What I Learned From Life On The Road (Part 3)
Well I was born a rambler friends, and I intend to die that way.” — Townes Van Zandt
Sorry it’s been so long, folks. Season 2 of #nomadlife got a bit more complicated and difficult… as a consequence, I took a bit of a hiatus from writing. But I always intended to have a Part 3 to the First 10,000 Miles… so here it goes.
Stay tuned for The Next 10,000 Miles.
Islay Blue was growing fast… and needed a ton of exercise. So we got in the routine of hiking almost every day, at least 5-8 miles. We ended the summer in the best shape of our lives. Breathing fresh mountain air, swimming in the clearest, cleanest water, eating healthy at home, reveling in breathtaking scenery every day, and hiking a ton.
30. The Road to Good Health Starts With Prevention… A healthy lifestyle for the mind, body, and soul goes so far.
Our friend, Geoff, decided to come up to do some backpacking and a little angling with us at the Cirque of the Towers.
It’s a bit of a grueling hike up to the Cirque. We’re always exhausted by the time we hit Lonesome Lake…
Geoff is a fishing guide in the summer and fall in the Rockies, so the man knows what he’s doing.
31. It is always a pleasure to watch someone doing what they are gifted at and love doing.
It was clear that Islay enjoyed watching him fish too…
The trip up to the Cirque also solidified in us how great a backpacking dog Islay was. She loves backpacking for the long hikes, the exploration, and the fact that it’s the only time she gets to cuddle with us at night.
32. Tent life is pretty sweet for a pup.
We day hiked up to Cirque Lake and enjoyed it’s crystal waters.
Islay was my assistant on morning shoots…
Summer was quickly ending. It tends to do that up here in Wyoming.
So, we decided to do a little end of summer time out at Green River Lakes.
The morning and evening chill began and we noticed the leaves already starting to change.
But the days were still warm enough for some late summer swimming.
As the temps dropped, we weren’t sure how much longer we’d stay up north. Our trailer is not really built for freezing temps and snow. We didn’t realize that when we bought it, but then again, there was a lot we didn’t know about what we needed in a trailer…
Workshop season was beginning to really take off for me. Fall in the mountains is my favorite time of year, and by far (in my opinion) the most photogenic. I had two private Teton students, and two full 4 day Telluride workshops quickly approaching.
There’s a lot of work that goes in to preparing these workshops for my students. For the privates, I tailor a curriculum for each one, based on their interests, strengths, and weaknesses. I also need about 4-5 days before they arrive to scout and rescout our locations, just to make sure everything is singing.
I often prioritize our shooting locations, since some look better or worse from one year to the next. Fall 2016 worked beautifully for us.
Telluride was on fire when we arrived… It was one of the best years I’ve seen.
But it ended a little early with some unexpected snow fall. The colors left really fast.
33. You can predict and plan your timing all day long, but in the end, nature will do what it pleases.
Regardless, we found a bunch of incredible little pockets of color that hung on well through the first full week of October.
But as the daylight and fall colors faded, it was the signaling of our time to begin the long journey back to Texas for the holidays.
Our first 10,000 miles on the road ultimately taught us more than we dreamed we could learn. And we didn’t know it at the time, but that first leg of the journey shaped us and prepared us for a very difficult road ahead.
— Andrew
Ellen and I have hit the road full-time! Help us on our mission to inspire and educate everyone on the importance of getting outside by checking out my workshops and my prints, made #ontheroad in my mobile print studio. The revenue will help propel us further and further on this great adventure. Enrich yourself and others… and feel great about it too as you’re helping to ensure our wild lands are cherished and to keep the wild spirit of the American Dream alive. Our goal is to visit all 59 National Parks in 3-5 years. LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE’RE DOING HERE
Want to learn photography and enjoy a guided experience? Check out my exciting, NEW workshop dates: BIG BEND // THE ART OF SEEING | LANDSCAPE + NIGHT SKY // 2017 EVERGLADES // LANDSCAPE + WILDLIFE // 2018 LEARN PHOTO + CAMERA BASICS // USA// 2017-2018 I’m excited to announce my “The Photographic Guide to Our National Parks” series of eBooks: See what’s NEW If you are interested in purchasing a “print from the road”, please check my prints for sale, or email me directly for a custom request: Andrew R. Slaton | photographer // prints If you are interested in licensing any of the images/ video from this post, please visit my stock agency: Tandem Stills + Motion // Andrew R. Slaton For assignment work requests, please email me: andrew@andrewslatonphoto.com Thanks for visiting AndrewSlatonBlog.com! all images and content © ARS Media, LLC 2017
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