The Traveller

The Confluence, March 2004

Day 1…

•Up early and on the road all day with Michael.

Driving Michael’s Element, New Mexico

•We made two or three good images, and, except for worthless restaurant service, we’ve had a pretty decent travel day. Michael’s Honda Element is well-suited to piling-style packing, and seems like a good road vehicle. We are sharing the driving.

Sign in Moriarty, in motion

•As usual, we drove from gloomy weather in Oklahoma to sunshine and a great sunset in New Mexico.

Michael, abandoned car along I-40

•Michael is all about shooting. For a while east of and through Albuquerque, he had his camera in his hands for an hour, sometimes even shooting out the window through the glass.

Day 2…

•The drive from Farmington to Moab has produced nice images, including the Hogback, the Abajo Mountains, Church Rock, and Wilson Arch.

•Michael got his Element stuck in some hidden mud east of Monticello while we were photographing the Abajos. I got out and pushed, but we had more luck when he got out and pushed and I drove.

•After lunch in Moab, UT, we hit the trail in Arches National Park, hiking the Devils Garden trail to Double-O Arch. Along the trail were some arches that I had no idea would be so cool.

Hiking in the Devil’s Garden

Day 3…

•Shot the Courthouse Towers on the way in to Arches at first light.

•Found our way to the Windows section for the classic shot through the North Window of Turret Arch.

•Hiked to Delicate Arch, which we then explored more than we had in 2002. We also drove to the Delicate Arch viewpoint.

Michael in Arches NP

At Delicate Arch Viewpoint

•After lunch and a few miscellaneous items to kill time, we took the ranger-guided tour of the Fiery Furnace.

Fiery Furnace Tour

•Shot a nice wave-like formation in the Windows section as evening approached. Met a nice woman in Double Arch who said it was her favorite place in the world, and we bid each other “Namasté.” We caught last light at the Garden of Eden section.

Garden of Eden, Sunset

Day 4…

•Drove to the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park. Stopped at the visitor center to buy gifts for Abby and Mitchell.

•Made the short hike to Mesa Arch, which didn’t really make pictures.

•Hiked the Crater View trail at the Syncline Loop.

At Upheaval Dome, Canyonlands

•Hiked the short trails at Whale Rock and Aztec Butte.

•After lunch, during which I spilled lentils on my 300mm, we drove to the Green River Overlook.

•Hiked the Murphy Point trail to the point.

•Hiked the White Rim Overlook Trail to the overlook.

Michael at Green River Overlook

•Finally, a niiiice sunset at Grand View.

Sunset, Grand View Point

Day 5…

•Our longest hike of the trip, in the Needles district in Canyonlands, to Druid Arch. The hike follows Elephant Canyon for most of its length, which is very beautiful. As the day progressed, we were greeted by record heat, and by noon it was 80 degrees. The last quarter mile of the approach involved a bit of scrambling. The arch itself was much larger and more impressive than I thought it would be. By the time we reached the arch, Michael’s knee was killing him. He made it back to the trailhead, but ended the day in considerable pain.

Michael in Elephant Canyon

Near Druid Arch

Druid Arch, Canyonlands

•Paul the Park Ranger found gummy bears stuck to the tips of yuccas near Elephant Hill.

Day 6…

•Drove to Canyon de Chelly, where we walked to a few of the overlooks.

•By evening, we were in Petrified Forest National Park for last light.

Sunset, Petrified Forest

I shot well and we had a lot of fun, and I was very happy to come home to Abby and share it with her.

See the Confluence galleries at richardbarron.net HERE.

See the Confluence at zig81.com HERE.

Desert Cold, November 2003

David Martin is very, very interested in Chaco Canyon and the Anasazi (a Navajo word meaning “Ancient Ones”). Two years ago was an excellent trip for both of us, but we both feel powerfully drawn to return to the beauty and mystery of Chaco.

Chacra Mesa and Fajada Butte at sunset, Chaco Canyon

Day 1…

•We got off to an early start. As usual, we drove through gloomy weather until we hit the New Mexico border, where the clouds parted. Forecasts for our destination indicate a slight chance of rain. Snow would be nice. At the visitor’s center near Tumcumcari, we got materials about all kinds of stuff we don’t have time to see. Next time, next time.

•Military truck: NPOKUS.

•Sign at Cline’s Corners: “Mugs, spoons, shotglasses: huge selection.”

•In Moriarty, stopped at El Comedor Restaurant to photograph large spiked, rotating sign, later nicknamed “The Mohedrus.”

