A Wandering Redneck and Scotsman Venture West (Planning)
26.09.2015 - by wanderlustaddiction
This is the first of what’s likely to be several posts covering the next ten days of photographic exploration of the Utah and Arizona National Parks.
Over time, I’ve developed a style of travel that involves minimal to no pre-planning. I find this enriches my experience and helps me to get off the beaten path by looking for information locally rather than using only guidebooks and the web. Of course, that’s not to say I don’t use those resources – I almost always carry a guide book and an iPhone with me.
This trip? I’ve not done that at all. As a matter of fact, we’ve done just the opposite. I’m meeting a friend of mine from Scotland, Scott. He’s helped us plan every day down to the hour – maps, locations and types of shots, tours, hotels, and costs. He’s actually developed three different potential itineraries depending on whether or not we win a lottery to see The Wave (which only allows 20 visitors per day using a lottery system).
In order to cover such a large amount of ground in a relatively limited amount of time, I think this sort of planning is a must.
Here’s the rough rundown (assuming we don’t win The Wave lotteries – 81%)…
The Schedule (hours traveled):
09-26: Saturday | Drive from LAX to Sedona (7hrs, excluding flights)
09-27: Sunday | Cathedral Rock Sunrise / Red Rocks, South Rim Grand Canyon, Kanab (6hrs)
09-28: Monday | The Wave Lottery, Lower Antelope, Horseshoe Bend (3hrs)
09-29: Tuesday | The Wave Lottery, Zion – Narrows
09-30: Wednesday | Arches National Park (5hrs)
10-01: Thursday | Arches and Canyonlands National Parks (1hrs)
10-02: Friday | Monument Valley (3hrs)
10-03: Saturday | Upper Antelope Canyon (2hrs)
10-04: Sunday | TBD, Las Vegas (5 hrs)
10-05: Monday | Drive from Las Vegas to LAX (5hrs)
The Gear:
Nikon D600
Nikkor 14-24mm 2.8
Nikkor 24-70mm 2.8
Nikkor 70-200mm 2.8
Nikkor 10.5mm Fisheye
Fujifilm XE2
Fujinon 16mm 1.4
Fujinon23mm 1.4
Fujinon 35mm 1.4
Fujinon 56mm 1.2
Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 Neo Classic
MeFOTO GlobeTrotter Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod Kit (Titanium)
National Geographic 4-Corners Map
#aWanderingRedneckandScotsmanVentureWest Pocket Koozies (~100)
ThinkTank DSLR Battery Holder
ThinkTank Pixel Pocket Rocket™
LonelyPlanet Southwest USA Guidebook
Photographing the Southwest Guidebook (by Laurent Martres)
G-SHOCK GWA1100-2A
The Friendly Swede Paracord Survival Bracelet D Shackle
The Friendly Swede Carabiner “Grenade” Survival Kit
Pelican Tactical LED Flashlight
Smith & Wesson Military and Police Knife
OOAK Forge Skully Black Multitool
Xikar Travel Humidor (Padron Maduro 3000’s)
VONOTO Pro Military Sighting Compass
America the Beautiful Annual Pass
If you happen to be in the area, use the contact me page to drop me a note.
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This post was published on board US Airways flight US 2057 from seat 4F.