Beartooth Highway, MontanaRoad Trip 2015

First of all, thank you to my wife for another excellent Road Trip. It's the third one in the row and another absolutely gorgeous one! Not only does she plan the route to cover all of our major intended stops she also plans fun sights all along the way. To make sure it is about the journey and not the destinations.

This is a great example. Beartooth Highway in Montana certain,y was not needed to get us from one stop for the night to the next. In fact, it was a bit out of the way. But so much worth it! The views were breathtaking all along the route! I also appreciated Montana's approach to road building. There were many pull outs to stop, take in the view, and yes, take pictures.

Talking about Montana, I found their speed limits amusing. Yes, express ways are mostly 80 mph but that I simply appreciated. However, as far as I could tell, the sped limit on the Beartoth Highway never went below 70 mph. It's a route full of switchbacks with drop offs measured in hundreds of feet. I guess they figured everyone should know what they're doing. I rarely sped up over 30 mph :-)

another cool thing i n the western parks is the lack of cell coverage. Forget about data, that is pretty much non-existent in Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier, but cell phone signal too for the most part. Just the nature and you. Yes, I am used to the convenience and it took me a little bit to stop reaching for the phone, but once you accept it, it is liberating.

On that note, let me end this post and put away the iPad. I hope you've enjoyed this quick iPhone captured preview of the 2015 road trip and maybe at some point I will share more. Those who follow my blog know that may be a while as I am still a few days from completing the 2013 series of posts.

Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you! (#etbtsy)

New Mexico became the 47th state to join the United States on January 6, 1912. The capital city is Santa Fe. The highest point is Wheeler Peak at 13,161 feet.

Wildfire by Santa Fe

Road Trip 2013 - Day 14 - June 24 - Santa Fe (Previous 2013 Road Trip posts: Indiana Dunes, De Immigrant, Amana Colonies, Des Moines, Madison County Roads, Bridges of Madison County, White Pole Road, Great Platte River Road Archway Monument, Golden Spike Tower & Union Pacific's Bailey Rail Yard, Loveland Pass, The Resting Day at Powderhorn, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Cimarron, Colorado National Monument, Fruita Rodeo, Arches National Park, Grand Junction, Grand Mesa Creek, Arches National Park Add-On, Canyonlands National Park, The Little Big Moments of Road Tripping, Mesa Verde National Park)

Santa Fe LodgeVintage roadside sign

From Mesa Verde National Park, our road trip continued east across southern Colorado and then southeast to Santa Fe, New Mexico. While on the return leg of our round trip we were not exactly getting closer to the finish just yet, and that was fine - so much more to see ahead of us!

As we approached Santa Fe, we saw something so common on the western side of the country that is not common at all in the east. A huge plume of smoke was rising from a mountain in the distance, a sign of a raging wildfire. While I understand the importance of (most of) wildfires to the natural world they still instill a lot of respect in me and feelings for people that live in the frequently impacted areas. As with many other forces of nature, it must be a very helpless feeling to watch one of these close to home. It also always makes me think about the balance of things, or the lack of. Right now, in mid-2015, we're witnessing a 3rd year of severe drought in California while Texas went through extreme flooding. And as I am typing this cross-checking weather forecast tropical depression Bill is threatening to repeat that experience. So out of balance, yet so close to each other. It's really only a 1-day drive separating two places experiencing the opposite poles of weather.

Shortly after, a beautiful vintage motel sign came to view and I had to stop.  *** Series Spoiler Alert! *** Being so close to connecting to Route 66, this sign was an early teaser of what I was hoping to see a lot of. The sign was weathered, yet, so bold. Especially the red against the blue sky was an instant eye catcher - well done marketers!

Santa Fe ArchitectureSanta Fe, New Mexico With that craving out of the way, at least for the time being, it was time to finish the driving part of the day and go strolling through the beautiful historic downtown around the Palace of the Governors. Fortunately, finding parking was easy and so was walking the short way from the lot to where we wanted to be.

I am not into shopping at all and the whole Santa Fe experience was all about architecture and colors for me. Both bold, both beautiful!

