Lost Images

After years of searching in vain for the lost images of my Eastward Bound trip from Bryce Canyon to Acadia, I hit upon the brilliant idea of scanning the images on the photo sheets I did for my Mom and Dad. The photo sheets were done on regular print paper, not photo paper, so the quality wasn't the greatest, but they're there. Also, I noticed that the quality that was there was that of a Polaroid, so I did a little research and found a site that could teach me (again) how to add the proper white area around the picture to achieve the proper Polaroid effect. I'd done this in an entry some time back and was totally jazzed, pledging to return and do it again someday when the opportunity presented itself. Well, here we are, right smack dab in the middle of opportunity, so here goes. This is Ol' Blue packed up and rearin' to hit the road, just outside of Bryce Canyon.


In a decision to avoid a possible snowstorm on the Kaibab Plateau near the Grand Canyon, I elected to take a different route than planned, but then missed the turnoff and ended up on the plateau after all and driving on snow-laden roads. (I did miss the storm, though.) The upside to this serendipitious little navigational error was getting to cruise past Rock Dwellers on Route 89A along the Vermillion Cliffs, a place established and settled during the Great Depression by Blanche Russell, a Ziegfield Follies dancer. She and her husband had been traveling west to settle down in someplace more suitable to his tuberculosis, when Fortune stepped up and left them stranded here due to car trouble. She liked it here so much, she and her husband decided to plant stakes and make a go of it. This is only one of several dwellings, all of which have long since been abandoned.


This is the interior of the Cliff Dwellers Lodge -- as opposed to the Cliff Dwellers Hotel down the road a ways -- and is pretty darned awesome, I think. This used to be a home, restaurant and gas station, and I would love to have seen it in its heyday. For more info and photos on this odd and fascinating place, check out the Arizona Central website by clicking on the link below.

Cliff Dwellers

In another nearly disastrous turn, I was cruising through Gallup, NM, after sundown that first day and wondering where I was going to spend the night. Money was tight and I had planned to camp at the State Park in Santa Rosa, but it was dark and windy and frigid, so I decided to grab some coffee and stay nice and warm driving in Ol' Blue on through the night. Fate once again reared its head, though, and showed me something no one ever wants to see on a road trip, especially on a windy wintry night -- a little light on the dashboard saying ENGINE. After pulling over and opening the hood, the billowing white vapor leaping merrily into the 20 mph 18-degree wind confirmed what the little light said: That's all, folks. Thanks to my cell phone and AAA, my car and I were towed the 25 miles back to Gallup, where Ol' Blue was left in the Pep Boys parking lot to await the necessary repairs and I was dropped off at a motel here on Route 66.


And here we are, at my little hideaway on the Mother Road, the Ambassador Motel. It was cheesy, to say the least, but at $19.95 per night, I couldn't argue with the price. It was quite fun, actually, staying in this little run-down motel on one of the most important roads in America, and I often wondered just who else might have stayed here in those days gone by. Anyone important, or just your normal everyday American family on a quest to adventure? I hope their adventure was less stressful than this one was becoming.


As a parting shot, I'll leave you with one of the more artistic images from the trip, this of the age-old patio chair sitting in the morning sun outside the motel's office. I've always loved these chairs and I'll bet this one has probably been here as long as the motel itself. I'm amazed that with two full days to spend here on Route 66 I didn't get out and explore more, to take in all the character I now know exists, but at that time I wasn't really into it like I am now. What a shame. Well, I guess I'll just have to go back, huh?

If you want to see all the "recovered" images from this trip, check out my Eastward Bound gallery on SmugMug by clicking the link below. (I'm afraid they won't have the Polaroid frames around them, though. Sorry.)

Eastward Bound

A Morning Visitor

Well, it was just another beautiful day in Acadia National Park this morning. After arriving at our new worksite on the East Face Trail of Champlain Mountain, I decided to scramble up the trail a ways to a clear spot and take a few quick shots of the awesome approaching cloud bank I espied on our way to work. The clouds and lighting were enough on their own, really, but what should happen by at this particular time? A cruise ship, and a pretty good-sized one, at that. I had to wait until it moved into just the right position and lighting (of course), but I think it was well worth the wait. A very nice way to start the day, I think.

Legomaniac Strikes Again

You know how sometimes you just can't help yourself? Well, the urge hit me again the other day to build another wacky and improbable airplane from my Odd Duck file. This airplane is called and Autostable and was built in 1913 by persons unknown to the person posting it on the 1000 Aircraft Photos website. It was such an ungainly thing and really posed some construction issues, but I thought What the heck? and had a go at it anyway.


Well, I tried. I managed to capture the essence of the original aircraft, but of course, it was not easy. The original stick landing gear was not meant to be, so I improvised and brought it more up-to-date, making it more like a current homebuilt aircraft. All in all, it really was a fun plane to build -- frustrating, but fun.


And here's a fly-by view just to give you a feel for the design. Actually, I really like this design, now that i"ve gotten it out of my head, and wonder just what it was like to fly this thing. Was it automatically stable, as the name suggests? I suppose we'll never know.


After putting the finishing touches on the Autostable, I got this grand idea in my head for a seaplane airliner, one with seats (or lounges) in its floats. I suddenly saw it all in my head and sat right down and got to work. I had planned to finish off the last Harry Potter book today, but some things are more important.


