Meet Moab Man

The journey is under way!

I had a trouble-free trip west. Left on October 15, and made it to a rest area in the middle of Kansas, where I crashed in my truck. On the 16th I met my old friend Mike Prins in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and we had a fantastic dinner at a steakhouse called Juicy Lucy's - really outstanding. Pulled into Moab yesterday, the 17th.

Never seen it so busy. Spent a couple hours trying to fing a camping spot - all the campgrounds were full. Finally snagged a site in Moonflower Canyon. The weather is perfect in Moab right now, and all the world is here.

Today I paid a visit to the patron saint of Moab, a petroglyph called "Moab Man."

That's him on the left with the deer antlers and the pendant earrings. I wish I could say I hiked 15 miles into the desert to get this shot, but actually he is right across from the Moab golf course.

Then I paid a visit to Arches National Park. Who says it sucks to get old? For ten bucks I got a senior pass that gets me in to any national park in America. Free. For the rest of my life.

Arches is phenomenal. Unfortunately, it was a terrible day for photography. The sky was like milk. I did get one OK shot on Park Avenue:

Loaded up and ready to go!

Tomorrow morning first thing I'm heading west on a two-month camping trip to southern Utah and Arizona. My ultimate goal: to see the Wave, a fantastic rock formation on the Arizona/Utah border.

As you can see, I'm all packed up and ready to go. All my camping gear is in the black boxes. The water is because I'm going to be dry camping in the desert. The gravel is for ballast - pick-up trucks are squirrelly in the winter unless there is some weight in the back to balance out the weight of the engine.

Ready to roll!

Counting down the days!

Well, this is Sunday, October 12. On Wednesday morning I head west on a journey that will (hopefully!) take me to the Wave, a fantastic rock formation on the Utah/Arizona border.

Meantime, idle hands are the devil's playthings. I'm going to document my trip using my iPad Mini, and I keep playing with it to try to explore what it will do. The shot below was taken using an app called "Photo Booth," which comes installed on all iPads. After taking the shot, I worked it over substantially on an app called "Photoshop Express," which I really like. I think we can all agree the result is of great philosophical, moral and artistic import.

Since it is obvious that I am turning into an iPad Photography junkie, I've started a new blog on the subject. Check it out at: http://iPadPhotographyPhorum.blogspot.com.

Four days to go!

It's October 11, my son's birthday. Happy Birthday, Robert!

It's also four days before I leave on a two-month camping trip, with the eventual goal of seeing the Wave, a fantastic rock formation on the Arizona/Utah border.

I'm going to document my adventures using my iPad Mini. I'm getting more and more interested in the iPad's capabilities as a camera. Just started a new blog on that subject. Check it out at: http://iPadPhotographyPhorum.blogspot.com.

Still playing with photo editing on the iPad

Just a couple of days before I head west on my journey to the Wave. Today I downloaded half-a-dozen different photo editing apps, and tried them all. The verdict? Photoshop Express is the best of them all. Here's an example of what it will do.

Taking care of business before I go.

Just a little more than a week to go before I head out West.

I will be gone on Election Day, so today I took care of some important business by casting my absentee ballot. I live in Kentucky, and this election is actually a critical one with national ramifications. The marquee match-up is between our Republican incumbent senator Mitch McConnell, the senate minority leader, and his Democratic challenger, Alison Grimes. Mitch has been in the senate for 30 years, and he is the undisputed leader of the Republican obstructionism of the past six years. He has an unlimited war chest, thanks to the Koch brothers. Alison is a relative newcomer, but she's a vibrant young woman and she's out there meeting the people every day. Mitch, of course, rarely leaves Washington, DC.

Incredibly, the polls show Alison with a chance to win. My absentee ballot went to her, and I hope it's the one to put her over the top.

Still fooling around with my iPad.

Not long now before I head West to see the Wave!

In the meantime, I'm still exploring my iPad's capabilities as a camera. Found an app called "photo booth" that I had not yet tried. So, by golly, I tried it.

Here's the result. I kinda like it!