Day 5 - Craters of the Moon
The morning was calm when i awoke, and the campsite was still and quite, it was shortly after sunrise so i was the first up and climbed out of the tent, a quick survey found Kayla had made it through unscathed as where Mike hadn't, his tent a sad mess lay flat on the ground soaking in water and upon a quick hunt i found I'm sleeping heavily in the driver seat of the car in full rain attire. I took a brisk walk around the grounds trying to familiarize myself with the alien terrain wee found ourselves in before returning to the campsite and waking everyone up. Since only our tents had been set up we were collapsed and off to explore the park within minutes. The park was a result of multiple volcanoes going off at once and essentially melting each other and creating a black solidified magma dessert. The rocks were sharp and jagged and because other flowing nature when solidified created many caverns and tunnels throughout.
The park was small but intricate, we found ourselves wandering through this black landscape photographing while we went, we came to a trail head and after a quick conversation with a more the helpful park ranger we were pointed in the direction of some massive caverns and told to self guide ourselves throughout them, as we are ones for the trail less traveled we hustled down the path. A mile or so in we found our selves at a vast hole in the ground, below our feet would be the tunnels we would soon be exploring, helping each other climb down we made our way onto the first chamber, it was about eight feet in diameter and high enough to bend down and walk around in, the next chamber was wider but shorter and required a golem esq walk. Finally towards the back wall of this chamber a small whole the size of one of us led down to another opening this one took a little more time and grace to avoid the sharp rocks pointing at your face and back but once in felt as though you discovered something secretive and special. The air inside was cool and calm, light rays peaked in through cracks around the walls, we sat and took it for a few moments laughing and discussing the journey in. Climbing back out proved to be more difficult then in shortly with all of us sustaining some sort of cut or scrape, but nevertheless we made it out and walked a cliff edge to a very large chamber about thirteen or so feet high and here is where we photographed Kayla once again before being flushed out by new explores of the cave.
The Road looped around the park as to make sure you see everything before leaving and the last spot on the road before exiting was a remaining volcano peak, the parking lot it its base left you feeling quite small gazing toward the sky. The entire mountain and trail up was covered in black sand like rocks and climbed steeply, the sweat poured down our faces as we peaked. Atop you could see a full panoramic view of the park we had just explored, while disappointingly there was no gapping whole into a fiery pit of lava there was a pleasant twisted tree on the peak providing much needed shade and a place to sit and rest before heading back down.
Cave master Mike
Kayla in the cave
It was about mid day at this point and we still had a few hours before reaching the southwestern gates of Yellowstone so we thought it best to jump in the jeep and get onto the highway. The hours went by quickly and before we knew it we were talking to the ranger at the gate about what to see in the time we had left before the sun set. During this exchange we also were informed that all the campsites throughout the entire park had been booked and we would have to leave the park and find a hotel for the night at dusk. Not wanting to venture to far in knowing every mile we drive we would have to drive back shortly we pulled off at a wide river and took in some scenes of the mountains and setting sun while we could. We found a lodge ten minutes from the gates that had one open room for the night so we bunked up and after showering and editing we all set in for a good nights sleep and awaiting the next day of exploring americas first national park.
Day 3 - Cannon Beach
Theres something freeing about winding through the blackness of night on highways unknown, coming up on small brightly lit towns only to pass through them as quick as they came racing back into the nothingness, it touches our primal sense of needing to explore and see what we haven’t, to conquer our fears of unknown and reach out with brave embrace not knowing what we will find. The destination on the horizon was Cannon beach, if this sounds familiar and it probably does, its because you grew up in the nineties and were entranced by the cult classic movie The Goonies with many of its most known scenes being filmed on Cannon Beach and in the nearby town of Astoria. As we made our way closer and it got harder to keep our eyes from falling shut around this time one of us mentioned getting a hotel for the night and we all quickly agreed knowing it was a far better option then the process of finding a suitable camping site and setting up the tents post midnight, the plan seemed solid and we figured as we got close we would pull up an app and book a room or two. Little did we know that a major convention was taking place on the entire portland coast and upon arrival to the area every hotel was booked solid for the night. Being two in the morning at this point we weighed our options in the dimly lit parking lot of a disappointingly full motel 6, after a few quick minutes we came to the realization that a night spent sleeping in the car was our best option as we had a shoot in the mourning early and realistically would only be sleeping to what would amount to a long nap. We found parking on a back road near a park and took our respective seats for the night and attempted to get some shut eye.
