A Drive Through Scotland’s Countryside

Scotland was never high on my list of must see places until I moved to Paris. My best friend for many years was born in Scotland and would invite me to go back with her every year she returned to visit. I always considered it but it never came to fruition. Just recently I had the opportunity to visit again and this time I could not refuse. This was not my first trip to Scotland but it was my first time going with the intention of photographing a myriad of places. There is an area along the River Clyde where I was hoping to shoot several buildings. However, once I reached the location I realized my battery had only one power bar left.

The SSE Hydro | Glasgow |

I brought along two extra batteries on my trip however I failed to bring them this particular evening and left them back at the hotel. Also, I believed the battery loaded in my camera was charged at full capacity. This was only my first night in Glasgow so I still had the rest of the week to return to capture all I had wanted to before I returned home. I was hoping to capture three buildings my first night so I would not have to worry about returning another night during my short week there.

Road Trip Across America – (Part 4: Trail Ridge Road, Arches National Park, and Antelope Canyon)

After 17 states, 70+ hours of driving, about $550 in gas, and 4523 miles (7279 km) later California welcomed me with sunshine, palm trees, and 20 lane freeways. It is a one-in-a lifetime road trip that few will have the opportunity to do so. But I am grateful that my car was perfect for the whole trip, no punctured tires (my biggest worry since the car doesn’t have a spare tire), no speeding tickets, and no belongings were lost or stolen during the whole trip. This was a solo trip of a lifetime.

32.2MPG for a Inline-6 cylinder car packed to the brim with luggage is not too shabby, considering how many mountain roads I took during the journey.

This last leg of the journey took me across some of the most amazing landscape throughout the whole trip. Starting off in the mile high city of Denver, I made a detour and headed up to the Trail Ridge Road and slowly winded my way through to out-of-this-world landscape of Utah. Then from the post-card-perfect Arizona, I passed through sin city Las Vegas and finally made my way to my new home in Los Angeles. The photos turned out great, but you’ve really got to go see it to believe how beautiful this part of America is.

Road Trip Across America – (Part 3: Mammoth Cave, a M4 Sherman Tank, and the Original KFC)

America is a big country. By my calculations, I’ve driven over 45 hours already, and I’m still somewhere in its belly. Curiously, as large as it is, most people outside of the US identify America as California and New York City. Hollywood and the entertainment industry has a lot to do with this but there is actually a lot more “stuff” between the two coasts.

Leg two of my journey takes me across the width of the country. I started where I left off in Part 2, in Knoxville, Tennessee. In just four days, I passed through Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, and reached Denver, Colorado. Some say the second act of a play is always a little slow. The second movement is usually an Adagio. I can’t say this part of the road trip was bursting with excitement, but I did have a few adventures.

Road Trip Across America – (Part 2: Philly Cheesesteaks and the Blue Ridge Parkway)

Nothing makes you feel more like a journalist, or perhaps a traveling salesperson, than trying to type up your work in a dingy hotel room in the middle of nowhere. Actually, my $55/night Hotwire hotel is pretty nice (it even has a kitchenette and a dining table) and I’m in Knoxville, Tennessee which has a population of 182,200 so it isn’t exactly “nowhere.” But you get the point.

So all is well, I’m alive (first question a few friends seems to always ask), but it hasn’t been without its unexpected adventures.  A bear attack, biblical rain, a really good cheesesteak sandwich later I’ve somewhat deviated from my original route (Part 1). Nonetheless good times and good photography were had.

Knoxville is just “slightly” south of where I was supposed to go. Didn’t expect to have zero phone or 4G reception in the Appalachians. I heard there is wifi on the Himalayas.