Aperture

NEW SITE!

2010-10-20T17:07:00.005-04:00

Aperture has moved to http://www.mbuchholz.com, so click to follow me to the new site: New England Photography Blog.

The new site is under serious construction still (it is very hard to launch a new website while still maintaining a daily photoblog), but check in there daily for new shots. Let me know of any glitches/issues with the site (Note: I am aware of and working on the issue whereby some of the pictures only display in a small thumbnail size. It will take a while to fix).

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Memorial Bridge; Portsmouth, NH

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2010-10-10T21:30:00.001-04:00

Mt. Carrigain (4700')

2010-10-09T21:24:00.002-04:00

Foliage of the White Mountains

Carrigain's ridge looking up to the viewing platform

U.S. Geological Survey Carrigain Summit Marker

Viewing platform on summit of Mt. Carrigain

Terrified of heights, standing on a platform 50' the air that is swaying in the 70mph gusts

Two other hikers that had camped out and beat me to the summit at 9am

2010-10-08T06:37:00.000-04:00

2010-10-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

Creepy Self-Portrait Day

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Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe, California

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Layla

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Afton, Wyoming

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Mt. Adams / Mt. Madison

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Lincoln

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Hoover Dam

2010-09-19T20:32:00.000-04:00

Idaho and a little Montana

2010-09-18T21:16:00.000-04:00

After leaving Yellowstone, I briefly drove through Montana. I think I need more time in this state because my experience there was confusing; I'm sure it was just the one town I stopped in, but the few people I talked to all had different -- seemingly foreign -- accents, yet claimed to be locals. The fact that one of them sounded like Crocodile Dundee yet said he lived in the town his whole life was very unexpected. The town itself was also a mix between cheap boardwalk arcade and wild west ghost town. The landscape, however, was amazing.

I spent most of the day traveling through Idaho, which was quite similar to Montana - absolutely beautiful but not much else to see. While most of the state seemed to just be one big farm in the constant state of being watered, I did come across the Idaho Potato Museum. To summarize: "The Idaho Potato Museum provides a complete information on potato history...trivia and educational potato facts. You can also view the world's largest potato chip...Gift Shop offers almost any potato gift imaginable including potato ice cream, potato fudge, t-shirts, and, of course, fresh Idaho potatoes. Admission includes a free potato gift." I didn't take the tour despite the potato ice cream.

Given all the backroads, naturally I seized the opportunity to finally take the rental car off-road. It handled poorly. Very poorly, in fact, maintaining little traction and not having good enough suspension for even the smallest of jumps. I'm exaggerating. But only a little.

Also, for the first time in my life, I found myself welcoming the influx of insects I had encountered since heading north from Utah. See, early on in the trip I had chipped my windshield while attempting to maximize my gas efficiency by minimizing my life expectancy and drafting-off an 18-wheeler. I had spent much of the last couple of days trying to figure out how to cover up that crack so I wouldn't have to pay to fix the windshield. The insects gave me the perfect (and cheap) solution. My rule of thumb: any time you hit a bug, turn on the windshield wipers. By the time I left Idaho, my windshield was a smear of thick paste and remarkably difficult to see out of.

Yellowstone National Park

2010-09-17T16:42:00.002-04:00

Continued on to Yellowstone after Grand Teton. Given the park is over 3,000 sq. miles and extends into three states, I only traveled through a small portion of it. While I was surprised to find much of the park a little underwhelming (beautiful, untouched land sure, but nothing overly unique from what I saw back home), it was hard not to be impressed when I finally reached the Geyser Basin.

Snake River winding down towards Grand Teton in the distance

Yellowstone was the first national park in the world, and sits on the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest super-volcano in North America. It is considered active and, based on previous cases, is actually past-due to erupt again.

Firehole Lake Drive

To give a sense of scale, Mount St. Helens left a crater of approximately 2 square miles when it last erupted. Yellowstone Caldera is 1500 square miles. When Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, its ash was detectable over 20,000 square miles away. The last eruption of Yellowstone (considered a smaller eruption), ejected 8,000 times the ash and lava of St. Helens.

