Santa Barbara Mission - #1

I’m starting to play around with a new technique that maps panorama pictures into polar coordinates. I’m still learning “what” to do in both the original shots and the process to make them look good. I have a GREAT idea for a Christmas picture this year that should be a lot of fun.

Basically I take 12 pictures, then stitch them together. If anybody’s interested in trying this, send me a note and I’ll point you at the links that walked me through doing this.

In the mean time, here’s the “experiments”…

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Tags: Polar,Santa Barbara,Santa Barbara Mission,West Beach
Categories: Travel
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The Lowrimore’s, Goering’s, and I went up to Steamboat for our annual vacation. This year’s theme was lack of snow and COLD. Like highs of below 10, and lows around -10 through -15. Decent weather, although it got a little windy on our last night. Add that to the temps, and Brrrrr…

On the first day, we all bought tickets (whatever happened to early season ticket prices??? $80 for an adult??? To ski on brush, pine boughs, and ice? Fun, but not enough fun to do it for two days. So… on the second day…

… it was cold, but not quite cold enough to keep us from taking the kids out sledding. We went to the main hill leading up to the Gondola Base (Werner Circle), and found enough snow on the hill under the parking gondola to let the sleds run. We were sledding through weeds, but it was still a blast. Check out some of the expressions on the kinds faces….
Day three led me to get out of the condo with the cameras, and head over to a barn that I’d found last year (A Barn to Shoot Next Fall).  Not only did I get some great pictures of that barn, I also found a ski-boot graveyard, some horses, and then Gregg and I went back out again around sunset to get better light. The entire gallery is shown below the break.

December 10th, 2011 update: Gregg’s pictures from the barn trip can be found here.

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Tags: Catamount Barn,Horses,Ski Boots,Steamboat,Steamboat Springs,Sunsets
Categories: Photo Albums, Travel
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Taking the Softail out for a Fall Colors trip

This year, I thought I’d try packing the cameras on the back of the Softail and head for Twin Lakes, one of my favorite “local” areas for Fall Colors. Knowing that I’d be on the bike, and would have to avoid gravel roads, I wasn’t sure what I’d do. As I was heading up Highway 70 towards the mountains, though, the heavy rainclouds started coming in from the south-west, and I definitely didn’t want to go on a rain-ride (although i did have rain gear, just in case).

So at Idaho Springs, I decided I’d stay on the front range and headed up towards Mount Evans. And at this point, I discovered that photography by bike isn’t nearly as “easy” as from the truck, since it’s a little more effort to pack away the jacket and gloves, and get out the camera gear. And I really can’t get off the pavement easily. I have a few pictures from the trip, but it turned into more of just a beautiful fall motorcycle ride than a photography trip… From Mount Evans down to Evergreen, to Pine, then Deckers and trying to sneak out to Sedalia, but that’s another 22 miles of gravel, so I backtracked as the storms really kicked up and headed for home.

A little over 200 miles of a BEAUTIFUL day on the bike, on a crisp fall day in full fall color.

It doesn’t get much better than this.

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Tags: Fall Colors,Harley,harley softail,mount evans,Softail
Categories: Photo Albums, Travel
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Just got back from the annual Tahoe vacation. I had a great time, this year, and found some new hiking trails from Spooner Lake up to Marlette Lake (on the east side of the lake), since the normal playground from Echo Lake up to Aloha was still buried under snow (and a whole lot of snow at that)

I got there a day early, so I got to hang out with the Hogges on Saturday night, going to a Sacramento River Cats minor-league game and off to Leatherbys for a late night snack. Kelsey was showing up with her new fiance at 3am, so we had to set a little trap for them (think of a bunch of cans stacked by the door). That’s what Evil Uncles are all about…

My brother came down with the whole family this year, so we all got to see Candice, Riley, Elle and Cameron. I’m pretty sure they had a great time, but as a single traveling consultant, there’s no way I can imagine the “travel day” thing with a large family like that. We all  headed up to the lake (pure chaos at checkin, something unusual must have been going on.

My normal hiking spot from Echo Lake up into Desolation Wilderness, was still under large amounts of snow, so when the Vachuska’s came up, we did a trip on the east side of the lake instead. We did a 9 mile loop from Spooner Lake up to Marlette Lake. In all these years, I never even knew Marlett lake existed. Funny how you can find new things even in locations you’ve been hundreds of times.

