The Photography of Dr. Jeff Harper

MONTANA HIGHWAYS (07/18/12)

Yellowstone National Park is in Wyoming, but it abuts Montana, specifically, the town of West Yellowstone.  The Yellowstone t-shirts and Yellowstone bumper stickers are about 60% less expensive here.

 

INTERNET!  Oh No!  It's closed!  We had a nice organic sandwich at a nice hippie establishment before we headed out of town and up the road . . . gotta make Butte by nightfall.

 

The countryside outside the National Park is every bit as beautiful.

 

Such beautiful scenery is unforgettable.

 

I want a cabin right here!

 

The drive from Yellowstone to Butte, Montana is a couple of hundred miles, but it is never boring.  The topography is constantly changing.

 

Stunning views of open range land and big, wide open spaces . . . and that sky!

 

. . . that huge, dramatic sky!

 

I couldn't help myself . . . these ARE Ansel Adams skies.

 

We saw the "Strawberry Pie" sign in the window of the Ennis Cafe and immediately pulled over.  That thunder storm finally caught us.

 

Although seemingly not a perfect day for photography . . . there was a certain mood about the landscape . . . still and dark . . . with a gigantic thunderhead looming . . .

 

Double thunder storms (binary system?).  Those clouds above were roiling.

 

Clouds are gigantic structures in our world that we do not pay enough attention to . . .  these heavily water saturated clouds seemed suited to a black & white study.

 

Montana sky and prairie.

 

Old farm houses were sparsely distributed around the landscape.  I love these old weathered surfaces . . . anywhere in the world I find them.

 

As the old saying goes, "It's not in the middle of nowhere, but you can see it from there" certainly fit this magical spot on our home planet.

 

Saw these big rolls of hay and had to stop. 

 

Nice textures, shapes, and shadows.

 

Montana is a big, beautiful place.

 

Moving on down the ever-changing Montana highways.

 

BUTTE, MONTANA: A GHOST TOWN IN THE MAKING

Butte, Montana, once the "Richest City In The World" in the 1880s, but not any more.  It was the largest city west of the Mississippi river, but not any more.

 

The wealth of the mine, shich sits right next to the city (and underneath it!) financed wonderful archecture and city planning.

 

The Golden Era of Butte was between the 1880s and 1917, when copper production began to decline.  There is an excellent documentary, Butte, America, worth seeing.

 

I wish I had made more time for Butte on this vacation.  I could have spent days in this amazingly photogenic old city.

 

The Silver Dollar Saloon, Butte, Montana, USA.  I do not know what the slogan on the sign refers to . . . .

 

. . . but the saloon had a wonerderful old sign.

 

There remains many references to the large Chinese population the American West once held.  The Chinese were brought to America to build the railroads and dig the mines.  The saga of the Chinese workers in Butte, Montana is a very sad story of exploitation, exclusion, and discrimination.

 

Butte noodle parlors . . . over 100 years old.

 

There must have been a very large Chinese population here at one time.  These old noodle merchant buildings now house a fine museum dedicated to the history of Asians in the Western USA.

 

I had to accept the light before me . . . if I were to spend some time here I would know where to be with my camera at the "right" time of day . . . still . . .

 

. . . even with the harsh light, there was much to appreciate.  "Old Space" is my favorite subject matter: something made, a space defined (positive or negative space) and never touched, or repaired, or maintained for long periods of time.

 

Somewhere, in Butte, Montana, an artist moves in the shadows.

 

Sometimes, Time itself is a maker of Art.  High altitude, deep blue sky, clear air that does not refract light, and a polarizing filter can create some interesting effects, like this black sky.

 

I do not know if I will ever return to Butte . . . . but I will remember it's strangely beautiful ambiance.

 

As we drove out of Butte, I stopped to take this photo of an old mine "Head Rig," a symbol of it's past glory, and it's present predicament.

 

We stopped for gas and lottery tickets an hour west of Butte.

 

A summer Montana alfalfa field.  One can only wonder how deep the snow is here in the winter!

 

I knew I should have employed the porcelain convenience at that Conoco station!  Oh well, an unscheduled stop brought the discovery of an old road bridge.

 

These one-way bridges bring back more childhood memories from my many moves across the country. Sometimes there would be a flagman, sometimes lights, and sometimes you had to just play chicken!

 

The water looked refreshing, but we had to move further on up the road.

 

Looking west, as millions have done before me.

 

Stopped for B-B-Q and noticed this sweet home.

 

The air was so clean and the light so perfect . . .

 

. . . I had to take these photos.  It's a shame these are not full frame, full-resolution photos.  I can literally count every single pine needle!

 

The world's largest dandelion puff . . . it was as large as my hand!

 

The National Fish Hatchery Museum is located at the site of America's first fish hatchery, established in 1889.  It was so clear and bright when I pulled the car over, but the ONLY cloud in the sky decided to make me wait 20 minutes before I could take this shot.  It was the last stop in Montana.

 

IDAHO: CUTTING ACROSS THE PANHANDLE (07/19/12)

Idaho.  We cut across the narrowest part of the state.

 

We dropped out of the Montana high country towards the big valley that starts with Coeur d'Alene and ends with the Washington Cascades.