Sign at El Comedor, Moriarty, NM

•Made camp before dark, then hiked the Chaco Canyon Overlook Trail for a brief sunset image.

Cairn, Chaco Overlook Trail

Day 2…

•It rained off and on all night, but was dry by morning

•We hiked the Peñasco Blanco Trail, the longest in the canyon, in the morning, in some very unusual light, with a cold wind swirling around us. Peñasco Blanco is an outlier of the main Chacoan community. A spur trail took us to the famous Supernova Platograph, which is believed to represent the sighting of the Crab Supernova of July 5, 1054, which was also recorded by Chinese and Arab astronomers, and may have been visible during daylight hours for 23 days after it occurred.

Supernova Platograph, Chaco Canyon

•Very nice afternoon hike to the Canyon Overlook, followed by last light at Pueblo Bonito

At the overlook trail

Pueblo Bonito, last light

Day 3…

•Very cold last night.

•Pearl blue skies and bright sun for this morning’s hike to Tsin Kletsin, one of the best in the canyon. We made the loop, starting at Casa Rinconada, and returning via the south gap. We have now hiked every trail in Chaco Canyon.

David at Casa Rinconada

•After lunch we broke camp, then hiked Wijiji, one of the lonelier trails in the canyon, under perfectly blue skies.

David at Tsin Kletsin

Along the Tsin Kletsin trail

Day 4…

•Aztec Ruins National Monument; I shot more and better than I expected, including some interesting black-and-white. Cold air and blue skies - I shot the cliché view inside the great kiva.

At Aztec Ruins National Monument

•We spent the rest of the day at Angel Peak Recreation Area, which we found to be visually very interesting, but lacking in trails and facilities. We hiked to the bottom of some canyons and arroyos before positioning ourselves for sunset.

David with empty trail register, Angel Peak

Day 5…

•At the “Plague Town,” made better pictures than the last two times combined.

•Odd event, near the New Mexico-Texas border: we saw state troopers stop the entire flow of traffic in the opposite direction on I-40. About five minutes later, they stopped all traffic in our direction of travel. After about 15 minutes, with no explanation, they opened our direction.

Chaco Canyon pictographs

See the Desert Cold galleries on richardbarron.net HERE.

The High Road, July 2003

This was my first vacation with Abby Milligan, who was destined to become my wife.

Abby at our first rest stop in Texas

We got the name for this trip from the Third Eye Blind song Crystal Baller. We had a tape of Third Eye hits and listened to it over and over, singing along the whole time…

Can we try and take the high road though we don’t know where it ends
I want to be your Crystal Baller
I want to show you how it ends…

Day 1…

•Traveled well together. Abby is so excited that she is giggling.

•Perfectly timed to shoot the sunset and last light at Cuervo, a town in disrepair that we dubbed a “ghost town,” that I had photographed once before.

Cuervo “ghost town”, New Mexico

Day 2…

•We took the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway (instead of driving), then hiked through the trail system to the peak, where we had lunch. It was Abby’s first veggie burger.

•Hiked the shorter of the two loops at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, which was far more interesting and more expansive than I imagined it would be.

Abby at Tent Rocks

•In Santa Fe, we discovered one of the best Chinese places we have even experienced, next door to our motel, called “Ten Ten.” It was Abby’s first time to have Egg Foo Yung.

After dinner in Santa Fe
Day 3…

This trip is getting increasingly good. We are so happy. It’s hot, but we are tolerating it well.

•White Rock Overlook.

At White Rock Overlook

•Bandelier National Monument

Abby at Bandelier

•Soda Dam.

•Jemez State Monument.

•Church at San Ysidro.

Everything today was a beautiful surprise.

Day 4…

Another succulent, energetic, creative passage down the High Road…

•Acoma Sky City

Abby at Acoma Sky City

•La Ventana (Spanish for The Window) Natural Arch. The trail that was closed two years ago was open this time, and we hiked up to and under the arch.

Abby at the Petrified Forest

•Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park. Wild wind; light was muted by smoke from distant forest fires.

Day 5…

•Long drive from Page, Arizona into Utah, through Monument Valley. Still experienced haze from smoke to our south.

•Drove up the Mokee Dugway, a steep, narrow gravel section of Utah 261 that ascends Cedar Mesa.

The Mokee Dugway

•At Natural Bridges National Monument, we hiked down to Sipapu Bridge. Nice little hike. We both had a great time.

•Goosenecks of the San Juan State Park.

Abby at Goosenecks of the San Juan

•Sunset near Kayenta.

