A few miles south of Breckenridge on Route 9, partway up to Hoosier Pass, is a gravel road which runs about two miles or so into a valley beside Quandary Peak. The trail leads to a pair of lakes called Blue Lakes. The upper lake is formed by a dam, and the road ends at a parking lot just below the dam. A stream runs from the dam, down a steep hill and into the lower lake. This is a great spot for hiking, camping, fishing and creature watching.

In the morning at the upper parking area, one can often spot mountain goats in the surrounding hillsides. At times the goats will hang around the parking lot looking for handouts and licking salt off the cars.  One can also spot marmots on the hillside along the road.

There is also a gravel road, best for 4WD vehicles, which runs to the left before one reaches the lower parking lot. This road runs along the south side of Lower Blue Lake up to a small parking area just below the waterfalls. A short hike gets you to the waterfalls themselves.

This road, just outside Breckenridge, CO, crosses the range where it divides the headwaters of the Blue River (a tributary to the Colorado River) to the north with the headwaters of the South Platte River to the south. It is traversed by Forest Service Road 33, a gravel road passable by two wheel drive vehicles in spring, summer and early fall. The road runs from Breckenridge in the north to Como, near Fairplay, in the south. This is a great road to travel in the spring and summer for wildflowers, and in the fall for spectacular aspen colors.

The pass was known as Breckenridge Pass in the 1860’s when it served as an early route for prospectors during the Colorado gold rush. In 1866 it was widened for wagons and stagecoaches. In 1882 Union Pacific began laying narrow gauge tracks up the spur. A roundhouse, still in existence, was constructed at Como. The rail line over the pass was a major engineering feat because of winter snows at the high peak altitude of 11,500′. A town of Boreas, now a ghost town, was constructed at the summit, primarily to house workers to clear the line in winter.

The road is 19.8 miles long, and features beautiful wildflowers in season. There is an old water tank partway up from Breckenridge which was used by the steam engines crossing the pass. The rise up is populated by a mass of aspen trees, while the area near the end at Como also has massive forests of aspens in the adjacent hills.

We visited Crested Butte last month, and discovered an off-road trail from Crested Butte to Paradise Divide, and back through Gothic to Crested Butte. This is an easy (but should be done with a 4WD vehicle) and remarkedly scenic loop that traverses two river valleys and crosses Schofield Pass near the loop’s northern apex. The road serves as a connector to numerous other 4WD roads. Autumn colors are spectacular.

The route begins about a mile or so north of Crested Butte and winds along the Slate River Valley past Oh Be Joyful Creek, a number of campgrounds and the little town (?) of Pittsburg. As the road gets further up the valley it begins a number of switchbacks high up to Paradise Divide at 11266′ elevation. At that point the trail winds down past Emerald Lake to Gothic, and runs along the East River valley back to Crested Butte. The loop is 21.5 miles in length and takes about two hours. An interesting fact is that about two miles from the summit, another spur runs over Schofeld Pass, through a rocky section called the Devil’s Punchbowl and on down to Marble.

 

There are many off-road trails in Colorado. One of the more interesting areas is in the Lake City-Silverton-Ouray triangle. One can drive from Lake City to Ouray over Engineer Pass, to Silverton via Cinnamon Pass or run the Alpine Loop (60 miles) and cross both Engineer and Cinnamon Passes. The trail from Lake City to Silverton is a 25.5 mile trail which winds along the Gunnison River for a while, then climbs to the Pass at 12600′ and heads down past the old ghost town of Animas Forks and on to Silverton.

Cinnamon Pass was used by Charles Baker in 1860 to access the area where Silverton is today when he was exploring for gold. In 1874 the Hayden Survey party crossed the Pass; the team did not feel that the Pass would make a viable route due to its altitude and steepness. The trails were used extensively in the 1800’s during the gold and silver boom in the San Juan Mountains.The Bureau of Land Management now manages and maintains the trail from start to finish.

We are off road initiates and new owners of a Jeep Wrangler. During a recent tour of Colorado we tried several trails including Cinnamon Pass. I had actually been over the Pass about 15 years ago in a Mercedes  SUV, which was adequate but not ideal. Our Jeep, nicknamed “Nickel”, was great. The road is not very rough, but is a true off-road trail and tests one’s fortitude with narrow shelf roads and some of the inclines. Along the way we ran into ghost towns, mines and scenic overlooks . The overlooks are plentiful. Our transition from Lake City to Silverton took about three hours, with very few stops.