 

We stopped only once in Idaho, in the old silver mining town of Wallace.

 

In 1890 Wallace was the most populated town in Idaho (population 2000), in 1910 it burned to the ground.

 

Today Wallace is a beautifully restored tourist town with a population of 784 (2010 census).

 

There was a lot of civic pride evident in Wallace . . .

 

. . . we arrived in the middle of the Wallace Chamber of Commerce's Annual Flintstone Days.  You do not see this kind of thing every day!

 

You needed a substantial bank building to hold all of that silver.

 

There is a total of about four square blocks in Wallace now, but we enjoyed walking around and sticking our heads in the quaint shops and fountains.

 

An old hardware store was converted into an antiques shop, but they kept the origional 100 year old hardware store fittings and furnishings as they were.  Nice.

 

The Wallace hardware/antique shop has a sumptuously welcoming interior.

 

I am very happy to report that no matter where in the world I go, no matter how large or small the town, there is always an artist. Wallace, Idaho painted cabinet.

 

I thought, as I always do, what it would be like to live in this sweet little town . . . .  but decided against it . . . . what would I DO?

 

Wallace had a fountain/old games parlor.  These old juke boxes were amazing, as were the old pin-ball machines.  The owner said they were were all in A-1  working order.  There was no way I was going to ship one of these gems to Bangkok!

 

The soda fountain in the front of the shop was a marvel, untouched from the 1920s.

 

I had a world class piece of home made apple pie and an excellent cafe latte. I have a feeling that they didn't serve cafe latte in the 1920s in Wallace, Idaho!

 

A business opportunity can be had in this recently refurbished historical building.  I LOVE the period art deco erectile signage!

 

Interstate 90 was calling, so we said good-bye to Idaho and a few hours later pulled into  .  .  . Spokane, Washington State.

THE YELLOWSTONE LOOP ROAD

Yellowstone National Park beckons: we weren't the only ones beckoned.  But . . . I am not complaining . . . the facilities and organization of the park was so good that it could have easily swallowed up twice as many tourists.  We were told that the number of tourists this summer was "very low" in comparison to previous years.  The recession and high gasoline prices kept many away.  It's a pity, really, because Yellowstone is such a fantastically beautiful place.

 

Park policy is to leave Yellowstone as natural as possible.  As a result, they let wild fires burn out, rather than intervene.  Here we have evidence of a fire from several years ago and the regrowth that has occurred since.

 

We checked into our comfortable lodge room at mid day and set out on one of the park "loop" roads for Old Faithful Geyser.  The park roads have many "turn-outs" that give access to beautiful scenes, like this Alpine lily pond, and . . .

 

. . . . broad vistas of the park forests and lakes.

 

The road into Yellowstone follows the beautiful  Yellowstone River.

 

We stopped many times to marvel at the natural beauty of the Yellowstone River.

 

We stopped many, many times to marvel at the beauty of the Yellowstone River scenery.

 

We reached the vast parking lots of the Old Faithful Lodge about ten minutes too late to see the geyser erupt.  Fortunately, they don't call it Old Faithful for nothing:  the next eruption would be in 73 minutes!

 

The area around Old Faithful Geyser is very beautiful.  There were also shops nearby selling everything in the universe with "Old Faithful" either embossed, embroidered, or printed on it. I bought a t-shirt while we waited.  I also had a hot dog that didn't have Old Faithful printed on it.

 

As the moment of eruption neared, a small crowd appeared.  The seating around the geyser was only half full.

 

Old Faithful erupting right on time.  Too bad the light wasn't any better for photography.

 

The eruption is really spectacular . . . a video clip can be found here.

 

We went back to the lodge for the night after Old Faithful, but not before exploring a bit around Yellowstone Lake.

 

Ah, Wilderness!

 

Here and there around Yellowstone Lake are areas of active geology, such as colorful mineral hot springs, geysers, and bubbling mud and slimy ooze, my favorite things.

 

Effervescent green mineral springs and slimy pink gunky hot springs side-by-side.

 

This little geyser was spitting an occasional thick, hot white paste globule.  Very creepy, really.

 

Other than volcanoes and earthquakes, we do not normally think of the earth itself as active . . .

 

There were lots of elderly couples riding very large motorcycles (sometimes puling a trailer full of camping gear) on the road and in the lodges.  By elderly, I mean 85 years old, like this "young couple" from Alabama.  Good on them!  I love seeing old folks out in the  world enjoying life.

 

There was a touring service employing antique busses available for tourists.  Very cool.

 

We followed the Loop Road counterclockwise along the shore of Yellowstone Lake.

 

We pulled off the Loop Road often for short walks in the beautiful nature.

 

Yellowstone River.

 

Yellowstone River rocks covered with moss and lichens.

 

We saw some trees showing signs of Elk rubbing the velvet off their young antlers.

 

The giant Elk was grazing not ten feet from the roadside . . . with 30 cars and campers and 50 people all clicking away with their cameras!  The Elk remained nonchalant.

 

The weather remained threatening all day.  The geological activity of Yellowstone is a reminder that we were sitting on top of an ancient Super Volcano.

 

The views of the bubbling mud were endless.

 

A bubbling mud caldera.  Do not swim in these.

