The sunrise photo shoot on day two of this trip was mostly a disappointment. The features that I had hoped would get good sunrise light did not get sufficient illumination and those that did get light did not make really good subjects. With a big zoom, I was able to get only a couple of fair shots of a distant feature with colorful foliage in the foreground and middle ground.
Nikon D850, Nikon 80-400mm at 400mm, f11, 1/80s (soft)Nikon D850, Nikon 80-400mm at 400mm, f11, 1/160s (sharper, but no clouds).
I, also, tried shooting along the little creek behind my campsite, but the compositions were limited and not very appealing. There were some reflections of colorful trees in small portions of relatively still water, where I tried to get good images and even tried to get a number of images to focus stack, but I was not happy with any of those images.
The creek just to the west of my first campsite along Owl Creek Pass Road, Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm at 32mm, f16, 1/20s, 09192018.
Soon after breaking camp and beginning to scout for another site for late day shooting, it became very overcast with intermittent rain. I managed to get a few good shots of Courthouse Rock, standing in a light rain, shooting from the far side of the meadow, where the scene from True Grit (1969) of Rooster Cogburn (John Wayne) and Lucky Ned Pepper (Robert Duval) charged at each other with guns blazing. I shot a sequence of photos here with clouds passing across the rock face. The shots vary from ones with nearly completely visible Courthouse Rock to ones with Courthouse Rock completely cloud enshrouded.
Court House Rock in the clouds. Nikon D850, Nikon 80-400mm at 80mm, f11, 1/40s.Court House Rock with clouds. Nikon D850, Nikon 80-400mm at 80mm, f11, 1/50s.
This looked like a good scene for time lapse movies, so I experimented with the built in time lapse feature of the Nikon D850, shooting short sequences of shots to convert into time lapse movies.
It may take a few moments for the videos to begin, so be patient after clicking one.
{This is open range cattle country and the meadow from which I shot Courthouse Rock was so covered with cow dung that I had to calculate each step to avoid it. I assume this was not the case during the shooting of the True Grit scene}.
I drove around quite a bit on this day, scouting locations for the next day’s shoot and looking for other places to shoot on a rainy, overcast day. I ended up going all the way back down to just before the start of forest road 858 to a campsite/view point from which the entire profile of Courthouse Mountain is visible. I had hoped to be able to shoot sunset photos from that view point, since I had seen a brilliantly lit sunset view of this profile from Ridgeway State Park, but obviously today was not going to be the day to do that. However, since I was there, I hiked up and over a ridge to the east of the parking area and made a few images with the big 80-400mm zoom. The images are not great, but here are a couple.
Court House Mountain from a view point along Owl Creek Pass Road on a rainy day. Nikon D850, Nikon 80-400mm at 120mm, f11, 1/40s.Courthouse Rock shot from a view point along Owl Creek Pass Road on a rainy day. Nikon D850, Nikon 80-400mm at 340mm, f11, 1/100s.
I did not find a campsite that really appealed to me more than the area near my first campsite. So I ended up setting up camp no more than maybe a half a mile from the first campsite. It rained off and on through the night and got fairly cold, but the temperature inside the van was still only down to about 50 degrees the next morning and I only switched on the furnace for a few minutes just after getting up, while preparing for day 3 along Owl Creek Pass Road, which will be the topic of the next post.
After shooting near Dallas Divide in the early morning of September 18, I stopped at a little coffee house in Ridgway for a cup of coffee and a breakfast taco, then topped off the fuel tank, since I planned to be in the mountains with no services for several days.
I then proceeded to Owl Creek Pass Road, aka County Road 8 and forest access road 858, when it enters the national forest. There are spur roads off of 858, along which are dispersed forest campsites. The campsites are free and available on a first come basis. The best sites are always popular, so it is best to find one before very late in the day. There are also several fee campgrounds near the Silvercreek Reservoir that are run by the National Forest Service. Those campsites are nestled in Aspens, have trash service, pit toilets and potable water available (no RV hookups at the campsites). There are also pit toilets near some of the dispersed camping areas.
Most of the dispersed campsites have fire pits constructed of local rocks and some even have free firewood stacked at the sites, which I did not take advantage of, not wanting to reek of smoke and having to tend to the fire late into an evening; even though, I would have really enjoyed a cheerful, crackling fire.
Free firewood at a campsite. (iPhone photo).
Owl Creek Pass Road is rated as an easy, maintained, 4-wheel drive road and usually drivable by an ordinary passenger vehicle. It is wide enough in most places for vehicles to pass and there are pull outs along the road, otherwise.
