Wildstate Gallery

TRAVEL DESTINATIONS Galleries

COLORADO RMNP : The Rocky Mountain National Park is an impressive sight with panoramas that are breathtaking. I passed through in a day and picked up a few images I liked but. The pine beetles are decimating western forests, you can see the damage on trees on the western slope of the Rockies already and it is only a question of time before these pests wipe out the huge stands of pine on the eastern slopes as well.

COLORADO RMNP

The Rocky Mountain National Park is an impressive sight with panoramas ...

Updated: Sep 11, 2008 1:17pm PST

WYOMING & THE GRAND TETONS : Wyoming is really the place where there are just miles and miles of open space, you drive forever it seems through flat lands of sagebrush and once in a while, something nifty pops up out of nowhere. Finding a place to stay is a challenge since the oil and gas fields are booming and workers filled up anything with a roof over it.

WYOMING & THE GRAND TETONS

Wyoming is really the place where there are just miles and miles of op ...

Updated: Sep 08, 2008 5:16am PST

IDAHO : Idaho presents some surprises. I figured mostly potato fields but no. It has terrific state parks and north of Rock Springs you can find the largest dune field in North America as well as the petroglyphs of the White Mountains. And, did I mention, to bring your fly rod?

IDAHO

Idaho presents some surprises. I figured mostly potato fields but no. ...

Updated: Sep 07, 2008 6:11pm PST

DINOSAUR NM UTAH : Dinosaur National Monument is located outside of Vernal, Utah and is best know for its huge fossil bed of dinosaurs. The Monument has been closed for renovation but there are some even more interesting things in the part, at least to me. Top of the list are the petroglyphs that are easily accessible. Dating from around 1300, these are excellent examples of how the Native Americans interpreted natural and supernatural worlds.

DINOSAUR NM UTAH

Dinosaur National Monument is located outside of Vernal, Utah and is b ...

Updated: Sep 07, 2008 4:33pm PST

Canyon de Chelly AZ : Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "du shay") National Monumnet is from the Spanish remdition of the Navajo word Tséyiʼ, which meaning "canyon." Located in Chinle, AZ on the NE corner of Arizona, it is perhaps one of the finest trips to view Anasazi ("the Old Ones") ruins. Dating back to 360BCE and occupied until a drought in around 1350 forced the people to abandon it, it is now occupied by and owned by Navajo. I recommend this as a terrific trip. But, if you go as a photographer, hire your own jeep at the Holiday Inn or one of the local people since you need a 4 wheel drive vehicle and must be accompanied by a Navajo guide. My experience with the two I have gone with made the trip more informative and far more meaningful since both had lived in and grown up in the canyon. My recommendation is to allow at least 6 or 7 hours to make the trip to Mummy Cave in the Canyon del Muerte ("Canyon of the Dead") commemorating the slaughter of 93 women and children by the Spanish. It is a fantastic trip and you'll see almost everything up close. The best site for good information about the National Monument and most places in the SW I have found is at www.americansouthwest.net. The rim dirives are terrific in the morning and evening for photograhpy as you can see. So plan a day or two for that alone.

Canyon de Chelly AZ

Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "du shay") National Monumnet is from the ...

Updated: Nov 23, 2007 2:45pm PST

VEIW ONLY IMAGES : These images are for your viewing enjoyment. Navajo Nation policies prohibit any commercial use of these images without a permit (which I didn't know about until I got there) so enjoy them even though you can't copy or print them.

VEIW ONLY IMAGES

These images are for your viewing enjoyment. Navajo Nation policies p ...

Updated: Nov 23, 2007 2:41pm PST

ARIZONA, UTAH, NM NATL PARKS : ARCHES, MESA VERDE, CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARKS The US holds its own, perhaps surpasses, other places for natural beauty on this shrinking ball of dirt we call home. No where better illustrates this than Yosemite National Park, Yellowstone, Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon, Arches National; the list is long and far from complete. There is no greater way to appreciate the rich natural heritage of our land than to spend a couple of weeks - or better, years to begin to do it justice - traveling the west. Visiting Ancestral Puebloan sites like Canyon de Chelly, Hovenweap, Mesa Verde and others reminds you that there were people that were here way before the Europeans "discovered" the new world. But then, the victors always write the history books... The Grand Canyon reminds us how long nature has been at work, visibly reminding us that we only crawled out of the ooze and stood erect at a point, corresponding in time, to a point very near the top of a mile deep canyon. Meteor Crater keeps us in awe of the power of things in the Universe. Even a celestial snowball packs more destructive power than all the fission an fusion bombs of earth combined. Keeps you sort of centered when you begin to feel froggy and the master of the universe. And finally, there is Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks. I guess if God has a home somewhere on earth, one of these places is where s/he'd pick to put it. Put down those remotes and hoist your couch potato backsides into action and get out there. The natural world is impressive and unforgettable.

ARIZONA, UTAH, NM NATL PARKS

ARCHES, MESA VERDE, CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARKS The US holds its own ...