After spending several days on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, we then visited relatives who live on the east coast in Parksville, near Nanaimo. They showed us some interesting places.

Englishman River Falls Provincial Park

This park is essentially in the Parksville area, and is a wonderful park for sightseeing, camping, hiking and, for some, swimming. The Englishman River starts on the eastern slope of the Beaufort Range, discharging from a small Jewel Lake, coursing through several other lakes for 40 miles and empties into the Straits of Georgia near Parksville. The park, established in 1940, contains a section of the river which runs over two stunning waterfalls into a deep canyon likened to a black hole. This is all very picturesque amid a lush old growth and second growth forest of Douglas fir, cedar, maple and hemlock. There is a beautiful swimming hole at the lower falls and an interesting suspension bridge across the river at that point. The local legend has it that the indigenous people found the skeletal remains of a Caucasian man near the waterfalls, thereby the name of the river.

 

Elk Falls Provincial Park

Elk Falls Provincial Park is located two km outside Campbell River, about 70 miles north of Parksville.The park highlight is a thundering 25 meter high waterfall, and some of the finest salmon fishing in BC. The falls are reached via a 3/4 mile winding trail through an extensive network of forest trails  and consists of 1800 hectares of property. A suspension bridge built in 2015 offers great views of the falls, as do several elevated viewing platforms. The park contains a hydroelectric plant built in the 1940’s; river water runs downstream from above the falls for some distance though three large diameter wooden penstocks. The water flowing from the plant runs downstream as the Campbell River.

 

Campbell River

This modest city and its’ namesake river are considered to be one of BC’s best area for fishing, with a heavy focus on salmon. Fishing is done in the river and extensively in the Straits of Georgia.

If you have never visited the west coast of Vancouver Island, you have really been missing something. The drive from Nanaimo on the east coast is 2 – 2 1/2 hours through gorgeous mountainous terrain past a number of large lakes. Before reaching Port Alberni, you will come upon a magical place along the road. Cathedral Grove, located in MacMillan Provincial Park, is one of the most accessible strands of giant Douglas fir trees on Vancouver Island. Here one can stroll through a network of trails under the shadow of towering Douglas fir trees, some more than 800 years old.The grove was a well known tourist stop on Alberni Road in the 1920’s. In 1944 the area was donated by H.R. MacMillan for the perpetual enjoyment of the public in recognition of he unique stand of trees. The grove became a provincial park in three years later. Natural regeneration is beginning to restore the Grove’s pristine beauty. This provide a unique opportunity to experience the diversity of plant like typical in a very old forest.

Once through the town of Port Alberni, the road takes a route to the west along Sproat Lake and along some impressive peaks.  Eventually the road runs down steep, winding hill and then along Kennedy Lake. Past that, the trail ends at the Pacific Run Highway, the principal road along the west coast. To the right, Tofino. To the left, Ucluelet. In between, Long Beach which stretches for 10 miles along the Pacific and offers wind swept sand, big surf and washed up kelp. Our main point of interest was Ucluelet (means safe harbor), a town of 1800 people situated at the edge of Barclay Sound framed on three sides by the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Rim National Park with huge stands of cedar, fir and hemlock is nearby. Visitors come to Ucluelet to surf, hike the Wild Pacific Trail, fish on the big bank, whale and bear watch and relax on the beach. In fall interests turn to storm watching.

We are here to fish, at least principally. This is a well known fishing spot for salmon and for halibut. But when not fishing, the area is unique, and the stormy seas, foggy conditions and black rocks along the shore are a fascinating subject for photography and for viewing. And there are fine places to stay and to dine, some upscale, some more casual. Our favorites included trailer food at Raven Lady – fresh BC oysters on the half shell, tuna poke, salmon burgers, fish tacos and po’boys, all situated with nearby tables right next to a BC liquor store! On the upscale end, dinner at Norwood’s was magnificent. The restaurant is in a smallish house with an open kitchen and maybe 20-25 seats. The halibut was superb, as were the fresh mussels and octopus. And the wine list is filled with impressive BC wines.

There are some lovely places to stay, especially Black Rock Resort, situated right against the roaring surf on the Pacific side. But we found great condos at Whiskey Point – overlooking the harbor, adjacent to the aquarium and a short walk to Zoe’s bakery. There are many choices for fishing guides, and the rush out of the small boat harbor at 6 am was quite exciting. Partial day charters typically run around the peninsula and up a few miles to Wye’s Point; these are normally focused on salmon. Full days can go south to the so-called Big Bank and fish for halibut.