On Saturday, I went down to Doug and Peggy’s for the annual “Fourth of July get together (and birthday party). It was great seeing everybody again.

I didn’t get out the camera like I usually do, so I don’t have a lot of pictures, but the ones I took are below.

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Tags: Family,Hiking,Lake Tahoe,Marlette Lake,Spooner Lake,Vacation
Categories: Family Stuff, Travel
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On day 1 of our annual trip to Steamboat Springs this year, we were walking around the Gondola Area to see all the new places that were built in the last year (and there were a LOT). As we walked by the new Ski Patrol office at the base of the Gondola, a picture on the wall caught my eye. A beautiful barn with fall colors behind it that looked almost exactly like the famous Steamboat Barn, but wasn’t. It was a mirror image of it with a beautiful fall-color terrain behind it that doesn’t exist near the barn I take so many pictures of (search for Steamboat Barn).

The Famous Steamboat Barn

The women staffing the office had no idea where it was taken, but finding it became my obsession for the weekend. I had this stupid chest/sinus congestion that’s going around Colorado, so I wasn’t planning on spending much time on the slopes. So the search began.

I hit up local artist shops (no luck), then went to a real estate broker. They mentioned that the local paper had done a series on “Where’s this barn” over the last summer. So I headed over there to talk to the writer/photographer. He wasn’t in at the time, but the receptionist at the front desk told me of another local photographer (Don Tudor) who has a gallery downtown that I had missed the first time around.

So I headed back downtown. He knew where it was based on the picture I showed him (I took an iPhone pic of the barn in the Ski Patrol office).

So I headed over to take pictures. You can spot it from the road, but as you turn off the main road and head towards it, it turns out it’s on private property. I’m a believer in private property laws so I turned around kinda disappointed. As I started heading back in to town, I thought “It never hurts to call and ask”. So, being a geek with technology in the truck, I brought up a web browser, looked up the property owner’s phone number, then called and asked if I could go take pictures. The reply? “No problem at all. Have fun! I’ll let security know you’re there”

So, here’s a bunch of “test pictures” for positioning and location that we’ll use when we come back to shoot the barn surrounded by fall colors. I can’t wait to see this surrounded by fall colors! Hopefully I can talk them into removing the snow cat for those shots!

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Tags: Barn,Catamount,Fall Colors,Steamboat,Steamboat Barn
Categories: Photo Albums, Travel
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At the top of RMNP, with Longs Peak in the background

About a year and a half ago, I went down to Phoenix on a job and stayed over a weekend to hang out with my Aunt Barb and Uncle Tom. Part of that trip included a ride up the Salt River Valley to Roosevelt Lake, and then over El Oso Road (I think) near Four Peaks on a dirt road. Talk about rugged beauty!!! Entirely different than what I’m used to, but just as photogeneic (no, I didn’t have my camera).

But I digress. I invited Tom to come up an play in the Colorado mountains with me someday. Well, last week, he took me up on that offer. He drove up from Phoenix (through Moab) and got into town Saturday afternoon. Given the drive from Phoenix, we kicked back that night and watched Football. A lot of college football…

On Sunday, we headed up for the tour through Rocky Mountain National Park. Up Fall River drive (a dirt road) to the visitors center where there were WAY TOO MANY people, then back towards home. Lots of stopping, gawking, but not too much walkin’ around due to the altitude. We stopped at the Baker Street Pub in Boulder on the way home for a beer and a good lunch/dinner.

Uncle Tom at the Leanin' Tree Museum

On Monday, it was a quieter day. We went to the Leanin’ Tree Museum in Boulder (very cool for people who like old western art). We also tried to go to the Shelby Museum (as in Cobra) but it’s only open on Saturdays. We had a good Southwestern lunch at Serranos Southwestern Grill in Gunbarrell, and then headed down to Golden for a tour of Coors (hey, Coors, you still owe us a beer!!!). We wrapped up the night with Monday night football, and got ready for a high-mountain tour the next day.

