Category Archives: Travels with Maria

Blogging from the road.

Light Matters

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Two shots prove it.

We spent Monday night camped out along the east shore of the Snake River in Hell’s Gate State Park, just south of Lewiston, ID. The river is held back by a dam downstream to form a long, meandering lake that has plenty of boat traffic, including the “jet boats” that take people upriver through Hell’s Canyon. All that traffic makes for rough water, but I reasoned that early in the morning, around dawn, the water could be pretty calm. With first light on the gold-colored hills across the river from our campsite, I might be able to photograph some interesting reflections without a lot of effort.

While the idea of waking before dawn to take a few photos might seem like a chore to some folks, it isn’t usually a big deal to me. I’m usually awake by 6 AM anyway, and that was certainly the case on Tuesday morning. So I threw on some clothes, grabbed my camera and tripod, and went out along the path behind the camper to see what I could shoot.

What I ended up with was a great example of how the quality and color of light can change a photo.

Before the Sun

This first shot reveals an interesting scene in gray light. Photo details: 1/50 sec, f4.8, ISO 200, 35mm

I set up and framed my shot. The reflections were as good as I’d hoped and the shots achieved the almost mirror-like look of land reflected on water. But the light wasn’t quite right for the first bunch of shots. Even after the sun rose, it failed to cast its rays on the scene before me. For a while, it was the high hills behind me, to the east, that kept the sunlight off my scene. Then it was a cloud. The light was gray and colorless.

After the Sun

This shot was taken a minute later, when the cloud had moved away, revealing the sun. Photo details: 1/80 sec, f4.8, ISO 200, 35mm

Then, suddenly, the cloud slipped away and the low sun shone directly on the scene before me. It lit up with a golden glow and I snapped another photo. This shot was taken exactly one minute after the previous one. Rather than slowly creep down the scene to illuminate it, the sun shined full on the scene, all at once.

It wasn’t until I reviewed these two shots in quick succession in my camera that I noticed the dramatic difference you see here. These images were not manipulated in any way in an image editing program other than to downsize them for the Web. I think they speak for themselves as they are.

I’ve read a lot about photography, especially in the past year or so. One of the things I read recently was a “tip” by a photographer who basically said not to bother shooting in bad light. These two photos do a pretty good job of explaining why light is so important. And while I won’t tell anyone not to shoot in bad light, I hope these photos help them understand how light can make a difference in their photography.

Leaving Wenatchee

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Nine weeks was enough.

On Saturday, we left Wenatchee. I’d been in the area — Quincy and Wenatchee, WA — since June 8 and was really ready to go. But there were a few things that needed doing before we could go.

A Day in Seattle

First I had to meet up with my husband. He’ll be joining me for our return drive to the Phoenix area. He flew up from Phoenix to Seattle on Alaska Airlines with some luggage, his bicycle, and Alex the Dog. His flight was scheduled to arrive at 9:30 AM Thursday, so at 6 AM that morning, I was in the truck, driving west to meet him. We had a nice reunion at baggage claim carousel 14, where Jack was very surprised to see me waiting for him when they rolled in his new travel crate.

SR-71

SR-71 on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA.

Not to waste a day in Seattle, we had breakfast at 13 Coins near the airport and then headed over to Boeing Field for a visit to the Museum of Flight. We spent a few hours there, enjoying the exhibits. It’s a great aviation museum with something of interest to people of all ages.

Afterward, we went to Mike’s cousin’s house in the northern part of Seattle, not far from the University of Washington. Mike’s cousin Rick and his friend Lisa live in a tall, narrow house on a quiet residential street. We went for dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant, where were were joined by my friend, Tom, who I hadn’t seen in about 15 years. Tom, who lives in Vermont, was in the Seattle area on business and we managed to plan our day in Seattle for the same day Tom had some free time. It was great to see him.

Afterwards, we drove back to Wenatchee along scenic Route 2. Unfortunately, we left too late in the day to see anything; it was dark long before we reached the pass. It was also a bit foggy. I’d love to drive this route on a nice day. I flew it in June with my Twitter friend, @Jodene, and it was incredible.