 

A hot, bubbling mineral lake.  Beautiful.

 

Although it was a cloudy day, the mountain glades were beautiful in their wild flowers.

 

A field of Yellowstone wild flowers.

 

We at last came to the end of Yellowstone Lake.

 

The lake emptied back into the Yellowstone River . . . and then into the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone."

 

THE GRAND CANYON OF YELLOWSTONE

Upper Falls, Yellowstone River.

 

The Yellowstone River goes over a series of falls.

 

Middle Falls, Yellowstone River.

 

Near the Lower Falls.

 

The Lower Falls: WOW!

 

The "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone" begins at the Lower Falls.

 

The Yellowstone River carved a deep canyon through, what else, yellow stone.

 

The light was not good for this kind of photography . . . but I tried to be patient.

 

If you look at the top of the foreground pinnacle you will see an osprey's nest  with chicks.  Of course I only had my 24-105mm lens with me . . . .

 

We eventually had to leave the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone because this big rain (above) moved in . . . and was beautiful.

 

We left the high river and canyon region and arrived at open meadows with bison serenely grazing.

 

We were able to get surprisingly close to the bison.

 

I guess if you are exposed to over a million tourists, you get used to it.  These are magnificent animals.

 

This big fellow was walking beside the road without a care in the  world.  He stopped for this posed photo-op.

 

Wild flowers were in abundance as it was still Spring in July at this altitude of over 8000 feet.

 

On our second day we decided to drive the entire Loop Road . . . to see the bubbling mineral springs and cascades.

 

There is no shortage of grand views in Yellowstone:  Here a recent burn left a sad and desolate landscape.

 

All day long we chased, and were chased by, dark mountain storms.

 

The Loop Road takes you up and outside of the main caldera and into some beautiful rolling high country.

 

YELLOWSTONE HOT MINERAL SPRINGS

The highlight of the second day in Yellowstone, if not the entire vacation, was the discovery of the hot mineral springs.  This is Canary Springs.

 

The mineral hot springs were a flow of scalding hot water, mineral formations, and an abundance of waterborne life in the form of thermophilic microbes.

 

The combination of time, flowing hot mineral water, and simple thermophilic life forms created the most marvelous patterns.

 

OK, name this planet.  If you guessed Earth, you'd be right, although the small round mineral balls are reminiscent of the "blueberries" found on Mars by the rovers.

 

I could not get enough of these wild abstract algae creations in mineral substance.

 

A colorful hot algeal mineralscape.

 

Mineralscape detail.  Amazing beauty and complexity.  These were very difficult to photograph on this cloudy day: most of what you see in this photo was moving around, wafting back and forth in the current of hot mineral spring water.

 

A scene of life that has adapted to a hostile environment.  If this livng stuff can live on Earth, then it can live ANYWHERE!

 

Oh!  The colors!

 

Everything in this photo is a life form . . . swaying in the current of a hot spring!

 

More "Martian" blueberries.

 

Colorful layers of minerals and algae forms.

 

Steaming hot spring.

 

Hot spring patterns.

 

At the mineral springs.

 

In some of the hot pools it would be the minerals that had crystallized into patterns.

 

The variation of color and pattern in the hot mineral springs was endless.

 

A cropped photo of a hot algae pool. Extraterrestrial, no?

 

The hot vulcanism of our planet must be very close to the surface here.

 

As we drove the Loop Road the natural wonders just kept on coming!

 

After seeing these formations I understood more of how the Mars Rovers went about their business: some mineral formations only occur in the presence of water.

 

These mineral formations are not ancient, as the protruding trees attest.  Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA.

 

Again: Name the planet!

 

Another roadside Point of Interest, and another amazing mineral formation.

 

This hot spring was very active: loudly bubbling and steaming.

 

Hot, bright white liquid poured down the hillside.

 

Fabulous Nature!

 

Active geology, no?

 

Beautiful . . . . and there was more to come . . . much more.  I LOVE Yellowstone.

 

A cascade of color, minerals, algae, bacteria, and hot water.

 

Orange Spring Mound near Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone.  Bacteria and algae create the streaks of color.

 

Orange Spring Mound, Yellowstone, late afternoon, July 17, 2012.

 

We headed back out onto the Yellowstone Loop Road back to our cabin, the light was becoming as magical as the landscape.

 

Afternoon light in the Wyoming High Country.

 

A clearing in between the afternoon showers left the earth wet and dark.

 

A Yellowstone afternoon; Elk grazing in the distance.

 

High country afternoon sky, meadow, trees, and hill.

 

While driving around in that beautiful afternoon magic golden hour light I spotted a roadside forest lake and pulled over.

 

The timing couldn't have been better:  fantastic light and shadow . . . and  . . .

 

. . . reflection!

 

Incredible reflection.  What a special afternoon it was.

 

Further on down the road: deer grazing.

 

A tranquil and serene sight.

 

Who in the Hell drives a SmartCar from Florida to Yellowstone?  The Buffalo was larger than the car . . .

 

The Bison is a magnifiscent animal.

 

In mid-July, the sun sets very late at these northern latitudes, unlike Bangkok, my home town.

 

There was a colorful sunset brewing . . .

