Travelling Photographer

Japan Tour 2025 Day #1

We had an early flight out of MCO so we stayed at an airport hotel the night before our flight. Our first surprise was not seeing a TSA Pre Check on our tickets – we didn’t realize our global entry expired – for this trip, there were no TSA lines nor global entry on our return home. Need to do better planning. The second surprise was trying to leave DFW for Tokyo – several first-class seat belts were not working (they did not send the required code allowing the plane to depart) – 45-minute delay in departure.

All ends well our room in Tokyo has a picture window with an outstanding view of the Sky Tree Tower.

March 24, 2025 8

February 2025 – A Good Hiking Month

I purchased a new camera and decide to do some hikes to try to learn it and hopefully improve my photography skills.

The Bluffton Interpretive Trail is a 1.2-mile loop located in the Lake George State Forest near Astor, Florida. It’s an easy trail, and is perfect for birding, camping, and fishing. The trail is open year-round and offers a peaceful experience with minimal crowds. However, dogs aren’t allowed on this trail. The trail features interpretive markers that provide insights into the area’s natural and historical significance. There’s also a boardwalk leading to a fishing pier.

De Leon Springs State Park, located in De Leon Springs, FL, is a destination with over 6,000 years of cultural and natural history. The park features a recreational swimming area with crystal-clear 72-degree spring water, trails through lush subtropical forests, and a fascinating history tied to the Mayaca Indians and early settlers. Unfortunately do to recent hurricanes the main trails were only partially open but still enjoyable. The park also offers a unique experience at the Old Sugar Mill Pancake House, where you can make your own pancakes at the table.

Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve is a natural area located in Port Orange, Florida. It spans over 1,600 acres and offers a variety of outdoor activities, including hiking, kayaking, birdwatching, and fishing. The preserve is named after Doris Leeper, an artist and environmentalist who played a significant role in its conservation. One of the highlights of the park is the 536-foot-long boardwalk that leads to an observation tower, providing breathtaking views of the surrounding wetlands and Spruce Creek. There are also several trails, such as the Creekside Trail and the Spruce Creek Trail, which showcase the area’s diverse ecosystems.

Welaka State Forest, located in northeastern Florida along the east bank of the St. Johns River, is a beautiful natural area offering a variety of outdoor activities. It spans over 2,287 acres and features diverse ecosystems, including river swamps, pine flatwoods, and sandhills. Visitors can enjoy hiking, birdwatching, fishing, and even horseback riding, as the forest includes an equestrian campground with facilities. One of the highlights is Mud Spring, which flows clear spring water into a half-mile spring run that connects to the St. Johns River. The forest also has over four miles of river frontage, providing scenic views and opportunities for wildlife observation.

Looking forward to our next adventures in Richmond VA. and a tour of southern Japan.

March 12, 2025 11

Valentines Day Weekend 2025

We spent a long Valentines Day weekend exploring Thomasville GA, staying at a southern plantation, playing a round of golf, enjoying several top-notch meals, and visiting another plantation. Thomasville GA is about 4 hours from home so a reasonable get-away.

Thomasville is home to several historic plantations that offer a glimpse into the region’s past and provide beautiful settings for various events and activities.

One notable plantation is Pebble Hill Plantation. This 3,000-acre property was transformed from a working farm into a winter home and shooting plantation for the Hanna family of Cleveland, Ohio, in the late 1800s. Today, it is a popular destination for visitors, offering tours of the main house and grounds, as well as hosting unique events such as the annual Pebble Hill Polo Classic.

Another prominent plantation is South Eden Plantation (where we stayed). This family-owned and operated estate spans 38 acres and offers a variety of services, including luxury accommodations, wedding venues, and dining events. South Eden Plantation is known for its beautiful historical property and unique events like “Dining Under the Stars” and live music nights.

Downtown Thomasville, Georgia, is a delightful area that captures the essence of small-town charm. The main drag, Broad Street, is paved with bricks and dotted with boutique shops, restaurants, and local businesses like family-owned jewelry shops and even a drugstore that still lets you charge to your house tab.

Downtown Thomasville:

Pebble Hill Plantation:

February 19, 2025 7

February 12, 2025 – Art Imitates Life – Ormond Beach Public Art Sculpture Tour

We had a great evening with friends exploring Ormond Beach and its Public Art Sculpture Tour. The Arts District exhibited works by Seward Johnson. Johnson, also known as John Seward Johnson II, was an American artist renowned for his life-size bronze statues that depict people engaged in everyday activities. His works are known for their hyper-realistic style and meticulous attention to detail. Johnson’s sculptures often capture ordinary moments, making them relatable and engaging for the public.