Moving the Helicopter

The idea was to fly the helicopter back that way the next day. I’d booked tickets for Mike and me on Horizon from Seattle to Wenatchee on Friday’s 4 PM flight. The plan was to spend Friday morning moving the trailer from where it was parked in a Wenatchee Heights orchard back down to Wenatchee, where we’d get one of its tires replaced. Then we’d fly the helicopter to Boeing Field, where one of my mechanics is based. Then we’d catch that 4 PM flight back to Wenatchee, finish packing up, and be out of the area by Saturday morning.

The weather didn’t cooperate. It had been almost rain-free all summer, but it poured like hell on Friday in Wenatchee. The storm came from the north and moved slowly to the southeast. We managed to stay on schedule to fetch the trailer and get its tire changed, but when we were ready to take the helicopter to Seattle, a thick blanket of clouds clogged both mountain passes — Snoqualmie (I-90) and Stevens (Route 2). There would be no flight that day.

It was unfortunate because, as Seinfeld’s Kramer might say: in my mind, I was already gone.

The next day, I was awake at 6 AM. It was a beautiful, clear, sunny morning. If we could get our act together quickly, we could fly to Seattle and catch the 9:55 flight back to Wenatchee. Otherwise, we’d have to wait until 4 PM. After checking the weather as well as I could, I decided to go for it.

We were airborne by 7 AM. I climbed out with a direct-to Cle Elum on my GPS, requiring a 500-800 fpm climb rate for the first 5 minutes of the flight to clear the mountains. As we climbed, we could see the tops of clouds out in the mountains in the distance ahead of us. I was hoping that those cloud tops were for a shallow band of clouds and that there would be room beneath them for us to fly over the highway through Snoqualmie Pass.

We descended over Cle Elem and hooked up with I-90. Soon we were flying under the cloud bank with plenty of space between us and both the ground and the clouds. But as the terrain rose toward the pass, the clouds descended. We passed Easton and things began to get uncertain. Just short of the pass, we realized that the clouds came right down to the ground. There was no safe way through.

I turned around and headed back toward the edge of the cloud bank. There were plenty of tempting holes in the clouds where I could have passed through to fly above them. But I don’t like flying atop a bank of clouds. Eventually, you have to come back down, and if there’s no hole on the other end, you’re stuck up there. I did not want to put myself into that situation.

Mt. Rainier

Mike took this shot as we approached Mt. Rainier. You can see a little bit of the cloud cover around its base.

We reached the edge of the cloud bank and turned to the south. We climbed and were soon above the level of the clouds. Mt. Rainier was poking out of the top of the cloud bank, but there was plenty of clear, cloud-free space around its base. We headed that way. Beneath us, several deep valleys were full of cottony clouds, as if stuffed by some well-meaning giant. Ahead of us, Mt. Rainier rose tall and proud and snow-covered out of the rocky terrain. Grassy slopes of its foothhills glowed bright green with thick grass, speckled with tall pines and granite outcroppings. The views were incredible.

Unfortunately, I was too concerned with our flight path to enjoy the view. I needed to get under the clouds in a valley that sloped downward toward Seattle. I needed to do that without actually flying through any clouds. My first instinct was to find a road, since most roads lead to a pass. But some roads climb, descend, and climb again. Any of the climbs could take the road into the clouds. I soon realized that a mountain stream or river would be better.

We found just the one we needed on the northwest side of Rainier. I descended at 2,000 fpm at the edge of the cloud bank, ducking under it with plenty of room to spare over the riverbed. We followed it closely, winding back and forth, keeping an eye out for wires. Finally, the canyon opened up and we could see homes and towns in front of us. A while later, the skyline came into view on a typically gloomy Seattle day. We touched down at Boeing Field at about 8:45 AM. We’d logged 1.6 hours of Hobbs time on a flight that should have taken 45 minutes.

You can see our entire flight path on the chart here:

Our Flight Path

But the bigger miracle was that we caught a cab to SeaTac and were sitting on the Wenatchee-bound plane less than an hour later. By 10:30 AM, we were on the ground in Wenatchee.

By 3 PM, we were packed up and on the road, headed for Walla Walla. But that’s another part of the story.

Motel Living

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Another small space.

I spent the first seven weeks of this summer living in a 21-foot travel trailer parked in a golf course RV park. When I got a late-season contract in Wenatchee, WA, I had to move. Although the folks who hired me had no problem with me parking my camper on their orchard, there was no A/C (alternating current) power and thus, no AC (air conditioning). With temperatures reaching record highs in the area, I wasn’t about to rough it. So I moved into a motel.