Tuesday we went towards Mt. Evans, but got stopped at Spirit Lake. Apparently the string of 80 degree days and perfect weather doesn’t deter the Park Rangers from blocking the road the day after Labor Day. What a drag…We headed back down to Idaho Springs for lunch at the Tommyknocker brew pub (can you detect the brewery theme) then over to Berthoud Pass to get his picture taken in front of a Continental Divide sign.

For the way home, we took a little “side trip” to Alice/St. Mary’s Glacier, then drove over the top of the glacier on a 4×4 road, down Mammouth Gulch to Rollinsville, and then home for a good nights sleep.

It was a lot of travel, but well worth it. I love being in the mountains, and I think Tom did too, now that he can breathe again!

Mt. Evans Panorama - Looking North West

More pictures below the break

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Tags: Berthoud Pass,Continental Divide,Coors,Leanin' Tree Museum,Mammouth Gulch,Mt. Evans,RMNP,Rocky Mountain,Rollinsville,Spirit Lake,St. Mary's Glacier
Categories: Travel
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Tom and Ian above Highway 50

This year’s Tahoe trip was a little more chaotic than usual, but as always, far too short.

I drove up from Santa Barbara (I was working at our office) to the Bay Area on Friday night, then headed up to Sacramento and stopped by to see William on Saturday. Given the treatments he’s going through right now, he was looking pretty good, and quite excited about his new TV and X-box, even though he’s kind of bed-bound right now.

After the short visit with the Holdens, I headed up to Tahoe, where I met Janet and Steve Kelsey (cousins), Tom and Ian Vachuska (cousins) and two of my nieces (Kelsey and Katie). We had a good dinner at Fire and Ice, and the next day, I took Tom and Ian for a “walk” up to the falls between Tamarack Lake and Echo Lake.

Above Cascade Lake

Mom and Dad came up for a night, then back up again with Darlene and Bill Frost (Aunt and Uncle). The Hogges came up for a couple nights and a quick day trip to Cascade Falls above Cascade Lake.

And in the middle of all this, my brother Scott and his wife Candice had their baby on Thursday, July 22nd!!! See the link above for pictures, and Scott’s Facebook account for more information.

Last but not least, my parents and I had a far-too-short visit with Eric Larusson (one of my high-school friends who now runs the Tahoe Villager Nursery in Truckee) on his way through town after a job.

See the pictures below the break

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Tags: Cascade Lake,Desolation Wilderness,Echo Lake,Emerald Bay,Family,South Lake Tahoe,Timber Lodge,waterfalls
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School's Out For Summer!

As part of our trip to the 30th Annual Steamboat Balloon Festival last weekend, Gregg Lowrimore and I stopped by Mt. Evans on the way home, hoping for some pictures of this years “baby” mountain goats. We weren’t disappointed… More pictures below the break

Other articles from this trip (both mine and Gregg’s) are located at:

• The 30th Annual Steamboat Balloon Rodeo
• Steamboat Wildflowers
• Gregg’s “Steamboat Barn in Alpenglow“
• Gregg’s “Nice Start to the Weekend“

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Tags: Baby Goats,Colorado,Mountain Goats,Mt. Evans,Snow
Categories: Photo Albums, Travel
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Steamboat Columbine

Last weekend, Gregg Lowrimore and I went up to Steamboat Springs to take pictures at the 30th Annual Steamboat Balloon Rodeo (see this link for that story). But… the balloon festival ends really early (like 9am) so we decided to go try to find fields of Colorado’s state flower, the Columbine.

We drove up to the Slovenia Trailhead in Routt National Forest, and walked in about a quarter mile for the shot on the left.

Steamboat Barn at twilight

The afternoon storms kicked in pretty hard, and we got caught in one pretty serious rain storm, but after that it cleared up for the evening, and we got some FANTASTIC light for a different shot of the famous Steamboat Barn

I’d love to get there about 10 minutes earlier next time to be able to compose a little better. We literally caught this shot and 2-3 minutes later the barn was “dark”.

More pictures are below the break.

Other articles from this trip (both mine and Gregg’s) are located at:

• The 30th Annual Steamboat Balloon Rodeo
• Baby Mountain Goats on a snowy day in July
• Gregg’s “Steamboat Barn in Alpenglow“
• Gregg’s “Nice Start to the Weekend“

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Tags: Colorado,Columbine,Steamboat Springs,Wildflowers
Categories: Photo Albums, Steamboat
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