 

. . . and even though the sun was setting, we continued to explore the various geothermal sights.  You can see steam rising everywhere.

 

The National Park Service does a very good job of making it easy for visitors to make the most of their Yellowstone holiday.  This is the Subaru we rented.  A very good car for this kind of trip, although I would have liked to have had about 500 more horsepower.  Oh well.

 

There weree still beautiful photographs to take in the last of the light:  this stream meandering through the green marsh grass and purple sage, for example.

 

A geyser erupting at night is spectacular, not so much for the visuals, but the auditory experience: the ground rumbles, then the hot seam gurgles and hisses loudly as it is ejected from the hot depths of the Earth.

 

We called it a day to remember and headed back to the lodge for a meal of farm-raised trout.  Yummy.

LEAVING YELLOWSTONE: MORE ROADSIDE GEOLOGICAL ATTRACTIONS

We woke early on our last day and drove out of Yellowstone . . . but not without stopping a number of times to take in more amazing geological phenomena.

 

The Yellowstone Park Serice provided very informative and educational signage at every stop.

 

Black Sands Basin was especially beautiful  with the turquoise geyser pools.

 

Although not as high as Old Faithful, this geyser at Black Sands Basin was more dramatic because it was continuously erupting.

 

I do not want to leave the impression through my photographs that we were alone in the park.  There were other tourists wherever we went, but never in large numbers . . . and they were always well behaved, lulled, as it were, into as stupor of total wonder!

 

The weather was perfect in the clear, cold morning: no pesky thunder clouds.

 

Just look at how this algae and bacteria have organized themselves into organic shapes of many kinds (pods!!!).  Looking at these I can understand evolution fully:  give a life form a few billion years and it will morph, evolve into some pretty interesting shapes . . . like you and me.

 

An astonishing color to find in nature! . . . and those cloud reflections!

 

The Yellowstone Park Service provided safe elevated boardwalks to access these amazing hot mineral pools to minimize the impact of so many tourists.  Thanks.

 

I am running out of superlatives that I haven't used a hundred times already.  How about 'wonderous'!!

 

These mineral flows are very recent . . . the colors were otherworldly.

 

Unspoiled natural beauty wherever you looked.  I will always remember this day at Yellowstone.  The sky was so dark blue, and the pools were so vividly turquoise.  Unfathomable beauty.

 

But . . . "we ain't seen nuttin' yet" as the old saying goes . . .

 

As we ascended the steps and boardwalks of Giant Pool, we suspected we were in for a treat.

 

We were not disappointed: an array of color the likes of which I had never seen in nature.  Simply fantastic.  And that sky . . . . .

 

The valley was a continuous plane of geological wonder all the way up to the mountains . . . .

 

. . . and looking in both directions.  On the boardwalk we were surrounded by 360 degrees of flowing hot water covered mineral formations in a wide array of hues and colors.

 

The walk up to the main pool was out of this world: orange algae streaks and water so blue it's steam was also blue.  Simply incredible!

 

Orange, yellow, blue, green . . . and bubbling!

 

I have never seen anything quite so beautiful in my entire life, and I am not likely to see something this beautiful again.

 

The bluest blue I have ever seen.

 

With the bright blue pool behind me the view was also fantastic.

 

The orange algae flow continued under the boardwalk.

 

I did not want to leave Yellowstone . . . and this spot in particular.

 

I would love to come back here in the winter and see this place on a brightcold day with snow all around . . . .

 

This hot deep pool was nearby . . . .

 

. . . it was bubbling viciously from the center.

 

It was a windy day and as a result there were many hats blown into the turquoise realm.  These are tropical beach colors that come as a surprise in the mountains.

 

We had to say good-bye to Yellowstone and hit the road to Butte, Montana for the night.  We were on a road trip, after all, and had to make some miles.

We left Denver early in the morning heading up the Interstate to Wyoming.  My four days in Denver were spent at a very vauable conference, but without my camera.  I was working.

 

Wyoming has very diverse topography: the high chaparral of the eastern half is contrasted by the high Titons and Yellowstone in the west.

 

RVs racing across the Wyoming planes to Yellowstone, apparently.

 

Contrary to popular myth, there IS a lot to see between Cheyenne and Casper Wyoming: Chugwater, for example.  We saw the "World Famous Chugwater Chili" sign out on the Interstate and just had to pull off.

 

Chugwater, Wyoming may seem to have seen better days, but it may actually be in the middle of it's best days: there is natural gas being extracted in this part of Wyoming, and the town was crawling with Haliburton trucks.

 

Main Street Chugwater has the charm and simplicity of aesthetic delapidation I crave.

 

Yes, people are actually living here.  The bright clear light and the incredible textures were fantastic.  I wonder if the residents share my indiscriminate enthusiasms.

 

If a local Chugwaterian were to see this photo, what might they think?  I love the symmetrical aesthetics, color, and lines of this shot.

 

The effects of severe winter weather is evident everywhere.

 

"If these walls could talk."

 

The old, and closed, Chugwater Cabins and Hotel had a nice new door.

 

Someone found a good (and ironic) use for an old "Speed Limit" sign.

 

I am always challenged while photographing an amazing scene to know what is the best cropping/framing. Chugwater was extremely challenging in this way.