There was road maintenance (new gravel and grading) work going on over the lower portion of the forest road during my visit, which caused very little delay; but I did have to follow a grader over one stretch during one day on the road and shared the roadway with dump trucks a couple of times.
The road can be washboarded, which was the worst condition, other than mud after a rain, that I encountered. Most of the worst washboarding was on county road 8 prior to getting to the forest road.
The drive itself is quite scenic along all of the forest road and along the spur roads, which I explored, scouting for a good campsite that would allow for late afternoon and maybe even early morning photos without having to drive to another location. I was fortunate to find a very nice, secluded site with great view from the site and good photo opportunities within short walking distances from the site.
Somewhere along Owl Creek Pass Road. As you can see, it was a bit hazy and partly cloudy and the Aspens are in mixed color change. (iPhone photo)Along the route, I could get glimpses of large patches of Aspens in full color. (iPhone photo)The sign at the top of Owl Creek Pass. I could tell by the colors here and elsewhere along the route that I should have plenty of fall color to photo and enjoy. (iPhone photo)
In fact my site was so good that a couple walked by as I was setting up the solar panels, came back by in a few minutes and hailed me. They asked how long I would be staying, since they wanted to bring friends up to camp and they said my site would be perfect. I told them that I anticipated only staying for the night and would then move on in search of another site. We chatted a bit. I learned that they had a place in Telluride and Tucson, Arizona, staying in Telluride in the summer and Arizona in the winter. They were intrigued by my camper vehicle, as most people are that see it, asking lots of questions about it.
A panoramic view near my first campsite (iPhone photo)
After setting up the solar panels, I walked around near my selected campsite shooting scouting photos with my iPhone mid to late afternoon, checking locations which I thought would have favorable sunlight near sunset with interesting features to photograph.
This fence line blocked off an area near my first campsite to keep campers out so that damage caused by vehicles as seen in the lower right of this photo could be healed. (iPhone photo).A wide angle view of the mountain side to the east of my first campsite. These features looked like they might get good sunset rays. And the clouds would add interest to the sky, if they were still around at sunset. (iPhone photo)I think this craggy rock wall with the shadows within it would look awesome at sunset, but I was a bit concerned about the angle of the sunlight on these at sunset. (iPhone photo)Another view of that craggy rock wall. (iPhone photo)Another wide angle view of the mountainside to my east from a different view point. (iPhone photo)A zoomed in view of a prominent feature on the mountain side east of my campsite with a variety of fall color. This should be a prime candidate for sunset photos, especially if the clouds hang around. (iPhone photo)A view of the most prominent feature of the mountain side to my east, framed by trees. (iPhone photo)Another view with slightly different framing. (iPhone photo).If the light holds until near sunset that peak is looking better for sunset photos. (iPhone photo)Those clouds are awesome, but I hope the clouds do not block the sunset rays or it becomes completely overcast at sunset. (iPhone photo)The clouds are definitely putting some features in their shadows at this time. (iPhone photo)Another view of the prominent mountainside feature with colorful foreground trees. (iPhone photo)This photo was shot from the clear area just to the west of my first campsite. It is a great view from a campsite. (iPhone photo)A view of the creek just to the west of my first campsite. Those peaks in the background might get good light at sunset and maybe I could shoot along the creek at sunrise. (iPhone photo).A natural, early Christmas Tree? Sitting in my camp chair, about an hour and a half prior to sunset, having a quick sandwich, I noticed that the very top of this evergreen tree was lit up like a Christmas Tree star ornament. (iPhone photo)
All of the photos in this post are via an iPhone. I will follow up later with DSLR photos made at sunset at this location.
On the topic of iPhone and/or point and shoot cameras, one of my former work colleagues, an avid photographer and photographic mentor, has recently posted articles on National Parks Traveler about shooting with point and shoot cameras, including phone cameras. [Check out her webpage, you will like what you see and may not want to come back to my site afterwards : > )]. I sometimes forget that I have a fairly good point and shoot camera (iPhone) in my pocket; but I have been trying to get into the habit of using it more often to capture scenes for scouting, reminders and documentation, when getting out the DSLR is not practical.
Thanks for following and don’t forget to comment and/or critique the photos or blog writing.
I made a trip to Colorado in middle to late September to see fall colors and then down to the Bisti Badlands to shoot there while the temperature was not so hot, to explore new areas and to experiment with different lenses.
I was not at all sure that the colors would be good in Colorado, since I would be going a little earlier than the colors normally peak, but I only had a small window into which to fit this trip, so I took a chance. I had seen reports that the colors were early in areas that were in drought conditions, so I knew that I had a good chance of seeing some color, even if not peak color.