He was the founder of Grounds For Sculpture, a 42-acre sculpture park and museum located in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, New Jersey. This park showcases a wide array of sculptures, including many of Johnson’s own works, and has become a significant cultural landmark.

Johnson’s art has been exhibited internationally and is included in numerous private collections, museums, and public art collections. His approach to sculpture brought art from the museum to the public square, making it accessible and enjoyable for people from all walks of life.

Captured: Nice to see you: Special Delivery:

Bunnies don’t bite: The Search: Monet, Our visiting artist:

Other views of the Artist:

Embracing Peace: Yuck, Go Fetch: Wine, Food and Thou:

Photo Shoot:

Other Ormond Beach Sights:

February 16, 2025 8

Orlando Wetlands – November 2, 2024

I headed back to one of my favorite places for some hiking and photography. The day started out overcast, but halfway through the hike, it decided to turn into a monsoon. Even though wet and muddy it was still a fine trip.

November 6, 2024 9

2024 Cross Country Trip #11

Palo Duro Canyon State Park – The second largest canyon in the country lies in the heart of the Texas Panhandle. Palo Duro is a canyon system of the Caprock Escarpment. As one of the largest canyons in the United States, it is roughly 25–40 mi long and has an average width of 6 mi, but reaches a width of 20 mi at places. It was formed by millions of years of water erosion by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River and the West Texas wind. With a descent of some 800 feet to the canyon floor and more than 16 miles of paved road, Palo Duro Canyon State Park offers fantastic scenic views, historic sites and markers, miles and miles of hiking and biking trails.

Cloudland Canyon State Park – Located on the western edge of Lookout Mountain, this is one of the most scenic parks in Georgia, offering rugged geology and beautiful vistas. The park straddles a deep gorge cut into the mountain by Sitton Gulch Creek, and elevation differs from 800 to 1,980 feet. The most spectacular view into the canyon is found along the West Rim Loop Trail a 5-mile hike which we took.

High Falls Waterfall – Just north of Cashiers, on the northern banks of Lake Glenville, the West Fork of the Tuckasegee River pours over a 100+ foot cliff, tumbling in a dramatic multi-tiered waterfall and plunging into a boulder-filled pool below. It’s one of North Carolina’s most beautiful falls.

We are now back in Florida and hope you enjoyed traveling with us. We visited 26 states and traversed over 11,000 miles visiting many new sights that we had missed on our 40 earlier trips across country. We still enjoy traveling the red and blue roads rather than Interstate highways. Stealing words from another traveler – keep on traveling – until next time be well.

October 6, 2024 12

2024 Cross Country Trip #10

City of Rocks gets its name from the volcanic rock formations found here. The park encompasses a one-square-mile area in the scenic Chihuahuan desert region of southwestern New Mexico at 5,200 feet. The “city” is a geologic formation of large, sculptured rock columns, or pinnacles, rising as high as 40 feet and separated by paths or lanes resembling city streets. These rocks were formed about 34.9 million years ago when a very large volcano erupted. Then, erosion over millions of years slowly formed the sculptured columns seen today, creating an otherworldly landscape. The rock formations at the park are so unique that they are only known to exist in six other places in the world.

Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument – For thousands of years, nomads used the caves above Cliff Dweller Creek as temporary shelter. In the late 1200s, people of the agricultural Mogollon (Southern Ancestral Pueblo) culture made it a home. They built rooms, crafted pottery, and raised children in the cliff dwellings for one or two generations. By approximately 1300, the Mogollon had moved on, leaving the walls behind. Five naturally eroded alcoves contain the homes of the Tularosa Mogollon. About 42 rooms were constructed from local stone. All wooden beams seen in the dwellings are the originals. Tree-ring dates range from the 1260’s through the 1280’s.

October 5, 2024 2

2024 Cross Country Trip #9

Heading east we spent two days traveling Arizona starting at Saguaro National Park. Tucson, Arizona is home to the nation’s largest cacti. The saguaro (suh-waa-row), the giant cactus, has been an iconic symbol of the American Southwest for ages. These majestic beings are easily recognized by their size and structure, sometimes reaching 50 feet tall.

Bisbee was once the largest city in Arizona, bolstered by a thriving mining economy. During almost a century of mining, 8 billion pounds of copper, 102 million ounces of silver, and 2.8 million ounces of gold along with millions of pounds of zinc, lead, and manganese were produced. By 1974 ore reserves had been depleted and December brought the announcement of the impending closure of mining operations in Bisbee. Phelps Dodge curtailed open pit operations that year and ceased underground operations in 1975.

