Our hosts treated the exhibitors and vendors to a reception at the Georgia Aquarium which houses 120,000 animals, representing 500 species, in 8.5 million US gallons of marine and fresh water. When it opened in 2005 it was the world’s largest aquarium. The whole joint was quite spectacular.

Each of the images was processed with Lightroom 4 and the Nik Collection. Enjoy!

Alien Jellies on the Move

Dolphin Curiousity

Entering the Galaxy

Neon Fish

Multi-Frog

Painty Fish

Pop Photo

Hot 'Lanta Curves

Coca-Cola Rocket

Passing in the Light

"Hey Bob - Whatcha Havin' for Dinner Tonight?

However, motorcycling creates some unique challenges for photographers, as you can see in this video from Simon & Lisa Thomas of 2RidetheWorld — world-renowned adventure motorcycle riders and photographers.

Some challenges are camera-related like dust, bumps/bruises, and power, while others are somewhat a matter of convenience. To the latter point, something I’m always looking for is the ability to quickly stop, grab my Fujifilm X-T2, and shoot, all without having to get off the motorcycle. Finding an elegant solution to this would mean I’ll actually take the time to capture more memories on the road, instead of being so inconvenienced I don’t bother!

I’ve tried the camera-in-the-tank-bag trick on many occasions and frankly, it just doesn’t work well. First of all, though the camera is pretty compact, it still tends to crowd out space in the tank bag for necessities like maps, snacks, water, glasses, face shield cleaner, etc. Second, despite being right in front of the rider, a tank bag usually has two heavy zippers, which means there are two things you have to fumble with before you even get to your camera.

Fast shooting courtest o fthe CAMSLINGER. Near the old Mesa Grande store, abandoned for year.

Recently I had the opportunity to check out a brand new camera carrying system out of Germany from a company called Cosyspeed. Dubbed the “CAMSLINGER”, it’s a handsome and quite compact bag which is worn like an old-fashioned gun belt from the Wild West days! It’s padded in all the right places and the belt is wide, soft, super-comfortable, and extremely adjustable. Can you say, “no pinching”? It’s also fairly lightweight which is important if you’re going to wear it all day.

 

Inside the CAMSLINGER are the usual set of dividers and nice padding, plus a flap that can be zippered shut with grippy zippers in case of super-bad weather. There’s easily enough room for my mirrorless camera, a couple of lenses, batteries, and other sundries. The outside of the bag is made of a pretty durable water-resistant fabric that I think will hold up for years of use. Their website refers to it as “Nylon 900D” which of course I had to research: D stands for Denier – it’s a unit of measurement used to determine fiber thickness for textiles. Interestingly, I found out that 1 Denier = a single strand of silk thread — pretty cool!

 

The guys have also designed a cool quick-release latching mechanism that is easy to open and close with one hand. It’s ingenious actually: A small plastic post slides into a channel sewn into the body of the bag. Once you slide it all the way to the end, there’s a small click to let you know it’s magnetically seated properly and the bag is now firmly closed. They worked with a closure specialist named FIDLOCK from Hanover, Germany which is ultra-awesome — I’m a huge fan of collaborations.

 

"Beauty Shot" at the Julian Coffee House, Julian Californaia

 

But wait, there’s more, and this is really good for motorcyclists. For an extra measure of safety, there’s a stretchy loop that you can pull over the part of the post that extends to the outside of the flap. This two-stage closure might sound cumbersome, but it’s neither. Once you get the hang of it, you can quickly flip the loop off the top post and slide the latch open in one deft movement, then reach in and grab your camera. Way faster than the old tank bag method!

 

On the road, with a quick camera shot, courtesy of Camslinger!

 

Overall, the Camslinger is an impressive addition to my motorcycle photography kit. It comes in Grey, Black, and Olive colors and is pretty affordable at $130. It’s well-made and handy as hell. I can stop, shoot, and take off in minutes without ever leaving the bike, which is a challenge I searched a long time to solve.

