Photo Road Trip – The Joy Of Unplanned Experiences
A photo road trip can be a lot of fun. This is especially true if you travelling with photographer friends who share similar interests. Finding unexpected photo opps is always a joy. However, there is another joy to be found. Taking photos means you get out of your car and walk around. It also means you have a chance to meet and engage with strangers.
A few weeks ago I took a photo road trip to the Texas Hill Country with 3 friends. We had 2 chance encounters with strangers that turned out to be some of the best times of the trip.
The Sheriff
One evening on the way back to the hotel we stopped in Mason, Texas just to walk around the town square. This wasn’t a photo event, none of us had a “real” camera with us. We were just out for a quiet stroll in a small town.
The old county jail caught our attention. We assumed it was a museum but thought it was strange that a Sheriff patrol car with the flashing “police” lights going was there. As we got closer we saw a man standing inside near the door talking on the phone. He quickly closed the door as we approached. A few minutes later the man came out to turn off the patrol car lights. He apologized and said he wasn’t trying to be rude but was in the process of booking a prisoner.
It turns out he was the sheriff. Lisa (a retired US Marshal) asked if we could get a tour and he smiled and said, “Well if you throw a rock through the window I guess I’d have to do it.” He then explained that this was still an active jail with about 20 prisoners. So, no tour.
Life In A Small Town
The sheriff did tell us a few interesting facts about life as sheriff in a small county. Mason county has a population of just under 4,200 of which just over half in the town of Mason. The jail was built in 1894 out of locally sourced brown sandstone. We were surprised to learn that the sheriff and his wife (the dispatcher) live in the bottom floor of the jail. Talk about a short commute! The jail has held famous outlaws John Wesley Hardin and Johnny Ringo as “guests”. However, life as sheriff isn’t always that exciting. For example, sometimes the 911 calls are someone wanting to know what movie is playing at the theater across the square from the jail.
It was a fun opportunity to get a first-hand look at life in small town. It’s where everybody knows each other and look out for each other.
Lawton
Driving through Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge we could see an old building of some type ahead. As we came to a rough dirt road we thought that might lead us to the building. Looking at the map everything seemed to be shown as NWR property and there weren’t any No Trespassing signs so we thought we’d walk down the road to explore. Just as we started out, a man driving by stopped to inform us that it was private property.
After introducing ourselves, we explained about wanting to photograph birds and landscapes he invited us to stop by his place just a bit further down the road. He said his name was Lawton and we could get access to the creek behind his house where he had seen a variety of birds. The house turned out to be an old home he inherited and was restoring and where he found some civil era items. He also mentioned that the A&E had filmed a movie nearby and he got a bit part. It was a pleasure just to visit with a kind stranger.
Lawton led us down the path to the creek and pointed out some some areas he had seen a number of the birds that the “birders” in our group had hoped to see. He also showed use some bedrock mortars. These are circular indentations in the rock made by Native Americans long ago to grind grain. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any birds that day, but we learned and saw something new. Overall, it was a fantastic random encounter.
The Takeaway
Photography can be a solitary experience if you let it. However, this trip with its random encounters reminded me it doesn’t always have to be that way.
The solitary experience can be great. It gives you the chance to concentrate on your art, be alone with your thoughts (a scary concept in my case), and to just enjoy some alone time. However, getting out and making some new friends can often be more memorable and fun than you could have ever expected. So, don’t pass up the opportunity to meet people during your photo road trip. You never know what you might learn.
Leave A Comment And Share
What’s your favorite memory of an unplanned experience during a photo road trip? I’d love to hear your comments and feedback. Please leave a comment in the comment box below.
