Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise - Alberta Canada

Trip of a lifetime for an event of a lifetime. One of the many places I have always wanted to visit is Lake Louise in Alberta Canada. Ever since the very first time I heard of it I wanted to go. It was always on the radar but for "next year". When my daughter announced her wedding was to take place at this magical place, I realized I didn't even have an up-to-date passport.



I quickly reapplied and got it a few weeks before the trip. Flying across half the world away from South Florida, I arrived at the hotel I was staying (not this one unfortunately) in total darkness. It was not until the early morning, right after breakfast I was greeted with this view.



Even though it was only October, there was a light snowfall. That did not stop me from a 2 mile walk right up to the glacier at the far side of the lake.



I could not have imagined a more perfect wedding setting. If you look close you can even see the occasional snowflake in this photo. I have never in my life been to a more beautiful place and this day will probably always be my fondest memory.



For the rest of the photos [Click Here]. Then do yourself a favor and see it in person. You won't be disappointed.

I also have a nice little video from the wedding venue. I've been asked several times if it's CGI. Nope - It looked just like this in person.

Pigeon Forge, TN

I would like to think it was just a few years since I last visited Pigeon Forge but it's been a decade or more. To be perfectly fair, I have never really visited Pigeon Forge. Only Dollywood. And that was just a few day trips. My first visit was in the late 80's so I was was quite amazed at the changes.



Since I'm a big believer in doing the most I can on my travels, I started off with booking a room in Margeritaville Island Hotel. Was it expensive? - Oh hell yeah. Was it worth it? Absolutely! I booked very late and literally got the last room available so no discount but even so - I made the most of the amenities. The location alone had so much to do I could have just stayed right where I was. But what fun would that be.

Just down the road was the Titanic Exhibit. I've seen many a documentary and a famous movie about the Titanic but there was still so much to learn and see. I don't want to give much away but there is an Iceburg inside you can touch and a model of the seafloor where the Titanic rests that is as big as a tennis court. So many interactive exhibits you can spend a half a day experiencing them.



In the same area as the hotel I found this playhouse. Since I had no idea it was there I had no reservation. To the rescue came the concierge at Margaritaville. Not only did she get us a ticket for the same day we rolled into town, she got us front row. No extra charge. Considering it was a full house I was more than a little impressed. Even more impressive was the show. Nothing like the Stampede - Dolly's other famous show - but I think I prefered this one.



The main reason for this trip was to re-visit Dollywood. I am a huge roller coaster fan. My friend is not. Dollywood is the perfect place for us. There is a whole new crop of coasters since my last visit but also the grist mill, Gazillion Bubble show (a must see), and various bands that just pop up all thru the day. I even toured the Dolly Parton Museum - first time. I am still blown away by her accomplishments and the way she gives back to her community.



I ran out of time in the day to enjoy this particular coaster. A return trip will be in my near future. I may need to schedule a two day trip to squeeze everything in.



I did many more things on this trip than I've written about. The Island has so much to see and do like the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel, food, shops, bands, and a water and light show every night. I did as many as possible in a 3 day visit. Yep - I may need to book a full week next time.

Gatlinburg TN

I remember my first visit to Gatlinburg TN like it was yesterday. It was actually 1988. I remember not having enough cash to stay in town but a little up the road. Still within walking distance. I also remember how much I enjoyed my visit.



I've been back a few times over the years. Each trip with a new set of memories. This last visit I stayed at the Greystone Lodge right in the heart of town and right next to the Aquarium. I could not have picked a better place to stay.



The recent devastating fires did not diminish the experience. Memories are a funny thing though. Some of the places I remember so well were in different locations than I recollected, very run down, or completely missing.  The roaring river through town was a mere trickle.



On the other hand, there were so many new restaurants, attractions, and additions it was impossible to fit them all in as hard as I tried. The biggest surprise was the size of the Moonshine establishments. I'm not much of a drinker but I now own two bottles of Ole Smoky Moonshine. If I should run out, I discovered I can acquire this fine corn liquor at the local store in my home town.



Some of the attractions are what might be considered tourist traps but this haunted house was certainly worth the visit. There is another one that looked terrifying. I'll catch that one on the next visit.



The aquarium is well worth the admission price. I think it was actually the attraction I enjoyed the most and would definitely go again.



Finding a meal was a challenge in that there are just too many great looking places to choose from. We decided to go with the coolness factor such as the stunning micro brew just off the main drag or the rooftop restaurant  right on it.



Gatlinburg might not be everyone's idea of a getaway destination but it certainly is one of mine. I have a lot of years and a lot of memories invested. I like that it's mostly the same but that the old is making way for the new. My next visit I will start with the 4 wheeler trail ride and the roller coaster that I ran out of time for this visit.

Chimney Rock NC

Chimney Rock, North Carolina will always be a mystical, magical place in my life. When my parents decided to move to Florida from Pennsylvania in 1978, I was in no way enthusiastic about it. Even though I've lived near the beach all these many years, I still feel more at home in the mountains.



After I graduated college in 1982,  I was well on my way to launching my career a few years later. I decided to take my parents on a little vacation. I was making some pretty good money, no college debt, and living at home so I was banking most of it. We traveled up Florida, Georgia, and went as far north as this park in North Carolina.



