Travel Diary

Helena, Montana

My first night in the Helena, Montana area, ended with a refreshing thunderstorm and rain. This seems like a strange event to highlight at the beginning of a journey, but for me it was symbolic of leaving the desert.

Prior to arriving in the Helena area, I spent a couple of nights near Butte. While there I took the opportunity to visit a wildlife refuge, just off I-90 east of town. The conditions weren't good for photography, but I enjoyed the weather, the sound of the creek and just being in Montana.

Warm Springs State Wildlife Management Area, Anaconda, Montana (Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f4 S).

Cave Creek, Arizona

Good by Arizona. After an almost 10 year stay, it's time to move along elsewhere. As I write this, I'm on the way to Montana for the summer. Over the next few months, I'll have a number of interesting places to visit, new things to see and photograph.

Cave Creek, Arizona

Corpus Christi, Texas

Spring is always a good time for a trip. With the lack of travel opportunities this year it's probably best to make road trips where possible. I had not been to Texas in several years, and seeing the ocean again after living in the desert for so long seemed like an ideal solution. So, off I went to Padre Island for a few days. As is typical along the coast, the weather can be quite changeable, and that was indeed the case on this trip. Most of the trip it was sunny, but there were times of fog and cloudiness.

During this trip I took the opportunity to visit the USS Lexington (CV-16), which is now a floating museum in Corpus Christ Harbor. This vessel is a World War II-vintage Essex Class aircraft carrier.

Aboard the USS Lexington, Corpus Christi, Texas (Nikon Z7, Nikkor 14-30mm f4 S)

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona

It was time for another road trip around Arizona. I had not been to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in many years and had recently seen some images from here, so I was thinking of possible images. Seeing that I had not been to the park in many years, I really wasn't sure of what I needed to look for and had no real memories of the layout of the park. So, in that aspect, this was very much a research trip. The Ajo Mountain Loop Road is the primary route around the park.

The Ajo Mountain Loop Road is a 21 mile, one-way, graded, dirt road. From this road, there are many locations where the parks' namesake cactus, the Organ Pipe, can be viewed. The Organ Pipe cactus, common in Mexico, is rarely found within the United States. This park, located in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert is the home to the largest concentration.

Late Afternoon, Organ Pipe National Monument, Arizona (Nikon Z7, Nikkor 24-70mm f4 S)

I find the Sonoran Desert to be particularly difficult to photograph due to the brilliant blue skies and lack of clouds most of the year. Still, I keep trying and looking for something unique.

Cave Creek, Arizona

It's still not possible to travel as I would like to, so in the meantime, I keep busy researching and dreaming. I haven't been to Australia in many years, but it's one place I've always dreamed of returning to.

The Kimberly, Australia