Heartland Road Tour

Yep. That’s us out there in the middle of…

As evidenced by the worn cattle trail, we were parked next to the only water for further than the eye can see.  Muddy as it was, the cows knew where it was and I’m sure were happy it was there.

This is a spot where I pulled off the road to make camp for the night. We were on The Great Western Trail at Grand Staircase – Escalante, a 1.9 million acre national monument in Southern Utah.  I’m not certain but I think I heard Maynard G. Krebs in the middle of the night say “Like nowhere, man!”.

Sagebrush and red dirtWe saw a lot of sagebrush and red dust in Utah.

Heartland Road Tour

Cinco de Mayo in a wheat field

Dog and I were rolling West when I decided to take a break at this winter wheat field in Nebraska.

Cinco de Mayo in a Nebraska Winter Wheat fieldWe passed the time chatting with the property owner and his dog.  Sitting on his tailgate talking about Nebraska while the dogs explored was the perfect way to get off the road and relax.

His master's voice

Heartland Road Tour

Not much happening in Stratton NE

Not a lot was happening when I drove through Stratton Nebraska on May 5th.  I have a feeling that every day is equally quiet and peaceful in this town of 343 people that covers less than half a square mile.

Stratton began life as a depot for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad in 1881.

Stratton NE

 

Heartland Road Tour

Idaho is more than potatoes

I crossed Idaho a couple times during the HeartLand RoadTour Rewind.  I have to say that they grow more than potatoes.  I saw miles and miles of barley growing.

It seems that Anheuser Busch has a substantial investment in Idaho barley.

Idaho BarleyAll of a sudden I was thirsty!

Heartland Road Tour

Respite on the Snake River in Idaho Falls

The dog and I had put in a lot of miles on this particular day.  I’d targeted the town of Idaho Falls as our stopping place for the night.  My research said that they have a Walmart that allows overnight parking.  Because I arrived early in the afternoon, I drove around until I found a place to hang out and relax for awhile.  No need to get to Walmart before bedtime.

The Snake River flows right through town and they’ve build a lovely park along it. I parked the RV and the dog and I went and sat by the river beneath the shade of a tree.  The dog went swimming and I sat with my feet in the water, enjoying a Ybor City cigar.

I watched these two girls ride their bicycles through the park and stop not far from where we were sitting.  One was a bit of a tomboy who jumped up and grabbed a cable that supported a water pipe that spanned the river. Hand over hand she worked her way out over the river where she swung back and forth a few times before returning to shore.

After a few minutes they sat beneath a tree and opened a paper bag one of them had been carrying.  Out came bagels and cream cheese.  The pair of them looked as if they didn’t have a care in the world.

Bagel on the Snake River

Snake River Pipeline

Idaho Falls Park

It was a lovely spot to unwind and take a break.

Heartland Road Tour

The early bird catches the sunrise

If you are up very early and you are in the right spot you will see the peaks of the Tetons light up pink.

I shot this at 04:45 early in June.  It was awesome to see the peaks turn from to scarlet to pink and then to white inside of just a few minutes.

Tetons sunrise

Heartland Road Tour

It was spiritual

The experience of standing in the very same spot and photographing this very same scene as Ansel Adams was both thrilling and spiritual at the same time.

Ansel's viewThe Grand Tetons are magnificent from any viewing angle.  They are certainly worth visiting if ever you are in the area.

Events

Streaking the Milky Way. 

Once in a while I don’t have to travel very far to snap a photograph.

For this one, I walked out of my kitchen, coffee in hand and stepped onto my back deck. I’m fortunate that we do not have a lot of light pollution here in the north Georgia mountains.

11mm, ISO 5000, f/2.8, 20 seconds. Nikon D740 and Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8
I find it interesting that the Nikon D750 recorded those colors in the trail of the meteorite. Perhaps it was due to the high ISO noise reduction or maybe the long exposure noise reduction. Both of which which I had turned on. Or maybe it was the combination of both? I will have to do some research.

Heartland Road Tour

Rest Stop – somewhere in Montana

Somewhere along a dusty two lane highway in Montana I decided it was time to stop to stretch my legs and grab a bite to eat.

The town was a block long and the only remaining open establishments I could see were the café, saloon, power company, library (only open certain afternoons) and a hardware store.

However, the Beer was cold and the burger was good.

Rest Stop