Chiricahua Camping Trip - Post Mortem

We Went, We Saw, We Left

Chiricahua National Monument
NPS Photo

Well, we did make it to the Chiricahua National Monument a couple of weeks ago. I got a site at the Bonita Canyon Campground for 2 nights. We got there late Friday night and I put up our brand new tent in the dark, using the Exploder's headlights.

It was still toasty when I was done at about 10PM. It must have still been about 90 degrees Fahrenheit  warm. It took us forever to fall asleep. It didn't get cool (and by that I mean maybe 70 degrees or so) until about 4 AM. When we climbed out of the tent around 6 AM or so we did not need a jacket, which was what we were hoping for.

By 8 AM it was already too warm to enjoy sitting at the camp site so we piled in the trusty Exploder and drove up to Massai Point. We drove to the other 2 parking areas up there before heading to the visitor center. I got my National Park Passport stamped, signed the registry, and we bought some souvenirs. We then visited Faraway Ranch before heading out of the park.

My wife was interested in the Willcox Playa because I have talked about it. So, we took the long drive completely around the southern end of the playa, through Sunizona and  Pearce / Sunsites after turning south onto Highway AZ 181 from the park entrance and then to Highway US 191.

At the crossing over the railroad track, about 4 miles south of Interstate 10, we decided to get off of the pavement and followed the road alongside the railroad tracks a bit. We hit one wash where the Exploder got pretty sideways; wifey thought she was going to be hitting the dirt after we rolled over. We made it past, and we made through there again on the way back. That turned out to be the most exciting part of the visit.

We took Interstate 10 back to Willcox, got a burger at the MacDonald's to eat at the town park, then headed back to the campsite, arriving there in the early evening.

We tried to stay through the night but after many debates, at about 9:30 PM we decided to pack it up. Again, in the dark, I broke the tent down and loaded the Exploder. We were out of there by about 10 PM. We got home about 2:00 PM.

I hadn't got a camera out of the bag the entire trip. I didn't even take a cell phone picture. I just didn't feel it. I didn't have the motivation to position myself anywhere for a sunrise or sunset picture. I didn't end my photography funk. I am glad I went; I always like the Chiricahuas. But, I wish I'd found inspiration to get my Nikon D610 out of it's bag!

An Uphill Battle. Again.

Stairway leading to the Grand Canyon Lodge
North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park

Some Familiar Things Aren't

Here it is in July, 2017 and I have been ignoring my photography since January, 2017. It's not that the photography did anything bad to me, I have just been involved in software development and that has taken precedence over my photography. I've been spending my evenings and weekends studying new software development technologies.

I've missed getting out with my camera, though, and it's never far out of mind. I've got a weekend trip planned to the Chiricahua National Monument that I'm using to kick off my new plan.

Last night I decided I'd charge all of the batteries for my photography gear. Wow. Two batteries each for two cameras. Update and charge the Tether Tools Case Air. Charge the tablet, the Kindle, the portable USB power supply, the RavPower File Hub. I'd forgotten all of those things (could be due to my age).

As I was charging things I did a bit of cleaning. Not that anything was that bad; I'd cleaned things after my last outing to the Saguaro National Park in January. As I was handling my cameras, I couldn't help but wonder about how much I'd remember once I was out trying to shoot a picture. Sure, all the buttons looked familiar and the Nikon D610 still feels good in my paws, but could I still take a picture?

Hit the Trail More Often

Start of Transept Trail
North Rim, Grand Canyon National Park

Until I lose my desire for studying software development, I'm going to at least limit it to the weeknights and then I'll get out on the weekends to return to my photography excursions. I'm hoping that this plan will provide a balance that I think I've been missing. I really enjoy getting out of the house but my computer has enticed me to stay inside.

I have to admit, however, that I also feel like I may be burned out on shooting desert landscapes in Arizona. I am going to try to figure out how to overcome that. There is a lot that is interesting about Arizona, that you don't see anywhere else, so it shouldn't be hard to keep interested. I think that what I need is a different perspective.

Striving for a Fresh Start

I have continued to watch photography related videos, as well as reviewing my photographs. One thing that I've noticed is that it takes more and more to "wow" me with a photograph. They all kind of blur together for the most part. I really want to create images that are striking, different. But what does that mean and how can I accomplish that?

One thing I know is that I really want to be more minimalist. I want to focus on one or two things in the image and not present a big confusing mess. Even the images of Bryce Canyon seem cluttered. Tony and Chelsea Northrup recently had an image on one of their photo review YouTube videos with a shot of the ocean, some "God Rays" where one of the rays was pointed at a small and solitary sailing boat. I really liked the simplicity. I want to try to shoot more like that, or at least that sort of clear vision. Perhaps that is due to also enjoying the conciseness of the new C# programming language constructs!

For starters, though, I am at least going to just try to get back out of doors. This picture below is of one of my favorite memories from the last few years of photography. It's nothing special but I just loved sitting in that meadow along Arizona State Route 67 between Jacob Lake and the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Me, wilderness, warm sun, my camera. I can't wait to get back!

Me and my Nikon
Near Forest Service Road 611 and SR 67
October 7, 2015