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 4 - The Painted Hills
It was hot and the sun was high as we got our late start, climbing out of the hotel and packing back into the jeep on our way to The painted hills, located a few hours south in the town of Bend, Oregon. The drive was simple and pleasant and with the help of conversation and sing alongs to the radio it made for a quick feel. As we exited northern oregon and headed further south the lush trees stripped away and we were greeted with dusty plains and wide open spaces. Pulling off the high way, the jeep crackled and hummed over the now sand and rock road, winding through farmlands and past old decaying structures from a time long ago. A rippling of reality caused by the heat could be seen over every horizon, the temperature now mid day spiked over one hundred degrees. A small wooden sign pointed us in the right direction and we found ourselves at once being surrounded by technicolored hills, vibrants red and purples straddled the mounds that flowed like calming waves as far as the eye could see.
Escaping the cool serenity of the jeep for the glaring heat of the sun as we clambered onto a small foot path that led up one of the hills, the hike was short but the heat tested our endurance within minutes we were sweating and out of breathe, still we pushed on knowing the reward would justify the pain. Our suspicions were correct as we peaked and overlooked the landscape before, words escaped each of us at that moment and we were left standing and jaw dropped, how could something like this exist and be created naturally with time. As you stood you immediately realized that life isn't about jobs, or what car you drive, or how big your house and bank accounts are, its about this, simple moments of standing atop a ridge with people gazing out at the wonders in this world connecting through something deeper then spoken words or written text could transcribe. Find these moments in life, as many as you can, and hold onto them for as long as time will allow and you will never regret it. After taking it all in we headed to the most popular spot in the park, a set of vibrant red hills with a boardwalk serpentining through them, it was only about a mile down the road and within minutes we found ourselves standing at the start of the path, here would be the place we decided to shoot some more images of Kayla in the gorgeous pieces that had been given to us. Waiting for a few tourists to enjoy the spot and move on, we quickly had Kayla change and start doing her thing, positioning her in the middle of the two hills and filling the frame with as much of the vibrant red as we could made for something exceptional images. We had only a few moments of shoot time before we had to quit as the boardwalk became quite hot from the full sun and rising temperatures of the day and was beginning to take its toll on Kaylas feet. We wandered for a little while longer around the park, enjoying the views and shooting here and there before, now literally dripping in sweat, we thought it best to start our journey to Yellowstone National Park, which at this point was over eight hours of drive time away and would by far be the furthest stretch of driving for the trip.
A few hours into the drive and now in Idaho, we pulled of to refill at a gas station and get some much needed cold beverages and snacks, it was dusk at this point and we were starting to come to the realization that Yellowstone was less likely to get to in enough time to camp, standing outside and discussing and researching our options i stumbled across a campground and national park none of us had heard of, the name was odd, Craters of the Moon National Park, but extremely intriguing so after a quick google images search and seeing the martian terrain and justified name that was the destination for sleeping tonight. Before we could leave the station a strange wind pushed over the facility followed by a wailing siren, not that of a police car or firetruck, but the silent hill esq city siren to signify a tornado or something of that nature, and once arriving home days later we actually discovered it was a tornado a few miles from us, we shook off the weird feeling and proceeded on, in moments lighting started off in the distance gradually becoming closer and closer until the thunder accompanied it almost immediately, it was loud and violent like fireworks on the fourth of july. The thunderstorm and winds lasted the entire rest of the drive to Craters of the moon, upon entering the campsite everyone was already asleep for the night so we quickly picked a spot in the back corner as to disturb as few people as possible while trying to set up, as if setting up a tent in the dark using only a flashlight wasn't difficult enough you add to that the severe winds and slight drizzle and you have a less then fun situation. Still after about twenty or so minutes our shelters were set. We quickly climbed inside our respective tents and tried to sleep. It felt as though id been asleep for only minutes when the feeling of something smacking me in the face awoke me, it was the sides of my tent being blown from the wind, between that and the heavy rain it was deafening inside, down towards my feet i could feel a dampness of water starting to find its way in and from the sound of shuffling and grunting to my right i assumed Mike was having his own issues as well. I wrapped myself in a jacket and sleeping back and scooted to the center of the tent and watched it move back and forth until my eyes grew heavy and i feel back asleep.
