In August I had a five to six week trip planned through Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. The primary goal of this trip was to photograph mining towns for Western Mining History. My list of towns included over twenty towns, many of which are some of the most historically significant in the West. After the first two weeks, I realized that my plan was far too ambitious for a single trip. Some of the towns were difficult to photograph due to their large size, and steep city streets. I found myself working an exhaustive schedule, photographing all day and making long drives between towns just to start the process over again. In addition to a hectic schedule, I also had difficulties with my computer and camera equipment, and budgetary problems due to very high fuel prices – as much as 3.50 per gallon in some places. A constant need to recharge camera and computer batteries put me in hotels much more than I had anticipated as well.
In the end I covered 4,000 miles, took over 1,000 photos, and cut the trip short at just under three weeks. I cut New Mexico and Arizona out of the plan. I spent eight nights in my camper and concluded that camper time is almost always better than being in a hotel. I would sleep better in the camper, wake up invigorated and eager to start the day. While the trip was not nearly as long as I had planned, it was still a great experience and I hope to capture it in text and photos in this report.
I will keep this thread closed over the next few days until I have completed the report.
In the end I covered 4,000 miles, took over 1,000 photos, and cut the trip short at just under three weeks. I cut New Mexico and Arizona out of the plan. I spent eight nights in my camper and concluded that camper time is almost always better than being in a hotel. I would sleep better in the camper, wake up invigorated and eager to start the day. While the trip was not nearly as long as I had planned, it was still a great experience and I hope to capture it in text and photos in this report.
I will keep this thread closed over the next few days until I have completed the report.