Jesse Murch 9/1/16 Jesse Murch 9/1/16

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.

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.

Jesse Murch 9/1/16 Jesse Murch 9/1/16

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.

Jesse Murch 7/6/16 Jesse Murch 7/6/16

Day Two - La Push on to Forks

Rustling could be heard throughout or site as we each broke down our respective tents and packed up the car, we had read about hot springs not to far off and decided that would make a good destination one for the day. The sun was quickly painting itself over the horizon and onto the dense wet forest we awoke in as we put the last bag in the car. Route 101 winds around the outer perimeter of the washington peninsula, sandwiched between the Pacific ocean and Olympic National park. The road curved like a snake for miles between old growth pines and dark rocky beaches, music chirped through the car as we fueled ourselves on granola bars and cheap coffee. Turning left off of the 101 onto a small backroad that would lead us to the trail head our eyes became quickly averted out the window to the bluest water. The cascading teals swam through an opening in the pines like something from a movie scene. Naturally we pulled over and grabbed our cameras, scurrying down the hillside we approached the unreal waters and gazed in awe.

Surely our eyes were registering this wrong, water is only this blue in cartoons or movies and had to be created in post, but no the water before was indeed as vibrant as led to believe, we got our fill of photographs and proceeded back to the car too follow this blue serpent to two iron gates closing the road to the hot springs. This bewildered us as we discussed what to do, in unison it was set that we would hike from the gates to the springs, at first the road was flat and pleasant curling between trees adorned with spanish moss and emerald green vines, then we approached our first up hill about five miles in, this quickly became how the rest of the hike would go, straight up hill with little to no plateaus to catch our breathe on. The day was not your typically north western day, instead of misty mountains and over cast skies we received brilliant and hot sun with clear blue sky’s and one of the hottest days on record, even the mammoth pines and there draping shadows provided little safety from the heat. Dripping with sweat and feeling beyond parched we crested a hill to a valley in the mountaintops, the remnants of an old Hydro-powered dam lay before us, since demolishing it years ago the national park service has been working to help nature reclaim this area and bring it back to a stable environment once again.

At this point the hike was taking its toll on the group, yet we persisted on convincing ourselves that around the next turn the hot springs would be waiting for us. This was not the case after another hour of hiking would lead us to find out, as we sat on the road taking a small nap and break we discussed the ever pending thought of turning back, and although none of us are ones to give something up, with the heat ever looming and a lack of food and drinkable water on us we thought it best not to push on and started the daunting fifteen mile hike back to the car. After a few hours the car was before our eyes and the rush of fresh water and air conditioning gave us the last boost to hustle off the trail. Quickly after pulling away we were greeted with the symphony of gurgling stomachs that even a glove box filled with granola bars couldn't quench.

After a seemingly eternity we cruised into the small town of Forks, if it sounds familiar it should, the small town grew in fame a few years back when the popular Twilight books and movies gained massive attention. Driving through the town you could see countless merchandise shops selling memorabilia, even the local burger joint, Sully’s which we decided to eat at adorned such items as Twilight Lemonade and Vampire sundaes. The burgers cam out hot and fast and was much appreciated, after devouring everything in what seemed like seconds smiles came across our faces once again and we were ready to see what else we could before the imminent threat of night fall came upon us.

A long stretch of asphalt through dense woods leads out to the three beaches in the native reserve, our first stop the furthest out, beach three. After some time the road opened up and gave way to a vast stretch of sand, small houses lined the road and beach sides, docks off in the distance near a small port and the smell of the ocean quickly filled our noses. Off in the distance reaching high out of the ocean like old greek gods these massive old stone towers commanded there presence, as we walked the sand giving way and the waves crashing to our rights, in the distance one could hear children playing and laughing, the coast scattered with driftwood. This beach made famous by its signature single massive old growth tree that had long since given up and collapsed on the dunes, its trunk encompassed you as you walked inside of it, feeling like something out of a nineties movie being shrunk to fit inside such a thing. We spent most of the early golden hour here exploring the beach and photographing before racing toward beach one to close out our evening. The hike back to the beach was two miles long and weaved through a jungle, the trees stretched far beyond what are eye could comprehend into the sky, a humbling feeling of insignificance washed over us as we forged through, the air shifting from cold to hot as we moved up and over mountains, after some time that ocean smell returned to tease us once again and one could hear waves crushing onto this secluded beach. As the trail came to a head we were greeted with one last right of passage before entering the oasis in front of us, a stack of old trees lay fallen in a steep pile and required light steps and nimble reflexes to cross. Now on the sand at last we stripped away our shoes and any extra baggage and enjoyed this surreal moment in life.