 

The Chugwater Soda Fountain, founded in 1918, beckoned. I had Chugwater Chili on my mind.

 

I found The Chili From Heaven in Chugwater.  What a charming old place.

 

 

Lines and negative spaces in Chugwater, Wyoming.

 

Like habitations in vastness anywhere in the world, people pick up old stuff and drag it into town.  The old caboose was wonderful.

 

A new coat of red paint had been sprayed over eerything.

 

I love this photo: it wold print large very nicely.

 

Someone created a side yard Museum of Old Stuff Found Way the Hell Out There.  This scene reminds me so much of my childhood moving around America in the '50s and 'early '60s.

 

This may be an old shepherd's trailer from the 1940s.  Read, "This House of Sky" by Ivan Doig for a beautiful account of life out in the vast western wilderness.

 

We said a sad good-bye to amazing Chugwater and headed north to Casper to meet up with my old best college buddy, George, and his wife JoLynn.  I made friends with this thorn while making an unscheduled pit stop.  Ouch.

 

George and I have not changed one bit since we last saw each other in, er, 1974.  We looked very old when we were young.  George and I have lived very similar lives, his more remote than mine.  Although I have spent 10 years in The Congo, 17 in Thailand, and an odd 5 years in England, Denmark, and Germany . . . George has spent the same period in Lame Deer, Montana, and Hines, Oregon working with the U.S. Forest Service.  Hines and Lame Deer may be the remotest places in the USA and perhaps only exceeded by a wadi or two in the Sahara!  It was very thoughtful of George to wear a Harper Racing t-shirt for the occasion.  Thanks to the miracle of the Internet, friends like George and I have kept in contact over the years and miles.

 

George took us up to a iew spot above the berg of Casper, Wyoming.  He complained abut the traffic and congestion . .  I reminded him that I lived in Bangkok, a city of 11+ million people who seeming all just got their driver's licenses today and went out for a drive.

 

This some of what I miss by living in Bangkok: vast scenery, big sky, and mountains.

 

Our Sunday drive took us beside a gladed stand of Aspens where we saw young deer grazing.

 

We went back to George's house where he shared stories of license plate collecting out west.  George has a complete set of Oregon, Montana, and Wyoming license plates.  By complete sets I mean every year and every type of license plate ever made in those states.  Fantastic.  These are rare non-private vehicle plates form Montana.

 

George displays parts of his collection at collectors' conventions and through various associations organs.  We all went out  for a great dinner before we retired back at out hotel . . . we had an early morning call to get back out on the road to Wind River (George recommended the town of Thermopolis and the hot springs) before The Grand Tetons by the evening.

 

The drive west out of Casper took us through some breathtaking scenery.

 

Sometimes we would just stop the car and walk out in the vastness . . . under an emense sky.

 

As rain clouds gathered, we took a side trip (20 miles in, and 20 miles out) up the Wind River.

 

We drove through the wildly beautiful Wind River Canyon to get to Thermopolis.

 

The canyon continued to narrow as we went further in.

 

A railroad line followed the river on the far bank.

 

Construction of the railroad must have caused many sleepless nights for the engineers.

 

The railroad must require constant maintenance against rock falls.

 

At some points the canyon was so narrow there were tunnels on both sides, for cars and trains.

 

The Wind River Canyon eventually opened out as we neared Thermopolis.

 

What a beautiful place.

 

Thermopolis was a tourist town centered around hot springs developments, most of which seemed to be from the 1930s or 1960s.  The formally developed hot springs commerce was not too attractive, although there was one nice National Parks hot springs facility.  The park, however, was well maintained.

 

Geography buffs will appreciate this:  it seems the Wind River was "discovered" by two separate explorers on each side of the Wind River Canyon and was, therefore, name as two distinct rivers . . . to this very day! Even though it is the same rier (the Wind River), it is called the Bighorn River  (in 1805 by fur trader François Larocque) at Thermopolis . . . after a "Wedding of the Waters" somewhere up stream.  Amazing.  The park had a nice pedestrian suspension bridge over the Bighorn River.

 

The bridge proided a good vantage point for photographing the surrounding geological marvels.

 

Billed as the "Largest Hot Springs In The World," it was mighty impressive.  There were some amazing mineral pools and cascading mineral deposits running into the blue Bighorn River.

 

The Bighorn River as it seeks it's way to the sea.

 

The light was very bad for photography, overcast, but I did manage to find some interesting subject matter, like these thermal pools.  Notice the white rock sign on the side of the hill announcing, "World's Largest Thermal Hot Springs."

 

Sometimes the cascading hot mineral waters would leave a pattern of scales on the rocks.

 

One of the most interesting things I saw on the entire trip might be these life forms living in scalding hot thermal pools.  These things attract NASA exobiologists like free money.  If there is life on other planets, it'll look like this for sure . . . and what feeds on this stuff on another planet is anybodie's guess!  We stopped at a grocery store in Thermopolis for supplies (anything without sugar . . . which is NOT easy in the USA!) before driing back through the Bighorn/Wind River Canyon.

 

Once out of the Wind River mountains, the countryside spread out again into arid wilderness.

