Erich's Photo and Travel

 Well, Israel is a bust this year too... Time to visit the family via a road trip. We figure it will take two days of driving to reach California.  Of course we will make planned stops along the way. First stop, Antelope Valley State Park in Utah.  Only a hour drive from Salt Lake City. From Top to Bottom: Buffalo Wide Angle Shot of the Lake Infrared Photo of the Plains Infrared Photo of the Lake We spent a lot of time there shooting the buffalos (with cameras) but we were loosing light fast.  Major flying insect invasion.  Sounded like rain when driving. Next stop, Bonneville Salt Flats, UT Not much to say here other than it is fun as fuck to drive at 110 mph here. Back in the car and headed out to the Bay Area.  We decided to stay in Suisun City for the first two nights so we could visit with mom before heading out to the Wine Country. The Hampton Inn in Suisun City (infrared photo) After we visited with mom, we headed out to our next adventure, Safari We...

 Yes, I bought a new camera.  The new and improved Fuji XT-4.  The XT-4 is FAR superior than it's predecessor (XT-3) in all aspects.   You can blame Michelle for converting me to Fuji. Now, I must say, I didn't' blatantly spend money on this camera without having a plan. I sold my Nikon Z6 and associated lenses which more than paid for the Fuji.  I can honestly say that I feel good about buying the new camera.  The only regret that I have is that I didn't ask for more money on the Fuji "kit lenses" that Michelle and I had (27mm).  Fuji has NO stock on any of their lenses and I could have made a killing on the lens.  They both sold within minutes of posting them on eBay.  Dammit! So, you may be asking yourself what the fuck that this has to do with the RMANWR?  A test drive on the new camera.  Michelle was kind enough to let me "borrow" her Fuji 100-400mm lens.  Possession is 9/10 of the law.  It is now my possession. ...

Another attempt at Astrophotography gone up in smoke.   Thank you California for the ruining our Wyoming weekend.  Don't worry, we will be visiting soon and will definitely leave a mark on your ass. The smoke was so bad in Wyoming.  Thick, grey and disgusting. Of course, this didn't stop people from going to one of our favorite spots in Wyoming.  Medicine Bow National Forest.   We dressed for 60 degree weather.  We didn't expect 35 degree weather with fog and blustery wind.  Glad we packed additional clothes (hats, gloves, scarfs etc). I am ahead of myself.  The day excursion to Medicine Bow was the second day.   We spent the first day at the Wyoming Territorial Prison to visit relatives.  Ha...the prison is now a park.  The prison's most famous prisoner was Butch Cassidy.  The only prison that Butch was incarcerated in.  Pretty good for career criminal. We spent most of the day at the prison.  Historical Prisons will...

 Armed with out cameras and big ass lenses, we set out to take a few morning shots of wildlife at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal and Wildlife Refuge in Aurora, CO. The refuge is FREE.  Woo Fucking Hoo! We managed to catch a few shots of Blue Herons, Egrets, bunny rabbits and even a fisherman (extremely rare in the wild).

 Finally, due to the ease of the COVID19 restrictions in Colorado, we were able to attend a photo workshop for photographing birds of prey. Mike's Camera in Denver, CO puts this annual event on their calendar and we quickly signed up. Hawk Quest is a non profit company that takes in injured and sick birds of prey and nurses them back to health.  Unfortunately due to their injuries, they will never be released into the wild. Both Michelle and I have tried our best to get close to the various eagle nests in our immediate area without success. Today, success was made, photographed and logged.   American Kestrel American Bald Eagl Owl Harris Hawk We Rule!

 Denver has officially lifted its Mask Mandate for fully vaccinated people while outdoors!  I still feel a bit weary about this especially since this mandate is based on the honor system. Well, what do we have to loose right?  Head outdoors to the Denver Botanic Gardens for a bit of sunshine while it lasts today. We got to the gardens at 0900 and the really wasn't a lot of people there.  That soon changed.   People everywhere.   Just because the mask mandate has been lifted doesn't mean you can block the sidewalks, or social distance to some extent.   After just three shot hours, we got sick of the people and headed home.   Most of the above photos were taken using my Olympus 12-100mm lens (which totally kicks ass by the way) and my 60mm macro lens without a tripod.  I rule.  You know it so you don't have to verbally acknowledge it.