Adventures of the Voyager: Index: 1. South Texas Shootout (posted 7-27-06) 2. Just Stuff 3. Summer '05 4. Travel in Mexico 2006 Valley Land Fund " South Texas Shootout" 2006 was the year for another Valley Land Fund wildlife photography contest. Briefly the contest is held in the eight southern most Texas counties. The contest was a three month long event this year starting 1 April and ending 30 June. It is now the second most prestigious and lucrative wildlife photography in the country. Look them up at www.valleylandfund.com. It was a difficult contest from my point of view. (Of course each of the three VLF contests I entered was difficult.) There had been no rain since July 2005. The brush country was brown and largely barren. The drought seemed to affect small prey animals and some insects most. Birds were in good supply early in the contest. In late May or early June there were several inches of rain and range conditions improved quickly. I was privileged to partner with the Cook Ranches for the contest. I had access to three properties totaling about 35 thousand acres. One of the smaller of the three ranches was populated by many exotic species from around the world. When I drove through the gate to this ranch I always felt I had been transported to Africa. The opportunity to photograph exotics could only be duplicated in another very large wild animal park. I lived in my 5th wheel trailer in the middle size of the three ranches which is managed for its White-tail deer herd. Unfortunately the contest started after most of the deer had shed their antlers. Of course there were plenty of other great subjects on the ranch. The largest of the three ranches is primarily a cattle operation and there are two leases for trophy White-tail deer hunting. The people I met on the Cook properties were the extraordinarily friendly. When I was saying my goodbyes to some of the members of the deer lease and thanking them for their hospitality they modestly said they didn’t do anything special for me. I asked them to do nothing special for me the next time. I’m not sure that I could stand special treatment by them. If you have only photographed on public land you can’t imagine how different the photographic opportunities are on private property. Take a look at the valleylandfund.com. If you are a wildlife photographer and have a few weeks to spend shooting on a private ranch you might consider entering the 2008 contest. It is a real challenge and great fun. After returning from Alaska in October 2005 I was involved in the repair of hurricane Camille damage to my home. That work was completed the day before I left for Texas in Mid March. As a result I did little with my stock from the ’05 Alaska trip and didn’t live in my house until 17 July ’06. I am now trying to get this site and my stock updated for the last year. I hope you enjoy the new images. Just Stuff Katrina has come and gone. Rita has come and gone. Black mold has come and is now gone from my house and the reinstallation of roof and drywall has started. In fact, my contractor says it will be about 3 weeks until I am back in my house will be like new. In the mean time I am living in my trailer in the front yard. A large part of the Gulf Coast is still a disaster area, but in my personal space all is well. Summer '05 My summer ’05 stock trip to Alaska was extraordinary. This year I towed my 5th wheel to Hyder Alaska. Previously I considered this my secret place because so few people go there and fewer yet stay more than a few days. The weather is often rainy as the area is in the largest temperate rain forest in the world. They see 120 inches of annual precipitation on average. All of us were first attracted to Hyder by stories of the bears at Fish Creek. Those of us who stay for longer know that the attractions of Hyder extend beyond the bears to the glaciers, Salmon Glacier to be specific; wonderful alpine wildflowers and vistas; gold and copper mines old and new; old growth hemlock forests; birds and wildlife; fish and fishing and last but not least, the people. All in their way are wonderful to see and meet. It is not uncommon for someone to say “if I wanted to hide from everyone and wanted at the same time to stay in the United Stated, I would go to Hyder. You can’t get there by mistake. There is only one road in and the same one leads you back to the main highway. Hyder itself is reminiscent of an old western frontier town. It has that feel and look. When you leave Canada you leave the pavement until you return to Canada. The potholes can be pretty deep. The residents are just as self sufficient, independent and friendly as the early frontier people must have been too. The weather this summer was normal to warm. After a slow start I think it was decided that the Chum and Pink Salmon run was about average. On the other hand the bears were much more in evidence than in the last few years. Almost everyone that went to the bear viewing area in August saw a bear. Most of the time it was a grizzly bear that they saw and sometime the black bears came to see us. Perhaps the most unusual site this year was a large grizzly bear in a tree in down town Hyder. I didn’t think grizzlies climbed trees and this one seemed comfortable about 30’ above the ground. It seems a couple of town dogs chased him there and he wasn’t in a hurry to climb down. Almost everyone in town came to see him. It was a wonderful summer for me. Everywhere else seems so crowded and tame. A few of my photos are in the Alaska ’05 gallery and a few more are scattered about in the generic galleries. Travel in Mexico Many people travel to Mexico by air, land in Cancun, spend a few days in the sun in a beautiful Caribbean location where all is comfortable and familiar. The accommodations near the great Mayan Ruins like Cichen Itza, Coba or those near Mexico City also cater to a large population of English speaking people. If you are a little more adventurous though, you can travel all over Mexico using public transportation. Buses that travel between cities are large, air-conditioned; TV equipped, very comfortable and traveling by bus is reasonably priced. You can park your car and board a bus in U.S. cities near the border to begin your trip. The usual customs inspections are still required but the remainder of your trip is usually undisturbed by the authorities. My experience with this process is boarding the bus in McAllen, Texas where the bus station has a secure parking lot for travelers. For photographers, travel by bus solves the problem of film being ruined by X-ray. It also eliminates the problem of having overweight luggage. Of course you still have to pay the penalty of carrying and keeping track of all that luggage. Then, that is the penalty we always seem to pay willingly. Whether you fly or take the bus you need local transportation at your destination. Rental auto agencies are available in all of the larger cities. Where they are not available you can certainly find a friendly guide that will, for a fee, take you to the locations you want to see. Unless you have researched the area extensively, they will likely recommend places you would never find without them. My only experience with a guide was in the northern Yucatan where a friend and I hired a small boat and captain to photograph flamingos. The cost was reasonable and the guide knew his business. His English was good. We had a great time. I was still diving at the time so this was a combination diving and photography trip. As you know, divers carry as much luggage as photographers so I didn’t take a 500mm lens. Next time it will be a photo trip and the long glass, now a 600 IS, will go too. You may have noticed that I haven’t recommended traveling in Mexico using your own vehicle. I intended to do just that and mentioned it to a number of my friends who have traveled in Mexico and some who are Mexican citizens. With one exception they tried to discourage me. Of course I thought, what could go wrong. You buy the necessary auto insurance at the border, get a passport, visitors permit and automobile permit and all is well. I drive a Ford 350 pickup so it is a fairly large vehicle. Some of the towns in Mexico were built more than a century ago. Streets are often narrow for even a compact car. Driving customs and laws are a little different than ours. Even at that I planned to use my truck. On a recent trip I was with a group of friends in Mexico City. Most of the people were fluent in Spanish and several were citizens of another state in Mexico. We were driving a vehicle with U.S. license plates. We were stopped for an illegal right turn and the fine on the spot was $100 USD. I think because we were able to communicate well, the fine was reduced to $20 through negotiations. That pretty well clinched it for me. I now think leaving most of the driving to the bus driver and renting a car with local licenses is prudent. It is a lot more relaxing too. The one exception I mentioned was expressed in a recent conversation with an acquaintance who told me he always drives to various parts of Mexico and never has a problem. He is very comfortable driving there. You be the judge and enjoy your trip, however you travel, and the great photo ops you will undoubtedly find.