Spending the last moments of the day photographing some amazing pieces for @siobhanaleabarrett lingerie and dancing about in the twilight of this paradise. These moments are the ones that live with us, that we carry and tell stories of for years to come, the ones that transcend anything and become truly meaningful as the sun finally rested in the sky and the familiar humm picked up driving off of the coast into the blackness we knew we had been changed and touched by real magic.

Jesse Murch 6/24/16 Jesse Murch 6/24/16

Day One - Vance Creek and Cronuts

I love the whirl of the plane turbines right before take off, that gentle humm turning more violent as they reach ideal speeds symbolizes new experiences on the horizon. It was early in the morning and the smell of breakfast foods transferred onto the plane from the terminal we were to leave behind shortly. On my right Mike ( @mike_sap ) sat fighting for his armrest and trying to gain some sleep, this process may have been easier had he realized his seat reclined earlier then leaving the airport in our rental. A quick chirp of the wheels as we touched down and fast forward through baggage claims and annoying rental services we were on the Seattle roads looking for food and to kill time before the completion of this road trip trio in the form of model/photographer Kayla ( @kaylasavage_ ) landed a few hours after us. A few slices of pizza later and a quick nap in the jeep found us back at the airport to scoop up the girl in the yellow raincoat.

The traffic out to Olympic National Park was less then ideal and forced us to a pit stop for Cronuts, i know it was a hard decision, then to a local super market where we all had the same idea to pick up granola bars and water. Now that we had sugar comas and a pallet of granola in the backseat we continued the drive up toward Olympic. Slowly the traffic dissipated and gave way to curving pine lined roads up and down cascading mountains. Every so often one would catch the slight twinkle of the emerald ocean water peaking back through the forest. The destination of the day was an old wooden and steel train bridge that would span across a deep canyon to opposing mountain tops. Vance Creek Bridge, has become quite popular on social media especially for its railing-less sides giving way the opportunity for the note worthy dangle shots that have become insanely saturated online. Having heard of trouble with officials we parked a few miles down and hiked in, the trail out started as an old service road for the bridge and quickly became nothing more then a foot path, weaving, winding, up over that rock, down under that tree, hop across the stream, repeat, repeat, repeat. Then all at once the mammoth evergreens gave way to blue skies and in the foreground the massive bridge reached far across. Fellow hikers whom had made there way towards the other side seemed like miniature figurines dancing from plank to plank.

Once we gathered our courage we slowly and precisely stepped on each tie making our way out to the center of the bridge. The wind pushed against my back as i stood over looking the vast scar in the earth before my eyes, looking down my eyes had trouble computing the height difference between the tree tops and where i currently stand. A babbling stream slithered through rocks glistening in a milky teal beauty. The sun was still high in the sky and although not pleasing for photographs gave way to every hidden detail in the mountains. My heart fluttered as i sat on the edge of the second tallest archway railroad bridge in the country, also being that it was built in 1929 didn't help the nerves, still gazing out over the edge was freeing and enlightening all at once the only thing on my mind was each second of that moment as it danced away into past.

Now back at the jeep we continued on into Olympic National Park and found shelter in the form of a local campground for the night. Our site was nestled in the dense rainforest on a bed of soft dirt and pine needles. It was dark at this point and the temperature was dropping so we quickly set up our respective tents, showered in the camp stalls, and had a delicious dinner of granola bars and water before calling it a night. The temperatures even though being June quickly dropped as we all found out at different points through the night waking to a shiver down the spine, or a foot not wrapped in the safety of sleeping bag or blanket. Waking up to sunlight twinkling through greenery we quickly broke down and headed off to see what the park had to offer us on day two.