As it turns out the colors were quite good with some trees past peak, but many just peaking or not even changed at all. So it does look like the drought is affecting the timing of the color change and stretching out the color change interval. Anyway, I’ll have more on the photography of the fall color in a subsequent post.
Looks like peak or near peak color here. (iPhone photo)Trees seem to be in peak color near Monarch Pass. (iPhone photo)
As the title of this post implies, this trip was fraught with some not so good experiences. This post is just to vent these frustrations and to reveal the problems one might encounter in any such road trip. I’m sure others, who do these type trips in camper vehicles, have encountered much more serious problems.
The first negative event happened on the first leg of the journey somewhere between Wichita Falls and Claude, Texas along US287, which is a four lane divided highway along most of that route. Approaching an 18 wheeler, I pulled into the left hand lane to pass, then the 18 wheeler pulled into the lane in front of me, moving over for another 18 wheeler that had pulled off of the road with some problem. No problem, I just backed off a bit and the 18 wheeler began to pull back into the right lane as soon as it cleared the 18 wheeler that was parked on the shoulder. The highway surface there consists of aggregate and asphalt. As the truck changed lanes, it apparently kicked up a rock which hit the left edge of my windshield with a loud crack, creating not only a rock chip, but a crack about six inches long. That crack continued to grow throughout my road trip and is now more than double its original length. When the sunlight falls on the crack at just the right angle, it creates a bright spot that flashes directly into my eyes. A new windshield will be required and I just had a minor rock chip repaired after my first real road trip in the vehicle.
Windshield crack that was initiated by a rock hitting the edge of windshield. (iPhone photo)
The second negative event happened that evening at my first stop in route. I planned to sleep in the penthouse bed, since that is usually more comfortable and cooler than the bench seat bed in the back of the Sportsmobile. I pushed the button to activate the motor to raise the penthouse top and immediately there were loud popping noises from the passenger side of the motorized mechanism. I immediately lowered the roof (the driver’s side was going up and the other side went up less, creating a tilt to the roof). I repeated this process, hoping that whatever was causing the problem would be cleared. I gave up raising the penthouse after several attempts, not wanting to get the top stuck in an up position. I had just had another issue with the penthouse installation repaired by Sportsmobile in Austin a few weeks prior and I had not tried to raise the roof until this trip. (Lesson learned: Always check anything that is worked on before driving away).
So what are the impacts of not being able to raise the top, other than not being able to use the penthouse bed? Items stored on the platform behind the bench seat have to be distributed elsewhere in the vehicle to make the lower bed, then put back before traveling again. This takes time and is somewhat of a pain to do. The bedding (sheets, pillows, covers) all have to be packed away, while these can be left in place in the Penthouse. The lower bed is much firmer than the upper bed (the bench seat and back platform are covered in leather and quite firm). On the positive side, when it is cold outside, which it was several nights in the higher elevations, it is warmer sleeping below, rather than in the penthouse, since the penthouse walls are just canvas and/or plastic in the window areas.
A third concern, which turned out not to be a real issue, was noted when I returned from the first morning photo shoot. I noted a small wet spot beneath the vehicle near the diesel furnace, which I had used for just a few minutes in the cold, early morning just after awakening. Upon inspection, I saw a slow fluid drip beneath the vehicle. My fear was that it was a diesel leak, but I quickly ruled that out by an inspection of the fluid, which had no odor or oiliness. I knew the furnace used some type of coolant, so I figured it was a coolant leak from the furnace. I had no cell signal where I was, so it was later in the day, as I moved around that I was able to communicate via messaging with Sportsmobile. Since it was not diesel, it had to be a coolant leak or overflow and the coolant, as I learned from Sportsmobile, is just distilled water. I did not see any continuation of the leak on subsequent mornings, after using the furnace, so I assume the drip was just an overflow of distilled water and I now know how to check and replenish the coolant. I did note an electrical connection at the fuel pump for the furnace, that might need attention. The electrical wiring is contained in a conduit up to near the pump, then the wires are exposed. It appears that the conduit may have come loose at the pump.
