Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Two weeks ago we left for our trek in the Himalayas, to the Kingdom in the Clouds, Bhutan. As you read this, we are on our approach to the Seattle airport and our reentry back into Western Civilization.

Among the travel documents we received before departure was a short briefing designed to condition our expectations. Below, I am quoting from this briefing:

We will be traveling to remote regions of the Himalaya that, until a few years ago, were impossible to reach without weeks (if not months) of arduous travel. While it now seems quite reasonable that one should be able to fly to places like Paro ... these trips remain on the fringe of mainstream travel and one should not expect the same ... conveniences found at home. Please prepare yourself for the adventure such travel brings.

At the time of our departure, I was tremendously excited about this trip. I liked the notion of the adventure we expect to experience. I loved the notion of traveling to a place few outsiders have visited. I was personally looking forward to a few weeks of decompression from my day to day responsibilities and stresses and the opportunity to lose myself in an adventure.

Did it work out? Was it all I expected? Will I have amazing pictures to prepare and share?

All I can say is, “Stay tuned, film at Eleven!”

And to borrow the last line from the last Calvin & Hobbs cartoon ever published ... “Let’s go exploring!”

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Serious Travel
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Friday, October 03, 2008

Seattle is one of my favorite cities. This is partly to do with its liveability, partly its architecture, and a lot to do with the eclectic residents. I hope you enjoy these and note: there are even more hi-res photos ... here.

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Out and About
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Sunday, September 28, 2008

We took ourselves off to Mt Rainier again two weeks ago today. Hiking at Sunrise and a circumnavigation of “the mountain.” The photo above is from Reflection Lake, on the Paradise side of the mountain, looking back toward Mt Rainier.

To get to where I was standing, you follow a short boggy trail and stand in the middle of a mosquito storm.  Set up the tripod (swat mosquitoes), adjust camera settings (swat mosquitoes), and take multiple bracketed shots (swatting mosquitoes).

As I was finishing, a couple came up, he carrying a Canon 1Ds-Mark III. He hands me his camera and says, “Will you take our picture with the mountain in the background.” Sure. Looking at my Nikon D3, he says, “Do you know how to use a Canon?” Sure, how hard can it be? They head off down the trail and a few minutes later stand on the little peninsula you can see in the photo. I snap about 5 shots. They head back and a few minutes later I hand him back his camera. That’s trust.

Check out the rest of my Rainier photos here.

The photo below was taken from the Sunrise side of the mountain.

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Casual Travel
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Saturday, September 20, 2008

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight, over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding-
Riding-riding-
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

The Highwayman - Alfred Noyse

The moon is devilishly hard to photograph. I keep trying and occasionally I get a passibly good shot. Here’s one from the other night I like ... partly because the moon is in reasonable focus ... and partly because of the post processing I did. Click below on “The Rest of the Story” for my tips on photographing the moon.

Click here for the rest of the story ...

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Out and About
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Wednesday, September 03, 2008

What do the following all have in common?
• Star Wars – Episode IV – A New Hope
• US Coast Guard Live Fire Exercises
• Butterfly Effect
• Endless Beach
• Hole in the Ground with Water in It
• 1,000 Watt Light Bulb
• Stonehenge
• Cheese
If you said, “Nothing,” you’d be wrong. Read on!

Click here for the rest of the story ...

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Motorcycles
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