As it turns out, it was the details of the Adobe buildings that captivated me the most and I will let the photographs do the talking:

Window in the WallSanta Fe, New Mexico Wood and MasonrySanta Fe, New Mexico

Window in the Wall, Santa Fe, New Mexico    -    Wood and Masonry, Santa Fe, New Mexico

The EntranceSanta Fe, New Mexico

The Entrance, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Door LockSanta Fe, New Mexico Door Lock, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you!

References: New Mexico on 50states.com - Santa Fe Lodge - Santa Fe History

If you've enjoyed this post and would like to see more of my photographs, feel free to visit my photo galleries to see more photographs from Buffalo, Western New York, and beyond! Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered. I also offer ready to hang solutions like canvas gallery wraps, or matted and framed photographs. Those options are available using the "Frame It" link once you place a photo in your shopping cart.

Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how small or large. Thank you!

Eternal Flame Magic at NightChestnut Ridge Park, Orchard Park, NY Revisiting local locations again. This time the idea came late during a very rainy day. It was just an hour before sunset and the last batch of rain just stopped and I had the thought of heading to the Eternal Flame for a night look. I figured the weather and late hour would all but guarantee a photo session without distractions. And yes, that planned worked. The path was wet and muddy with no cars in the parking lot and people on the trail.

I stayed somewhat late at the waterfall before waiting for the flame to be more visible as darkness settled in but this time I wanted an even darker night setting. I still had enough daylight left for the trek down to the gorge and up the creek. There was more water flowing than what I remembered from my previous summer visits. Maybe this one was still relatively early - it really still was spring - and maybe the all day rain had something to do with it. There was also a lot more debris in the creek bed forcing a more frequent back and forth between the two sides of the creek.

I could see the flame burning from far away as light was fading and the flame was burning strong despite the stronger flow of water. I had to work fast as my exposure times were around 30 seconds and I did not want to extend them much further. Even at this shutter speed the water texture disappears. Not a big deal though, the flame was to be the center of attention on this visit.

I worked several vantage points trying to find a possible new angle not used before and also one that would be all about the fire. In the end, I liked this perspective the most with the upper and lower portion of the falls curving in from top right and the flow in the foreground finishing the bow-like shape. And not only did I get a strong main flame but also a nice glow reflection on the shallow water flowing over the shale rock.

While it is a small flame it provided quite a bit of light. Every time I turned around to check on the light level for my retreat I realized how much brighter the scene was in front of me compared to what laid behind. I finished the unusually brief photo session, packed up, and headed back. I left my tripod legs extended and used it for support. And was I glad to have my head lamp with me! Despite that, negotiating the muddy banks and higher creek level I decided not to worry about my shoes staying dry pretty quickly. I figured I would get them wet and dirty eventually anyway so why not do it early and save myself the trouble of avoiding water. That worked nicely and my progress was faster. I reached the turn off from the creek and the path up from the gorge sooner than I expected, and headed into the darkness of the woods with the head lamp showing the way.

Just before the parking lot, there is a nice small meadow overgrown with weeds. And it became a dance floor for fireflies! Dirty and wet and wanting to get home fast I stopped and just watched for quite a while. It was magical!

Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you (#etbtsy)!

I have an older model of this headlamp, a Petzl Zipka, and that's what illuminated my way back this night. While it is a rather small lamp, the light output was what made the hike quite easy. I also had a small flash light with me but that was so faint compared to this headlamp that I did not even bother with it and stored it just for a back up.

Using my links to do your shopping keeps me sharing more photographs and writing the stories behind them and costs you nothing. You can also use the Amazon search box in bottom left for anything not mentioned here. I truly appreciate each purchase, no matter how small or large. Thank you!

If you've enjoyed this post and would like to see more of my photographs, feel free to visit my photo galleries to see more photographs from Buffalo, Western New York, and beyond! You can also see other photos from the Eternal Flame area. Please, let me know if you have any questions about any photo products offered, or not offered. I also offer ready to hang solutions like canvas gallery wraps, or matted and framed photographs. Those options are available using the "Frame It" link once you place a photo in your shopping cart.