Mosquitoes, flies and more can make a comfortable summer day very uncomfortable. Back in 1912, the community of Bisbee decided to gamify their bug response by offering rewards for the most avid flyswatters. After multiple outbreaks of typhoid, Bisbee, Arizona decided it was tired of these bugs showing up in significant numbers and making people sick. For the entire month of August 1912, the town encouraged residents to catch as many “advance agents of pestilence” end quote as they could. Whoever had smacked and/or caught the most flies at the end won a prize. That winner was Richard Phillips, who brought in around half a million former insects and won… ten bucks.

And if you are up for it the most unique physical fitness challenge (or friendly fitness walk) in the USA! Bisbee 1000 The Great Stair Climb is arguably one of the most unusual and challenging events in the world. The 4.5-mile course features nine staircases (over 1000 total steps) connected by winding roads.

Patagonia (the jewel of the Sonoita valley so says National Geographic Guide to Small Town Escapes —NOT) is a hamlet that rests between the Santa Rita Mountains and the Patagonia Mountains. Set among rich foothills, valleys, and towering trees, Patagonia has been called the “Jewel” because of its natural beauty. Since early days, Patagonia’s oak grasslands, at over 4,000 feet have provided excellent climate and terrain for cattle ranching, and the Patagonia Mountains, filled with rich ore bodies, have attracted miners. Too bad today it was a wasted 200-mile trip for us.

Tombstone AZ – otherwise known as the “Town too Tough to Die” is the home of the infamous Gunfight at the OK Corral, Boot Hill Graveyard, and the World’s Largest Rose Bush. Tombstone, AZ boasts of many shops, gunfight shows, re-enactments, and museums. Just a bad tourist attraction today.

Chiricahua National Monument is recognized for its rock gardens with pinnacles that reach hundreds of feet skyward. This is the homeland of the Chiricahua Apache, who relied on the natural resources in the area as far back as the 1400s. The stories of chiefs Mangas Coloradas and Cochise as well as medicine-man-turned-warrior Geronimo reverberate throughout the canyons here. Deer, bears, and mountain lions inhabit the area, and the annual sandhill crane migration is also impressive. The 8-mile Bonita Canyon Drive begins on the valley floor and rises into mountains where balanced rocks seem to defy gravity. The drive ends at Massai Point, the pinnacle of this amazing sky island with 360-degree views of the rock valleys below.

We hiked the Echo Canyon Loop starting at the Point –3.3-miles of connecting trails. The route winds through rock formations including the Grottoes and Wallstreet to the densely wooded Echo Park. Hailstone Trail is fairly level, and due to its southern exposure, hotter and dryer. You can see desert plants: yuccas, agave’s, prickly pear, and hedgehog cactus. Ed Riggs Trail takes you back to the trailhead among large pine trees.

September 30, 2024 0

2024 Cross Country Trip #8

We spent a week in California visiting with family and friends, but we still got some hiking and sightseeing.

Watson Lake – off the Tahoe Loop trail

Bodie Ghost Town – Bodie State Historic Park is a genuine California gold-mining ghost town. You can walk down the deserted streets of a city that once had around 2,000 structures and a population of roughly 8,000 people.

The town is named for W.S. Body (or Bodey), who had discovered small amounts of gold in the hills north of Mono Lake. In 1875, a mine cave-in revealed a rich vein of ore, which led to the buying of the mine by the Standard Company in 1877. People flocked to Bodie and transformed it from a town of a few dozen to a boomtown. In 1881, Bodie’s “bust” began and the town’s population declined drastically. The town’s population continued to decline until only a few remained. Mining officially ceased in Bodie in 1942, the final nail in the coffin for Bodie’s township. Two large fires in 1892 and 1932 reduced the town’s remaining structures down to less than 10% of the 2,000 structures that once stood.

Only a small part of the town survives. Interiors stayed as they were left and stocked with goods. Designated as a National Historic Site and a State Historic Park in 1962, the remains of Bodie are being preserved in a state of “arrested decay.”

Yosemite National Park – Yosemite National Park has the distinction of being the first scenic natural area to be set aside by the United States for public gain and appreciation of landscape beauty. Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove were the 1864 birthplace of the national park idea.

Shaver Lake – Shaver is hugged by pine forest in the granite-studded Sierra Nevada Mountains. Shaver is located up in the Western Sierra Mountains at about 5600 elevations outside Fresno California and is part of the Southern California Edison power project that feeds into the Big Creek power station.