The Other Portland

Many of you think of Oregon when you hear someone mention Portland. It shouldn't be a surpise, however, that the "other" Portland, in the New England state of Maine was founded over 200 years earlier, and is actually the namesake of its Oregonian younger sister by virtue of a coin toss. (Really, look it up :)).

When I originally booked the Jet Blue Jetpass, I immediately knew that Portland would be on my short list of places to go. I have a couple of dear friends that are raising a family just outside of Portland, and this was a great opportunity to go visit them, and see some of the sights Maine has to offer.

I flew into Maine from New York on Friday evening and my friends picked me up for a chill night walking downtown Portland. There was an artwalk going on with street vendors, gallery shows and musicians that was a ton of fun, and we later met up with some more friends at a popular local pub, Novare Res.

Our original plans of hiking Mt. Washington were changed when the forecast called for some high winds, rain and snow, something we weren't prepared for or willing to chance running into for the limited window we had available. We took the opportunity instead, to have a relaxing morning eating breakfast at a nearby diner, and checking out the race expo for the Maine Marathon being run the next morning by Kelly, one of my gracious hosts. The afternoon held a trail run and a first for me: geocaching. It's unfortunate that I didn't carry my camera with me on the run, as there would have been some fantastic photo-ops in the Maine woods as we found glacial ponds and marshes along the snow-mobile trails that are so prevalent in the area. Something to remember for next time... The evening turned out as good as the day was, with a last minute score on tickets to the Sufjan Stevens show at Port City Music Hall.

Sunday started with a flurry as the kids were corralled and packed into the car to head down and spectate the Maine Marathon & Half Marathon being run in and around Portland. A fun mid-sized race with around 3000 participants, the event provided several good shooting opportunities, and was a blast to see and be a part of.

After the race, the next stop was the Portland Headlight, one of the most beautiful, and as a result, one of the most photographed lighthouses in the country. The lighthouse is situated on the old Fort Williams military base in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It was a blast walking and photographing the fort ruins, the rocky coast, and of course, the lighthouse itself.

After the lighthouse we went to downtown Portland to walk around grab a cup 'o' joe, and check out late afternoon in the city, which held some great lighting, especially down on the old port.

A fantastic meal at the home of my Portland friends capped off a great weekend. Enjoy the photos, and until my next post... blessings.

dg

A Small Bite of the Big Apple

Too long since my last post! Sorry, friends... I seem to grab the most time when I’m waiting for something.. in this case it’s an airplane, (Jet Blue of course), heading from Portland, Maine to Richmond, VA.

My visit to New York started as I flew into JFK from San Jose, getting settled into the HI Hostel New York, where I booked a room for my time there. Not having stayed in a hostel before, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Recognizing that common sleeping spaces and bathrooms are not the most private of situations and setting that aside, there were a ton of cool features and amenities at this hostel, with a very reasonable price tag. Big lounges, a huge self-serve kitchen area and eating space, internet access and lots of info for a traveler wanting to experience the city without breaking the bank, I would absolutely go back and stay there again, and recommend it to any low-maintenance traveler out there.

I started out Thursday with a short stroll through Central Park. After, I took the subway from Manhattan to the far side of Brooklyn to check out the legendary Coney Island. I knew most of it would be closed up, but was cool to get some off-season shots of the New York landmark. I also managed to get a few shots of the subway without getting arrested (though a subway worker warned me if the transit cops were to see me shooting, I very likely would).

A long subway ride took me back to Manhattan, where I walked around Midtown, making my way to the Empire State Building and the chance to shoot from the Observatory on the 80th floor. Certainly not alone on that top deck, I was pleased to be able to get plenty of room to shoot without much of a wait, and spent a good bit of time up there, playing with different lenses, and even though they didn’t allow my tripod up there, I think I still got a few good images.

After the ESB, I walked over to Times Square to wait for a buddy I was meeting for dinner, and setup my tripod for some late afternoon pics of this world-famous center of activity. A handful of shots later, Mike showed up and we grabbed a bite a few blocks away, after which, I returned to Times Square for some really fun night shooting.

The second day wasn’t a productive photo-day for me, as I was hoping for a little more light than the heavy clouds and threatening rain provided. I was able to start it by meeting up with a good friend for breakfast, and some more stroll-time in Central Park, though, and I used the rest of my time that day to take care of some other responsibilities, and salvaged my need to be productive :).

New York was New York. I alway have mixed feelings about the city. The handful of times I’ve been, I’ve really enjoyed my time, think there is a ton to do and see, and always feel like I needed more time there. On the flip side, I usually feel ripped off at some point during the trip. This time it was the ride to the airport from Manhattan. The car that was called by the hostel where I stayed charged an arm and a leg for the trip. It wouldn’t have been so bad but for two things: The guy coordinating the rides knew the car in front of me was taking one passenger to JFK, but chose not to pair us up (and save both me and the other passenger a chunk of change), rather waited to mention it until after the car was pulling away. Also, as I looked out the car window on the way I saw several taxis with a flat rate posted on the side of their cab that was $20 less than what I was being charged. Small potatoes, for sure, but not exactly a “customer-friendly” experience. I have, however, met a number of great people in the Big Apple. Friendly and welcoming, and happy you are there visiting their great city, the people I meet always make the pros outweigh the cons.

Well, that’s the short update on New York.... I hope you enjoy the photos, you'll notice in this set I have been playing with some heavy contrast and fisheye lenses for something different :).