Old Faithful Geyser erupting

Great Fountain Geyser

Firehole Lake Drive

Day VIII: Grand Teton Nat'l Park

2010-09-16T01:01:00.008-04:00

Driving through Wyoming was utterly beautiful. My only requests for my next visit would be to consider the idea of actually using radio to broadcast music, adding cell phone reception at least sporadically, or even to just consider having one restaurant opened past sundown.

A passing storm at sunset in Wyoming

I made it into the hotel at about 10:30 pm local time and quickly gained an understanding for the reason this particular place was marked down 35%. I'll start by admitting that it was an improvement over my living situation in Utah, where I slept clothed--not only for fear of the cleanliness of the dingy room--but also to keep all the flies from landing on any exposed skin. It also appeared that previous tenants had used the hotel carpeting to relieve themselves, and judging by the appearance of the bathroom itself, I find it hard to blame them.

While the place in Wyoming didn't have the bug problem, it also didn't have a working heater/AC unit, phone, tv, bedroom lighting, hot water, or the internet connection they promised me. The complex was clearly seasonal, and was just opening up for the winter tourists they'd host for skiing. Judging by the smell of the room, this place hadn't been touched in six-months.

I got up for sunrise yet again, and was surprised to find that half the town apparently lines-up outside a local breakfast joint everyday, trying to be the first to get a seat when they open at 6am. I guess I'd need to live in a small, remote town to understand.

Compared to where I was yesterday, the difference between the daily high temperatures was 50-degrees. I was set-up for about 45-minutes to get this shot, both waiting for the fog to clear and for the lighting to become just right. It was well-worth the wait.

Lessons Learned: When visiting Wyoming, rent an American-made truck. It wasn't until about thirty-minutes after crossing the border that I finally spotted another foreign-made vehicle. It took even longer to find one that was a sedan.

The highest peak reaches to over 13,000 feet

Day VII: Moab

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Day VI: Glen Canyon

2010-09-14T00:12:00.003-04:00

Drove through parts of Arizona and Utah today, pushing my fear of heights to the limit by laying on a rock slab sticking-out over from the top of Horseshoe Bend to get a shot straight down 1,000 feet. Check back later for more shots from today (assuming I am not sleeping in my car somewhere tonight or can't get on the internet).

Day V: Las Vegas

2010-09-13T23:45:00.001-04:00

I never would have imagined actually liking Vegas but--for a short trip--it was totally awesome. Take away the drugs and hookers and it's just Disney World for adults. I walked ten miles, wielding beers in one hand and a camera in the other before I had to drag myself out and on to the next stop.

Highlight of the trip would be an older gentlemen in a motorized wheel chair shouting, "Woooooo Wooooooooo!" at any convertible that drove-by. Runner-up would be when one very drunk man repeatedly walked back-and-forth between Spiderman and Batman, desperately trying to get the two superheros into a fight.

Bellagio Orchestrated Water Show

Marilyn Monroe posing for pictures. I told her she was smaller than she looked in the pictures. Apparently, saying such a thing to a 'little person' is in bad taste.

Prada

Miniature Eiffel Tower

Prada II

The Mirage Casino entrance-way

The Gauntlet. Dozens of men & women line the sidewalk handing out calling cards for 'women within 20 minutes'

Las Vegas Blvd traffic

Day IV: Vikingsholm at Lake Tahoe

2010-09-12T03:25:00.001-04:00

Made a short off-road trek today by Emerald Bay on Lake Tahoe to see Vikingsholm, a 38-room castle built in 1929. The building shows off classic Scandinavian architecture, and is surrounded by towering cedars and pines, while sitting between steep granite cliffs and the water front.

Vikingsholm; South Lake Tahoe, CA

Day III: San Francisco

2010-09-11T11:24:00.000-04:00

Actually didn't take too many pictures today in San Francisco. Just went to the beach, walked around, and enjoyed the town. Failed to get close enough to the site of the San Bruno gas explosion (which destroyed nearly 50 homes) to capture any worthwhile pictures.

Day II: Hiking

2010-09-10T10:51:00.001-04:00

Freel Peak (10,881'), Job's Sister (10,823'), and Jobs Peak (10,633').