 

There’s so much of the world to see and marvel at when riding, it’s gratifying when a tool comes along that makes it easy and convenient to capture it all.

www.cosyspeed.com

"MotoTog" image by Laurie Rubin

Recently my good friends and pro photographers Laurie Rubin and Peter Tellone came up with the awesome idea to visit the Salton Sea, about 2 hours east of San Diego. I thought, “what a great way to kick off the new year!” I was IN mostly because I knew the Salton Sea is a mysterious and trés cool place to visit, and partly because one of my resolutions for 2015 is to renew my photography hobby with vigor. To add some MOJO to the trip, I committed to riding my motorcycle out for the day… it had been awhile since the F800GS had been on a long haul and this was perfect. ;-)

I left Buckwheat Manor around 6:30am on a Saturday morning for a 9am rendezvous with Peter and Laurie. I’d chosen moderate layering to protect against a cold I just “knew” was going to diminish the closer I got to the desert. The problem of course were the freakin’ mountains between me and sea level on the other side! Wheeling through familiar stomping grounds in Ramona and Santa Ysabel it was getting downright cold, but when the mercury hit 31 degrees motoring by Lake Henshaw and through Ranchita the bones were ice. I pressed on regardless and snapped into *high alert* heading down Montezuma Grade into Borrego Springs.

Side note: Montezuma Grade is one of the most epic roads in SoCal for your favorite motorcyclist. My skills can’t possibly do justice to the serpentine curves which seem to sliver endlessly ’til the desert floor. But I try. ;-) 

My sights were set on breakfast in Borrego Springs and Carmelita’s didn’t disappoint. Had I not been on the bike, a Bloody Mary would have been in order, but I settled for some excellent Machaca and a place to warm my bones. Looping around Christmas Circle, I knew I had some 30 miles of straight run to the AM/PM meet-up point. Soldiering on, I was excited to see so many desert rats out there camping and cavorting with their toys: Jeeps, Razors, quads, dirt bikes, buggies, baja bugs and a myriad of other post-apocalyptic vehicles stretched to every horizon. God I love America!

The ride out was uneventful, with some nice straights where I stretched the bike’s legs to an easy 110mph, tucked in behind a short fairing. Passing the Font’s Point turn-off, the slot canyons and radio towers, our friendly Salton Sea shone in the distance, then grew ever closer.

The mini-market was busy. I pulled in around 9am, just about 15 minutes ahead of the crew. Talked to a few dirt bikers and slammed a Red Bull, then Laurie and Peter pulled up – great to see them!

Airy Seat

Pet Graves & a Trailer

Peter has been to the area well over 20 times over the years and we just placed our agenda for the day in his hands. Man, no disappointments there! Our first stop was a former marina on the North end. Only about 8-9 miles up the road, we were there in no time, getting a sense for the pace of the day by taking in delicious RuralEx scenes of weird old dilapidation.

Double T-Vision

Crunching on glass, marveling at the hopelessness of the graffiti (mostly hopeless w/ few exceptions), ever curious we explored several of the decaying and burnt buildings under Peter’s watchful guidance.

Fishbird!

Moving onward towards the shoreline, we took in the barnacles and dead fish and weird water chairs, fingers on the shutter, capturing scenes on our sensors and in gray matter that will haunt for some time. The pace was perfect, Peter allowing us to plumb the depths of each scene, wringing the most out of the time spent.

Dead Lake Throne

Being the novice, I felt a little sheepish about asking him for advice and how he was composing scenes, but figured it was OK. This is how I learn. After each location, we discussed the next couple of moves to make sure the day was well planned for maximum opportunity.

Dance Party!

Head West, 3 Sisters!

Next, Peter suggested moving on to the 3 Sisters and the Mud Pots. It turned out to be a long-ish ride down to the Southern end of the Sea, but not too bad. After a brief stop for lunch at the bird sanctuary named after singer Sonny Bono (whom I think was also a State Rep out of Palm Springs), we moved on to an amazing spectacle: The 3 Sisters. So named for 3 dead trees standing starkly on a dry, white lakebed, the Sisters didn’t disappoint today.

GeoCruise Ship

With a geothermal plant off to the South, we were delighted to see 5 iron cubes near the trees provided a wicked cool contrast to the otherwise minimalist scene. Our best guess was that it was someone’s “art installation” but no matter. It was otherworldly, which in my book is about the pinnacle of the hop. It was at this locale that Peter suggested Laurie put her quadcopter up in the air. There was nobody around and a fantastic aerial video opportunity lay before us.

Drone Worship - image by Peter Tellone

Soon, “Bessie” was launched and Laurie was in Quadcopter Heaven! Zipping around the artifacts, all of us were electrically charged with the images that were surely coming out of this session. I probably took it too far by doing “snow angels” in the salty dust while Bessie hovered overhead, but hey… what can I say?

