Lavender Dreams

At the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in early December there was a terrific storm overnight and into the early morning. It stayed cloudy, windy and the sky was often threatening during the day. Toward evening there was a heavy, dark bank of clouds that I could see from the beach and then suddenly some of the sunlight flooded underneath. It was beautiful and, in the photo, it seemed to turn the sand to lavender. What a treat.

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.” Ephesians 4:2-4 NLT

Lower Yosemite Falls

The week we were here was during the spring when the area had a tremendous amount of snow and the rivers were full, the waterfall were overflowing and lots of people from CA drove in on weekends because it had been about 8 years since they had a spring like this one.

Steaming Toward the Weekend

Hope your weekend is good and that you have found a great church to view online if you, like me, don’t feel comfortable quite yet meeting in person. We have had some excellent messages from six states and all kinds of congregations. Plus most are doing a pretty good job now with the technical side.

Steam locomotive on the Strasburg RR in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Number 396! Verdin

This is a bird I shot in Joshua Tree near the campground on our trip there about 3 years ago. I was not able to ID the bird so, while I knew I had not seen one it did not count on the list - you need the ID to count. So, last week while redoing some of the older photos from that trip, you may have noticed Yosemite ones, I found this bird and posted him on a FB site just for Bird ID and it came back quickly as a Verdin. So, enjoy as we creep to the 400 threshold. I think I have four or five others over the last few years that I have no iID on too, I just need to find them.

The Mists of the Yosemite Valley

This breathtaking view was first memorialized in a photograph by Ansel Adams and since then I think there have been millions of photographs from this location. That did not stop me from being next in line the first time we saw this vista. It is a very special place even if you have to jostle with a few score of other people taking the same shot and it takes 15 minutes to wait for a parking spot to open up. If you are fortunate as we were.

It is worth the crowds to stand in awe of the beauty of this place. We were here three times on our week in Yosemite, once with bright sun and blue skies and once just past sunset. Yet this first view with the rain clearing (it was actually raining on us where we were standing but lightly) is the one I will always remember. I recently edited this photo and this is the first time I have posted it but I did have another one from this general area when we were there three years ago. This one is more subtile. Yosemite should be on your list of places you really don’t want to miss in the USA.

You can see El Capitan peeking out a bit on the extreme left, Bridal Veil Falls toward the middle and Cathedral Rocks right behind the falls.

An Excellent Joy (2 photos)

I have been blessed in so many ways in my life: God’s grace, good marriage and family, important friendships, interesting and meaningful career, opportunity to see and go places, and, I got to be a grandfather to three outstanding kids. But we are focused on one today, my grandson, Kellen, who officially graduates today from high school a few months early. He did so with highest honors. Kellen has become a solid, creative, disciplined and trustworthy young man. He has not completely settled on a college yet but industrial design is the direction of the next phase of school. I honestly could go on for several paragraphs about him, suffice it to say, I am proud to be his grandfather - every day.

The actual ceremony is tonight at 6 but includes only 10 people. Graduation is one person at a time.

This also has to do with TLT because of an upcoming adventure: C 2 C 2 C. In April Kellen and his dad, Geof, will travel to Wilmington, NC (along with his mom and sisters for the launch party) and from there head West. Like way west traveling on a mix of interstates and back roads across 11 states and ending up on the Santa Monica Pier, the end of the blacktop for the old Route 66. Cindy and I are flying to LA, renting a car and visiting several parks in CA, NV and AZ before heading back to LA to join them as they arrive. Cindy and Geof will fly back to Raleigh and Kellen and I will take 101 north toward San Francisco, across Nevada (on the “loneliest road in America”), Utah and the Salt Flats, WY, SD, and across the upper mid-West through Pennsylvania and stopping in Chincoteague, VA to park again next to the Atlantic and then back to Raleigh.

You can start today following C 2 C 2 C by accessing that heading on the menu bar. Before the trip begins there will be maps, and cars, and preparation. While on the way there will be regular photos and updates. Some of those will be the main photo of the day and the C 2 C 2 C section will still have more each day.

It will be a memorable trip and a special opportunity to spend time with Kellen that I will treasure.

This is a photo of a photo, one of his graduation pictures. Not the best translation of a really nice photograph.

Online school completion is not quite the same as leaving the building for the last time with all your friends but meaningful just the same. The text on the screen reads: “You Left the Meeting” and 12 years of school ends.

Half-Dome

Half-Dome is one of the iconic mountains you see in scores of photographs of Yosemite National Park. It looms over the Yosemite Valley and is one of the more difficult hikes to undertake there with the last bit using cable supports for the climbers. The hike is 14 to 17 miles roundtrip and an elevation gain of 4,800 feet. And, no, I did not tackle that challenge in my first trip to this park. Nor likely on the next if I get to return. It is beautiful in the moonlight of the early evening as it takes on a whole new tone. We camped at the campground in front of the mountain and in the morning it was equally stunning.

