We stopped frequently on this final day of our thousand mile, four day adventure discovering an abandoned goal mine, a Vietnam War Memorial, and countless photogenic landscapes. Between stops we had hours of time to talk and reflect on the passage of our combined 101 years, work, family, friends and our respective interests. I hope Alissa and Mayela are both up for some kind of sibling adventure as I would like to do the same with each of them when they reach the half century mark.
Mark and Jeanine both share a gift for spotting wildlife from a speeding car. Mark spotted a group of male Big Horn sheep on a distant mountainside in waning light. Unbelievable, as they practically disappear into their environment. The herd of females was easier to track down and we ultimately found a dirt road that took us to within feet of them for great close ups.
The petroglyphs are about twenty feet above the ground on along a vertical wall and it was not clear to either Mark or I as to how they were placed there. The dinosaur tracks, highlighted in white, are about twice the size of my hand and required a short but tricky climb to get a close up view.
Today is a travel day back to Denver where we will stay in a hotel before our flights tomorrow morning. Before departing, however, we make a brief excursion down the Colorado in the opposite direction, where we seek out Native American petroglyphs and preserved dinosaur tracks.
As sunset approaches, Mark and I make the strenuous climb to iconic Delicate Arch. We are both acrophobic and the last few hundred feet are along a narrow cliff ledge. Although Mark makes it past the ledge he elects to descend immediately rather than waiting as I will for golden light which necessitates a return in darkness. Only during the winter months does the angle of the setting sun afford a near shadowless image. Add in snow caps on the La Sal Mountains and it does not get any better than this.
We spend the remainder of the afternoon and evening enjoying Arches National Park where there is no shortage of stunning scenery to capture. Mark has a great photographic eye and an affinity for shooting tiny details through the macro lens while I tend to look for the big picture vistas. His photo above of the lichen covered mounds is one of my favorites from the trip. The subtle color palette combined with the strong opposing diagonal elements makes for a really sophisticated composition and great image.
Learning a lesson from the prior evening, we find an approved tent site early in the day. The Arches campground is full so we opt for a site directly adjacent to the Colorado River which turned out to be a superior second choice and offered us quick access to Moab for gas and food.
Our next destination is Dead Horse Point State Park where the morning fog lifts just as we arrive to reveal a crystal clear view of what I believe to be one of the top five panoramic views in the United States.
Reversing roles from yesterday, Mark is the student today and I pass on advice as we capture all the beauty that surrounds us. While all the photographers jockey for position and prepare for the sunrise shooting frenzy (optimal light exists for a fleeting five minutes), Mark enjoys what has to be one of the most clear and bright night skies either of us has ever seen. After returning to the parking area we have the bad luck to shake out the tent at the exact moment a park ranger is passing by. Despite my efforts to wiggle out of the $50 citation for camping outside of an approved area the fully frosted windshield of the car is a dead give away. Fortunately my National Park Annual Pass and the temporary paper license plate on our new from the factory rental car all check out and the understanding ranger sends us on our way. I chaulk up the fine to an expensive tent site fee and small price to pay for the images we got. Mark chaulked it up to my general stupidity and failure to follow posted rules and his good advice to heed them.
Today, we wake up an hour before sunrise, take down the tent, and make the short hike to Mesa Arch, where we join several other photographers to enjoy the dramatic lighting on the underside of the arch from the sun’s first light.
The net result on the day was two happy brothers. We got off the river at about 6:30 pm and drove to Canyon Lands National Park in Utah, arriving just around 11 pm. The campground there was full, and I opted to pitch our tent in the Mesa Arch trailhead parking area.
I believe the highlight of the day for Mark was dry casting from the anchored boat and catching a nice Brown after a very patient effort to coax him onto the hook. This style of fishing takes far more finesse than the nymph fishing that we employed for most of the day.
I spent about half my time fishing and the other half behind the camera. In the afternoon, I asked Lincoln to put me ashore so I could shoot from that perspective and ran ahead of the boat along a narrow path that paralleled the river.
I believe the last time I went fishing was also with Mark some 35 years ago. He and Lincoln did a fine job of teaching me the art of fly casting, healing the line, setting the hook, and landing the fish. I used this knowledge to catch this small but very pretty Brown Trout. Had I paid closer attention to the lesson on landing the fish, I would have kept my pole in an upright position keeping the right pressure on the line when I hooked a very big fish. When I lowered my pole and tried to pull him to the boat he got away but it was still a big thrill to fight with him while he was on the line.
It does not take long before Mark starts landing fish left and right. Our guide, Lincoln, handles the boat, sets up our fishing rigs, and carefully releases our catches. By my count Mark lands just over a dozen fish including many beautiful Rainbows and Browns as well as one hefty Whitey.
I made arrangements with a local outfitter to provide us with a drift boat and knowledgeable river guide. Mark will fish from the forward position, our guide will handle the ours from the middle seat and I will take up the rear position from which I will fish and photograph. We meet up with our guide at 9am and are on the water by 10am. The morning starts cold but the temperature quickly rises and the weather could not be more glorious.