"Snow" Angel - image by Laurie Rubin

Silent Iron Boxes

Peter’s normal sure-footedness left him momentarily as we searched for our next destination, the geothermal mud pots. Fortunately, it resulted in 10-12 miles of high speed dirt road riding for me, awash in dust from his Toyota truck. Yippee! When we finally arrived, I was amazed to see actual mud bubbling and spitting from the ground. Wowsa… Love Mother Gaia! I might have also mumbled something about needing gas for the bike…

Upchuck

Since we were close, a quick visit to hippie/God-fearing mecca “Salvation City” was in order. It’s a weird spot on the planet where over the years a deeply religious man named Leonard Knight painted and shaped the desert into a massive shrine to our Lord in Heaven. Pretty moving, colorful and labrynthine, and one helluva scene of devotion; especially from the youth shooting a music video under the massive “God is Love” mountain. Sheesh…

God's Truck

Next stop was a place that Peter called Alien Ranch, dubbed as such due to the “rocket” that was somewhat unceremoniously perched on top of an old windmill on a ranch. While it used to have an amazing reflective Alien figure that was stolen long ago, the Ranch still proved decently photogenic. And, another place for Laurie to fly her camera machine contraption. ;-)

Launch Ready

Our final photo destination for the day was arguably the most beautiful – maybe because it was another water destination but for sure because of a vibrant sunset and a plethora of migratory birds! Bombay Bay is one of many dying water-side “resorts” that just exists, but the people are mellow and seemingly happy. Any place as desolate as Bombay that has an American Legion chapter is cool by me. So… the structures in the water, the reflections, the incredible sunset, the birds and the cliffside populace hanging out just made this a sweet spot to end our photo expedition. We were there well past dark.

Reflective Angel

Serene Twins

In the back of my mind as the sun went down, of course I was thinking about getting some gas for the BMW and the long cold ride home. Nothing I could do though – I was way far out, but balanced by the awesome day we all had. The town of Mecca was only 29 miles away and my gas range indicator read 31 miles left on the tank – no worries. And famous last words! Despite tucking behind the faring, going slower, drafting where I could, for the FIRST TIME in my life I ran out of gas. Hey, the range indicator said I still had 4 miles on the tank!

When that engine quits on a lonely, dark two-lane highway miles from nowhere, it’s eerily silent. I pushed the bike off the road and dialed up Laurie on the mobile phone to explain the situation. The stars squeezed in while semi’s roared by and a freight train rumbled by, 30 yards away. My bike was silent. I ate a PB&J sandwich to pass the time. Fortunately, town was just 4-5 miles ahead; Laurie and Peter motored back w/ some gas to get me revving again in short order. Wahoo!

A quick gas-up and dinner at Del Taco, left me looking at a 7:40pm departure time and facing a cold daunting ride homeward through the mountains. Obviously up for the challenge (what else?!) but still had to be looked at as something to simply “rise up and get through.” Montezuma Grade, upward in the dark and chilly, was a terrific challenge – anticipating the arc of the road and modulating throttle accordingly was great practice. I’ll confess, I hit some decreasing radius corners a little hot, but the bike is sheer magic and saved my butt a couple of times.

Rolling in at 9:45pm — fully 15 hours after leaving my house in the morning — I was proud of the 2:05 run home, while respectful and taking a moment to size up the high-speeds needed to make that happen.

Why didn’t I just chill on the homeward leg, take it super-easy? Errrr… not my nature. Someone “upstairs” was definitely looking out for me today! ;-)

Super Happy - image by Laurie Ruben

After parking the bike, my family welcomed me home and proffered up “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.” An apt ending to a Salton Sea day, methinks…

Wine-tasting at a local winery in Escondido fit the bill – my friend Theresa just got a job pouring every weekend, and my wife Kim and I hadn’t been there yet. Time to fix things.

You can’t miss the Orfila sign on San Pasqual Valley Road! Fuji X-T4, 10-24mm lens, 24mm focal length, 1/60th sec, ƒ/22. Post-processing: Lightroom+ Radiant Photo

The San Diego county and Temecula areas are becoming increasingly known for producing excellent wines. There are 115+ wineries in San Diego and nearly 50 in the Temecula area. That’s a LOT of barrels being produced!

The vineyards seem to stretch on forever next to the entrance road Fuji X-T4, 10-24mm lens, 10mm focal length, 1/250th sec, ƒ/16. Post-processing: Lightroom + Radiant Photo

Excellent signs inform guests of what is growing.
Fuji X-T4, 10-24mm lens, 10mm focal length, 1/125th sec, ƒ/18. Post-processing: Lightroom + Radiant Photo

Orfila Winery is located just east of Kit Carson park in Escondido on San Pasqual road, about a mile down. When the road opens up and begins to descend into the valley, take a right at the sign. You can’t miss their sign on the road and the rows upon rows of grapevines nestled into the hills.