 

I love this kid of nature; so grand . . .

 

. . . and mile after mile of it.  As we drove to the northwest, our altitude rose.  The countryside began to change.

 

The earth became more red in color, the flora changed as well; more sagebrush now, and the occasional green oasis.

 

The geology of the hills became streaked with red.  Magnificent.

 

Like something out of a cowboy movie!

 

This dirt road was soooo tempting . . . . but we wanted to get to the Grand Tetons National Park before dark, and a rain storm was gathering.

 

As we rose in elevation the road often cut through rocky passes with mammoth monuments of red stone.

 

The American West in all its glory!

 

A storm was gathering over the red stone bluffs.  We drove faster and stopped less often . . . .

 

The road became very steep as we ascended into the Alpine meadows of the Grand Tetons . . . where it was raining a gentle, and cold rain.

 

The rain was becoming very steady as we reached the entrance gate of Grand Teton National Park.

 

By the time we reached our park cabin check-in it was dark and raining.  We had a nice meal (trout) in the central lodge.  We awoke to a perfect day . . . .

 

. . . a glorious morning . . .

 

. . . among the pines.

 

Our log cabin had been comfy and cozy.

 

What is it about a log cabin in the pines that makes one feel so . . . welcome?

 

We were late enough in the summer for wild flowers to be blooming at altitude.

 

We could have spent a week in the Tetons, but we were booked into Yellowstone for the next several days.  We hit the road early, and stopped to take a look at The Grand Teton mountains themselves across Janet Lake.

 

There couldn't have been better weather . . .

 

The Teton peaks were shrouded in billowy clouds.

 

The clouds would part now and then to give a glimpse of one peak at a time.

 

Fantastic!

 

An old high school friend of mine, Marty Stewart, spent months backpacking in the Tetons . . . and raved about them.  Now I see why . . . forty years later.

 

The whole of the Tetons; GRAND indeed!

 

We somehow pulled ourselves away from Lake Janet and the reflected high Tetons and headed up i altitude to Yellowstone National Park . . . and ever more natural beauty.

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

A road trip from Philadelphia to Virginia necessarily implies a side-trip stop for lunch in historic Annapolis, Maryland.  My daughter, Kirsten, joined my wife, Yoo, and I for this leg of our journey.

 

We weren't the only people who had the idea of an Annapolis lunch!  The old colonial sea port, and site of America's first fleet (and current Naval Academy) was packed with tourists, like ourselves.

 

Annapolis is a very pretty colonial town, well restored.  About half the buildings were occupied by estate agents, and the other half equally divided by curios and ice cream shops.

 

Because America's architectural history is so short, tourists drive a long way to see these kinds of structures.  In London you see this as ubiquitous.

 

I am not sure if the flags are displayed all year, or just for the 4th of July holidays.  Very pretty.

 

We walked around town in search of a lunch of perfect lump crab cake . . . .

 

. . . and found it here.  Highly recommended lump crab cake.  McGarvey's Oyster Bar.  Yum yum.  We left Annapolis for Virginia with smiles on our faces.

VIRGINIA HIGHWAYS

We trusted the GPS to get us through/around Washington, D.c. to my favorite highway: Virginia Highway 29N.  We noticed these cool works of art out front of a winery and stopped.

 

Virginia, like other States, are beginning to build a name for it's vineyard.  It turns out that grapes grow in places other than France and the Napa Valley of California.

 

The Northern Virginia countryside is already one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and the presence of vineyards has no damaged that.

 

Looks like a good crop this year . . . I guess.

 

We continued south on Highway 29 and pulled over at one of the roadside fruit stands which are plentiful this time of year.  Strangely, the woman running the fruit stall looked very much like my recently departed mother.

 

When you live in the tropics, as I do, you get a hankering for temperate climate fruits.

 

We bought cherries and nectarines for ourself, and a watermelon and these cantaloupes for gifts.

 

I am a sucker for old machinery and had to get some shots of the old Massey Furgeson tractor parked out back of the fruit stand.

 

"Lovely capture," as photographers say.  But enough of this dilly-dallying . . . . time to get on to the real reason of this journey . . . a return to the Follye of Mr. Jefferson's Old Age . . .

THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

I earned my Ph.D. degree from the University of Virginia and have many warm and special memories of my time there.

 

Like all UVA grads, we are all conversant in the history and  traditions of our beloved alma mater.

 

The University of Virginia does not have a "campus," it has The Grounds.

 

The University of Virginia does not have a "quad," it has The Lawn.  Unfortunately The Lawn was under repair and restoration, seemingly like the rest of my beloved University.

 

The Uniersity of Virginia does not have a "student union," it has The Rotunda, which most of the White House is modeled after.  Again, The Rotunda was under major restoration.

 

A magnificent building.  I attended many a stimulating and edifying lecture in the Main Hall of The Rotunda.

 

Through these doors have walked great men and women. And me.

 

Just strolling around The Grounds brought back such wonderful memories.

 

Not everything was under renovation; some of the Pavilions that line The Lawn were in beautiful condition, ready to be photographed.

 

Thomas Jefferson, the founder of UVA and the architect of American Democracy and Religious Freedom, was also an architect of great talent and vision.