Day 6…

•Vermilion Cliffs and Navajo Bridge over the Colorado.

With Abby at Vermilion Cliffs

•Grand Canyon. Though crowded, being there together was great.

•Kaibab National Forest.

•Giant Jackrabbit near Winslow, Arizona.

Riding the giant jackrabbit

Originally this trip was just intended to explore the area around Tent Rocks and Bandelier in New Mexico, but as we traveled and had so much fun together, we decided to see more and more. We had the times of our lives.

See The High Road at richardbarron.net HERE.

Chihuahua, April 2003

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Day 1…

•Nine-hour drive to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas. I arrived early enough to get the key to the gate that allowed me to photograph the gypsum dunes on the west end of the park. There are four keys to the gate, but I had the only one checked out, so I was entirely alone.

Gypsum Dunes, Guadalupe Mountains NP

•Set up camp in the Pine Springs Campground. Set up my camp chair and discovered I had excellent cellular service, so I talked to Abby for over an hour.

•With two deer right next to my tent watching, I made a two-hour star trace photo.

Two-hour Star Trace

Day 2…

•Hiked the El Capitan Trail, where I met a guy named John from San Antonio, who told me he was training for the Appalachian Trail. I hiked with him for a couple of hours.

•Hiked the Smith Spring Trail in the afternoon. Fair images on both.

Along the El Capitan Trail

•Warned of forecast for 60mph winds for the night, so I broke camp and headed to Carlsbad.

Day 3…

•Took the Natural Entrance at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Made some decent pictures, since I had my tripod.

Natural Entrance, Carlsbad Caverns

•Drove long, lonely county road to Sitting Bull Falls in the Lincoln National Forest west of the Carlsbad area.

•I’m 39. The last time I saw Carlsbad Caverns, my parents were 39.

Day 4…

•Hiked to the top of Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas. It was, as the Park Service claims, strenuous, ascending about 3000 feet from the trailhead to an elevation of 8749. It was hazy all day, but still very fun. I called Abby from the top.

With marker, Guadalupe Peak

Overall, I had an exceptional trip, and I felt like I accomplished all my goals.

See the Chihuahuan Desert photos at richardbarron.net HERE.

Sand Animals, November 2002

Needles District, Canyonlands National Park

This was my first trip to southern Utah, one I wanted to make for years. With David Martin, who hiked with me at Chaco a year earlier, and Jamie Harrel, who had never been hiking in the desert, we set out on November 2, 2002.

Day 1…

•We drove and drove, ending up in a Super 8 Motel in Gallup, New Mexico. We are tired, but glad to be in the desert, and in the sun.

Day 2…

• Wow! A cold and silent night in the Squaw Flat Campground in Canyonlands. As we had hoped, no rain, few people, and absolutely fantastically beautiful skies and scenery.

•We arrived and made camp before 2 pm, had lunch, then hiked for a few hours.

•We huddle together in our tent. It is very cold. Jamie is in a borrowed sleeping bag between us, which is very thin and not keeping her warm. David wakes up every couple of hours because he is too warm and takes off a sweater or sweatshirt. The next time he wakes up, he sees it on Jamie.

•At some point during the night, David and Jamie say I sat upright and said, “Sand animals made of sand! No one ever gets that joke!” They say I then went back to sleep.

The three of us on the road

Day 3…

•We hiked the Chesler Park trail in the Needles District of Canyonlands, hiking for almost all the daylight hours. We had a great time. Everything was beautiful; the light, the trails, the canyons, the sky. We totaled about 11 miles round trip. We are tired, but very satisfied.

David and Jamie, Elephant Canyon

•Because Jamie was so cold last night, we decided to stay in Moab.

Day 4…

•The light and sky continue to be perfect. We hiked to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. Jamie’s knees were really hurting her, and at one point she thought she might not make it, but when we finally topped that last ridge and the arch with the snow-capped La Sals in the background, she realized it was worth it.

•Jamie took a nap next to a boulder not far from the arch

Jamie under Delicate Arch

•We saw several other excellent spots under a cerulean sky. I wish I could spend three weeks here.

Day 5…

•Island in the Sky at Canyonland and Dead Horse Point State Park.

With Jamie, Island in the Sky

•Last night Jamie dreamed a bear lived in a tree outside her house, and kept calling her on his cell phone to try to coax her up into the tree.

•Drove south; dinner at Navajo Twin Rocks in Bluff.

The three of us headed home, and on the way decided this had been a terrific trip.

David Martin at Canyonlands

See the galleries on richardbarron.net HERE.

