2021 Travels
This year was not quite what I had expected it to be and yet it was exponentially better than 2020.
Seeing as how time has flown by in these last few pandemic-ridden years, I figured I would return to some reflection and highlight my travels from 2021. I did something like this in 2019 but did not craft anything up last year for obvious reasons. In creating a piece like this, my hope is to maybe inspire people to check out new places in the coming year.
Unlike 2019, I did not go abroad but I did get to see a decent portion of the United States. Some of these places were familiar and others were not. Regardless of the destination, having my camera on my arm, ready to shoot anything and everything, was a feeling I wanted to get back to. I will say between mountains, oceans, national parks, interstate highways, and friends/family along the way it was a solid year. Now here I am eager to sum it all up and recall some of my favorite parts of these trips. If I have learned anything lately, it is to not take time or traveling for granted as our lives can change rapidly.
Anyways, I hope this post informs, interests, or at least somewhat visually pleases you with some of my images preceding my thoughts on each section. Thanks for reading and blessings in the New Year!
Oregon - March
The Pacific Northwest is simply one of my favorite regions in the world. It has such a visceral mystique to it with the overcast days, temperate climate, and diverse natural attractions. The browns, greens, and blues of the land are soothing and energizing at the same time. Anyways, starting on the very west coast of the country was the famous Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park. This area was an awesome preview as to what could be expected in coming days. With massive boulders jutting up from the ocean (see: Haystack Rock) and tons of space to roam due to the heavily receded shore line, it felt like I was able to explore the coast in a different way than normal. Cannon beach and most of the coastal towns in Oregon have a semblance of adventure versus relaxation, at least in my opinion. People had fires going, dogs were running all over the place and everyone was happily bundled in their vibrant raincoats.
I’ll add that Cannon Beach is not too far south of Astoria, OR which is a unique town just minutes via bridge to the Washington border. Astoria, in fact, was an actual film location of the Goonies and it felt that way - small shops, local town landmarks, emphasis on the ocean, etc.
After some time on the coast, my mom and I then headed to Portland. Comparable to Denver in many ways, Portland had a nice feel to it. Although the city was still in the throes of covid protocols, it was interesting to get a perspective on the area. Portland has a handful of bridges due to the Williamette River carving its way through the city and so to the west was the business/commercial area and the east was more neighborhoods and local shops. It played right into the stereotypes I had been aware of previously - hipster, environmentally-friendly, and coffee shops on every corner.
The city is also only about 80 minutes north from one final stop on this trip: Silver Falls State Park, the largest state park in Oregon and home to ten waterfalls. Outside of Salem, this park felt a bit more rural until you are in the thick of it and see the waterfalls cascading to create their own little world. The hike gets better and better and it doesn't matter which route is taken, the beauty that surrounds is undeniable.
Across the country, sort of - June
My dad and I started in Denver, drove across the midwest to Pittsburgh, PA, south to Memphis, TN, then back home. Along this expedition of 3600 total miles and 12 states were markers such as, but not limited to, Lincoln, NE, Red Oak, IA, Indianapolis, IN, Nashville, TN, Wheeling, WV, Columbus, OH, Louisville, KY and Kansas City, MO. I realize not all of those sound like the most interesting places along the way but I think that's the point of a road trip. Obviously you will want to see the attractions and big-name places but the obscure, never-before-heard-of-rinky-dink spots are what make it memorable. They add to the intricacies of the memories. However, some places are unheard of for good reason. Some real weirdos out in this country.
Moreover, I appreciated seeing even for a brief moment or two such a large surface area of the United States. I always think about how long and arduous the work must have been for early American developers to get all of the country's highways and roads built and connected. The change of scenery from mountainous Colorado was very stark, as well. Plenty of fields, barren towns, farms, basically what makes up the unpopulated middle piece of the States.
Bringing it back to the major stopping points, Pittsburgh and Memphis were both great in their own respects. I was able to see the devotion of Pittsburghers to their sports teams, a crazy amount of bridges connecting the city’s gnarled highways, visit sites related to a favorite artist of mine, Mac Miller, and also go a bit southwest to some state park areas with sweet rivers, falls, and general hiking. Memphis, on the other hand, was more familiar to me. Distant family out in Memphis meant we had to stop on the way back to Denver. I will say the humidity for someone who lives at altitude was ungodly but sharing great food and even better conversation made it worthwhile. Being older this time around, I had a new appreciation for the family history and physical home in which my family resides in. More of those intricate memories I previously mentioned. On the way out of Memphis before heading west, we also stopped by Sun Studio - famous recording destination that has hosted Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and many more legends.
