Western Road Trip

Summer 2005: This road trip was one of my early favorites, and its photos were some of the first I actually liked.  In part one of this two part series, I capture stunning images of the Rocky Mountains, Columbia River, Salt Lake City, and Portland, Oregon.  I’ve also included what I consider to be one of America’s hidden treasures, Dinosaur National Monument, on the northern boundary of Utah and Colorado.  Designated as a National Monument in 1915 by Woodrow Wilson after the discovery of exceptional dinosaur fossil beds, Dinosaur also boasts stunning vistas courtesy its unique geological (and cultural) history.  Also included are two of Portland’s wonderful gardens, one Japanese, and the other, Rose.  Also, the trip wouldn’t have been complete without stopping by Staff Sergeant Graham Duke’s filthy Layton, Utah apartment.

Summer 2005: The second of this two-part gallery chronicles my adventures with Karen Tenenbaum and Kristina Caggiano through Oregon, California, and Nevada.  From Portland, we headed south along the Oregon coast, paying a visit to the noisily churning Devil’s Cauldron.  Still further south was Crater Lake where we captured some beautiful images of this, the deepest lake in the United States at a depth of 594 meters.  The next stops were Ashland, Oregon’s nonstop Shakespeare festival, the majestic redwoods of northern California, and San Francisco.  Major thanks go out to Karen’s cousin who let us crash for the weekend on her couch in the Noh Valley allowing us to explore the Mission district, Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, and much more.  Finally, after depositing Cagg and Karen on planes home, I drove through Lake Tahoe to the casinos of Reno, Nevada where I capped off the trip in winning fashion courtesy of pocket aces and a great full house draw!