Caprock Canyons, October 2002

Caprock Canyons State Park, Texas

With my success at Palo Duro in May, I decided to explore another nearby Texas State Park, Caprock Canyons. It’s only about 85 miles southeast of Palo Duro, and though smaller has the same kind of wilderness look and feel.

My hiking partner for this trip was long-time friend Margaret White. We struck out early, and had an easy drive in excellent weather. We arrived at the park at around 2 pm, hiked a few of the shorter trails, then made camp in the Honea Flat Campground. The evening was cool, clear and still, and I made an excellent movie as it progressed, and also made some remarkable sunset images.

Caprock Sunset

Day 2…

•I slept well, but Margaret did not. In the morning, she stayed in camp while I hiked the Canyon Rim trail. After lunch the two of us took the Canyon Loop trail, which was very beautiful. All day we had the trails and the campground to ourselves.

•At night we had a Duraflame log fire, and were visited by a very curious, tame skunk who came right up to us, a huge deer right at the back of our camp site, and an incredibly tiny field mouse. Cold, cloudy, nice.

Day 3…

•Enduring rain came at night, so we broke camp this morning. Though it was a short trip, we had a great time.

With Margaret at Caprock

See the Caprock Canyons gallery on richardbarron.net HERE.

Palo Duro Canyon, May 2002

For years I have heard about Palo Duro Canyon, and on every trip out west since the first ski trips in the early 1980s I have seen the big brown signs along the interstate around Amarillo pointing the way. It only takes about six hours to drive from my home in Ada to Palo Duro, so it’s close enough to make a long weekend out of it. With a perfect blue sky above, I set out with uncharacteristic spontineity.

The Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon

“Palo Duro” means hard wood.

Day 1…

•Stopped to shoot the famous (at least along I-40) Leaning Tower of Britten.

The Famous Tower

•Found an excellent campsite in the Hackberry Campground, with cliffs and trees all around.

•Made a driving tour of the park, with excellent results.

Tree and Erosion, Palo Duro Canyon

•A beautiful place, full of cottonwoods. Nearly cloudless sky. Golden sunset. Cool and dry.

•Little black flies and wild turkeys share this campground with a moderate number of good-tempered campers who are mostly in vehicles.

•At dark, preparing to make a star trace photo, a number of deer pass close to my campsite.

Hour-long Star Trace Photo, Palo Duro

Day 2…

•More wild turkeys in the campsite. Coyotes woke me up on two occasions

•Morning, hiked the Lighthouse Trail. I was told it would take two hours - I did it in an hour and ten minutes. I was the first there. Excellent images on the trail and at the formation. Poor images on the internet failed to capture either beauty or scale of the scene.

•Lots of flies, turkeys, deer, lizards.

•After lunch, Paseo del Rio Trail.

•Hiked a short distance up a bike trail; passable images but great fun exploring.

•Decent spot for sunset.

Sunset, Palo Duro Canyon

This is the quietest, most peaceful trip I have ever taken, due in no small measure to the excellent solitude.

See the Palo Duro gallery on richardbarron.net HERE.

Vanishing Point, November 2001

Ever since the visit to Chaco Canyon in 2000, I have been drawn to that place, and the mystery that it holds. Something about its remote, elegant, lonely beauty calls to me, but I cannot explain what or why. From almost the day we left last year I had wondered about returning, and I decided that since I would like to be in the canyon at sunrise and sunset, I would need to camp. When I explained this to David Martin, he said, “Invite me!” I also thought it would be a far more compelling experience if I visited in November. For one thing, it seemed unlikely that the area would be crowded in November.

We borrowed a friend’s tent and camp stove, and set out very early in the morning of Sunday, November 4, 2001…

New Mexico highway at dawn

•Set up camp without problems. We were one of just four occupants of the 49-site Gallo Campground.

•A perfectly still, cold night. I tried a two-hour star trace photo. Coyotes woke us up at about 4 am.

Day 2…

•Breakfast of couscous with trail mix. Long, productive, fun hike to Pueblo Alto; grey but beautiful light.

•In the afternoon, Wijiji trail and ruins. Very beautiful and lonely.

•Sunset shot at Fajada Butte.

On the Pueblo Alto trail

Fajada Butte

Day 3…

•Warmer night due to showers and cloud cover all night. Clear by dawn.

At Campsite, Gallo Campground

•Hiked some of the shorter Chaco trails. Beautiful light and sky, with moon in lots of my frames.