While my parents took a break, I walked the entire two mile, two hour trail to the waterfall and back. That trip was etched in my mind for life. It was the most difficult hike I had done to that point and set a pattern for me that I still enjoy.



I have come back every few years. Probably 10 times or so. This last time was a bit more difficult as 1) I'm older, and 2) the elevator was being repaired. Yes there is an elevator built right into the side of a mountain here.



I often think of this place and one particular trip comes to mind. After a most devastating year with many personal failures, I basically got on a plane and took a one way trip to Asheville. Yes there was a time you could easily walk into the airport with a bag and just pick a destination and hop a plane.  At the time of my departure I had no real plans of returning nor did I tell anyone I was going. I'm sure most people have days they feel like that. Not everyone acts upon them.



I remember driving up the steep, switch back road to the park so fast, the tires on the rental car were smoking. Try it. See if you can make it or sling yourself off the road. I remember I didn't really care either way. It was a wet, rainy, foggy day. The steps then were not nearly as even and regularly spaced as they are today and the trail was mostly uneven rock. Easy to twist an ankle or slip right over the side of a sheer drop. After sitting in the cafe here for a bit, I just took off up the stairs.



Along the trail I passed a woman and her boyfriend. The woman had an artificial leg. I walked by them in total disbelief. My all fired hurry to get somewhere turned into a wait for them to catch up. There were at the time little rain shelters along the trail. It was raining. I took shelter and waited. In a few moments they arrived and sat with me. I asked what were they doing on this trail that I could barely navigate.

Apparently she was in a car accident but loved this trail so much that she wanted to walk it again. A trail I was hardly noticing in my hurry to run away from my life. It was my first time meeting anyone superhuman enough to make this journey with little better than an old fashioned wooden leg. It was also the first time I ever saw in person this level of determination in the face of incredible odds against success.

I am pretty sure this happened in 1994-1995. I remember why I was there, just not exactly when. I also remember how insignificant my problems and possibly my entire life became in the moments after I spoke with them. Not being very social at the time, I headed on. The trail is a loop so I did not come across them again. I did spend a very long time sitting perfectly still in a light rain memorizing with every possible sense a particularly scenic spot among the trees. I still to this day go to it in my head whenever life seems more than I care to handle. I will always remember the two people who I will never meet again and who will never know they were the biggest positive change in my life. I remember driving very carefully down the mountain and back to the airport. I also remember that when I got home I saw everything in my life differently. Even though the circumstances in my life never really changed all that much, I became a much happier and contented person.

SeaWorld Orlando - It's been a long time.

Not only has it been decades since I visited this park, it's also been months since I've posted in this blog. Time to catch up.

My intention on this trip was to ride every roller coaster in the park. None of which I took photos of. That's because they make it very difficult to carry pretty much anything on the rides so wallet, keys, phone, camera all went into storage lockers most of the day.




The roller coasters are incredibly fast, hugely varied, and put a tremendous strain on this old body of mine. All for pure enjoyment and thrill. Around noon or so I needed a slight break from being upside down at 60 miles an hour and decided to take in a show.




I had forgotten how much I enjoyed these shows as a kid. I had also forgotten how much I enjoyed the penguin exhibit. Especially on a 90 degree day in the Florida sun. That is real ice and there is no glass between the birds and the visitors.




The temperature shock was exactly what I needed to cool down a bit and finish my goal of riding every coaster in the park. A mission I accomplished but with no second rides on any of them. I will go back and visit again before my ticket runs out I'm sure. I am pretty sure I screamed for real on the Manta. Luckily - no video evidence.




By far the best part of the day was enjoying a nice quiet meal with my special coaster buddy in a restaurant with a unique view. We were just a bit early for dinner when I snapped this photo but all seats were filled not long after.

I did not take too many photos on this visit but for the rest [click here]

Dragonfly - Sometimes a cell phone is the only camera you need.

Moon Shot - Finally Nailed It

After my recent success capturing the Roosevelt Bridge at night after so many years, I thought I would try once more to capture a clear shot of the full moon. I left all the settings on the camera untouched and waited the almost two weeks to make the shot. The results were instantly disappointing. Nothing but a white blob. The thing I like about photography is the constant learning curve. The constant frustration can get old sometimes though. 

I am still and will likely always be an amateur photographer with expensive but mostly all used equipment.  My $1,800.00 used lens, as good as it is, just can not seem to make this shot with my level of skill. 

I had some luck previously with my $99.00 Vivitar Series 1 lens with the 2X converter giving me a full 1,000 MM. This is a fully manual lens. I set the camera to 400 ISO but the focus and aperture are manually set on the lens.

The one thing I had always done in the past was set the aperture wide open. For this shoot, I slowly closed the aperture, took a few shots, closed a bit more. I also used the remote to lift the mirror, count to 5, then take the shot. There was a pretty small shutter speed range I could use. If I had a bright smear or black screen, I knew I was out of the range. I took about 100 shots and only these two had the magic. 

Many years ago bought the wrong sized UV filter for one of my lenses. I just threw it in a junk drawer. A few months ago I found it and checked to see if it fit anything. It only fit this cheap lens so I put it on and took a few shots then put the lens back in the cabinet. I forgot to take it off for the moon shot. Seems pretty fortunate now. All of my moon photos to this point have always been less than crisp. 

I may not be a pro but I am persistent. I think I'll take this setup out in the daylight once in a while as well.