Where were you....

Fifty years ago this month, Apollo 14 left for the moon and they landed on the 5th of February. It would be one of two landings that year. And the last time men were on the moon would be less than two years later. One of the greatest technical and scientific achievements of any age and we seemed to give up on the idea. The four remaining men who walked on the moon are nearing 90. It was such an amazing time and the recent movie, Hidden Figures, was one of those moments that you realized how incredibly hard it was and how brave were those who first flew.

“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor” Psalm 8:3-5 NLT

Flyby

On a walk at Lake Lynn I saw this Great Blue Heron lift off from a small inlet on the lake. We were on one of the bridges and it flew right over head and since I had my camera with me, I was able to get a shot of this bird and it turned out pretty sharp. Good idea to have the camera with you!

Mr. Rockefeller's Bridges

At Acadia National Park there are nearly 50 miles of carriage roads that Mr. Rockefeller built in the early 1900’s so he could enjoy his carriage rides with no nasty cars sprewing fumes. He did not like cars and tried but failed to have them banned from the island. There are several bridges he built and all of them are designed in place to enhance the view. This is one of the smaller and it is a bit further to reach by foot than many of them. Here I took several photos from differing perspectives and last week found out that I never edited any of them. So, presenting the bridge.

Slap

This is the old post office from the hamlet of Harborton on the west side of the Eastern Shore with a great harbor leading to the Chesapeake Bay. The population of the town is 131 and there are four buildings similar to this one in size and location so, I presume, they are on or were on the main street. Anyway, what captured my attention here was the old screen door. There were three small stores -absolutely no bigger than this place, near our house where I grew up and when I was 7 or so I was allowed to walk to one of them to buy a piece or two of candy. And the old screen door would screech open and slam shut. The lady at the counter would always say, “Don’t slam the door” and by the next time I would forget and …slap, the door would echo in her tiny kingdom.

Green and Blue

Visible in this photo is Sand Beach, Great Head and the Atlantic ocean as seen from The Beehive, one of the best hikes on the east coast. We intend to be back in Acadia National Park in September if Covid and the state of Maine cooperate. Please.

Cantilever Barn

This is one of the neatest structures on the Cades Cove loop road in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The cantilever barn is a fixture in, as they say, Upper East Tennessee. The amount of rainfall would cause crops to deteriorate in a regular barn so these, carryovers from Swiss, Swedish and German farmers, would allow the rain to run off well past the stored crops and the air circulation with the deep overhangs provided extra insurance against rotting crops. This one at the Tipton Place is a gem.

Birds & More

As promised the “Startling Announcement” plus a few less startling.

So what does 2021 bring to the Two Lane Touring site? 

First, we are ending the separate “moose” section. Sorry for those Cadillac fans but he will only appear while we are on trips or an occasional cameo. Apparently he has left for NYC to start his acting career not heeding what we said about Broadway being closed. The best case outcome is that using his keen sense of direction he ends up in Hollywood and finds work in a revival of Northern Exposure. The worst case is that he ends up with Rusty or Tom or Dennis and they send him back!

Second, Bird Week 10 was the first of any new bird weeks. From here on bird weeks will be from a single location. That might mean that there will be more bird photography on TLT - we will have to see how that works. 

Third, in addition to “bird week” I am planning four to five projects that will have a more “artful” slant. I feel a bit pretentious even typing that but I want to try some work that interests me in different ways, possibly more creative efforts a few times each year. I expect a complete project will have 5 to 7 photos. Others may not see the light of day and will end up just discarded.  

Fourth, 2020 was not good for restaurant reviews because it was not a good year for eating out. Period. I hope that we can get back to a more normal time but for now, I am searching old places and I intend to get one up each month. I have saved a few camping posts for this winter.

Fifth, and this is a big change for me, I am going to completely re-do the National Park portion of the site. I will list all the parks by NP regions, do a more complete description of our time at the park and share 1 to 3 photos. They will be set up so it will be easier to find a park you might be interested in. This will take months to finish so I will not be removing the current photos but you will see additions as I can get time to complete them. 

Sixth, I have a lot of photos that were edited years ago (and some last year) that I did not do the best job on and I hope to re-edit some older work and then post or in some cases, repost those photos. In the nearly six years at TLT I have only used duplicate photos a dozen times or so, meaning I have posted about 2500 photos and written close to half a million words. I think I have some nice work poorly presented that I want to revisit. This is all while learning two new editing programs!