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.
Recent Travels - The Scranton Lace Co.
Today started off like any other, waking up at sunrise, stumbling upstairs to make some breakfast, then sitting at the table checking social media and emails while simultaneously stuffing my face. After all that nonsense and morning rituals my bags were packed and Mike ( @mike_sap ) was in my driveway waiting to head off to the Electric City of Scranton PA. The drive would be two hours through stretching highways and mountains, as we crested the last one and defended into the valley that this once great city resides we entered its perimeters created by a city time has seem to forgotten. The streets lined with empty storefronts and the ones that still clung to life had relics displayed from generations ago as new. We parked in a garage that one couldn't tell was active or not and proceeded to walk this city. First stop was a local mall hoping to find food, instead we were greeted with dark hollow hallways and a handful of places serving what seemed to be cheap microwave pizza’s, and not the good kind, the day was still early so we pulled up an app and found a chick-fil-a down the road a mile or so and decided to walk to it and take in the sunny day. We arrived to the location on the map and were surprised when it brought us to the entrance of Scranton College, a little confused we checked our map data and realized the this was indeed the address and it was located in the school cafe. Never ones to back down from a challenge and/or and awkward time we decided to take our chances and pose as college students to get our hands on the most glorious of chicken sandwiches, luckily for us it was visit day and the campus was filled with unfamiliar faces of prospects checking out the campus and classes.
Mike gets happy when exploring trains
We were set! no one would be the wiser, after a little wait for the restaurant to open we grabbed a mountain of chicken goodness and sat among the students to eat, about half way through and many awkward looks we realized we stood out like sore thumbs with our sleeves of tattoos and table of camera gear, we hastily finished and left the campus. The first stop of the day was an abandoned train yard that had been filled with decaying train cars from the days of coal engines and forgotten. At first glance these old rail cars were locked and boarded tightly, but upon further investigation and a little climbing we made our way in. Glowing with a rusted red the paint peeled down the walls and onto the old leather seats. The windows painted with years of dust and build up left the cars like giant soft boxes painting the insides with sheets of natural light. The one point perspective and symmetry in each car was a dream come true and the history flowing out of every rusted fan and abandoned seat was glorious.
After we had our fill of train cars we climbed out and headed back to grab the car and make our way to the main spot of the day, The Scranton Lace Company, this massive warehouse structure covers multiple city blocks and stretches high into Scranton’s sky with a clock tower peaking in the center. Parking down the road in a vacant lot we quickly ducked through a fence opening and made our way in the building. The insides gleamed with window light. The old hardwood floors stretched across what where massive production and shipping rooms, empty cartons thrown across the floor and stacked all branded with the company logo. Shelves in rows twenty deep lay empty, each floor brought new excitement and finds. One wing led us to an indoor bowling alley and game room, while the second led to a theater and conference hall, as we walked we spoke of what a glorious place this must have been in its prime.
Mike posing for light tests
Mike behind the clock tower
Forgotten lace
Twin Lanes
Bowling alley seats
Mike looking out to the town
Old Machine
Found some leftovers from someones photoshoot
We came upon a stairway that led to the clock tower and began our decent up the rickety ladder, the first level up brought you to the back of the clock faces and what a site to behold that was, the next level up you cam to an old brass bell that once rung to establish times, further past that was the peak, and there you stood over looking the city as gusts of wind blew past you. After enjoying the view and climbing down we made our way out to the roof to enjoy some celebratory cigars and enjoy the sunset before heading home. This life we all live is short, so make it an adventurous one.
Mike sitting in one of the old salon chairs
Mike in the middle of the warehouses
The Clock Tower
As Always,
Safe Travels Friends