Multnomah Falls is a spot near Portland, Oregon that I frankly had never heard of prior to following Emily Thomas (emitoms) on Instagram. If you don’t know her and follow her, you’re missing out – she’s a tremendous photographer and is incredibly positive in all that she does. It is her sense of adventure that served as a kickstart to me to get this trip going and planned, and I thank her for that…
One of my absolute favorite sections of my trip was the time I got to spend in California. I’ve been to Los Angeles and San Diego before, so I didn’t include either on this trip – I focused more on seeing family and friends as well as areas I really hadn’t had the chance to experience before…
I’ve been mildly obsessed with Redwoods and Sequoias for quite some time now, so having the chance to see both while in California was just an incredible experience for me. The General Sherman Tree, which can be seen in the last picture above, is the world’s biggest tree (not the tallest, but biggest in terms of mass). It’s incredibly difficult to put these trees in perspective, but you can see the people at the base of the tree to give you an idea.
The word that has stuck with me concerning Yosemite National Park is majestic — and it was the first word that came to mind once going through the tunnel on the descent into Yosemite Valley. It is truly amazing to see El Capitan and Half Dome in person — and it’s just awe-inspiring to see them as they tower over the Valley. Those falls sure aren’t too shabby, either…
Visiting the Hearst Castle was a last minute decision – and I’m really glad that I was able to fit it in. As a teacher of Mass Media, we’ve looked at Hearst’s role in the History of Journalism and being able to see the fruits of his labors (think yellow journalism here, people…) was a pretty cool experience. Unfortunately, the grand pool is under construction, but everything else is just incredible.
From the Hearst Castle, I drove up Highway 1 to Monterey, then on to San Francisco. I’d been to San Francisco one time about 25 years ago and it was just as I remembered. Unfortunately, dealing with the fog was an issue, but I was still able to get some images of which I’m pretty pleased.
Quite simply, every day should begin with a walk through Muir Woods. I’ll just leave it at that…
Prior to this trip I had been to Lake Tahoe once in the heart of a winter, and I knew that I needed to get back during the summer. I had a couple truly relaxing days and had the chance to spend some time with friends who have the coolest A-Frame cabin known to man!
And then there are the Redwoods. After taking in the Avenue of the Giants, a 32 mile where you are just surrounded by the beauty of the Redwoods, I was able to do the hike down to the Tall Trees Grove, which is just truly an experience that everyone should be fortunate enough to take in. On top of this, I ended up doing most of the hike with a National Parks Volunteer, George Nickerson, who embodies all that I saw during the trip from both Volunteers and National Park Rangers — they were beyond professional and helpful in all ways. I can’t speak highly enough of Mr. Nickerson or the Rangers I had the pleasure of meeting throughout my trip.
Without a doubt, California was an absolute highlight of my trip and I’d love to be able to spend even more time there, especially in Northern California…
Many of you know that I had the chance to take a six week road trip through the United States this summer. I’m truly not sure that it could have gone better, and I’m in the process of working my way through the 6,000+ images I took during my time on the road. Figuring out how to go about posting them is daunting, to say the least, but I knew that I needed for this one to be first. 
At this point in my trip, most of my days had been filled with visiting cities – and don’t get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with that. I had had a rough, HOT night in Farmington, New Mexico the night before this and decided I needed a detour through the Four Corners area and then Monument Valley before heading to the Grand Canyon as I had originally planned.
If you have ever done this drive through Utah, then you know what I mean when I say that you are on sensory overload the whole time. Everything – and I mean everything, everywhere you look is just the most beautiful thing ever. I needed this day – and I needed it bad.
So I got to this stretch and was just in awe. With a little help from Google, I also found the exact mile mark to get this image, because if you’re a Forrest Gump fan like I am, then you know that this is the point where he finally decided he’d had enough and turned around. By no means had I had enough at this point – in fact, it truly felt as though my trip was just beginning…
What a tremendous way to ring in the New Year! I had a fantastic time working with both Frank and Maryann – and everything went so smoothly all around. Just a total blast!
copyright jcl photography & design 2015 – 2016
So much fun this morning with these two at the South Park Ice Rink! I had an absolute blast and can’t thank the Rink workers enough for really going out of their way to accommodate us. This young lady was so fun and worked so hard to skate – there’s no doubt she’s better than I am! Too cute!
I really got to see this young lady open up as our time together went on, but she really lit up and showed her personality when I showed her some photos then let her take a few. This budding photographer got such a kick out of taking pics of her mom!