I am up before sunrise and head out to see what the morning light has to offer. I find this nice view of the Colorado River along whose path much of our coming adventures will revolve. If this scene looks cold, I will have accurately conveyed the setting. When I return to the hotel, Mark is awake and we grab a hot breakfast before heading out for a day of fly fishing on the Roaring Fork River which will end at its confluence with the Colorado.
My brother Mark will turn 50 at the end of this month. To celebrate that milestone we will spend the next four days sharing our avocations with each other. Photography for me and fly fishing for Mark. With exactly one day of planning we rendezvous in Denver where we rent a car and make the three hour drive to Glenwood Springs. Here we stay at the Hotel Colorado and enjoy a fine steak dinner at Juicy Lucy’s. This will be our last civilized meal and accommodations before switching to gorp and a small two man tent.
Every St. Patrick’s Day the Concord Recreation Department organizes a father-daughter dance called the Shamrock Ball. There is no event on my social calendar that I look forward to more. Maya has grown taller making us more compatible dance partners and her skills have improved from last year. The result is that we looked ready to audition for So You Think You Can Dance. We started the evening with a dinner date with Lydia and her father at our local Japanese restaurant.
Tomorrow morning I have an early flight to Denver where I will join up with my brother for a five day camping adventure in Colorado and Utah. I will update the blog with another batch of photos as soon as I return.
I returned from Florida today specifically so I could attend the end-of-season wrestling banquet with Nicolai and Jeanine. Nicolai looked dapper in a suit and tie and enjoyed the celebration, which included a 10-minute slide show I put together for the team.
I finished the day with a visit to the J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island. By the time I arrived the sun had nearly set but it was well worth the drive and a great place to enjoy my last night in Florida.
For a change of pace from wildlife and landscapes I took in a Grapefruit League baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays this afternoon. The City of Palms Park where the Red Sox train is very intimate and I actually prefer this venue to Fenway. Baseball has to be one of the most boring games on the planet to watch or play but I can handle nine innings once every few years.
This morning I set out in search of Manatees. I learned that they are very sensitive to water temperature and will seek out warmer water during the cold winter months. Power plants use river water for cooling and the water that emerges is a few degrees warmer than went in making an ideal gathering area for these gentle creatures. Their true beauty can only be appreciated from under the water but I did my best to photograph them from above. Very often the only glimpse one gets of them is of their nostrils as they come up for air. I encountered a half dozen including one baby.
After completing my kayaking tour I spent the last few hours of the day at a place called Corkscrew Swamp. Spotting the Barred Owl was the highlight of my day. If not for a well timed and distinctive call to his/her mate I would have walked right by this exquisite creature without noticing its motionless body hidden less than ten feet from where I was standing.
When I reached my original put in point I continued upstream where I found two lagoons and much more wildlife. I wanted to get a photograph of an alligator from short range and found the best way to get close was to glide up from behind them. When I took this photo the tip of my kayak was over its tail and I was still moving forward. After getting the shot I quickly reversed and once I reached a safe distance also resumed breathing. The alligator was aware of my presence but did not perceive a threat or opportunity and just remained still. I considered paddling along side of it for a full length shot but decided not to push my luck and to heed the requests of my children to not get eaten.
Does anyone think I am going to worry about the challenges of a new job after getting this shot?
At the end of the two tunnels the river widened substantially allowing me to turn the kayak around to head up stream. The return trip took considerably longer as I was fighting both the current and the tide. Thankfully I did not encounter any alligators in the tunnel which would have been very unnerving. They seem to prefer open areas such as this.
This morning I rented a kayak and paid to have it shuttled to the Turner River where I spent 6 hours on the water. During that time I encountered two other paddlers and a half dozen alligators ( a good ratio in my opinion). Paddling down stream I encountered two very long mangrove tunnels varying in width from 1.5 to 4 boat widths. The mangrove roots were so densely spaced that they would have made an effective set of prison bars. The upper branches formed an equally dense canopy creating a true living tunnel. There was insufficient clearance to paddle and it was far easier to simply grab the branches and pull myself through the tunnels.
It is hard to imagine how the day could have been any better from a photographic perspective. Even as I am heading to my tent site I am treated to a beautiful sunset. I initially feared that the Everglades might not be as interesting as some of the higher profile national parks I have visited recently but I could not have been more wrong. You simply need to get off the beaten path.
The variety and abundance of birds in Florida is quite amazing. I could spend days instead of hours getting similar photos in New England when these same birds migrate north for the summer.
Here is a small sampling of my alligator shots. I was hoping to catch one eating a bird for lunch but they typically hunt and feed at night.
Alligators, if not surprised or cornered, will seek to move away from adult humans. I took great care to approach those on my side of the canal without startling them and was able to get quite close for good pictures. I am told they can out run a human over short distances but do not believe this to be true. If this guy turned to chase me I can guarantee you that I would set a new Olympic record for high jumping to the top of my rental car.