Day I: Yosemite

2010-09-09T01:23:00.005-04:00

Travel Day

2010-09-08T11:08:00.003-04:00

Apparently I don't travel as well as I used to. My day started with nearly missing my flight because, despite being early to my gate, I became entranced with all the different food options lining the terminal, and like a child separated from a nirvana of candy by just a thin piece of glass, I found my face pressed up to the window of each, drooling with anticipation over all the possibilities. It wasn't until I heard the words, “last call to Dulles. We are closing the doors momentarily,” that I snapped out of it.

Matters only got more complicated when I arrived in Dulles and found my cell phone decided that a life of servitude to me was a life it no longer wanted to be a part of. Given the dependency on my phone for maps, sights, hotels, food, gas, and all else, a dead phone wasn't exactly the best way to start the trip.

I boarded the next plane with a liter of water. I still have absolutely no idea how I managed to do this, but the first thing I did when I got to my seat was somehow hit the cap in such a way that it became entirely unscrewed and that whole liter of water went everywhere, completely drenching me in the process. I was in shock. The previously nice couple that I was sitting next to was in shock (they would have nothing to do with me the rest of the flight). Everyone else was just staring. It was very hard not to laugh.

Lessons Learned:

After traveling for 18-straight hours--sick and with little food all day--mountain biking 9-miles up an 8,000 foot mountain without being acclimated, on a bike where only a third of the gears worked (and barely worked at that), and with brakes that were stuck partially engaged the entire way was probably pretty stupid.

It was pretty awesome too.

Jet Engine up-close

Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion

2010-09-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

The Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion was the 40-room house that was the home/office/farm of Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth, son of Lieutenant-Governor John Wentworth. It's a National Park and National Historical Monument.

2010-09-06T08:26:00.002-04:00

Tripyramids

2010-09-05T21:58:00.001-04:00

Definitely a hike that gives me a new appreciation for the term 'slide' when describing a trail. I'll try to break free of all my black & white shots of late, but for the time being, here's some more...

South Slide

A hiker who would soon be disappointed when he realized he was not near the summit

North Slide trail

Isles of Shoals - Star Island

2010-09-04T16:10:00.001-04:00

The Isles of Shoals are a group of small islands approximately ten miles off the Atlantic cost, split between the boundary lines of Maine and New Hampshire. The islands used to be seasonal fishing camps used by Native Americans before being settled by European explorers in the early 1600s. I took a boat out to the second largest land mass, Star Island, and toured 46 acre religious and conference center that it is today.

Star Island Art House

Overlooking Gosport Harbor to Appledore Island

Looking over towards White Island Light

The Star Island Fire Station

2010-09-03T19:40:00.001-04:00

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Air Show: Part II

2010-09-01T19:30:00.000-04:00

Air Show: Part I

2010-08-31T20:51:00.000-04:00

I'm still incredibly back-logged on pictures so I'm going to separate the air-show into a separate posts while I try to get caught-up. Try to guess the theme of the first installment...

Presidential Range Hike (cont.)

2010-08-30T21:41:00.001-04:00

So like any idiot, I decided the best thing to do while recovering from illness was to do an 11-hour hike across the Presidential Range, tagging Mt. Monroe, Mt. Washington, Mt. Clay, and Mt. Jefferson before turning back. In addition to the shot posted yesterday, some pictures from the trek are below:

The famous cog-railway up to the summit

At one point, hikers were taking pictures of the cog boxcar while passengers on-board were taking pictures of us hikers

The trails were well-kept

Looking up to the summit of Mt. Washington from the route up Clay

2010-08-29T22:57:00.002-04:00

Prandtl-Glauert Singularity

2010-08-28T22:16:00.000-04:00

Check back later for more, but for the time being, here is a vapor cone forming around an F/A-18 Super Hornet as it nears the speed of sound.

Blue Angels Practice

2010-08-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

Still trying to get better but was completely unable to sleep Thursday thanks to the constant roar of F/A-18s flying over my house while the Blue Angels practiced at a nearby airfield. Took a back-road to a field overlooking their runway which put me directly beneath them the whole time.