The sun rose early and warmed the car quickly and wasn't long before we had all awoke sweaty and sore, climbing from the vehicle onto the warm pavement of the lot we stretched and took turns comparing whose sleeping spot was worse. Out of sheer luck the spot we had chosen landed us a block from Cannon Beach and the location of the shoot for the day, we changed and splashed water on our faces in a nearby bath house and proceeded to the soft sand of the beach. The tide was low and exposed a massive landscape of sand before us, are feet broke the patterns left by the receding tides as we marched towards haystack rock in the misty distance.Upon approaching the rock we met up with Grace Scuitto ( @gracescuitto ) whom would be modeling for us that morning, Grace is also an incredible photographer so definitely check her out and give her a follow, we had been wanting to shoot in the misty air of the morning ocean but that last remnants of fog burned off as we reached our destination. Working with what we had, which happened to be direct sunlight and not much else we positioned ourselves around haystack rock and began shooting, the beach was alive with people participating in everything from biking and a morning run to playing in the sand and the occasional swimmer. The shoot was pleasant and we were all able to capture some fanatic images of Grace. Upon wrapping of the shoot we decided to go check out a place we had walked past to get to the beach earlier. A crepe shop, small and cozy, sat nestled on the corner and as you walked in the vibes of an old ice cream shop surrounded you. Greeted by a friendly worker we ordered our respective crepes which all had the healthy option of Nutella smothered fruit and sat curb side while eating and conversing. Upon completion of our delicious breakfasts we said our goodbyes and parted ways, before returning to the car and heading off to Portland we noticed a small bush of flowers and had Kayla pose in them for a few shots.
The drive to Portland was relatively short and within what seemed like no time we found ourselves inside the city limits, quickly finding parking and grabbing our gear and what we would need for the day around town we left the car behind and headed of to find the infamous Voodoo Doughnuts. As we expected there was a line wrapped around the glittery outer walls of the shop but the smell was far to alluring to pass up what was inside in the vain of a little waiting around. Luckily the line moved quickly and once inside we picked out two doughnuts each, paid, and took our neon pink box of sugar fried perfection in front of the immensely photographed “keep portland weird “ sign, moans of sugary bliss and satisfaction erupted from each of us with the first bites, quickly devouring our splendors we got up and walked about the city. Something that was very clear right of the bat was not only was portland filled with trendsetting teens also known as hipsters but the sheer number of homeless was a little alarming, at one point we found ourselves walking through a city of tents and makeshift homes out of pallets and old plywood littered with people just trying to live and survive. Leaving the tent city found us back in the area of our car and we decided that although the doughnuts were amazing we had our fill of the city and longed to be back in the woods once more. After a few minutes searching in the car and discussing our options we chose Ambiqua Falls, it was about two hours from the city but promised a sight you didn't want to miss and adventurous hiking and swimming along the way.
After the highways and small town roads we were led to an open metal gate and a wide dirt road, we made our way through and kept our eyes peeled for a small sign that would direct us toward the falls, within minuets it appeared on our right and we headed down, at first the road was winding and descended slowly but after a few miles we found ourselves on hairpin turns with nothing on one side of the road but a few hundred foot drop into the canopy of some pine trees and a road that resembled more of a dried up stream bed then anything. The jeep bounced and swayed as we climbed down over rock beds. This would go on for about twenty minutes or so before we found the trail head and a small area to pull off and park in. The day was one of the hottest on record for the area so we packed accordingly bringing snacks and plenty of water and sunscreen. The trail winded down a cliff face and had ropes tied in strategic points throughout to help you down the steeper spots, the final section was essentially rock climbing and dropped you off on the side of a wide steadily moving river. We followed the river bed upstream through dense trees and over rocks, all around us we had been swallowed into a ravine whose mossy walls engulfed us, the feeling was surreal as we climbed through what felt like a jungle, rays of sun clawed through any openings they could find in the evergreens warming our skin as we passed through them. As we turned what would be the final corner of the journey the massive falls greeted us with a roar and cooling mist. Photos nor words could do justice to what lay before us, a wide horse shoe of geometrically cut stone split only by the raging waters rose massively into the sky and at its base was a respectable area to swim in and enjoy the cooling waters. We took up space on the rocky shoreline and sat to drink some much needed water and take in the sight, after we had our fill we split off to capture the beauty before us in photos, we photographed and discussed each of our processes with one another. Having our fill of landscape photos and knowing we’d like to shoot more for the designer Kayla adorned the black lace and positioned herself atop an enormous boulder that lay centered in front of the falls, positioning her in contrast to the white of the rushing falls led to an eye catching image and one of my favorites of not just the day but the entire trip.
