Adventures of the Voyager: Index: 1. Spring 2010 ICF Pro Tour contest 2. Alaska/BC Photo Tour 3. 2008 Valley Land Fund "South Texas Shootout" 4. First Grand Prize Winner 2007 Coastal Bend Wildlife Photo Contest 5. Alaska 2007 6. 2006 South Texas Shootout 7. Just Stuff 8. Summer '05 9. Travel in Mexico Spring 2010 ICF Pro Tour contest The ICF Pro Tour was held on 20 Ranches in the area surrounding Laredo Texas.  You can read about the contest at http://www.imagesforconservation.org/  In the ranch/photographer drawing I was partnered with a ranch north of Laredo on the Rio Grande river.  The judges are at work now and results will be announced in July.  I was fortunate to capture a few good images but far to few to score well in the contest.  If I am surprised by the judging I will revise this post and brag but don't look for that to happen this year.  Read about the Pro Tour on the ICF website.  It is a well planned and executed contest.  Unfortunately it may be another casualty of the economy. P.S.  I hear things are pretty hot in Yellowstone N.P. this spring. 2009 Southern Alaska & Northern BC 2009 was intended to include another great tour of South East Alaska.  Due to forces beyond our control that didn't happen.  We did have a great summer there.  Weather conditions were unusual.  It got quite warm for a week or so.  Snow melt was rapid causing several incidents.  Amoung them was a 100 yard gap in the only road to Salmon glacier and the loss of a main power pole into the valley leaving us without power for a few days.  Other than that the salmon run was good and the bears had a good summer showing off for us :)  Last years run was the smallest in many years.   The bears went to bed hungry and there were no spring cubs.  That was a dissapointment but I expect there will be several sets of them next year. Bear action was good with a pair of 4 year old Grizzlies playing together and fishing together.  They were full of energy and we had plenty of action.  Alpine wildflowers were great before the road washed out.  They were slightly less spectacular by the time the road was repaired.  I left with a good number of bear photos and some snowy landscapes.   2008 Valley Land Fund "South Texas Shootout" 2008 was the first year that I expected to do very well in a contest.  You and I both know that when you start to get confident fate and the judges tell you how it really is.  In any case the contest was difficult and rewarding as usual.  The environment was target rich and the opportunities varied.  I placed 5th this year and will just give it that much more effort next time.   If anyone wants more lnformation on these contests send me an email and I will give you all the information I have on them. NOTICE!  The Valley Land Fund cancelled the 2010 South Texas Shootout.  This may be the end of a great contest.   First Grand Prize Winner 2007 Coastal Bend Wildlife Photo Contest My partner Ruth Hoyt and I won First Grand Prize in the Coastal Bend Wildlife Photography Contest in 2007. The Coastal Bend Wildlife Photography Contest is the third of three major wildlife photography contests in the U.S.A. The contest structure is similar to the Valley Land Fund Contest. It is located in the Texas Coastal Bend near Corpus Christi, Texas. We were pleased and honored to be invited to partner with the Fennessey Ranch near Refugio, Texas. This was a 5 month long contest which demanded a large portfolio of images made on the partner ranch during those 5 months. The book “Wildlife In Focus IV” produced by the contest was dedicated to our host, Fennessey Ranch owner, Brian O'Connor Dunn for his work in enhancing and preserving crucial wildlife habitat. Alaska 2007 My 2007 trip to Alaska included the inauguration of my Southern Alaska & Northern BC Photo Tour. The participants loved the tour so I consider it a great success. I persuaded Ruth Hoyt to be my co-leader for this tour. That was one of my better decisions as she was a hit with the participants and they valued her helpful photo hints and suggestions. One of the highlights of our tour was one of our participants photographed a Kermode bear on the last day of the tour. I have visit this part of the world every second year since 2000 and have never seen a Kermode. Still haven't seen one as this one didn't stay visible long enough for me to see it. The summer was late this year and I was concerned that the road to the "summit" might not be clear of snow in time for the tour. It was however and all was well. It didn't even rain during the tour which is a very unusual condition during August in this temperate rain forest. My thanks to my friend Ron Jelen for his indispensable help during the tour and for his cheerful companionship exploring the back country; to Suzie at Camp Run-A-Muck; and to Kathy and Ron at Kathy's Korner. They and many others always make my stay in Hyder very pleasant. 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 didnÂ’t do anything special for me. I asked them to do nothing special for me the next time. IÂ’m not sure that I could stand special treatment by them. If you have only photographed on public land you canÂ’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 Â’05 Alaska trip and didnÂ’t live in my house until 17 July Â’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 Â’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 States, I would go to Hyder. You canÂ’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 didnÂ’t think grizzlies climbed trees and this one seemed comfortable about 30Â’ above the ground. It seems a couple of town dogs chased him there and he wasnÂ’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 Â’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 didnÂ’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 havenÂ’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. Update May 2010 Conditions have changed  regarding travel to Mexico.  I no longer recommend travel to Mexico due to the violence in the country.  I would consult the State Department website prior to traveling there.