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Re: [OM] (OT) A Few From Acadia National Park

Subject: Re: [OM] (OT) A Few From Acadia National Park
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:32:16 -0700
Ken Norton wrote:
>> Apparently you did then stop to see something worth seeing in one of your 
>> many trips that made you an expert on Iowa.  I'm curious what it was.
> Oh, he was just giving a firm tug on our chains.  I couldn't imagine him 
> being that blind. We might not have mountains, we might not have oceans, we 
> might not even have exotic cooking...
>   

Oh so true, perspicacious flatlander. As far as I know, I've never been 
in Iowa. It's possible we went through when I was six, but I kinda doubt 
it. I guess when I was in Omaha, I should have crossed the river, to 
experience the excitement. :-)

> OK, would somebody remind me what we DO have?
>
> Seriously, now, let's place this in a little perspective.  I have identified 
> multiple places to escape off of Interstate 80 for those passing through to 
> point your cameras at.  Have any of you actually done it?

I'll ask for a summary if I go through Iowa. Truth is, I'm guilty. The 
only reason I've been anywhere in the Midwest as an adult is business. 
Otherwise, it has indeed been flyover country. Same was true of the 
East, too, until I acquired family and friends there through Carol and 
this list.

I/we do have friends now in Iowa, Indianapolis, Kent, Ithaca and 
Endwell, Greater Binghamton. Still, the density on the ground is low and 
distances large, compared to E. Mass and Maine.

> Even in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan I identified multiple places to 
> photograph. Did one of our listees actually stop and get the pictures at 
> those locations?
>   

Only way I'm likely to ever go there is on a ZX group adventure. It's 
just not on the way to or from anything else on my list.

> The point is, if your mindset is totally focused on getting a picture like 
> "Yosemite Valley - Clearing Storm" you will be severely disappointed with 
> anything that "flyover country" has to offer. But if you open your eyes and
> your minds to the possibilities that exist smack dab in front of you then you 
> just might find satisfaction.
>   

As you should know from what I've posted here, I am quite attracted to 
intimate landscapes and other local sights. The problem is, there are 
such things pretty much everywhere. So choosing any particular part of 
the country is going to be based mostly on other factors.

> The worse possible thing for me are "scenic overlooks". These rank down there 
> with the Kodak "Photo Spots". Frankly, I'd rather just buy a set of 
> postcards. I'm not one to do what everybody else does.
>   

Each to his own, but to me, those famous scenic spots are famous because 
they have the ability to move or awe the viewer, no matter how 
overcrowded or tacky the immediate surroundings may be. For example, 
I've been to Yosemite many times, but it still thrills me to be there. I 
think anybody who sees the valley for the first time and doesn't feel 
something powerful inside has something dead in them. It's just slack 
jaw and drool out of the corner of the mouth stunning in person.

Sure, I've taken the standard photos - I find it hard not to. But I've 
also found opportunities to capture iconic subjects in ways different 
than what I've seen from others.

Have you seen this? 
<http://galleries.moosemystic.net/Yosemite/pages/02043022.htm>
Guess what it is? Half Dome reflected in Mirror Lake, on a low overcast 
and rainy day when the top of Half Dome is invisible. Oddly enough, I 
was the only one out in the rain taking pictures. :-)

You've seen too many images of El Capitan, but did any (other than my 
previous posts) look like this? 
<http://galleries.moosemystic.net/Yosemite2ip/pages/020501_03.htm>

> I think a case in point is this summer when my family vacationed in Colorado. 
> We travelled through Rocky Mountain National Park. At the pass, the crowds 
> were massive and the traffic jam took about a half hour to negotiate. 
> Meanwhile my bladder was screaming...  Well, at the overlook I saw a "pretty 
> picture", but so did everybody else. I realized that I've seen this picture 
> so many times that it's silly.  Did I take a picture? Sure, absolutely.  
> Yawn.  But, then I walked across the road and photographed the fence and the 
> west approach valley. Anybody else over there?  Not a soul. Then we travelled 
> down to the first hairpin on the west side and I photographed clouds and the 
> valley to the north.  Anybody else there?  Not a soul.
>   

I certainly agree about that. This is just a few steps off the heavily 
trodden trail to Yosemite Falls. Nobody there looking at it but me and 
Carol. Still, there are similar subjects all over the place, without the 
cost and hassle of going to the big spots.

To me, the reason to go to the famous scenic places is still to see the 
famous scenery. :-)

Moose
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