Once done with everything photo related Mike and I decided to cool ourselves off before returning to the long trail back to the car, we stripped down to our boxers and slowly began to walk in, the water was cold and invigorating as we submerged ourselves further eventually getting deep enough out to go under fully. The cold dip was successful at two things, the first being to significantly cool us down for the hike and the second showcasing how high pitched we could scream as we jumped in. The hike back was long and hot but we arrived at the car moments before sunset out of breathe and thirsty. The road we had come down on was also the only way out, we thought the way down was nerve racking but we had seen nothing compared to the way up, i took the wheel and wrestled the jeep all the way to the top and back out those metal gates and onto pavement once again. Bend Oregon the home of the Painted Hills was the new destination for tomorrow, but not before picking up some Rainer Beer from a gas station and drinking atop a reservoir in the middle of Oregon watching the sunset, thanks to this the drive to our motel for the night was provided entertainment to Mike and Myself in the form of a less then sober Kayla singing along to all her favorite songs.
Zion National Park - " I'm not ready to go home "
We arrived into Zion National park right at the tail end of golden hour, the rich cotton candy sky accented the golden cliffs in perfect form. Our eyes absorbed the scenes with deep concentration, the air was crisp but inviting. As we curved through the landscape on paved roads we took in scene after scene. Eventually we found a pull off and jumped out of the van eager to explore the landscape unclose in the fleeting moments before nightfall. The rocks formed intricate swirls and martian angles, the sand was smooth and cool with a hue of delicate orange, we spent an hour in the roadside canyon capturing what our eyes were experiencing. Once the light had receded below the mountainous horizon with climbed back into the van and proceeded through the only road that leads through Zion. We were led to a long dark tunnel that curled through a large mountain, and upon completing the tunnel were welcomed to hairpin turns of the road zig zagging back and forth down the mountain face to the valley below, once in the valley one felt as an ant must feel, everything around us seemed proper for giants. We found shelter for the night in the form of a parking lot to a campground, at this point all that was left in the deep blue sky was a blanket of twinkling diamonds and the pale moon hovering in the low horizon. We layered on jackets and hats before firing up the stoves and boiling the water that would be our source of cooking for the night. Tom manned the cooking while i wandered the parking lot looking for the idea spot to capture the night sky, upon reaching the top of the lot and turning back i was greeted by three majestic mountain tops peaking through the trees with stars peppering down upon them and the remaining trail of white exhaust from a passing prop plane, i set up and immediately knew what i wanted to capture. After hours of shooting and food in our stomachs we closed up the van and prepared for a cool night sleep among the stars and cliffs. We woke with the sun as it warmed the van and made leaving the comfort of warm blankets easier, we stumbled into a small village down the road that had a small coffee shop and eatery there to greet us. We entered and promptly made our orders eager to eat and get out on the trails. We enjoyed the hot coffee and morning conversations with locals before heading to the trail head that would lead us to a view of all of Zion, this was one of the few trails open as Zion is known for expeditions that lead you through caves and rivers alike, being around the thirties in temperature we thought that not smart and decided to strike with a dry trail blanketed in sun. As we started up the carved stairs leading upwards, still shaking off the morning cobwebs and aches that come with living out of a camper van for over a week, we talked of previous days excursions and the sad reality that this would be the last stop of the trip. The trail welcomed us over steel grated foot bridges, half caves, steep rocks, and pits of sand all the while climbing to the summit. Upon reaching the summit one could see all of Zion, from the winding roads we came in on to "Sacrifice rock" miles in the distance, named for the brilliant rusty red colors dripping down its facade. The Summit was scattered with massive boulders that stretched out from the cliffs edge, and if brave enough provided a panoramic view of the scene as your legs dangled with nothing but thousands of feet below them. Without reason or acknowledging one another we spilt and each found ourselves sitting out on these rocks, secluded from fellow hikers and each other, sitting, pondering, taking it all in. As i sat i realized how far i had come since departing from New Jersey a few days earlier, how these beautiful places really do hold a true form of magic, thee kind that transforms a person mentally as well as physically. My mind had been cleared and cleaned from everything that troubled me back home, i was truly at peace in every way for the first time in my life. I never wanted that feeling to leave, i never wanted to be anywhere other then these glorious places. I knew that upon returning home everyday life wouldn't be enough after experiencing this, i knew life was way to short not to get out and see these places and to live not just exist. We must have spent nearly four hours out on these rocks pondering life and where we needed to take our own. As we stumbled off the trails and back into the van for our last leg to Las Vegas to catch our flights back to home and reality, we couldn't help but smile and laugh knowing we truly did change out here in the midwest, knowing we stumbled and learned secrets few have a chance to. The roads that led us to the last city on our list were a bittersweet experience, in one hand we saw new landscapes once again, but in the other with every mile we took we were also a mile closer to heading back and away from the real magic that we were encompassed in. Stopping at the hover dam for one last site of wonder i threw a coin wrapped in a wish over the side in slight hope my life would end up how visioned it would be out on these roads. In conclusion to this trip i want to urge you to go out and see something grand before its to late, to travel with friends, hike a mountain that seems unattainable, talk with a stranger in a foreign place, find what you love and let it lead you, go out and live not just exist. Time is the most valuable asset we own in this life, done waste it on sitting behind a desk wishing spend it traveling and planning new and exciting adventures. I will be heading out on more road trips and adventures this summer and am currently looking for people that would like to join me in these, if interested contact me though the site. Keep traveling and stay outside.