 

Being a student here, among this great architecture, was very inspirational.

 

My wife and daughter were somewhat patient of me as I wandered the columned aisles, teary-eyed in a swoon of academic nostalgia.

 

Another interesting architectural feature of UVA are the Colonnades, the original student rooms, separated from The Lawn by a series of serpentine-walled gardens.

 

The UVA Colonnades.

 

The Colonnades hold individual student rooms, who win the right to stay in them in a lottery.  A good friend of mine, the philosopher Marshall Parks, stayed here for a year.  We had great discussions of in this room about anti-foundationalism, neo-pragmatism, and the philosophy of Richard Rorty, his dissertation committee chair, and my mentor.

 

Edgar Allen Poe was a student at The University of Virginia and lived in a Colonnades room, here carefully restored exactly as Poe had lived in it.

 

The Jefferson Debating Society Hall on the end of the Colonnades.

 

The University is very careful to keep the architecture unified.  Even new buildings must conform to the Jeffersonian Colonial Style.

 

Jefferson included many enclosed gardens for contemplation and reflection.  I did a fair amount of reading in these gardens, weather permitting.

 

Some of the gardens are behind Pavilions and are used for receptions and such.  I put on a reception for Dr. Igor Girshunsky, a Soviet university president, in this garden.

 

Beyond the old Jeffersonian Grounds, are newer (1920s) academic buildings.  This is the Alderman Library.  I spent many years in this building doing research among the ancient Hindi texts and documents . . . searching for the stories of elusive pratieka (pakeka) Buddha.

 

The newer sections of The Grounds are also very beautiful.

 

Inside those double doors was a student lounge with a grand piano.  Most afternoons there was a talented student playing marvelous music.  I stopped there often for thoughtful reflection.

 

This is a new Curry School building that wasn't there when I was a student here.

 

The University of Virginia is often called a "Public Ivy League" university.  It is currently the #1 ranked public university, and many rankings include UVA among the top 10 universities in the USA.  We left The Grounds of my beloved Uniersity of Virginia for old downtown Charlottesville and a light lunch.  Time to get to Richmond.

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

We arrived at the home of my step-son, Piet, in the middle of a record-setting heat wave.  Needless to say, we didn't get out and see any of Richmond, Virginia.  We had fun hanging out and talking while Piet cooked and we all ate too much good food.  The previous week, they were out of power for three days due to freak storms that brought 100mph+ winds. 

 

Piet's kids were housebound, like us, due to the extreme heat (over 115f heat index!); not the best way for a child to spend a summer day.

 

We spent a wonderful two days with Piet, his wife, Marguerite, and their two boys, Finn and Elias, before driving to Dullas Airport for our flight to Denver, Colorado.

PHILADELPHIA, PA,  U.S.A.

I went to the U.S.A. this July (2012) to breathe some American air.  Pennsylvania did not disappoint.

 

My first stop was on the grid in Philadelphia, home of American Democracy, signed, sealed, and delivered here in Constitution Hall in 1776.

 

My daughter is a professional artist in the very artsy Philadelphia.

 

Philadelphia is an old city, a bit down at the heel and in need of some fresh paint . . . which has been slathered here and there: Philly is a city that feels like it is on the rebound.

 

There is much urban charm to be found in Philadelphia.

 

Some Philly residential areas remind me of my time in London.

 

My infatuation with street carts was fully satisfied in Philadelphia. I couldn't help but think of the similarities and differences between food carts in Philly, Bangkok, and Yogjakarta, Indonesia.

 

A trip to Philly would not be complete without engorging on the requisite cheese steak sandwich.

 

Philadelphia is also a modern metropolis of glass and steel . . .

 

. . . and all kinds of people in funny hats and clothing . . .

 

. . . for many, many years, it seems.

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM of PHILADELPHIA

There is a fine Natural History Museum in Philadelphia definitely worth the visit.

 

You can actually touch dinosaur bones!

 

There was a large section containing many dioramas of current and extinct animals.  We enjoyed looking at the bison, moose, and bear dioramas in anticipation of actually seeing them in Yellowstone National Park later in the summer.

 

Like many museums, actual scientific study was going on.  There were glass windows overlooking the research labs.

 

There was a butterfly "room" filled with colorful butterflies from around the world . . .

 

. . . a photographer's dream (although I did not have my macro lens handy . . . damn!).

 

I chased this black example around the room until it sat still.

 

A fantastic environment for photography . . . I could have spent all day in there, but Vietnamese dinner in Chinatown was beckoning.

 

Philly does not have an especially large Chinatown area, but it makes up for it in colorful lights.

 

The Occupy Wall Street folks were in Philly to protest the 4th of July parade, but stopped off in Chinatown for food and beer.  Good people.

 

We were still a little jet-lagged, but we enjoyed the day.

 

The city that never stops  working . . . I imagined these guys to be secret operatives splicing into the Police Station communications net they were working next to . . . .

I LOVE A PARADE: 4th of July

A hot, sunny 4th of July morning in Philadelphia.

We where up early and out the door to get a good place to view the big 4th of July parade.  Thee side streets were full of staging floats and parade goers . . . .

