Tag: traveling

Guadalupe Mountains National Park – Day 2

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/10, 1/100 sec, ISO640
 “Trailhead” Salt Flat, 2021

Today was the day of the big hike up to the top of Texas. At 8,751 feet (2,667 m), Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in the state, and a popular destination for hiker’s hoping to cross off an item on their bucket list.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/18, 1/480 sec, ISO640
 “Mountain Cloud” Salt Flat, 2021

We started on the trail first thing in the morning and reached the peak after about 4.5 hours of leisurely hiking, with plenty of stops for picture-taking and video. It was really nice to take in the incredible views. And the views from the top were stunning. Once again, we were fortunate to have perfect weather, with cool temperatures, light winds, plenty of visibility, and wispy clouds. It was awesome!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 46.3mm, f/22, 1/60 sec, ISO640
 “Desert Plant” Salt Flat, 2021
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/18, 1/280 sec, ISO640
 “Meadow” Salt Flat, 2021
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/6.4, 1/1250 sec, ISO640
 “Bridge” Salt Flat, 2021
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/8, 1/2500 sec, ISO640
 “Monument” Salt Flat, 2021
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 19.6mm, f/18, 1/1400 sec, ISO640
 “Bright Sun” Salt Flat, 2021
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 21mm, f/1, 1/200 sec, ISO640
 “Cloud” Salt Flat, 2021

After we finished the hike, we enjoyed another nice meal at camp, but unfortunately, the clouds rolled in and the stars weren’t as clearly visible as the previous night. That was fine because we were pretty tired from the hike and climbing into our tents early was just fine. 😀

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/18, 1/100 sec, ISO1600
 “Camp Car” Salt Flat, 2021

Here are the Strava tracks in case you are interested!

Guadalupe Mountains National Park – Day 1

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 21mm, f/1, 25 sec, ISO3200
 “Nightlife” Salt Flat, 2021

Today my friend and I drove out to Guadalupe Mountains National Park to begin a long weekend of camping and hiking. It was the first time to the park for both of us so we were excited to explore the new park, and the ~8-hour journey seemed to go by quickly.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 20.5mm, f/7.1, 1/1500 sec, ISO640
 “Park Sign” Salt Flat, 2021

We reserved a campsite at the Pine Springs Campground online and when we arrived we immediately set up our tents and got the site in order with our camp kitchen, lanterns, and food. The sun goes down quickly these days! By the way, I highly recommend site #18. It’s set back a ways from the road and has some nice views of the mountains and is great for watching the sunrise.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/4.5, 1/220 sec, ISO640
 “Campsite 18” Salt Flat, 2021

For dinner we splurged with some Japanese Miyazaki steaks which were amazing on the grill, and cold beer and refreshing whiskey sodas made for some tasty beverages!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/2.8, 1/90 sec, ISO3200
 “Steak Dinner” Salt Flat, 2021

After cleaning up, we set up our tripods and camera gear to capture the amazing night skies. We got lucky with the weather as the skies were clear and our timing was nice because of the new moon and as a bonus, the Geminid Meteor Shower was just beginning. The coolest thing I saw was a line of light moving across the sky. While it was dark on the ground, a plane’s contrail up at 30,000 feet was lit up, but disappeared only a short distance behind it. The effect looked like a train moving across the sky, or even like a white dragon. One of the neatest things I have ever seen! I don’t have video of it, but in the photo below, just imagine that line moving slowly across the sky from left to right, with the line not changing size. Incredible!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 21mm, f/1, 20 sec, ISO3200
 “Dragon’s Flight” Salt Flat, 2021

Tomorrow we have a long hike to Guadalupe Peak, which is the highest peak in Texas… it’s going to be fun!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 21mm, f/1, 25 sec, ISO3200
 “Star Trails” Salt Flat, 2021

Returning Home

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/10 sec, ISO3200
 “Over Long Beach” California, 2021

Tonight we flew home. While leaving LAX, the plane made its U-turn around Palos Verdes and we got to see all the cargo ships hanging out off the coast. I guess this is part of the supply-chain issue. At any rate, the ships added to the dazzling lights that I always enjoy. 😀

I hope you had a nice day!

Editing Video (Arches National Park)

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 20.5mm, f/3.6, 1/100 sec, ISO1600
 “Editing Video” Cedar Park, 2021

I finally got around to finishing our Arches National Park video. It’s fun to learn video editing!

I’d appreciate it if you gave it a watch if you have time:

I hope you had a great day! またね～

Birthday Camping

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/6.4, 1/680 sec, ISO640
 “Car Camp” Lake Somerville, 2021

Today we did an overnight camp at Lake Somerville State Park to celebrate our friend’s birthday. I haven’t been car-camping in a while so it was extra fun. Not worrying about pack weight like you do when you are backpacking felt like a luxury, and we took advantage of it by bringing a huge tent, cooler filled with beverages, my big tripod, as well as two bicycles and fishing gear.

It was a lot of fun hanging out around the grill (we made burgers!), eating and drinking, and even taking photos of the stars. Definitely a great evening!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/2.8, 13 sec, ISO3200
 “Milky Way” Lake Somerville, 2021

Drive Home

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/6400 sec, ISO32
 “Homecoming” Santa Anna, 2021

Today was the last day of our road trip vacation, with a lot more driving (Roswell, New Mexico to Cedar Park, Texas). The highlight was a stop in the town of Santa Anna, Texas to look at an antique shop off of the main street.

While waiting outside the shop, I noticed several people sitting on the curbside, facing towards the street. I thought it was a bit odd. Then I noticed people on the other side of the street doing the same. I saw more people arrive and take up spots on the curb so I asked one of them what was going on, and she said the High School Homecoming Parade was about to start.

“Homecoming” Santa Anna, 2021

We decided to hang around to see what a small-town parade was like, and I have to say, it was really fun! Just like the one in Cedar Park, the Santa Anna parade had floats, marching band, and lots of candy being give out. What was really cool was that the last person in the parade was an old-timer riding his horse. He was wearing a sign that said “Class of ’57”. How cool! I’m just sorry I didn’t get a photo. 😥

“Homecoming” Santa Anna, 2021

As mentioned above, this was the last day of our road trip. It was a ton of fun, and maybe the first vacation Mariko and I have been on with just the two of us since Bay was born, 20 years ago! I wasn’t sure if we’d have nothing to talk about, or if we’d get on each other’s nerves, but I’m happy to say it was smooth sailing. I guess our mutual love for beer and food keep us aligned in the same direction. 😄