Off days can be spent exploring Long Beach, the lighthouse, and Tofino. This is a more bustling touristy town of maybe 2000 permanent residents, situated at the north end of the peninsula some 20 miles from Ucluelet. Many of the same activities can be enjoyed around Tofino, and there are more choices of condos, resorts and restaurants. If you want busy, go to Tofino. One spectacular place to stay, to dine or to ocean watch is the Wickaninnish Inn, located just a few miles south of Tofino. This is also the center of strom watching in the off season.

 

Vancouver Island offers many other great places to visit. We have covered Victoria and the West Coast so far. In a future blog we will relate experiences on the east coast from Parksville to Campbell River, and provide some thoughts on a two day sail in the Gulf Islands.

We recently spent a two-day weekend in Victoria, BC. Arriving by Coho Black Ball ferry from Port Angeles, WA , we checked into our hotel, The Hilton Doubletree on a Friday evening and quickly settled in to our two bedroom suite. The hotel sits right behind the grand dowager of Victoria hotels, the Empress, and we had magnificent views of the Inner Harbor, the Parliament buildings and the immediate downtown area. While there are many other choices in the downtown area, both these hotels are lovely and well situated.

Since we only had two full days in the city, we decided to focus on three activities. First we visited a very well done Royal BC Museum. Regular exhibits provide a focus on the natural and human history of the northwest part of Canada. Obviously there is a large exhibit devoted to the First Nations people and culture, complete with a totem hall, masks and other regalia. Outside the museum building there is a native house called Wawadit’la, or Mungo Martin House, complete with several totems, and also a garden devoted to native plants. We were also keenly interested in a current exhibit on Egypt: The Time of Pharoahs, accompanied with a good IMAX movie on the same theme.

Second, we enjoyed several blocks of downtown Victoria especially along Government and Wharf Streets. This is a very lively area replete with restaurants and specialty shops with views overlooking the harbor and marina. We especially enjoyed the people activities from walkers to visitors to cyclists to street performers. This was true during the day and evenings both. Our favorite dining establishments were the Steamship Grill and Bar on Belleville on the harbor, and Il Terrazzo  on Johnson Street. Seafood of course! We developed a real love for BC oysters. Following dinner at Il Terrazzo, we could not resist an after dinner drink at the Empress – what elegance!

Third – and a must – is a visit to The Butchart Gardens near the city. These gardens,  known world-wide,  cover more than 55 acres of a 130 acre estate and began with an idea that Jennie Butchart had to beautify the worked-out limestone quarry which had supplied her husband’s nearby cement plant. These gardens gradually expanded over some years to become the Sunken, Japanese, Rose, Italian and Mediterranean garden seen today. The gardens today are a National Historic Site of Canada, are visited by more than one million people each year.

I recently attended a photography workshop in Big Bend country. Specifically we met at Study Butte, right next door to Terlingua, TX. The dates for the workshop were selected to a period with the darkest skies, typically the time coinciding with a new moon. In mid-August, moonrise and moonset do not interfere with the rise of the Milky Way.

So some friends have asked “how do you take pictures of the Milky Way?” The first requirement is to find a place with very dark skies with minimal to no light pollution from anywhere.  So the Big Bend area is considered one of the best, if not the best, areas in Texas to get very dark skies. In fact some sources have rated it as one of the five darkest spots in the US. Then the question is when to go to Big Bend. Our workshop leader selected mid-August, since the moon cycle was favorable and the Milky Way arises about 10 pm, and is alive for several hours. In the spring you will be up most of the night!

The next requirement is to find a place with an interesting foregound. Ideally the foreground supplies interest and perspective to the image. Our choices in Big Bend National Park included Castolon (buildings and old industrial equipment) and Sam Nail Ranch (old windmills, walls and sotol plants). At the right time the entrance to Santa Elena Canyon would work well, or Casa Grande at The Basin, or Balanced Rock. In Terlingua the Milky Way is often photographed at the cemetery in Ghost Town with crosses or monuments as a foreground. Old churches or ghost town buildings can work too.

