where do I start
all roads lead away
with nowhere in sight
and everyplace to go
Soda Lake 9/23
The Idea
One might ask why I’ve decided to live in a van, guide people down the rivers of the West, wander the wilds taking pictures, and spend way too much time staring at rocks. It has a lot to do with being a commercial raft guide for two decades, the freedom of seasonal work in beautiful places with the people of the world. I love the opportunity to share the natural world with all kinds of people, but its awfully difficult to raft in the Rockies in January. Having never caught the snow bug, I prefer to spend my winters somewhere warmer, but I realized I still missed that sharing of ideas, facts, stories, and beautiful views. I think I’ve now found a way to continue to share no matter where I happen to be, and to share some moments and experiences that I find myself having alone. After picking up a hobby of photography a few years back, I’ve decided to finally share some of my shots, and gilt the images with some poetry, a personal story, or the occasional fact or scientific explanation. I have a tendency to research any area (especially the geology) that I may spend time in, and I look forward to making that knowledge accessible to the world. No matter how you want to Tag Along, from behind a desk, a phone, or tablet you are welcome to. I travel the West for the most part, and that will be my focus, although you may see some throw-back photos of my time in Costa Rica.
The Posts
Some will be just photos, others will be a mix of poetry, natural sciences facts with an emphasis on geology, photography hacks, and any other subject I may diverge off into. Some of the poetry is solely related to the images; sometimes they are the musings of a man who just can’t resist seeing what’s around the next hill, down the next river, over the next pass, down that dirt road, what’s with that sign, etc. I sometimes wonder if I make a good poet or photographer, but does it really matter? Besides, I figured someone might enjoy catching a hint of the siren song of the nomad life. I may from time to time quote others, but unless noted, all poems and photos are my creations. You may begin to notice that the posts don’t follow a chronological order, If anything they will seem to follow a meandering theme of beautiful places and how they got to be that way. The geology and natural sciences will slowly build on themselves, so that even if you know nothing of rocks, you will be able to follow later posts. My alternating apologies and thanks to all of my English teachers; this may be enjoyable, or a red pen hell. I’ll try to keep the facts and explanations basic and easily understood by all, and my sincerest apologies for any and all factual errors I may accidentally present. If you catch one, please be kind enough to educate me, I’m here to learn.
If you would like to receive an e-mail and Tag Along with every new post, you can subscribe here.
The Site
The site will always be a work in progress, my web design skills have atrophied a bit (last time doing this, 2002!). I wanted to start simple and see if there was interest, and also I sometimes see amazing information and photos marred by an attempt to use technology too much. Eventually I will have a better system for ordering photos, if there’s an interest, so keep an eye out for any changes. I hope you find that this site is worth your time, and constructive suggestions are always helpful.
NOTE: This site is best viewed on a laptop or other large screen, the photos are meant to be seen BIG!
The Future
After realizing that seeing these places and going on these journeys can sometimes be much more fun with others, I thought it might be fun to offer the occasional opportunity for people to actually join me. After spending some time looking into the real world implications, I realized that I’m not quite ready for that. It is something I could see a happening in the future, but it would most likely be in conjunction with various established tour/guide service operators. Now if you find yourself in need of a geologic lecture on some whitewater, find me in the summer, and I’ll take you rafting.
Me
One shouldn’t talk about themselves too much, something about it being bad for the ego, haha! Born and raised in Northern California, I was lucky enough to grow up in the woods. The was no shortage of literature found in the house, so I was able the accrue knowledge at an early age. A childhood spent between fort building and old National Geographic volumes, I learned to connect the knowledge with the outside. I grew up camping and going rafting with my parents, I think I was 3 on my first trip down the river. I became whitewater rafting guide at the ripe age of 17, and that really introduced me to the world of adventure. Through the course of this career (21 years and counting), I discovered the art of interpretive guiding, the teaching of the populous about the natural world they are floating through. Add in a penchant for taking photos, and you have my current life. I’ll post more about my origins as time goes on. I recently decided to share my adventures, my thoughts, my knowledge, my poems, and my photos with the world. I do hope you enjoy!
The Vans
My first chariot on my travels through the West was an old burgundy 1997 Dodge B3500, and while I sometimes miss her, she had her time. A little over a year and a half ago, I bought a 2007 Ford E-350 and built it out. She still needs some work to finish living conditions, but I’ve moved in quite comfortably. I’m sure I’ll post a time or two about the rig in detail. One thing I will recommend to everyone living in a van/bus, put down some kind of decking on your roof rack, you’ll always have a second story deck.
The Cameras
I have two cameras, a Nikon D810, and a Nikon D7200. Obviously the photo quality of the 810 is superior, but having a nice, light backup is always nice. Besides, you can run two lenses at the same time, kinda makes for some fun juggling. I have assorted lenses, and I’ll try to make a point of putting my settings out with the pics (I’m won’t lie, it may take a bit for that new habit to surface). I use my iPhone to some extent, especially for the panoramas. The best camera you have is the one in your hand, as they say.
The Site Pictures
The opening page image is Bryce Canyon National Park, UT and the background image is sandstone in Lower Cottonwood Canyon, Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument, UT.
If you want to see this continue…
I won’t lie to the world, I’m partially doing this in order to help find a personal and financial path that works for myself and my lifestyle. I am continuing to work the summers as rafting guide, but have been looking for a little something more in those off times. If this is something that you find fun, fascinating, goofy, educational, and has value, I’d love to have a little help from the world in keeping it going. It doesn’t take much to keep me on the road, so any help is appreciated, even if it’s just a recommendation to a friend about me and what I’m doing. If this catches the eye of any gallery owners, I’d be ecstatic to hear from you. The photos will all be for available for purchase, but if you are just not a print photography person, I won’t say no to a little change in the hat.