Jackson, WY - August
My first time to Jackson was great, I could see the Tetons. 2021 was not my first time to Jackson and I could not see the Tetons...for a bit. Doomsday smoke was present for 99% of the eight hour drive up to Jackson from Denver. With air quality ratings in the 150's, my friend and copilot debated leaving due to such thick, smoky air. It was not a bad idea except for the fact that the smoke was somehow worse in Denver at the time. So we stayed, unable to see the Tetons for about the first 36 hours of our trip. Luckily, our host and mutual friend is a tour-guide-extraordinaire so we improvised and he showed us around the small ski town while we decided how to proceed.
The next day we drove about an hour or so east to a small city I must not name (not for sinister reasons but rather to preserve the beauty of what I'm about to explain). Once we passed through this unnamed town we took a dirt and gravel road for another 30-45 min. to spend the afternoon in what looked like a legitimate underground swimming cave. You would never know this existed unless you happened to have a buddy like we did who was moseying around long enough to find it. There was a rope atop the rocks we used to repel down to the water where we found ourselves swimming, having lunch, and shooting the sh--. It was awesome. I never would've imagined us doing that prior to going. So thanks smoky air, we improvised.
After two days, much luck, and wind to disperse the air, we were finally able to explore Grand Teton National Park with clear views of the mountains. It is such a great area because the Tetons are visible from virtually any spot. So we checked out Mormon Row (old barns and housing structures), Schwabacher Landing, and other focal points of the area. My copilot is also a photographer so we chose to stay in the park after dark with the starry skies to shoot some astrophotography. There is only one main road in and out of the park and let me tell you it is dark. Fortunately, we got some nice shots and Jupiter even made an appearance above us that evening.
Our plans did not perfectly line up to what we had imagined but, all in all, things went about as well as they could've.
Various spots in Colorado - Mostly September/October
As the summer had wrapped up, I did not have many other travel plans lined up for the end of the year but I was hoping to find some nice fall foliage within Colorado. It was late September and I tried checking out Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Temperatures were still warmer than usual and not a ton of moisture was able to soak in the mountains and bring out bright colors. However, I was able to capture two shots from my time up there that I had never gotten before. The first was a shot of the Stanley Hotel perched in front of some impressive rock faces bathing in the late afternoon sunlight. This image was taken atop a parking garage about a mile or so away from the hotel and I was super happy with the image and general vantage point. The second shot was my first ever photograph of a bear which was taken in Rocky Mountain National Park. I was able to luckily get this shot at the very end of my time in the park. All foliage was premature so there were really only small patches of yellow leaves scattered throughout the park which was discouraging. However, on the way out of the park I saw numerous cars lined up on a side road and inquired to find out a black bear was nearby on a slope in front of everyone. With a lack of compelling images from before, I decided to hop out of the car and attempt to get something. I had a 70-200 mm lens zoomed all the way in and, with some cropping, came away with a decent image. The quality left a bit to be desired but the subject and location itself made for a fun afternoon in RMNP.
After striking out in a foliage sense earlier in the month, I decided to travel southwest to the Montrose/Ridgway/Telluride area about ten days later. This trip yielded some great images and I was able to shack up with family that lives in that area which helped a ton. Having a home-cooked meal, a bed, and some time to relax in between shooting allows for the trip to be enjoyable and not rushed. Believe me, I’ve been on my fair share of last-minute, poorly planned endeavors. Moving on, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison around sunset was the first stop and it produced some great textures and depth. Most of my shots were around the Painted Wall rock face and some more were taken cruising around the canyon in a convertible before it got too cold. Happy with those shots, there were two other spots I had on my list that I eventually checked out: The Dallas Divide and Owl Creek Pass. The Dallas Divide is essentially a stretch of road just outside of the city of Ridgway. Towards the top of the road there is a nice vantage of Mount Sneffles and open meadows. The day I was shooting was a bit bright and sunny but conditions still allowed for some nice compositions. Owl Creek Pass on the other hand takes some more careful driving up and around gravel roads that wind you through the mountains. This drive delivered some great color, wide open views, and perspectives of the mountains I had never seen before.
Whether the reds and oranges were missing or not, this whole chunk of Colorado has to be one of the most scenic regions in the country; it's hard to go wrong. *Side note* Less than a week after I left, temperatures dropped, snow came in, and so did a bunch more color...can't win 'em all.