Hauling gear

The more involved I get in outdoor activities, the more I start thinking about how I'm going to take my camera and other necessities with me. 


I started out carrying my gear with a normal camera bag, like most people do. I could carry it and another bag for my other odds and ends like a jacket (or cram it in the bag when I needed a break) but found after a day moving about I was a little off kilter.  And so were my photos, because the bag always pulled down one side of my body.  Weather I wore it on one shoulder or cross body, both me and my pictures needed straightening at the end of my trip.  Also juggling two bags was a pain and trying to pull the camera out, if the camera bag was in the other bag, was impossible without kneeling down and digging.





    My next idea was to just up the ante and get a camera backpack, a little more money but a good solution to my aching body. But one thing kept coming up, the majority are built to carry camera gear and had little room for other things.  Shopping around  you can find them but the prices start to climb depending on what you need in the backpack.  And often the bags included a laptop sleeve which is a nice feature but I'm never taking my laptop out on a trek. 










  Which lead me to trying to find another solution. And among the handle bar bags and belt packs I found two solutions for turning any bag into a camera bag (within reasonable sizing).  this offered me the ease of sliding it into my messenger bag, day pack, or framed backpack i already own for different trips.  The problem of ease of access is still there, but the flexibility of this option gives me a larger pool in which to find an optimal set up for each adventure.






What we need in a bag is different for each of us, but the bag can be just as important as the camera.  We aren't gonna just toss a good camera in our packets or purses to co-mingle with our keys and change.  So it pays to take the time to figure out what you want and need in a bag. Search Amazon.com for camera bag

back in the saddle

In the spirit of adventure and furthering my search for fun and nature.  I struck out today on a mountain bike.  I signed up for an REI Outdoor School class that really made the difference.  Got a bike and helmet, a group to cheer you on, and knowledgeable instructors.

The course was tough, starting with a steep uphill climb and I was not in the greatest shape.The feeling of flying down a hill or jumping over a rock or log over came all that.   Also got demos on bike repair necessary on the trail, once occasion after I managed to snap my chain

I know now I really do love mountain biking and I have the skills to do it.  REI Outdoor school is a great opportunity for anyone to get out and try things you've always wondered about without having to buy the gear and with that bit of help (I know I need for sure). 

falling in love

 We all fall in love with somewhere, some place that just speaks to us.  For some lucky people that is the place they live, enjoying every day wondering it's streets.  For some of us it's far off and sometimes exotic locations.

People fall in love with places and either move there of visit over and over.  Exploring the little things beyond the tourist locations and hot spots.

I have one friend with the classic of all loves, Paris.  She studies french, collects photos, and does whatever else she can to learn more and to experience the city even when she is home.

I currently have two loves Seattle and Homer.

Seattle I've been three times and I keep wanting to go back.  There are places I still want to see, and places like Pike Place Market I would visit over and over.  Seattle was an idea building for a decade, all from reading one book.  That sparks research which reveals more and more....all building into excitmen and a long list of things you need to see.  Fueling multiple visits to fit them all in. And then repeating some as you travel with different people .

Homer, was more of a calling.  I honestly don't remember not wanting to visit Alaska.  I was green with envy when my brother got to go as a child. I've read books of prospectors and homesteaders through the years, each renewing the draw I felt.  TV shows and movies along with books and photos fueled the fire.  And when I got there it was love at first site, I wanted to stay there forever.  Maybe It helped that for the week in Homer we didn't do most of the normal tourist things.  I didn't go fishing....never saw Denali...didn't ride the train.  i walked on the beaches, tide pooled, hung with the locals, toured the docks full of working fishing boats, and drank in the beauty.

Seattle and Homer are two loves that mean different things to me but both draw me back.  Where as Washington, DC just up the highway only attracts my attention here and there.

Have you found your love?  Where is is it? 

Winter Wonderlands

Winter came in full force early this year (what little snow we do get generally comes after the new year).  For two days the snow fell, constantally. Leaving close to 2' of soft powder on the ground, not bad for shoveling (is light) but not too great for sleding or snowballs.

The shimmer of the snow, the shine of the icicles, and the over all brightness it brings once the storm is over can be breath taking.  And hard on your pictures if you are trying to capture it.  hope everyone out tsaking snow shots did as well as I did, what's more adventrous that a winter romp in the snow. Where even the adults turn back into kids.

Myself I spent more time trying to keep my camera dry and less worrying aobut how things came out.  Never a good way to shoot, and now with a few incedents of moisture problems seeking the right rain gear for my camera. So next time I can have fun and shoot.

things we miss part 2

So after blogging that I was going to take time on my trips to enjoy the world around me, I had to take another unplanned quick trip. This time I brought my camera though, and where as I didn't stop for pictures I did set it up for shooting out of the car when I wasn't driving.

And as always there were interesting things zooming by at an average of 70 miles per hour. Old barns and silos were my favorites. but there were pumpkin patches, corn fields being reaped, apple orchards, and all kinds of farm life. my mother even tried a shot with my camera as we passed St Stanislaus in Chicago (first polish American caloric church built in the US).

I still regret not stopping to take pictures and there were things I missed that I really wanted. The trip was so quick really left ones head spinning especially after having just cruised cross country not too long before. but I made the effort to enjoy and capture what I saw, which is what I think is really key.....don't just travel from point A to point B, enjoy the journey.

Seeing things we usually miss

I've come to realise that something in me, makes me notice things others never do. I also see the beauty in things others never can.

So when I drove cross country in about 50 hours without my camera, it was painful. I saw amazing things fly by my window that I had no hope of catching. I tried a few times with my cell phone and a borrowed camera but what I saw just didn't capture.

And it made me think about how travel has changed over the years. We now rush taking the quickest routes to get to our destination. But what of the older trips where getting there (and home) were half the excitement, the road trips carefully planned to visit interesting places and/or odd things, and getting out kicks on rt66.

We hurriedly pick up fast food when we do get off the road, but what of the little local places. trying the regional cuisine is still done in the cities we visit but what of those little out of the way places. ones that often has someone who really cooked all day to get your meal right, and recipes passed down for generations.

I've really come to realise as much of a observer i am, I am also a get to where i am going as quick as possible person. Especially when traveling alone, i won't stop unless it's necessary. And this is a habit i need to break. I need to stop going darn i missed something amazing and watching it fade away in the mirrors.

I need to take the time to stop and shoot the amazing things i see, visit interesting places, and try those little local restaurants. On trips and locally.

regeneration and nature

I've been watching the installments of Ken Burns: "National Parks America's Best Idea." And as I've loved many of the parks through pictures over the years, and at last count have visited at least 20 of them....there is much I never knew or understood. These men and women who had a deep love of the land, animals, and even the history of these great spots around us.

It is interesting to see other people in history who thrived in nature. I knew I wasn't odd in the fact nature invigorates me and excites me, but it is never really talked about anymore. Most people now days talk about the the cities and places they go, focusing on buildings and food and shops. But how often do you hear anymore about the bird, the squirrel, this flower, or that tree. I admit to it myself the awe of a skyscraper, yet I still manage to have a picture of a flower growing somewhere in that city, a mountain in the distance, or the squirrel begging at our feet.

The more I watch of this series the more I want to move to visit all those parks and places I've seen in pictures.

What about you?