•Broke camp around noon and headed for Aztec Ruins. Nice afternoon, but didn’t shoot a lot.

Day 4…

•Early morning, drove to Bisti Wilderness south of Farmington. It is one of the most amazing places I have ever photographed.

David in the Bisti Wilderness

•Lunch back in Farmington, then Mesa Verde National Park across the border in Colorado. Very beautiful, particularly light and shadow in the burned areas from recent forest fires.

•I feel good.

David at Mesa Verde

Day 5…

•We drove the long way home, starting with a snowstorm in the San Juan Mountains where we saw the truck in front of us spin out and crash.

•South through Taos where we decided we wouldn’t pay to see Rancho de Taos. Drove to the top of Sandia Crest, where it was SO cold!

•Long drive home. It was an excellent trip.

Desert near Cortez, Colorado

See the galleries on richardbarron.net HERE.

Read David’s travelogue HERE.

The Bourbon Run, June 2001

One of my best friends, Ann Kelley, loves New Orleans, and had been asking me to take her with me the next time I went to visit my sister Nicole.

Swamp and Bayou, Northwestern Louisiana

Day 1…

•Long drive, with Ann asleep most of the way.

•Arrived at 10 pm; had pizza from Italian Pie with garlic instead of cheese.

Day 2…

•Helped Nicole finish moving into her new rent house.

•Shot at pink painted rail bridge and City Park, B&W and color.

Nicole and Ann at City Park, New Orleans

Nicole at painted rail bridge

Day 3…

•Lunch of French Fries Po Boy at Weavers.

Ann at lunch

•Drove to Grand Isle State Park, which was nearly deserted due to approach of Tropical Storm Allison. The beach was stormy and warm. We saw many fishing vessels and villages along the way.

Ann in the Surf at Grand Isle

Day 4…

•Rain, heavy at times, all day, so it was museum day. At the Museum of Modern Art, Ann was so mesmerized by the paintings that we left her there and went to the D-Day Museum, since this was D-Day. Didn’t shoot much, but found it all very interesting.

Day 5…

•Lunch at the Hummingbird, downtown. A sign there says, “No talking to imaginary people.”

•Made a few passable images in the French Quarter, fighting driving rain.

Nicole, drenched, on the Quarter

With Ann Kelley at City Park

The Shooting Spree, September 2000

We chose this date partially based on the VLA schedule. We saw on their web site that the radio telescope dishes would be in their closest configuration. When we visited during the Villanueva trip in 1999, the dishes were far apart, and we wanted to return when they were close together.

The Very Large Array

We didn’t have access to the summer house in Villanueva this time, so we went from one Motel 6 to another. Our agenda included Day 1…

•Cadillac Ranch reshoot.

•Cuervo ghost town; deep sun and sky, creepy in its abandonment.

•Beautiful, long drive on US 54 in New Mexico.

•White Sands; marginal light.

Abandoned House, Cuervo, New Mexico

Day 2…

•Arrived at White Sands at 7:10 am. Steep morning light, clear blue sky. Shot well.

•Brief stop at VW graveyard in Alamogordo.

•Winery and Church in Tularosa.

•Pistachio farm between the two.

•Black rocks at Valley of Fires State Park; harsh light.

•Nice light and good images on drive to VLA.

•Nice, cooperative light at VLA.

•Shot 13 rolls of film so far.

White Sands National Monument

Day 3…

•Driving west,we stopped at Rio San José for beautiful canyon shot.

•Searched out mission church in Laguna Pueblo, not much.

•Long, winding, beautiful drive through El Malpais National Monument.

•Sandstone overlook, nice light.

•La Ventana Natural Arch; trail closed.

At El Malpais National Monument

Day 4…

•Long drive to Chaco Culture National Historic Park, where, as the afternoon flowed, I shot some really inspiring stuff. The alien aspect of the desert and the raw fun of hiking the cliffs over Chaco Canyon made it a superior destination.

•Just at dark, attempt at moonrise over Barber Peak.

At Chaco Canyon

Day 5…

•Our last major stop, Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Shot briefly from the rim, then shed the heavier gear and hiked to the canyon floor to photograph the White House Ruin. The site was exactly the same as when Ansel Adams had shot it in 1942. Even the light was similar. The hike was beautiful, and I shot well.

•I ended up shooting a total, including infrared, color, B&W, and medium format, about 35 rolls of film.

The White House Ruin, Canyon de Chelly

I felt I made more and better pictures than on the trip 14 months ago. We drove home with another list of places to visit next time.

See the gallery on richardbarron.net HERE.