The Grand Canyon - " wow what a hole "
As we awoke in Sedona, the warm air against our faces raising us from our slumber, we jumped out of the van, grabbed some fresh air, organized a little, and headed into town looking for breakfast. There is only one road that passes through Sedona and every few miles has a little town with shops and eateries. We headed north bound as thats where we needed to head after eating anyway, and found the last of the little towns on the main road. We drove looking for anywhere cozy and local and found that within The hitching post restaurant, inside smelled of eggs and waffles,the waitress a friendly older lady with a spunky personality asked what we would be having and brought out some much needed coffee. Upon finishing our meals we walked the town and checked out some local shops before heading back to the van to head north. The roads leading out of Sedona leveled out quickly and stayed straight and baron for the two plus hours we had on the road, no signs of civilization minus a few make shift ranches and some farm animals, vegetation was at a minimum only seeing small cacti and shrubs sparsely lining the roads. We made our way into the National Geographic Greeting Center for the Canyon and talked with a ranger and grabbed some trail maps, All this time you could not see or tell how close or far you were from the Canyon. We parted ways and headed to the road that would bring us to our first over look, passing through the gates you could still not see anything, how could such a massive place be so hidden in plain sight we thought to ourselves. We breached the first parking lot and got out to walk towards the trail, as we turned a corner the canyon revealed herself to us in full glory,my mind couldn't comprehend what my eyes were seeing, no photographs nor videos did any of this justice. Crawling out onto narrow ledges surrounded by 1000 ft. plus drop-offs around us just to fully immerse ourselves more and try to understand the magnitude of this magical place. The canyon walls layered in brilliant reds, purples, and yellows, the sky above a piercing shade of blue. It felt as though one was living inside a painting, as our feet dangled we took in the sights and just breathed deep hoping a little of the magic in that air would last with us eternally. After enjoying the views for a few hours we headed further down to find the perfect spot to set up camp for the night, and prepare our gear for sunset. The spot we came across was on a long straight stretch of road, pulling into the parking lot there were only two or three cars with no more then eight people, which was much improved over the super crowded first overlook.The parking lot made a horseshoe shape and at the bend a walkway reached out to the canyon edge. Mountain goat trails scattered the area high and low allowing you to reach numerous cliffs edge each spot big enough for a personal moment of meditation. As the sun set the remainder of people cleared out and left us to ourselves, Theres something so incredible about being alone on the edge of the grand canyon as the sun vanishes. Right after the last sliver climbs below the canyon horizon the skies transform to painted shades of indigo, teal, burnt orange, and deep red. Gazing forward one could see where the color pallets that inspired the natives came from, my eyes never saw colors like this merge so seamlessly, as they shuffled the sky brought forth its next treat for us in the form of millions of twinkling stars dancing. We spent the remainder of the night hoping from cliff to cliff cameras in hand trying to capture even an eight of what are our eyes where witnessing.Star photography is rewarding in the sense that it makes you slow down and wait a minute, to sit and think while the exposure is being captured for a few seconds to a few minutes each time. You haven't experienced the night sky until you've sat on the edge of a cliff at midnight surrounded by all those little diamonds in the sky. We stayed up late that night, who would want to go to bed being where we were, once we felt ourselves start to get tired, we packed up our camera gear and cooked some mac and cheese in the back of the van before sitting on another cliff edge eating our meals, talking of the days prizes and planning for tomorrow excursion.That night was perfect, those few hours on the cliff edge at the grand canyon, i was at peace.