I’m staying at the Inn at the River in East Wenatchee. The folks here gave me a good long-term rate, making it quite affordable. My room is small (see photo below), but has the features I need: WiFi, refrigerator, microwave, air conditioning, and a window that opens. There’s even a pool and free breakfast (which I don’t usually take advantage of). And, of course, I have the usual motel creature comforts, like a television with more channels than I can flip through.

At the Inn

The bed does have a bedspread, but I took it off. And yes, that’s my bicycle next to the bed. Every morning, I carry it down and then up the stairs for a 6-8 mile ride on the great biking/walking trail they have nearby.

The view sucks. I look out to the east at a pine tree, major roadway, and mall parking lot. Fortunately, the window has a generous overhang that shades it after 10 AM or so, so I can keep the curtains wide open. The window is pretty big and lets in lots of light most of the day. Part of the window opens, so I can get fresh air in, but I have to leave my room door open for cross-ventilation. The motel folks were thoughtful enough to provide a doorstop, so I can keep it open as much or little as I like.

I wish the view looked west so I could see the weather out toward my orchard. But then it would get brutally hot in the afternoon and I’d have to keep the curtains closed. This is probably better for me, especially since weather doesn’t seem to be a factor.

I have entirely too much junk in the room. That’s my fault, not the motel’s. But I keep it neat and orderly.

The motel has other, bigger and nicer rooms — including rooms with private balconies. But at the rate I’m paying, I can’t really expect to get one of them. As it is, I think I’m getting an excellent deal.

I’ll be here at least another two weeks. Then I’ll make the trip home.

And if you’re ever in the Wenatchee area and need a place to stay — long or short term — I hope you’ll give the Inn at the River a try.

My Summer (So Far) in Cell Phone Photos, Part II: July 2009

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A look at what I’ve been snapping.

Here’s a continuation of my post of cell phone photos chronicling my summer. You can find June 2009 here; this is July 2009.

July 1, 2009

Mike does AutosRemember Greg from Part I? Well, Mike had to get on my insurance, too, so he flew with Greg. Here they are, at Wenatchee.

Mike’s check flight took a bit longer than mine. It was scary to watch them practice autorotations in my helicopter.

July 4, 2009

TrafficWe watched the July 4 fireworks from East Wenatchee. Wenatchee puts on a good show from Walla Walla Point Park on the river. We were right across the river from there, all comfy with our good cameras. I got some decent shots, but I don’t think I’ve put them online yet.

Afterward, we joined the flow of traffic heading south. We were clear of it once we got past the bridge; we had to drive all the way back to Quincy. It was a nice night and I’m glad we made the trip into the “big city” to see the show.

July 5, 2009

Laundry DayOkay, so it’s a washing machine.

After dropping Mike off for his return flight to Arizona, I did my laundry. I don’t know why I took a photo of this. You can see my lower body and legs in the reflection.

Oddly, I’ve written before about doing laundry while I’m on the road. Back in 2005, I wrote about taking my helicopter to Williams, AZ from Howard Mesa to do my laundry and run other errands. And last year I whined about the filth in the Quincy laundromat I used to frequent. Whatever.

July 10, 2009

Anniversary FlowersOn July 10, Mike and I celebrated 26 years together. For the second year in a row, we celebrated it apart. These are the flowers he sent me.

The flowers came in a bouquet. Generally, I don’t like getting flowers that way. They’re a pain in the ass to prepare — cut off the ends, arrange in a vase, etc. But this bouquet was good to go. All I had to do was fill a vase that I already had from last year, take the plastic off the flowers, and stick them in the water.

They lasted nearly two weeks and made me think of my honey every time I saw them.

You can see leftover curry in a bowl and Alex’s cage in the background.

July 11, 2009

Stealth PhotoThis is a failed attempt at stealth photography. You know — when you photograph someone without them knowing you’re doing it. I obviously need a lot of practice.

The photos was supposed to show a woman who looked incredibly out of place in the Chelan Starbucks.

I was up in Chelan again, visiting with my friend Jim. Frankly, it rained so little in July that I could have stayed in Chelan and none of my growers would have noticed my absence. (But no, I wouldn’t really do that.)

Bridal Party?This is the best reason I can think of for avoiding a bridal shower. Give me a break! I don’t like anybody enough to wear a getup like this in public.

