Madeira

We had just arrived on the Portuguese island of Madeira the evening before I took this shot and despite little sleep, the weather was looking great for a potential sunrise shot. As I do often when we travel, I laid out my gear and clothes for a silent escape in the morning so my wife could sleep a little longer. I raced along the coastal road through the numerous tunnels hoping I'd get to the beach in time as navigating Madeira's roads can be a bit of a challenge.

Having made it to the beach just in time I managed to skip and hop over the many large boulders with reasonable sleep deprived grace to frame my shot. I quickly set up the tripod but wasn't happy with my location. Then moved farther down toward the water and lowered my perspective as well. Once satisfied, I added my 10 stop ND Lee Filter and tried a few shots to see how the scene was coming together. After a few more adjustments I got this image and was glad for the peaceful morning watching the sunrise in this far away place.

Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum is perhaps one of my favorite buildings in the world. In it, is an amazing collection of all things Dutch history dating back 800 years. Including a biplane!

Outside, it’s a beautiful piece of architecture finished in 1885. With a sprawling plaza called the Musemplein it’s a wonderful place to casually stroll and relax.

Under it, is a cycle path that thousands of people travel daily on their bikes as a part of the Dutch government’s plan to get people outside to live happier and healthier lives saving billions in healthcare annually

Unlike Nigel Powers, I happen to really like the Dutch.

Montana

While the east has some amazing foliage and lush rolling hills, it’s hard to beat Big Sky country in the fall.

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Travel Dreaming

I really miss travel. The views, the smells, the jet lag, the food, the uncertainty, the adventure. All of it, good & bad.

This was the scene waking up one gorgeous fall morning on Lake Tekapo, New Zealand. We had slept well in our tiny camper van through the cool night and were glad to see the clouds had parted for this scene to come together. With fresh snow on the mountains and a crisp morning we were ready for another day of adventure.

This has certainly been a challenging year for travel, but we’ll be back. For now hoping you & yours are safe and well. Where would you escape to if you could right now?