Road Trip

I haven’t posted in quite a while as my wife and I were on a 12 day, 3,800 mile road trip. The road trip took us from Houston up to Minnesota then over to stops in Wisconsin before going to Ohio and then back home to Texas. It was a long road trip to visit family in 3 states. Since it was already a long trip what’s a few more days for some photography? Fortunately, my wife is very tolerant with my photography detours. It was a fun trip, but it’s good to be back home.

Friends that I go out shooting with can tell you that I like to plan an itinerary. This road trip was no exception. I keep a list of places including many out-of-state locations that I would like to shoot when the opportunity occurs. A list is important for me as it has grown to over 400 locations and while I have a good memory, it’s not 400+ locations good. Uploading the list to Google Drive (it’s free) and loading them to Google Maps (also free) I can quickly find what sites will be near my general travel route. I then used this information to plan detailed route. In addition to general information, this list included the latitude and longitude coordinates as well as the street address. Many of the locations I go to are in “no service” cell phone areas so you need multiple ways to find your target.

Plan But Embrace The Unexpected

While having a plan is important it is also important to recognize that things don’t always go as expected. Some of your planned locations may have changed or even no longer exist.  You may stumble across unknown photo ops along the way. Make a plan but also embrace the unexpected. Road trips are supposed to be fun. Relax, enjoy the scenery and the quality time you have with your travelling companions.

One of my most memorable occurrences wasn’t even related to photography. We were on the back roads of Missouri and having visited our last photo location we were eager to get back on the interstate and head for that night’s hotel. Google Maps dutifully showed us the way through a maze of old dirt roads eventually crossing the interstate and then back to the on-ramp. However, rather than crossing the interstate it came to a sudden and surprising dead end. Retracing some of steps we eventually succeeded in getting back on the interstate. It was a fun adventure and I had the unexpected pleasure of learning what a colorful vocabulary my wife has when expressing her disappointment when technology fails her. Embrace the unexpected and enjoy the adventure!

So Where Are The Photos?

At this point, you may be thinking, “Great you had a nice road trip but where are the photos?” Well, I’m working on them. As you may know, I like to take my time while processing and that includes letting them marinate. So please bear with me. Over time as I complete them, I’ll be uploading them although not all may get a separate blog post. Please bear with me.

Leave A Comment And Share

What was your most memorable road trip experience? I’d love to hear your comments and feedback.  Please leave a comment in the comment box below.

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