Updated: Jun 10, 2007 12:39pm PST

NEW ORLEANS : New Orleans, "The Big Easy," has had its share of characters since its founding in 1718 -- starting with anyone that thought stopping and inhabiting a malarial, yellow fever, mosquito infested spit of ground made sense. From politicians that are infamous even years later for their artfulness in hijacking the political machinery with the main objective of bilking the public, to the street performers and artists around Jackson Square; there are characters aplenty. Turning into Jackson Square with its St. Louis Cathedral dominating the skyline, I nearly ran into a balding, rotund man with a huge cigar bellowing smoke, carrying a briefcase... in a white dress hurring, late for an appointment. Striding purposefully past the many street vendors showing off their art and talent, not one gave him a second glance. New Orleans is like that, there are characters and caricatures (manhy of which are your fellow tourists) everywhere. The French Quarter is as close as you can get to going back in time to the 18th or 19th century, outside of maybe St. Augustine, Florida. Sometimes rowdy, sometimes a little dirty, it is always fascinating. There is always something in the air in the French Quarter: humidity, savory aromas or music. It's never dull. Mardi Gras is famous for hosting the biggest free street bash in the country and it must be experienced to be believed... Some of the people you will see there, after a few quarts of booze, you definitely won't belive. Night is when the quarter really tunes up. Gyrating and undulating, it seeks to satiate every sense and desire known to man. Music, Jazz, Blues, Beer, Babes. All flow equally in and out of open doors, hang over balconies: "Hey, show us your ..." The famous Bourbon Street is a mass of over-imbibed, mostly young adults and gawking tourists. Entertaining this sea of glassy eyed, staggering,swaggering,open-mouthed revelers are performers in clubs, on corners and in gutters. It's the street musicians I find most interesting. They range from incredibly good to embarrasingly rotten. But, all are out there doing their routine. One or two I know had a harmony that could only be achieved by pulling a cat through a knothole by its tail. On narrow side streets, there is some serious eating and deadly serious antiquing to be found. Inviting, hidden brick archways lead to secret eateries with delicacies invented up by chefs the likes of Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse. Prepare to get fatter. Open storefronts shine a welcoming golden yellow in a blue black night. Antique shops offer the treasures of the old world, the odd and the new. Antique musket, gold dobloon, fifty-thousand dollar oriental rug? Royal Street antique shops have it all. New Orleans is about much more than this one location. You would have to go back again and again to explore everything from antebellum mansions to cypress-choked swamps. After that, you might be able to begin to say you have really been there.

NEW ORLEANS

New Orleans, "The Big Easy," has had its share of characters since its ...

Updated: Feb 26, 2006 5:18pm PST

DOOR COUNTY WISCONSIN : "Baileys Harbor was the first established village on the Door Peninsula. Capt. Justice Bailey, seeking refuge from a ferocious storm on Lake Michigan, came ashore in our sheltered harbor in 1848" according to the Bailey's Harbor Community Association. Today, Baileys Harbor is a refuge for those that want to get away and fish, visit historic lighthouses, rocky coasts and potters. The upper part of Door County is an explosion of fall color with old barns, dozens of old cars and plenty of apples to spice up the scenery and photography... And food. A farming area, Door County has numerous roadside shops selling cherry pies, apple pies, wines, cheese - lots of cheese, and fish served up in "fish boils." A fish boil with whitefish, potatoes and more whitefish is not to be missed. Door County has a lot of deer and turkeys. No, not your fellow airline passengers, the feathered kind,.I must have seen at least 200 in at least 15 different flocks. With an ocean they call a lake, the entire area has a distinctly North East Coast flavor to it withy scenic lighthouses and naval museums to visit. The area boasts many fine restaurants that are open spring to early fall. There are many smaller hotels and B&B's to fit any taste and budget. For fishermen, the spring and summer brings, I am told, unforgettable fishihg for smallmouth bass, perch, salmon and brown trout. Based on some of the pictures I saw and half of the fish stories I was told, it must be fantastic!

DOOR COUNTY WISCONSIN

"Baileys Harbor was the first established village on the Door Peninsul ...

Updated: Feb 26, 2006 5:14pm PST

The Western USA : A collection of photographs scanned from my many slides. Will grow over time as I get time to go back and scan and load others.

The Western USA

A collection of photographs scanned from my many slides. Will grow ov ...

Updated: Feb 26, 2006 5:12pm PST

US VIRGIN ISLANDS : US VIRGIN ISLANDS - "I go to da island to get sum sun, end up drinkin too much rum..." The islands of the Caribbean put the old body in verrry low gear, verry quickly, mon. There is a wonderful contrast between the go like hell world of the States and the US Virgins. The island of St. John is actually a store built to relieve cruise passengers of any remaining cash. There is plenty of relieving going on with over 3 million people visiting the shops of the island every year. Even if you never get outside of the main islands to the slower ones like St. Croix or St. Thomas, it is still a great place to be. Friendly people, great restaurants and some fishing in the summer to kill for. Don't miss Duffy's Love Shack or the restaurants in Red Hook. But, I ramble mon, gotta'' be gettin'' back to dat rum thing... be seein you soon.

US VIRGIN ISLANDS

US VIRGIN ISLANDS - "I go to da island to get sum sun, end up drinki ...

Updated: Feb 26, 2006 5:10pm PST

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