Jim and I were at a Chelan winery, which is really dumb since it was mid-day and neither of us could drink. (Eight hours, bottle to throttle.) This group of women were going to a bridal shower at the winery’s outside dining area.

Moments later, we saw someone hit the curb in the handicapped parking area so hard that he burst the tire on his car.

It was a weird scene all around.

July 13, 2009

My WorkspaceOne of the things I did to fill the time between rain showers — and let me tell you, there was lots of that time — was revise my Leopard book for Snow Leopard. Since I do layout on my Visual QuickStart Guides, I brought along my 24-inch iMac (left). I also bought a 13-inch MacBook Pro (right) to run the Snow Leopard software on. These two computers, along with the usual collection of junk I seem to accumulate, filled my workspace, which was my camper’s dining table.

I got the book done on time.

I’ll send the iMac home via UPS to free up some space in the camper for our return trip to Arizona. Until then, I’m using it in my hotel room to blog, surf, and watch DVDs. Heck, its screen is bigger than the room’s TV!

July 15, 2009

Wenatchee PetroleumPart of my equipment for drying cherries is an 82-gallon fuel tank that I keep filled with 100LL fuel. That’s the kind of fuel my helicopter takes. The tank, which is mounted on my husband’s pickup truck this year, has an electric pump so I can do off-airport refueling. This saves time and money when I have to dry.

When you buy aviation fuel in any kind of quantity, you can buy from a wholesaler. I use Wenatchee Petroleum. And this is their 100LL fuel station.

I took the photo because the place is so incredibly industrial looking and filthy. It’s a fuel pit. I don’t expect it to be any nicer, but it certainly is a contrast to any other place you might buy fuel.

Indian EyesI blogged about this one and got some pretty informative comments from readers who know the area. ‘Nuff said.

I Hate Wal-MartI really do hate the Wal-Mart in Wenatchee. One reason is the checkout lines. Not only are they long, but they’re confusing — they’re set up like flag lots and you never know what side to check out on. They’re also lined with more crap ready for impulse buyers. And they have televisions playing ads all the time. Televisions I can’t seem to shut off with my TV-B-Gone.

July 18, 2009

PinballAnother trip to Blustery’s for another Logger Burger. This time I had it with sweet potato fries. I wrote a little about this visit here.

Yes, the kid is playing pinball. The title on the machine was Lethal Weapon 3 which, ironically, was playing on the television at my friend Jim’s place when I stopped by to visit him yesterday.

And yes, that is a Ms. PacMac video game beside the pinball machine. Flashback! 1981!

I used to love playing pinball, back before video games came out. It was mechanical.

He stands like a statue
Becomes part of the machine
Feeling all the bumpers
Always playing clean
He plays by intuition
The digit counters fall
That deaf, dumb and blind kid
Sure plays a mean pinball

[Lyrics excerpted from Pinball Wizard by The Who]

Blustery's SignWould I be dating myself if I admitted to seeing Tommy in a movie theater when it first came out? (Yeah, I thought so.)

I also took this photo of Blustery’s sign. That’s the Columbia River’s Wanapum Lake behind it. It was a beautiful but very windy day.

July 19, 2009

Helicopters at OthelloJim and I flew down to an orchard near Othello, WA to meet another pilot and attend a party. Since we both wanted to fly, we took two helicopters.

I like this photo even though it’s crappy. Why? Because you can see my shadow in the bottom corner and it looks ridiculous.

I took a number of better shots with my good camera and will be submitting them for next year’s Robinson calendar. I hope we get a spot.

The two helicopters are parked on the most beautiful grass runway I’ve ever seen in my life. It runs between two orchard blocks — cherries on the left and apples on the right. Jim’s helicopter is closer to the camera.

We gave rides to about 12 people (2 flights of 3 passengers for each of us) before landing here on the strip. I landed a bit behind him because I didn’t like the spacing between our spinning blades if I parked beside him. It’s very photogenic, but would have been better if the far helicopter was forward; the light was coming from the left. Whatever.

July 20, 2009

Power RangersWhen you see two guys working on a power pole outside your door with a pair of clippers, you should not be surprised if the power fails immediately afterward.

This was shot at the Colockum Ridge Golf Course at Quincy where I spent 7 weeks this summer.