Seventh, soon there will be a new feature on the menu bar, the C 2 C 2 C. In April, there is an exciting adventure that you can read about from preparation to completion beginning next Tuesday the 19th of January. 

Finally, and this is a big shift in some ways. I started this blog to force myself to learn photography & simply by putting the product “out there” I wanted to do better. I am more accomplished now than the first efforts in 2013 and 2014 and that is gratifying but I really want to learn more. So I am going to work more diligently on the photography.

The other half of the reason for Two Lane Touring, which was a new focus five years ago, was to visit and photograph all the National Park Service Units - now at 423 places. But there is a shift coming. The goal is still there yet there are places that are more difficult to visit for a variety of reasons and may remain that way for some time. Covid, of course, unsafe neighborhoods some places, costs for some areas, arbitrary changes in how or when you can visit play a part so that all together some units are just tough to do. Plus last year missing most of the parks we planned was a set back. I expect by the time we leave for a late summer / fall trip with most of the last year of part time work completed, the plan may be to go more slowly and spend more time exploring other places and things than just the National Parks. Spending a bit more time in a place just seems right for now. The effort feels a bit unsettled this year. We’ll see. Even so we expect that in 2021 we will crest the 300 park threshold or at least that is the plan! We have two new parks planned in February. 

Golden Plover at the beach.

Bird Week 10: Chincoteague 6

Today’s two birds are small with songs that belay their size. The Carolina wren and the Hermit Thrush have beautiful songs and sing in all seasons. What a joy to hear. We used to have a Hermit Thrust that nested near our bedroom and it’s song was a delight every morning. Bird Week 10 concludes tomorrow with the Startling Announcements! Stay tuned.

“Praise his name with dancing, accompanied by tambourine and harp. For the Lord delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Let the faithful rejoice that he honors them. Let them sing for joy as they lie on their beds.” Psalm 149: 3-5 NLT

Bird Week 10: Chincoteague 5

Today is the big birds and sticks edition. Both photos feature the largest birds of their kind, the Great Blue Heron and the Great Egret. And here we see them framed by bare branches. I found the GBH standing above the other one most interesting as I rarely see one head on staring back at me. And the contrast of the bright white feathers of the serene and orderly GE with the mass of tangled branches along the marsh was too good to pass over.

Bird Week 10: Chincoteague 4

I just happened on this Downy Woodpecker while walking to another place. I used a short boardwalk from a parking lot to get to the trail I wanted to take. But in the underbrush around the boardwalk were a host of birds darting about, most of them warblers - see Monday post, but there were others, a wren, a robin, some sparrows and then just beside me this woodpecker. He was quite still for just a second and I am glad as I was hand holding my camera and standing on a platform that was not completely still. Very pleased with this shot and the best bird photo for me of the day. The Downy is very similar to the slightly larger Hairy Woodpecker but the relative size of the bill is the easiest way to distinguish between them the Downy is visibly shorter than the Hairy. The tuft of red marks this one as a male.

The more expected position of the woodpecker

This is the best image of the Downy I have taken.

In the midst of Bird Week 10, we pause a day to celebrate a birthday!

Cindy is hiking in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in late October of 2020. And she looks great doing so. In 2021 we celebrate her birthday and 50 years of marriage. A companion for 50 years of journeys is priceless. We will enjoy a dinner and the evening with the grandkids here in Raleigh. And there might be ice cream or cake - oops, AND cake.

Bird Week 10: Chincoteague 3

This little guy is so hard to photograph. I made a big deal out of getting one this fall as it was fishing. Now at the CNWR in early December I was able to get another as he rested about 25 yards away. I took several shots but many of them were a bit off focus. This is one of the better. The Belted Kingfisher is pretty skittish as you approach they quickly fly off, with their rattling call echoing over the water. Frustrating to photograph they are fun to watch. One of my favorite birds to enjoy just listening to and watching fish.

I paired him up with the Mourning Dove. (the other 24 photos of the Belted Kingfisher were all about the same:) It too is often flushed out when you get too close and it also makes a call when it first launches from its perch. It is not as some people think a “morning” dove but is named for the mournful note of its call. This one was found deep in the woods and you can get a decent look at the unusual blue eye ring and the subtile colors of its feathers. Also note the characteristic black spots on the back.

Bird Week 10: Chincoteague 2

This is a Great Egret. They are common on Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge but it is always neat to see them. This one was looking for lunch in a small pool and I liked the contrast of the water with the bright while feathers. This one is also in breeding colors which you can tell by the bright yellow/orange bill when it is not, only the lower portion of the bill is yellow. The second photo has three of them in a marsh where one is about to consume the lunch it just caught.

The Great Egret in the foreground has just caught a fish and you can see its tail if you look carefully.