That is a flock of birds they are flying directly into...

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Sunflower Field

2010-08-18T17:01:00.000-04:00

This makes for a very long 24 hours, especially after I made it to this field only to find all the sunflowers dying.

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We found a baby squirrel at a friend's pig roast which appeared to have been separated from its mother. It didn't roam far from its new homemade bed (fashioned out of a paintball box and cut-up t-shirt, complete with food dishes made out of soda bottle caps).

First thing it did was bite me to determine if I was edible. After that it tried to crawl up my pant leg to get to know me better. This marked the exact moment that the nearby onlookers decided their young children had seen enough and briskly shuffled away.

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Read/Write Head of a Hard Disk

2010-08-10T21:52:00.001-04:00

2010-08-09T22:13:00.004-04:00

Still no time... here is another shot from one of the storms in Nebraska.

2010-08-08T20:08:00.000-04:00

Absolutely no time for photography today; hopefully more time this week.

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New Rule...

2010-08-03T06:01:00.004-04:00

New Rule: IQ tests are required for anyone trying to purchase spray-paint.

...Well, good thinking. It's also going to cost you another $1,000 when it dawns on you that you just spray-painted every surface of your truck in a rainbow of colors. Any local kids who miss the "20 foot" part of that are also balling their eyes out when they see the local rednecks are gunning for their Santa Claus again.

The only thing that would make this better is if this isn't that guy's truck to begin with, and next week there is another vehicle parked next to it reading, "$1000 reward for the arrest & conviction of the @$$hole who spray-painted my truck."

The Wildcats in B&W (mostly)

2010-08-02T21:41:00.007-04:00

Didn't really see anybody out until late in the afternoon.

Well, that's not entirely true...

I was about four hours into the day, peacefully reading on a ledge. Birds and butterflies were flying about me, the sun was beaming down, warming my tired spirit, and there wasn't a single sound disturbing the peace in the air.

Suddenly, I heard a small rustle behind me.

Then some twigs cracked. Alarmed, the birds had grown silent and flown to higher ground.

Then I heard what could only be described as an explosion of incoherent grumbling as the forest behind me was being completely annihilated. I stumbled (cutting my leg) before jumping up--positive I was about to be rudely introduced to my first bear--only to find an utterly defeated (semi) thru-hiker who had emerged out of nowhere.

His rugged appearance and inability to maintain contact with a clearly marked trail practically demanded his first line to be an exhausted, "what year is it?!" Instead, eyes glazed and speaking only in a cracked whisper, he recited the phrase, "what were we thinking" about ten times, cushioning each recital with as much profanity as his drained lungs could pour out. I'll add that he was alone and I never ran into anyone the rest of the day that would prove the use of 'we' to be correct. That said, his pack was really nice, and considering mine broke and I had used rope and tape to tie it onto my back, I was quite jealous.

By the time I backtracked to the 4th and 5th peaks of the Wildcats, I ran into the tourist trap one would expect on a mountain aided by the convenience of a Gondola - people shuffled out of the vessel, rushed a picture of themselves to mark their achievement, and then jumped back on to ride down the mountain with such pleasantries as air conditioning and tinted windows.

When I emerged from the woods--walking directly through the crowd, covered in mud, blood, and with a backpack taped and tied to my body--I could feel all their eyes turn towards me as a stillness suddenly flooded the air. I imagined them whispering to each other, "You mean, he actually walked up here? But...but...how? And why!?!? I can't even send a text message - there's no signal!"

I wonder what hiking will be like in 50 years...

I almost stepped on a squirrel. Woulda been a first for me.

Relaxed and read on cliff-face looking over to Carter

Eventually found my way out of the woods for a clear view of Mt. Washington

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I'm kind of glad I didn't expose this correctly -- it's terrifying enough without better clarity

2010-07-25T07:49:00.001-04:00

Gondola and telephone wires extending over the water to The Nubble Lighthouse in Maine

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I know, another sunset post

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University of New Hampshire

2010-07-14T07:33:00.001-04:00