Stay tuned for another update soon on my travels to Portland, Maine!

dg

Bright, Shiny, Dry & Prickly

Howdy! I few days ago, I flew into Las Vegas after changing my itinerary from one night to two nights and postponing Seattle in order to get home a day sooner for my short break.

Vegas is still bright and shiny, and filled with pumped-in oxygen and the *pling*pling* of slot machines in full use.... I wasn't there to throw away money, though, so after getting checked in I headed out for a few hours of shooting at dusk and after dark on The Strip.

It was fun to experiment with long shutters and was my first attempt at an extended night shoot. That being said...be kind as you peruse the handful of photos I've posted:).

After a good session of night shooting, I took the opportunity to use the extra day in Vegas to head down to the Mojave National Preserve and spend some time in the desert and try to get a decent sunset from Teutonia Peak. I'll have to admit, the desert wasn't what I expected. Hot while the sun was up, yes... but definitely more vegetation and wildlife than I thought I'd see. I didn't know it, but this section of the Mojave has one of (if not the) biggest and densest concentration of Joshua Trees in the world. I saw desert night lizards, darkling beetles, blacktail jackrabbits, and even what I think was a kit fox yelling at me and scratching his ear with his back leg on a boulder about 50 yards from where I was standing near the peak.

After a short detour from the trail on the way back down from the peak (thank you iPhone compass app:)), I stopped for a while perched on a sizable boulder and took some sky shots and enjoyed a cool, quiet, clear night of solitude.

Enjoy the photos! After another day at home, I'm off to New York, Maine, Virginia and DC... compliments of Jet Blue!

Blessings,

Danny

Utah!

So the drive down to Arches was fairly uneventful, a little longer than I expected, but a nice drive all the same. It's pretty crazy when you can drive for a couple hours... in a straight line. Not in the general sense of driving in a given direction, but truly in a straight line, where the road continues on in front of you and there is a far off vanishing point you think you'll never reach, and like the charging knights in a scene from The Holy Grail... voila, you're there.

Anyway, I think I was supposed to be talking about Arches National Park, eh? Well, it's pretty spectacular, I have to say. You really do feel at times like you're on Mars with the dry, reddish-tone landscape and fantastically shaped cliffs, arches, and other formations that constitute the draw for the park. I arrived at arguably the best time to take in the park, late afternoon, as the sun cast shadows on and through the rocks and highlighted the imaginary characters, scenes and objects the formations resemble.

I knew I wanted to get a sunset shot of Delicate Arch, a somewhat famously recognized symbol of the park, and of that region of the country... judge for yourself if I did it justice:). Needless to say I got the shot (or shots), after a short and moderately difficult 1.5 mile hike in to the site of the attraction. It was an interesting experience, as I wasn't alone in the desire to capture the image of Delicate at sunset. Rows of tripods and cameras peppered the north western rim of the small canyon that held a view of the Arch. I found a good spot to setup, though, and the only challenging part was trying to shoot in between the people scrambling up under the arch to get a photo of themselves underneath the natural wonder. Funny, at one point after a particularly steady stream of these snapshot-seekers was capped off by what seemed to be the last of them scampering off out of the frame of the shoot, an eruption of applause by the dozens of photographers seemed to have encouraged any others wanting to get their "i was here" photo to wait until another day...

The park isn't a small space, and undoubtedly one could spend days or even weeks exploring all it has to offer, but if you are crunched for time, and want to take in a ton of cool views and get some neat shots, Arches is definitely a good pick. If I were going back, I'd plan a solid 2 to 3 days to dedicate to the hikes and drives that it would take to get a complete experience of the park.

I'd hoped to re-arrange my trip to spend another day in the park, and allow for a day to do some city shots of Salt Lake City, but it didn't work out that way... so no SLC. But, my rescheduling did allow for some time in the Mojave desert outside of Vegas that I wasn't expecting to have... so look for my next post soon.... Vegas!

Peace,

dg

Gondoliers and Aspens

Greetings! I have found time before my drive this morning down to Arches National Park to edit a couple photos and post a quick ditty on my Colorado jaunt.

Colorado brings back fond memories. An old college roommate of mine moved there a few years after school and was kind enough to let me (and countless others, I'm sure) visit and take advantage of the amazing skiing, beautiful scenery, and great climate.

My old roommate doesn't live here any longer, but an good friend of Kathryn's does, and so we were able to accept her gracious hospitality and services as tour guide for a couple of beautiful days in the Centennial State.

We hit a fun Italian cultural festival in Lakewood the first day, and enjoyed a little wine tasting, tasty sicilian pizza, a gondolier, and some traditional Italian flag-throwers. We drove down to Colorado Springs where we stayed for the night, and got up the next day to venture out to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.

The Rockies are staggering, and we were there just as the Aspens were starting to turn, giving a hint of the incredible beauty they'll provide in a few weeks . A drive up to Forest Canyon Overlook provided some snow to contrast with the tropical weather I've been in for the last couple of weeks, and whet my appetite for ski season. We were treated to amazing vistas, elk sightings, and cool cloud formations on the drive up, and we stopped on the way down to take a couple-hour hike up to Dream Lake.

A tent, bag and an overnighter under the stars would have been perfect:). Alas, no camping was in the agenda, but the trip was amazing all the same.

Denver would definitely be on my short list of places to live. Great climate, active culture, some of the most impressive mountains in your backyard... how can you go wrong?

I'll catch you guys again after Arches... gotta catch a sunset at Delicate Arch:).

Blessings,

Danny