My First TomatoOne of the first things I did when I arrived at the golf course RV park in June was to retrieve the planter I’d bought the previous summer and plant tomatoes, basil, rosemary, and some flowers in it. The tomatoes were just starting to ripen when it was time to go.

This is the first ripe tomato.

It’s also a good example of why I hate taking pictures with a cell phone: damn thing never seems to focus on what you want it to.

July 23, 2009

Honkin' Huge CloudThis is the honkin’ huge cloud that formed over the Waterville Plateau about 20-30 miles north of my position. You should have seen it on radar. The thunderstorm moved northeast to Electric City and the Grand Coulee Dam, wreaking havoc along the way.

It stayed sunny in Quincy, though. No flying.

July 27, 2009

Helicopter LZThis is my landing zone at the Wenatchee orchard where I’m finishing up the cherry drying season. I’m parked between a dirt road and a pond in a clearing used as a staging area for cherry picking equipment. One skid is slightly lower than the other; it’s a bit of a slope. I was supposed to park on the other side of the pond, but they’d stacked cherry boxes there. All I could think of was the forklifts and seasonal labor pool moving those boxes around right next to my huge investment. So I parked on the other side of the pond where I thought there would be less activity.

I had arrived earlier that morning and then returned later in the day to put on the blade covers. There had been thunderstorm activity in the Cascades each afternoon and hail was often in the forecast as part of the storms. Even though there was no rain in our forecast, storms happen. I wasn’t about to leave my blades unprotected against hail overnight when I had blade covers to protect them.

Of course, I was also worried about someone driving into the helicopter. So I tied some yellow plastic Caution tape to the tie-down straps and stinger and horizontal stabilizer. Hopefully, that’ll make it a bit more visible to the folks who drive equipment around the orchard.

You can see another view of my landing zone in this post.

July 31, 2009

Rail SignImagine a long, low dam across a wide river. Now imagine a walkway across the top of that dam. Both sides of the walkway have concrete walls about chest high. And on top each wall is a fat metal rail running the whole length of the wall.

This sign is on the wall.

The sign is supposed to tell people not to put their kids on the rail. But my mind saw something else and I knew one of my Twitter friends, @SonoranDragon, would also see something else. So I snapped the photo and put it on TwitPic. It got the kind of responses I expected. Probably the ones you’d expect, too.

Frankly, I feel that folks who design signs should show them to a bunch of people before finalizing them. This sign is just too damn weird.

More photos to come in August….

A Speck of Red

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My helicopter, at the orchard.

Yesterday, after doing some cleanup in my camper, which is now parked at the orchard near my helicopter, I took a drive up the hillside behind the orchard. The road winds up and around, though thousands of acres of fruit trees. When I reached the tall antenna with its scary guy-wires, I spotted a trail from the main road. I parked the truck, grabbed my camera, and went for a tiny hike.

The goal was to shoot the orchard from the hillside behind it. I found a perfect spot and took this photo.

Orchard and Helicopter

CloseupIn the foreground, you can see the orchard’s upper reservoir. Farther down, beyond many cherry trees, is a smaller, algae-covered pond. There’s a parking area on the close side and you can see my trailer parked there. On the far side is a tiny, bright red speck. That’s my helicopter.

To be fair, my helicopter’s cockpit cover is on it, so it’s not fully exposed. I assume it would be a lot easier to see with the cover off. Before I relocate, I’ll pull the cover off, drive back up to this spot, and get a shot. Hopefully, it’ll be a crisper day and I’ll get up there while the light is still good.

In the close-up, you can see the taco truck that arrived not long after I left the orchard. The folks quit working at 10 AM (they start at 5 AM) because of excessive heat. It got up to 107°F in Wenatchee yesterday; I assume it got up to at least 100°F at the orchard some 1500 feet higher in elevation. The guys — mostly Mexican farm workers — were quitting for the day. The grower offers them soda pop and beer at day’s end; I assume they get lunch from the truck.

The helicopter is parked at the edge of the pond with one skid on the gently sloping embankment. A nice easy slope landing site. (And no, it won’t fall into the pond.) There’s a road between it and the shelter (dark reddish). They use the area for staging the cherries — loading them on a flatbed truck for transport up to the chillers and refrigerator truck in the main packing area. I’ll probably get some video footage of the operation later in the week for anyone who is interested. It’s amazing how much work goes into bringing cherries to market. Hard to imagine how anyone can make a profit with prices this year as low as $1/pound.