 

. . . as well as a goodly number of Occupy Wall Street protesters, and an overwhelming police presence.  The Founding City of American Democracy seemed a bit intolerant to those who want to preserve it - for all.

 

We stopped for good coffee right across from Betsy Ross's Historical House . . . .

 

. . . where they were busy running visitors' hometown flags up the Betsy Ross Flag Pole (BRFP).

 

Everybody was eager with anticipation for the parade to begin.

 

And the parade began!

 

The 4th of July is America's Birthday party . . . a time to celebrate America . . . in all its aspects.

 

I liked that the parade organizing committee allowed such a wide swath of American culture, history, and institutions to parade themselves before the citizenry.

 

There were lots of Marching Bands . . . .

 

. . . and actual soldiers just back from Afghanistan . . .

 

. . . and soul singers on floats . . .

 

. . . antique milk trucks (I enjoyed these) . . .

 

. . . a Viet Nam Veterans Motorcycle Club . . .

 

Sometimes the contrasts between the parading groups was astonishing . . . like these members of the Confederate Antebellum Society . . . followed by the group representing the Underground Railway Museum.

 

A fervor of historical reverence was evident among the parade-goers.

 

They are proud of their police in Philadelphia . . .

 

. . . and their Beauty Queens.

 

Lots of Beauty Queens riding on convertibles . . . like the calmly Miss Philadelphia here.

 

There was a nice mix of Beauty Queens and Marching Bands . . .

 

. . . and old Fire Department machinery . . .

 

. . . and Marching Bands, some more wild than others!

 

I was glad to see the Shriners and their little parade cars racing about . . . the crowd loved them.  They do good work.

 

Uncle Sam was a part of the Red, White, and Blue orgy of patriotism.

 

For me, the highlight of the parade, in addition to the hot rods and classic cars, were the many ethnic communities represented.  The inclusiveness was admirable and exemplary.

 

The local Philippine community was out in force . . .

 

. . . Miss Philippines USA was on hand . . .

 

. . . as was this Filipino sailor, symbolizing the close historical connection between the USA and the Philippines.

 

The Chinese community was amply represented.

 

 Did I mention that there was a temperature record set on this day?  It was well over 100f degrees (37C) when the parade began.  These poor Chinese dragon masters were taking a well-deserved break.

 

The Philadelphia Tibetan Association was also present and received a very loud ovation from the crowd. It is very interesting how these conflicting groups (Chinese and Tibetan) coexist here in the U.S.A.

 

Thanks for calling our attention. Tibetan Lamas.

 

My own personal Grand Marshall of the parade, the Dalai Lama.

 

The Chinese also had to contend wiht a large presnce of Fulon Gong members in their yellow silk outfits.  The are banned in China.

 

I guess that's why they have so many old fire trucks in the parade . . .

 

. . . and Beauty Queens on very cool old cars . . . .

 

. . . and wonderfully loud drumlines: they separate the groups that might be in conflict.

 

Philadelphia is a National Football League (NFL) team hosting city: home of the Eagles.  This guy brought the crowd to life!

 

This was my favorite entry in the parade: teacher of the year.  To be a great teacher is to be living a great life.  I am glad the good people of New Jersey appreciate that fact.  If you don't know your American geography, Camden, New Jersey is just across the river from Philadelphia, Pennsylania.

 

There are large numbers of Cambodian refugees in The States . . .

 

. . . and apparently a large community in Philadelphia.  I loved seeing the young Buddhist monk being paraded down the street . . . . talk about a test of your inner peace and a challenge to your conscious awareness!

 

What a great idea: a Migrant Heritage Commission.  This poor guy had a hell of a time fighting this huge banner against the sudden hot wind.  The crowd really got behind his efforts.

 

What could be more fun than getting together with 15 of your best freinds to bang on the "sto" buckets while riding down Main Street, I ask you?

 

What could be more American than the Hot Rod! 

 

It must be nice to have friends on the parade Organizing Committee: you can drive your car down Main Street waiving a USD$0.29 flag.

 

Eventually, all things must come to an end.  The, by now, 103f heat had driven most of the children off the streets, along with their overheated parents. Flags play an important part of the American experience.

 

The Official End of the Parade float.

 

In Philadelphia, even the coolster HipShop owners get into the fun.  We headed back to an air-conditioned space for naps, then later in the evening . . . .

 

. . . we went to a delightfully post-modern Cuban restaurant.  I ask you, what could be more American on the 4th of July?

 

After a rousing engorgement of black beans and rice, we walked to the very popular Franklin Fountain for ice cream.

 

The Franklin Fountain is a very interesting business concept:  take an 1880s building and recreate an 1880s business in it.  In this case, a soda fountain.

 

Dress your staff in period costumes, find period furnishings, make your own ice cream with period recipes, and display antique fountain products.  Very good . . . . they even had sugar-free ice cream for me!

 

They managed to pull off a perfect illusion of the 1880s.  There was a line of 30 people waiting to get in . . . it was 7:30pm and it was still 90f . . . good ice cream weather.

 

Our original plan was to walk to the river to watch the fireworks display, but they had moved the fireworks to the other end of the city.  It was getting late, and we wanted an early start for our road trip to Virginia, so we went back to the hotel to pack.

 

Good night Philadelphia.