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"You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead
…
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home",

"Two of Us", Lennon–McCartney, 1969

Ron's Shadow on the Dempster Highway, NWT

There is nothing like getting home after a few months away. I sleep so deeply, so contently. I’m slowly going through the images. It will take a while. It never seems like I’m getting anything worthwhile during the trip. I’m always driven to find that illusive image, that trip defining moment that is a touchstone. As I pick the best images, my “keepers”, I’m finding a few surprises, images I didn’t think much of at the time. There will be a few photos that emerge as trip defining. I don’t think many will be more rewarding than the Aurora Borealis images from the Yukon

Northern Lights, Yukon

As hard as these trips are, traveling this way has been very productive. We keep trying to come up with a new way to do this. So far this is the best way for us. I’m not sure where our next trip will be. But I’m not in a hurry to be on a 3-month road trip again.

Old Church Saskatchewan

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, AB

Rainbow in Yukon

Train Tracks, Saskatchewan

Tangle Creek, Jasper, AB

Larson Homestead, Grasslands, SK

Manic Depressive

Travelling like this is tough both physically and mentally. Long hours of driving followed by hours of looking and photographing whatever we can find. There are times when I get frustrated. As a nature photographer you are at the mercy of the weather. I found this location in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park in the Kananaskis area of Alberta. I knew it was a great spot. I just needed some light. I was tired. We waited for quite awhile. There was nothing but clouds and dull light. We left and looked for bears. We didn’t find anything. As we drove south, the light hit the mountain and I knew I had missed it. I felt that sinking feeling. When you work this hard and miss it, it can play on your mind. I was about to call it a night. Lori quietly said, “We can go back and wait if you want”. And that’s just what we did. It started to rain but there was just a sliver of light. And then, it hit. Glorious light, rainbows and calm water.

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, AB

Rainbow in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, AB

As I shot at this small lake, we could hear Wolves howling close by.

I needed this - just a shot of energy at the right time. We often hit a wall three weeks into a trip. It is sometimes tempting to turn the van around and drive to the comforts of home. Hopefully this will get us over the hump.

Kananaskis is an area south of Banff. It seems a little wilder, a little more remote than the National Parks to the north. It is worth checking out if you get a chance.

Grizzly Bear