Here is a detail shot showing the regular seating in the fuselage behind the flight deck, and the lounge seating in the floats. The lounges are accessed through tunnels in the float supports coming from the fuselage, which are also the access ways while boarding the aircraft. Hard to see here.


And last, but not least, an aerial view to give you a look at the overall design as it might be seen from another aircraft over water. The window area in the aft section of the fuselage (beneath the starboard boom and just behind the flap) is -- get this -- an aerial conference room! No amenity was overlooked in this design, let me tell you.

Back on Isle au Haut

Hey, everybody! Well, I managed to make it out to the lovely little island of Isle au Haut once again before the season's out, and I actually took pictures of myself this time, too. (I got one comment on my Weekend In Vermont photo gallery something to the effect of, "140 pictures and not one of YOU???" So, I made it a point to point my little camera at myself a few times just to smooth the ruffled feathers. Some of them even came out okay, which is a rarity.


One of the huge bonuses of this trip is that it came during low tide, which forced the captain of the mail boat (the passenger-only ferry) to approach the Town Landing from the western entrance of the thoroughfare. This the first time I've come this way by boat, which necessitated a steaming by the Robinson Point lighthouse. I've always wanted to take a shot of it from the water, so this time I finally got the chance. Woo hoo!!!


On my two-mile trudge to the cabin from the Town Landing (a 40-lb pack and a tote bag of groceries will do that to you), I came across this island truck that has been here a very long time. I've never been pleased with any of the photos I've taken of it before, as I don't feel any of them did it any justice. This one is no exception. So, I thought, what if I capture some of the details of it, instead? Hmm . . .


Moving in even further, I was much impressed by the display of rust and the crinkled effect of the chrome headlight molding. Now the real character is beginning to show through. This is more like it.


Closer still, we see the true character in this shot -- me. I was trying to get the spider-web effect as the main subject, but the little camera's Macro mode didn't know that, so it focused on me. Oh, well, this was going to be a trip with self-portraits, anyway, so here's the first one. The best, in my estimation.


Another detail shot, this time on the truck hood's rust pattern. My photographer friend Alexa used the same type pattern in a shot of hers, but turned it upside down to give it an otherworldly effect. I tried it with this one, but it just didn't work out right.


Finally moving on, I arrived at the cozy little Eli Creek cabin just above Moore's Harbor, a bit tired and thirsty but happy as always to be here. (In a move to save on weight carried, I ran with empty water bottles and Camelback bladder. Bad idea) This is one of the big benefits of working here at Acadia, being able to use this little place as a getaway from it all.


The next item on the agenda was to head back into town to obtain the necessary essentials I didn't bring along -- "D" sized batteries for the cabin's zoom lantern, cleaning supplies, BEER -- available here at the Island Store. It would have saved me a bit more hiking to have done it on my way in, but the store wasn't open that time of the morning. Besides, I had enough to lug to the cabin without another bag of stuff.


And here we have it! Ah, a nice still-fairly-cool bottle of Tecate to go with all the other essentials of any decent camping trip: Cheetos, jerky, and Jack Daniel's. (This is actually the first bottle of JD I've bought in quite a while, but I figured the occasion warranted it.) Now, that's a lunch, folks!


I decided that since I was so intrigued with the details of the old island truck, it might be nice to show off some of the island's details, as well. I always show the grand views, but hardly ever the little things that catch my eye. This is a low-tide shot at Deep Cove -- the northern one (there are two on the island) -- which fascinated me, especialy the little cluster of barnacles.


I can't come to the island without stopping off at the little lone pine tree and paying my respects. I've been in love with this little tree (which isn't so little anymore) since I discovered it on my first trip out. It held me in awe then, and is a constant source of solace for me even now.


Some things can find a home in the most unlikely places. This little tree is making an effort to set up house in this little catch of a granite boulder. I didn't have the heart to tell it there wasn't enough soil to grow up to a full tree in, but it will be interesting to see it a few years down the road to see how it makes out. Good luck, little guy.


No, we didn't time-warp back to Little Moose Island, I just decided to dress up the Western Head trail by building a cairn a la the Little Moose ones. I didn't use the little pebbles and such to secure the stones on top of one another, so I hope it makes it.


Another curious thing I came across on my Western Head trek is this intrusion field, which at first I thought might be someone's spray-paint doings. Interesting stuff, as this is the only site for this phenomenon on the island -- at least as far as I can tell. Weird.


BOO!!! Boy, doesn't this look like something a kid might conjure up in his head on Halloween? Hmm . . . Didn't I see this same guy in Poltergeist? I may have to watch it again and see.


Okay, here's a little scene I'm quite proud of to hopefully settle any nerves that might have been jangled a bit by that last image. I know how some of you are. This is looking down the western approach to the town landing, the same one we came down when I shot the lighthouse shot. What a beautiful, peaceful morning, huh? Now you can see why I love this place so much.


Well, as this is getting kinda long and I'm going to put these images and lots, lots more in a photo gallery very soon, I'll leave you with the final sunset of my stay and say Thanks for checkin' in, and be sure keep your eyes on your Inbox. I'm off to fire up the new photo gallery and get to work. Catch ya later.