The wet spot. (iPhone photo)
The fourth issue was noted, when I came down from the mountain camping, setting up at Ridgway State Park for an overnight stay prior to heading to Bisti. Since it was warm during the day and I had electrical hook up at the park, I turned on the A/C to keep the vehicle interior cool during the day. It was only in the low 80s outside, but the interior of the vehicle can get much warmer in direct sunlight on a sunny day. I had used the A/C the first night of my trip with no problems; but this time, the A/C ran for a few minutes then shut off. It restarted after a few minutes, ran for a short time and shut off again. It kept doing this and I knew that was not normal, since it usually ran continuously, until the target temperature on the thermostat was reached. Going outside the vehicle, I noted that the sound from the A/C fans below the vehicle was not the normal sound. Laying on the ground, looking up into the fans, I immediately saw the problem: dried mud in the fans. It had rained one day in the mountains and I had driven on muddy roads. (I actually shifted into 4 wheel drive for the first time, as it felt as if the vehicle was sliding a bit on the muddy roads and there were many places where sliding off of the roadway would be a very undesirable event). The vehicle was quite muddy and I had gone into Montrose earlier that day to a self serve car wash to spray off most of the heavy mud from the upper body, the wheel wells, the wheels and whatever I could get to beneath the vehicle, including the edges of the A/C fans. But I did not realize that there was mud inside the fan assembly and the strong jet spray would probably not have been good for the fan and delicate vanes behind the fan, anyway. I cleared the dried mud with a screwdriver, turned the fan blades manually to be sure there was no remaining obstruction and turned the A/C back on. The A/C ran a few minutes longer, but still shut off and kept cycling on and off in an abnormal manner. Since I had cell service, I put in a call to Sportsmobile. We were able to confirm, via the battery monitor panel, that the current draw, during the A/C operation was normal. However, there is an internal automatic circuit breaker in the A/C unit that might be the problem. It is possible that some damage was done to the system, when it was trying to run before the mud was cleared from the fans. It would have been good to have been warned of this potential problem by Sportsmobile. I’m sure this must have happened to others, since these vehicles are intended to be used off paved roads, where mud is frequently encountered.
The step after scraping mud from the top and the edges. The A/C fans are beneath the vehicle just behind this step. (iPhone photo)Mud splattered van and ladder. (iPhone photo)The vehicle accumulated a fair amount of mud, while exploring the area during a rainy day. The mud looked much worse before it dried. (iPhone photo)
Fortunately, opening the sliding doors and back doors with bug screens installed, the air flow through the vehicle was sufficient to keep the temperature inside in a comfortable range during the day and it got quite cool during the night, so I only needed to have the side awning window open during the night.
And another issue that I almost forgot: There is a chirping sound, which I think is from the smoke detector, telling me that I need to replace its battery. The problem is that the smoke detector is only accessible with the penthouse raised. So I had to live with and try to sleep through the periodic chirping.
And yet another issue: The fridge is noisy for a few seconds when its compressor first comes on. It was not always this noisy. It is normally rather quite when running. The fridge comes on periodically and the initial noise is quite noticeable, when trying to sleep.
Other things that I learned and observed on this outing: 1. I should make longer cables for the solar panels to allow for a greater range in placement to keep them in sunlight. The downside to longer cables, is that these will result in a greater voltage loss from the panels. 2. The storage covers I made for the solar panels need revision. The industrial strength velcro fasteners are stronger than the self adhesive, pulling some of the velcro off of the covers. 3. I will need to get a monitor to use with the laptop for viewing and editing photos. The 15inch MacBook Pro screen is just too small for me to adequately work with the photos and photo software. I had hoped to live without a monitor, which is just another item to transport and secure within the Sportsmobile. 4. I need to remember to use hand lotion on a regular basis in cold, dry climates. My thumb print is apparently altered by dry cracked skin, (a painful, bleeding crack resulted, too) and the touch id on my iPhone still does not work.
As a result of all the noted problems, I will have to make another trip to Sportsmobile in Austin to have the noted issues checked out; but I have no time to do so prior to late October or early November.
A great campsite. Note the solar panels being overtaken by shadows. (iPhone HDR)As the shadows moved, I moved the solar panels to take better advantage of the sunlight. (iPhone photo)
On the positive side, I was able to survive off the grid for several days in the mountains, during my first real solo trip in the Sportsmobile. I had more than enough food, water and beverages on board for the entire trip, the vehicle continues to get lots of attention and complements and I met friendly and interesting people on this trip. There will be more about the people and photos in subsequent posts.
I know that this has not been a very interesting read for my followers, but I felt that I needed to post something in the interim, until I get time to review the photos from this trip.
A view from my camp chair at the first campsite. (iPhone photo)Courthouse Mountain lit up by late afternoon sun (extreme zoom iPhone photo from Ridgway State Park, Colorado). I hoped to get a good view of this mountain from a closer distance somewhere along Owl Creek Pass Road and get a better photo.