Jesse Murch 4/20/16 Jesse Murch 4/20/16

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.

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.

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

As Always,

Safe Travels Friends

Jesse Murch 3/29/16 Jesse Murch 3/29/16

Recent Travels - Jefferson, NJ

It was late afternoon and the sun was high in the sky, the temperature was chilly but a jacket and one was fine. The group of us planned on meeting up at Steve’s ( @softfocusprod ) house and carpooling to the shoot location. There would be eight of us in total for todays excursion, and as i pulled down the road i was greeted by Kayla ( @kaylasavage_ ) who would be one of the models for the day, James ( @jamesorgyinthefacility ), Tori ( @graphicpsycheldelic ), and Robyn who would also model for the day. We all exchanged info and stories while waiting for Enzo ( @enzodadude ) and Jennie ( @jennyfromtherock ). Once they arrived we split up into two cars and headed off to the location for the day, an old church retreat buried deep in the woods, we parked at a forest service gate and proceeded to walk the long paved road that would end up at our destination.

The road was curved through bare forests and green pines before cresting a hill and revealing the retreat. This place was different then most abandoned places we venture to as the whole building was unlocked, and even with this there was no graffiti throughout, everything was clean and untouched. Also surprisingly the boiler was still kicking on and off providing heat throughout the building which was a pleasant surprise. We walked in through the front door and everyone split there separate ways like an episode of scooby doo to go explore the new terrain. The first floor consisted of a chapel hall, living quarters, a kitchen, and long hallways with ample light. The basement featured the boiler room, storage areas filled with old light bulbs and spare parts, and a full sized basketball court, while the top floor had a balcony overlooking the chapel, some bigger rooms leading to outdoor balconies, and access to the expansive roof via a runged ladder heading through the ceiling. After everyone had there fill of exploring we all gathered down stairs in the gym to begin shooting our first images.

These consisted of an antique couch being dragged to the center, a fire extinguisher being used to create atmosphere, and gorgeous rays of natural window light. Its always nice to have a big group on shoots from time to time, the interactions and the creative ideas that get thrown out consistently is always nice, as well as how much you learn by witnessing different peoples creative processes and ways of interacting while shooting or posing. After getting our image fill in the gym we broke off into smaller groups, some went to other rooms to do self portraits, others went to explore the roof before all gathering again by the waterfront behind the building where an expansive dock lay, James managed to open a nearby shed finding two sailboats that would provide a good backdrop and prop foursome photos, one by one everyone we had come with came out to the dock to utilize and photograph the happenings, weather it be James sailing the pond propelling himself with a fire extinguisher, kayla posing nude on a boat, or just to enjoy the sun on the water. The shenanigans lasted until all were cold and ready for the oddly climate controlled abandoned building once more.

One by one we tracked back into the brick building in search for more locations, we found this in the form of an outdoor balcony off of the third floor. Robyn had been out there smoking and the light that was coming through the trees lit her perfectly, after minimal posing instructions i shot off a few photos and moved back inside to see what else was around. Like a commune of artists each room had something creative going on in it as i wandered the empty halls, being surrounded by creatives always makes you push your work further and think outside of the box, being so i encourage you all to get out more with others and collaborate. We spent a few more hours wandering and shooting about the building before all getting hungry and wanting to head out in search for food and a re-charge. After some much needed pizza we drove around the town to a nearby reservoir where we planned on shooting until the sun set over the lake. This was cut short almost immediately as we hadn't even set our bags down before a self entitled park ranger showed up to accuses of being terrorists with no jobs and not paying taxes, i wish i were exaggerating but unfortunately this man was very ignorant, not wanting to further escalate and feed into this mans complex we packed up and went down the road to some power line trails to finish off our terroristicattacks, er i mean photographs, the sunset set in the perfect spot and we were all able to get beautifully backlit portraits. All in all the day was filled with adventures, new friendships, strengthened old ones, and as always photography and art.

-Stay Traveling Friends