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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

No Expectations

Once we turn the van around and start heading for home, my shooting habits change a little bit. After shooting everyday for 10 weeks, you see things differently. I can afford to be picky about what I shoot. I can also just relax a bit and have some fun. I don’t have any expectations. I just shoot when I want and what I want.

Ron & the Milky Way

Shooting without purpose is fun. I just let my eyes make all the decisions.

Hodgeville, Saskatchewan

Mule Deer

Burrowing Owl

Cadillac Grain Elevator, SK

Quetico Provincial Park, ON

It’s been a great trip this year. We had many exciting moments. Sure, the driving and living out of a van can be tiresome but all that gets filtered out after a while. After 25,000 KM and shooting 32,000 images, it will be great to get home.

The Farm

Endangered

Three endangered species, 2 days, one flat tire. We spent 4 days in southern Saskatchewan.

Old Church Saskatchewan

We camped for 2 nights in Val Marie. Grasslands National Park is nearby and a wonderful place for photography.

Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan

We sat by the Prairie Dog Town looking for Burrowing Owls. We could spot up to 5 at any given time. Looked like 2 adults and 3 young. They kept to the far back of the dog town. I spotted an adult on a rock and drove down to get as close as I could. Still too far away. Sat for another 30 min. It finally flew to a closer rock and I was able to get a descent shot in nice light.

Burrowing Owl

I have always had trouble photographing Loggerhead Shrikes. Never seem to get them to stay put. I started seeing them at the road-side as we drove into south Saskatchewan. Tried several times to get a shot. They would always fly away just as I picked up the camera. Finally one stayed long enough for a few shots. Not the nicest scene but, it’s the best one I have so far. Just have to keep trying.

Loggerhead Shrike

As we drove out of Val Marie, the van indicated a low tire. We pulled off the road. I could hear the air leaking from the rear passenger side. We pack a full size spare so we changed the tire and drove on. We passed a rattlesnake in the middle of the road. I was careful not to hit it. Unfortunately, someone had already run it over. It was still moving so it had just happened. Sad to see it like that.

Prairie Rattlesnake

We will head west to Waterton National Park, Alberta next.

Prairie Light

Wood Mountain Grain Elevator - Click for larger

I felt a bit emotional. This is probably the last time I will see the grain elevator in Wood Mountain Saskatchewan. When I last photographed here it was 1998 and it was my first trip west. Back then I was using a big clunky Pentax 6X7 camera and shooting Fuji Velvia 50 film. I couldn’t see the images so didn’t know what I had until I got home and had the film developed. Looking at those images now I wish I had tried a few different angles and compositions. This time shooting digital I could see the results immediately and make adjustments. The light was wonderful. The sheep that were grazing around the elevator's base moved onto the unused train tracks behind me and stared, curious at just what I was doing. My viewpoint this time was very different. But it is sad to see how run down this grain elevator has become. It won’t last much longer. I try to stop and document as many of these old “prairie lighthouses” as I can.

We have been hugging the US border on our road trip. The Prairies have wonderful light and are alive with animals and birds. The landscape in the south is hilly and varied. I have always loved it here. You can stop the car and shoot for as long as you want. There is so little traffic. If someone does come along, they slow down and ask if you are okay.

Old Trucks in Saskatchewan - Click for larger

We camped in Grasslands National Park. It was hot and windy and we had some strong thunderstorms. There is often great light during and after a storm. This was no exception! Camping in the park meant we could just sit and wait for the rain to stop and the light show to begin. Simply wonderful!

Stormy Saskatchewan Dawn - Click for larger

Friendly Manitoba!

The trip is going nicely. We finally made our way out of Ontario. It’s such a big Province; it takes days to get to the northern border. As we approached Kenora, we drove through some flooded areas on the road and stopped in to take some photographs in Rushing River Provincial Park.

Rushing River Provincial Park - Click for larger

It rained so hard the night before we were happy to be in a motel.
We travelled to our friends Frieda and Dennis Fast’s place in Kleefeld Manitoba. Both are wonderful photographers. I had the pleasure of sharing a trip to the Seal River in northern Manitoba with the Fasts last November. (See previous posts) We arrived mid-afternoon and had a great visit talking non-stop through dinner. They took us for a drive through the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve and we photographed Western Prairie Fringed Orchids. It is the only place in Canada this endangered flower exists.

Western Prairie Fringed-Orchid - Click for larger

The next morning we got up early and worked the Tall Grass Prairie while Dennis and Frieda ran some errands. We dropped in to see Christie and Laura who work in the preserve, had a good chat and then headed back to have brunch with the Fasts. It was another good meal with endless conversation. They are such great hosts!

Our next major stop was the Chaplin/Morse area of Saskatchewan. This area off Hwy 1 is packed with birds and wildlife. We camped at Morse. This is not a quiet place to camp. It’s clean and well looked after but it’s right on the train tracks and the freight trains come through all night long with horns-a-blasting. Makes for interesting dreams though. I love working this area. There are not many people and you can work right from the car with little interruption from other vehicles. We see thousands of Avocets and some still are nesting.

