Eastern Oregon definitely gets less press than its beautiful counterpart – the coastline. The geography is very different, and luckily for us, so was the weather. After Halloween in Lincoln City (2014) we knew we needed to get out of the rain or we’d go crazy. A rather intense couple of driving days took us through Salem…
We visited Chiricahua National Monument in eastern Arizona. It was a mountain oasis in a desert of grass. The landscape was pretty cool. And there were TREES. We hadn’t seen trees in a month – just cactus. Mom and dad decided that we were going to hike. A long one! I didn’t really want to…
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument has been on my “must-see” list since we visited Arizona last year and I developed a slight obsession with all sorts of prickly plants. We didn’t have the time to venture south of Tucson, but we’ve more than made up for it this time around! When We Visited: February 16-18, 2015…
When I think of a nomad, wandering existence it can appear to be pretty lonely. Constantly in new places, no neighborhood friends to see everyday, and a new church congregation every week. We’ve found, however, that sometimes just the opposite is true. Life can get a little TOO social sometimes. With many full-time families and…
Love your pictures. If you are interested, we have a blog at http://www.WilmasKeeper.WordPress.comReplyCancel
Its amazing to me how little we explore our own backyards. Sam has family in Petaluma, CA which is about an hour north of San Francisco. We have been out there countless times over the last 11 years to visit with family, yet I am still finding new and exciting places to explore. Either that…
Christa – thanks so much!! I have a Canon 5D Mark II. Occassionally I’ll post some from our Samsung NX300 as well when I’m too lazy to bring the “big” camera along. 🙂 My favorite lens is definitely the 16-35, or lately even the 24-70mm. I love shooting wide angle! Hmmm… tips on manual mode. Have you read the book Understanding Exposure? It does wonders for understanding the relationship between ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed. I honestly shoot on aperture mode most of the time now because it’s just one less thing to think about!ReplyCancel
[…] Fairly soon on the hike, the trail dipped into a wash, and we followed the winding course of the wash for a mile or so. The rain the previous few days had washed the trail clean, safe for some wild-animal hoofprints and the footprints of one lone hiker. The trail was beautiful, and were were enjoying the solitude. An occasional trail sign assured us that we were on the right path. About a mile up the wash, the trail (marked with a sign) led up and to the right. The trail led up and out of the wash, and then wound through some clay hills that reminded me remarkably of the Painted Hills in Oregon. […]