nine stoplights and no water in sight.



We traipsed all over San Juan Island, searching with wild abandon for the four Alpaca farms listed on the map. Why? Travis has an crazed obsession for the fuzzy, goofy, spitting beasts. Much to his disappointment, we found only one farm still up and running: Krystal Acres Alpaca Farm.



On our one lazy day during the whole trip, we found this beautiful trail at American Camp on San Juan Island’s southern point. In just a few miles, we covered a grassy meadow, a bald summit, a beach on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a pine forest and this lush ferny rain forest. It was amazing!



After a late night drive from the Gorge to Yakima, we woke up early and headed toward Mount Rainier National Park. We drove through a curvy canyon for miles and finally were rewarded with this, our first view of the volcano. We pulled over in the turnout and were greeted by the nicest couple from Texas. We exchanged cameras and took snaps of each other with the glaciered peak in the background and as they pulled away in their motor home, we were left with “Ya’ll have a safe trip!”



Our plan for the day was to simply drive through Mount Rainier National Park on our way to the coast and the Columbia River and the expanse of Lewis and Clark memorabilia that we were sure to find there, but when Travis overheard the salesman at the Sunrise gift shop telling some other tourists, “You’re pretty lucky to be here today. It’s the first time we’ve seen the peak in days,” we bagged the rest of the drive, bought some postcards and sat on the deck of the Paradise Lodge, just below this window. We spent some time perusing the area, the gift shops and the visitor’s center. Aside from living in the great caldera of Yellowstone, we’d never been that close to volcano before. I can’t wait to go again!



I suppose that a trip to Seattle wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Pike Place Market. On our first day of the trip, we quickly walked through the market and grabbed some tasty pictures and sandwiches. It was definitely worth seeing, the people, the cultures, the goods for sale, everything. So much variety!



We found Alexander while cruising through Pike Place Market. I wonder if he was an actual attraction at the market at one point or just some artist’s whimsy?