Avocet on Nest - Click for larger

From Morse, we headed to The Great Sandhills of Saskatchewan. Unfortunately it was raining so hard and the roads were so wet, we didn’t get in to see them. We wanted to photograph this area again and we wanted to see the signs they put up using some of our images. If you have ever driven in Saskatchewan “Gumbo” you will understand why we didn’t risk the roads! Maybe we can drop in on the way back. On the way south from Leader, we stopped at this old one room schoolhouse - The St. John’s School Historical Site.

St. John's School Provincial Heritage Site - Click for larger

We continued on to Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta. It’s hot and buggy. Lots of mosquitoes! After getting a campsite we scout for the evening shoot. We do a hike after diner. It really is an interesting landscape but the bugs!

Hoodoos - Click for larger

We have decided to move on tomorrow. Too many bugs and too many screeching kids! We will head to Calgary to replace my ailing 24-105mm lens and then head to the Rockies.

Keeping a Journal

I was going through some stuff from our very crowded closet. I guess the only way to put it is - I’m a pack rat. Most of the stuff was junk but there were a few nuggets kicking around. Not that anyone else would find them interesting. But for various reasons I still value many of the things I have kept. Not the TTC transfer from 2003 or the faded gas receipt from 1999. No, those can go. So can the notebooks from college. But I came across some journal entries from previous years. Reading about what I was doing 20 years ago when I was at the beginning stages of my photography career is interesting to me!

Do you keep a journal? It's a wonderful way to bring back memories. I can smell and taste the place. The sounds, how I felt at the time, it all comes back to me when I read my journals. It's funny how many bug entries I make. Canada is a buggy place!

Journals or diaries can be very personal. Most of my entries are simply a record of where I was, what I encountered that day and a record of the weather. For a nature photographer this can be a great resource from year to year. What time of year did I photograph Orchids in Newfoundland? What was the weather like in Labrador in July? All I have to do is look it up in my journal. Sometimes if I'm alone or if I have had a bad day, writing down my thoughts can be very helpful. Just by writing things down, I seem to be able to deal with issues a whole lot better.

Road south across Reed Lake from Morse- Click

Here is a typical journal entry for me:

"Day 12 May 31st 2006 - Morse, Saskatchewan
Got up at 5a.m. and poked my head out of the tent. It's warm. Great light! Drove south of the Chaplin Lake area and looked for Owls. Found a young Great Horned Owl in a tree near a barn. Walked with the 500 over my shoulder. Tried to not make eye contact. I did the "walk sideways" thing until I could see it get uncomfortable. Got a couple shots before it flew."

Great Horned Owl - Click for larger

"Feel kind of self-conscious walking on private property. The house is abandoned but the barn is still in use. Light is still good so we head back to the lake and look for shore birds. Shot birds for a while and then worked a slough. Yellow Headed Back Birds, Eared Grebes, Ruddy Ducks filled my frame."

Male Ruddy Duck - Click for larger

"We eat some cereal in the van, no eggs. We are still hungry. On the way back to town I spotted a ground squirrel by the side of the road. Shot for a while. A second one showed up and then a third (see post "The Waiting Game"). Got some great shots this morning. The restaurant is closed, not sure why. We eat cheese and crackers. We make backups and pack up. We drive Highway 1 to Swift Current and pick up supplies. We then head up to Sask. Landing Provincial Park. I decided to take the night off but the light didn’t cooperate. I shoot landscapes until the light is gone."

Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park - Click for larger

The above is an example of a good day while on the road. Below is an example of a bad one from the same trip.

Saskatchewan Old Building - click

"Day 85, Aug. 12th 2006 – Grasslands National Park
Raining. We sleep in yet again. 5th day in a row we have woken up in a tent to the sound of rain. We get up, pack up and eat. It has finally cleared so we head into the park to look for (burrowing) owls. We see none. We drive east on Highway 18. I spot a Loggerhead Shrike but I can't get a (good) shot. I try every trick I know. Nothing. After 3 hours I give up."

Best I could get of a Loggerhead Shrike - It's an endangered species!

"I'm so tired and sleep deprived, I feel very depressed. I just want to find a beach by a lake and have some down time. There are only salt pools around here, no lakes or beaches. I need to make backups – it never ends. We drive north to Morse and get a campsite."

Reed Lake Golf Club in Morse - click

"I'm about to loose it. After a couple of beers I start to come around. Pushed it way too hard this time."

Ah, life on the road! Without the bad days, you can't really appreciate the good ones. After you're home for a few weeks, even the bad stuff is filtered. Funny how you only really want to focus on the good stuff... It’s only through my journal entries that I bring it all back to life.

Black-tailed Prairie Dog - Click for larger

Our tent at Muncho Lake - Click for larger

We are in the planning stage for a very big trip this year, maybe the biggest of our lives. Writing has become a very important part of my life. So both Lori and I will be writing on a daily basis during our trip and sharing our experiences with you as we go. More to come on that...

If you do not currently keep a journal, try it for a month. I bet you will be hooked for life!