Here is a trailer loaded with fun!

Rollin down the river enjoying the deep blue water and mossy limestone bluff.

We found a nice rope swing, the first of many.

We stopped for a break on this nice gravel bar and realized it was 4pm and we were only halfway to our camp.

Here is our group getting ready for day 2

This is one of my favorite spots on Big Sugar. The water is very deep and the south bank features a steep bluff with giant boulders. This one has a nice rope swing.

Looking down at Atnip from the edge of a boulder.

This was probably the best rope swing we found until it snapped, sending Jason face first into the water. We all had a big laugh at his expense.

We stopped for lunch and Atnip caught a fish. I thought maybe he was going to make a fish sandwich but he didn’t.

Casually drifting with the current towards the end of our journey.

Here is how you load 3 kayaks on top of a car.

Unfortunately you can’t really see the ocean, but I still like the mood of relaxation and warmth that this image seems to capture.

This photo is a massive tree that apparently died and fell over (or perhaps the other way around?). From the looks of it I’d say it’s been down for many years. I liked the way the dead tree is cushioned by all the bright green spring grass, or maybe they are weeds, who knows. Either way it was a fun time hiking around in the woods while Eily took a snooze in the backpack.

Hercules Glade is definitely a place I would like to go back and explore some more!

The road to the trail head was flooded, adding almost 3 miles round trip. Most of the forest in this area was Red Cedar,.a fairly common tree in Missouri but I can’t recall seeing a forest where they are the dominant species. It smelled very nice!

Long Creek runs right through the center of the wilderness area.

By definition a wilderness area cannot contain anything man made, including bridges. So you have to cross streams the old fashioned way.

Matt, Andy and I on a rock ledge overlooking a deep pool of water. Matt decided to do a canonball into it.

Long Creek has many areas of rapids.

Long Creek Falls was probably our favorite feature we saw. It looks much smaller in the photo that it seemed in person!

We could see more waterfalls downstream but with time running out we decided to turn back at this point.

Most portrait photographers seem to prefer a 70-200 zoom because they are more versatile. I would agree, the 135 is NOT versatile. But like any specialty piece of equipment – when it’s used for it’s intended purpose it really excels! Anyone who has talked photography with me knows that I like prime lenses. They force me to be deliberate with my shots, get up and move around, and because of that I find that I usually end up with more interesting images. In fact of the 4 lenses I use, only one of them is a zoom. I guess I just like doing things the hard way.

The 135 is one of the least expensive Canon “L” lenses, it’s super fast, very sharp, and the background blur is unlike anything else I’ve seen (on head-shots it’s almost TOO blurry at f/2), so I am not sure why it isn’t more popular among portrait photographers. All I know if that for me this lens is exactly what I was hoping it would be.

I’ve tried for years to get an interesting shot of Virgin Bluff and this is probably the closes I’ve come. It’s a magnificent subject but difficult to photograph. Perhaps the main reason is that it’s just so large and flat…awesome in person, boring in an image. Another reason is that it’s surrounded by water and mixing up the vantage point is difficult. The last reason is that it’s hard to get a shot that evokes a sense of nature and wilderness because there are 2 homes and a cell phone tower on top of the bluff, as well as a subdivision taking shape on the hill just off the left frame. Somehow I managed to exclude all of that from the frame.

The afternoon shadows and early spring colors add a bit of extra interest to the photo. I don’t think it’s a gallery worthy image, but I think it’s worthy of my photo of the week!

8sec @ f/4, ISO 200, 24mm, tripod

If you are curious, the type of bike seat I got is a “Wee-Ride” kangaroo. She sits in between me and the handlebar, that way I can see her and she can see where we are going! Good fun!

What I do like about this photo is the vivid color, as well as the shapes and texture.