What about the camera and lens? Ideally one needs an DSLR with manual settings, time expose capability and a wide range of settings. The lens should be as wide as possible and as fast as possible. A fixed lens in the 14-24 mm range would be best, especially with an f-stop of 2.8 or less. And one also needs a tripod.

Okay, we are in place with the appropriate equipment and at the right time. What about camera settings? Well, I took these images with a Nikon D850 and a 16-35 mm lens set at 16 mm. All were shot as RAW images. Most were taken with the camera in the vertical position, set on manual, focus at infinity (or just about), shutter in mirror lockup position and a remote shutter release attached to my camera. I had good results with 20 and 25 second exposures at f 4.0 (wide open for this lens) and ISO set at 6400. The noise at this ISO level with a Nikon is manageable. Others in the group had f 2.8 lenses and were able to shoot a little faster with a lower ISO setting, which reduces noise and star movement. The latter becomes quite noticeable at shutter speeds above 25 seconds. One individual had an f 1.8 lens and was able to capture beautiful images at 15 seconds and an ISO below 2000. Take test shots to check composition and exposure, and use your histogram to set the latter.

 

What about post-processing? I normally use Adobe Camera Raw, but Lightroom works well too. Some processing is also usually done in Photoshop. I normally first adjust white and black sliders to idealize the histogram. Then I adjust highlights and shadows to satisfy my eye. Typically I will add 10-20% to clarity, 10-15% to vibrance and 5-10% to saturation. After I open the image I will also denoise, dehaze, sharpen and resize. Trial and error with lead your way to outstanding Milky Way pictures. Good shooting!

A very important historical site is the located southeast of Naples and encompasses Mount Vesuvius and surrounding areas. Vesuvius, an active volcano, was 4200′ in elevation as of 2013, with a large crater 1000′ deep and 2000′ across; this formed after the last eruption in 1944. The area within 20 miles is home to 2 million people.

Vesuvius was dormant for centuries before the great eruption of 79 AD which buried Pompeii, Oplantis and Stabiae under ashes, and Herculaneum under mud. There have been a large number of eruptions since that time, with the most severe in 512 and 1632 (killed 3000 people). Activity has been substantial from 1660 to 1944.

Pliny the Younger witnessed the eruption in 70 AD from Naples, and described it eloquently in written accounts to Tacitus. He likened the eruption as a growing pine tree sprouting branches as it rose. His father was actually killed trying to rescue people at Pompeii. The city had 10-20000 people living in it at the time; about 2000 were killed. Pompeii was first mentioned in written texts about 310 BC; by Roman times it had become an important seaport, and a vacation spot for Romans. The eruption buried Pompeii and other sites under 20′ of ash, pumice and volcanic material. Pompeii, along with Stabiae and Herculaneum, were declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 1997.

Pompeii was discovered late in the 16th century, Herculaneum in 1709. Excavations began in Pompeii in 1748, and are still ongoing. The city is remarkedly well preserved (except for wood and similar materials). A significant=cant number of skeletal remains have been “preserved” as plaster castings, and many artifacts were also recovered. Most of these have been relocated to the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. The walls are about 2 miles in circumference, enclosing 163 acres. There are seven city gates, and three primary thoroughfares. The Forum was the center of religious, economic and municipal life, and encompasses temples, wool headquarters, meeting places for council and magistrates, a basilica a sports ground, theaters and baths. There are hundreds of houses, some luxury versions taking up a whole city block. Shops abound, and include bakeries, wool processing, gem cutting, baths, ceramics, toolmakers, foods, wines, lamps, fish sauce and so on. The excavations have unearthed a great historical site which has been extremely valuable for studying the culture and life of those times.

 

Herculaneum was also buried, but under a mass of tufaceous material 50-60′ deep. There were very few fatalities; evidently most inhabitants had time to escape. The low humidity of the materials has preserved wooden frameworks of houses, furniture, a boat, cloth fragments and even some food. There are many houses and shops in the ruins, along with public monuments including a sports ground, a swimming pool and baths.

Both ruins continue to be excavated and studied. Pompeii and Herculaneum are fascinating to visit, and should not be missed if you are in this part of Italy. The tours are generally well done, but one can wander as well. Allow a full morning for Pompeii, and 2 hours or so for Herculaneum. And check out Cantina del Vesuvio for a wine tasting and light lunch in between.