Yosemite National Park - "The heat doesn't work"
Leaving the warm Venice air proved to be difficult knowing we would soon be welcomed to cooler winds and white powered on our boots, still we picked up the camper van, loaded our packs and gear into its selected places, picked our music for the five hour drive, and started up to Pacific coast highway toward our first national park of the trip. The drive started off slowly winding through the hollywood hills and the un-nerving Los Angeles traffic before having us climb over mountains wide and high. It was about two hours in of these hill climbs before we descended and had us traversing flat desert roads north through Bakersfield.After passing through Fresno we started heading east inward two the gates of Yosemite National Park, we heard reports of snow storms days prior but until reaching the gates we had no idea how they had and will affect our journey. The swirling roads that lead into the park were fine at first, then suddenly the sides of the roads became peppered white, then the roads themselves, eventually as we passed through the small mountain town of Fish Camp the roads had iced and the snow was coming down viciously. We passed sign after sign stating no vehicles past this point without chains and four wheel drive. It would be smart to turn back, then again no story ever begins with “and then we turned back ” so we proceeded on. Luckily for me Tom has had experience driving vans on snow covered roads, still the drive wasn't without its fears as Yosemite seems to not be one for guard rails or any other measures that would save a wayward vehicle from falling thousands of feet to its doom. We made it roughly a half hour past Fish Camp and decided to find a lot to park and camp for the night, the snow falling had made sight non existent and we were beginning to push more snow then driving over. Upon parking and setting up camp we thought it best to have a small quick snack of trail mix and water, then prepare for bed. The back of the van was spacious after folding out the cushions and the three hundred and sixty degrees of curtains covered all windows nicely for privacy and darkness. We did however have one downfall in our first night in the wilderness, the heater, we quickly figured out did not plug in and work. Of course we had the heat from the van but it would need to stay running in order for that to work, and being that we had not seen any gas stations since turning off the main highway we knew this wouldn't be an option. We threw on double layers of sweatpants and sweatshirts along with blankets and tucked in for a long cold night. We awoke early, minutes before the sun rose over the skyline to the sound of a plow truck, well that and the immense cold that had crept in while we slept. Taking the many clues that sleeping in wouldn't be an option we tossed our boots on jumped up front and headed out.The next stop? Half Dome, and yes that should sound familiar as aside from being featured as a backdrop on all apple computers and photographed by some of the worlds leading photographers. The roads although increasingly better then the night before were still slick with ice and snow unable to be scraped clean by the plows. We winded further and further, higher then we had ever traveled before in this journey. As we turned a corner before us like a glowing red fire on a sun-kissed horizon was the entrance to a tunnel, it was long and resembled more of a lit cave then anything, as we drove through anticipation to where this would lead out grew, words couldn't do justice what laid before our eyes upon reaching the end. We pulled off immediately into the lot on the left side of the road, there before us in all of its glory centered between its sister peaks, Half Dome. For this marked the first time in my life i was left utterly speechless, for all at once my eyes soaked in the rising sun, the deep teal aura of the sky, the snow topped peaks surrounded with brilliant green pines it seamed to suck any words from my grasp immediately. It took everything in us to peal ourselves away from this view but we knew more where to come and that the road was calling. Originally we had planned to head up and over the mountains and onto the eastern side of Yosemite but due to the overwhelming snow all roads but the one we were on had been closed, luckily the road was a massive loop so no back tracking needed.Upon getting into the van and heading out we started the decent into the valley of Yosemite. The mountain tops receded but we were rewarded with an increase in gorgeous pines and sun soaked fields. We soon found ourselves driving beside the Merced River down Northside Dr, we immediately found a clearing and pulled over. As soon as we pulled off i knew the image i wanted to take, i grabbed my camera and a wide angle lens and positioned myself onto the river bed facing upstream the river provided a mirror like surface that portrayed gorgeous symmetry and took in all the blue tones that saturated the landscape. By this point our less then small breakfast of trail mix and water was proving to not be sufficient, our stomachs growled and turned begging for nutrition. We set off to find food, this proved to be more difficult then anticipated, we traveled for miles on back winding roads with no sign of food. We stumbled onto a couple hopeful spots but due to the weather all were closed. What seemed forever but turned out to be only an hour or so of driving found us off of the snow covered mountain roads and proceeding off the mountain ranges, at the end of this road a quaint mountain town with a small diner/convenience store nestled in the center. The hosts were gracious and kind, asking about our journey and provided quick food and beverages to quench our hunger. We said our goodbyes and feeling well nourished we climbed into the van for the eight hour drive to Joshua Tree National Park in southern California.