On a recent trip to Israel, we spent two days in the country of Jordan. While we initiated our visit with a visit to Mt. Nebo, we were particularly interested in two ancient ruins which date back at least two thousand years. One, Petra, is very well known as it now is commonly interested in current listings of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Nevertheless we felt the visit should be described in our blog as we were so impressed and awed at this site. The other, Jerash,  is somewhat less widely known but perhaps almost equally impressive. Let me start with Jerash.

JERASH

This is one of the best preserved and most original Roman cities in the Middle East. Located about 50 miles north of Amman, Jerash became an urban center during the Hellenistic period of the 3rd century BC. From the 1st century it drew considerable prestige for its’ status within the Roman province of Syria.It prospered greatly from its’ position on the incense and spice trade route from Arabia to Syria and the Mediterranean. By AD 130 Jerash was at its’ zenith, and flourished both economically and socially. After a decline it flourished again under the Byzantines, notably in the earl sixth century.

Entrance to the city is through Hadrian’s Arch. Alongside is the Hippodrome, where reenactments of the chariot races take place regularly. A notable feature of the city is the Oval Plaza, a unique monument from the Roman world. The plaza is 80 by 90 meters, enclosed by 160 ionic columns.

 

Beyond the plaza is the Cardo, a spectacular paved street about 600 meters long, lined with the city’s major buildings, shops and residences. Chariot tracks are visible in the stones.

Additional ruins include the 2nd century Nymphaeum, a lavish public fountain, the Temple of Artemis, several Byzantine churches, the Baths and the North Theater.

While we were there, we noticed fairly large crowds of schoolgirls who were presumably on a special visit to learn. They were very happy and crowded around us, wanting to speak English. They shouted “hello, Hi”.

Jerash is well worth the trip from Amman, and one should allow at least half a day for a thorough tour. It is one of the best preserved Roman cities in the world.

 

PETRA

It is not known precisely when Petra was built, but the city began to prosper as the capital of the Nabataean Empire from the 1st century BC, which grew rich through trade in frankincense, myrrh and spices. Petra was later annexed to the Roman Empire and continued to thrive until a large earthquake in 363 AD destroyed much of the city. The earthquake combined with changes in trade routes eventually led to the downfall of the city, which was ultimately abandoned.

In 1812 a Swiss explorer named Johannes Burckhardt set out to “rediscover” Petra, and convinced his Bedouin guide to take him to the lost city. Petra since has become increasingly known as a fascinating and beautiful ancient city. Petra is also known as the rose-red city, taken from the wonderful and striking colors of the rock from which many of the city’s structures were carved. The Nabataeans buried their dead in intricate tombs that were cut out of the mountain sides, and the city also had temples, a theater, colonnaded streets and churches. Human settlement and land use for over 10,000 years can be traced in Petra.

After a 3-4 hour drive south of Amman, one starts a tour of Petra in the visitor center. The gateway to Petra is known as The Siq, a narrow gorge which resulted from a natural splitting of the mountain; it is 1.2 km long, and quite narrow in places. Water channels run along both rock faces. The Siq also holds many relics from Petra’s past, including a paved road and sacred stones.

The Siq opens up onto Petra’s most magnificent facade – the Treasury. It is almost 40 meters high, and intricately decorated with Corinthian capitals, friezes, figures and more. It is crowned by a funerary urn. The Treasury was probably constructed in the 1st century BC. The Street of Facades is the name given to the row of monumental Nabataean tombs carved in the southern face that lies past the Treasury.

Next one arrives at a place of worship on a mountain plateau called The High Place of Sacrifice, reached by climbing rock-cut steps to the top. This was used for important religious ceremonies. The views are spectacular.

Carved into the side of the mountain at the foot of the High Place of Sacrifice is a theater consisting of three rows of seats separated by passageways, all carved into the rock. Seven stairways ascend the auditorium and it can accommodate 4000 spectators.

Beyond the theater are a series of Royal Tombs, a Nymphaeum or public fountain, The Church, the  Great Temple and the Monastery. The whole city stretches more than 2 km from the exit from the Siq. All this was carved from the mountain.

Petra has numerous hiking trails in and around the ruins, ranging from 3 km to 10 km in length and of varying difficulties.  While one can get a real flavor of Petra in a day, one could spend several days here hiking and exploring. While most people walk into Petra from the visitor center – a hike of 2 km –  there are horses and horse drawn carriages that will provide rides to the Treasury.  Camel and donkey rides are also available within the city from the Treasury up to the Monastery.