We got there early to avoid crowds but there was still a good crowd. We first commandeered a nice wooden table in the courtyard, but soon moved to a sweet table overlooking the vineyards under a cool wooden pavilion. My wife chose the “Wine Slushy” for her first drink and I went to the tasting menu to sample a variety.

Wine slushies – verified delicious!
Fuji X-T4, 10-24mm lens, 13.8mm focal length, 1/125th sec, ƒ/16. Post-processing: Lightroom + Radiant Photo

Views of the valley abound.
Fuji X-T4, 10-24mm lens, 24mm focal length, 1/125th sec, ƒ/16. Post-processing: Lightroom + Radiant Photo

The atmosphere filled with the chatter of a couple dozen people and dogs occasionally barked at one another. A slight wind blew through the trees, keeping things very comfortable, while a musician began to set up for an afternoon set. Looking out from our view was a nice grassy slope, leading right to long lines of vine poles, and in the background one of the rocky mountains of San Pasqual Valley.

San Pasqual Valley. Grapes for making Cabernet Sauvignon in the foreground.
Fuji X-T4, 35mm lens, 1/250th sec, ƒ/13. Post-processing: Lightroom + Radiant Photo

Kim went to investigate a food truck that was emanating delicious BBQ smells and soon returned with a brisket salad to offset the wine we were drinking.

The Food Truck and a delicious meal
Fuji X-T4, 35mm lens, 1/250th sec, ƒ/10. Post-processing: Lightroom + Radiant Photo

The table to the left had four humans and two dogs and they began talking about Porsches when a sweet mustard-colored ‘69 911 left the parking lot. I was dying to chime in, but kept my opinions of the best Porsche ever created to myself – ha! The table to the right of us also had four people, but their conversations were more racy and loud, punctuated by the cackles of folks who were clearly feeling the effects of the 3 bottles on their table. 

I took a stroll back inside the winery building, to browse through the angles and see their displays.

A lovely lighted sign greets you as you enter the winery
Fuji X-T4, 35mm lens, 1/60th sec, ƒ/5. Post-processing: Lightroom + Radiant Photo

Wine Slushies!

Tasty treats

Pleasant service from Teresa

Private behind-the-scenes tour!

Live music too!

Super fun afternoon

Take a trip to one of our lovely rural valleys in San Diego and stop at Orfila Winery - you'll be glad you did!

I wanted to combine what we’ve learned in class with a true traveler’s focus. To me, that meant coming up with a real trip to take and maybe even one that was out of the country. My wife, Kim, heartily approved. ;)

I’ve enjoyed itinerary planning and also the idea of travel blogging in this course, so the theme of providing my review of a cool destination was appealing.

Couldn't resist these 3 musical frogs!

Why Cabo?

Because of the due date and other factors, I decided not to go too far, but limited my idea generation to two areas: the Pacific Northwest and Mexico. I have a couple of friends in Seattle who recommended some islands to check out in the San Juans, but then the universe spoke to me via my email inbox: “Behold the Majesty of Cabo San Lucas!”

A lovely sunset on the Pacific Ocean side of Baja

Since visiting Puerto Vallarta last year, I’ve been on a few mailing lists that send travel deals periodically. The latest was a flight/hotel vacation to Cabo and the late April dates were perfect for the assignment. I’ve seen a lot of Instagram posts and other photos about Cabo, so I was both inspired and confident this was the right choice.

My daughter has been down to Cabo a few times with her rich friends and influencer groups, but I never got the “real story” other than a few IG posts from her - haha. 

Can't think of much better than hanging out on the water at sunset - wow!

Well, this was my chance and the idea of focusing on a few key events over 4 days in Cabo San Lucas (CSL) started to gel. 

I wanted to convey an upbeat and positive message for an audience that enjoys travel and seeks out new experiences. For that, I’ll want to ensure that I show the best images I can of the experiences we have. I wasn’t trying to chronicle everything we did from start to finish, but give folks a flavor of the region. 

Curios hanging in the lovely artisan shops of the Mi Casa restaurant (read on!)

The Trip Down

Most people fly to Mexico from San Diego’s Lindbergh airport near downtown. For this trip, we’ll be crossing at the CBX and flying out of Aeropuerto Internacional General Abelardo L. Rodríguez (or Tijuana International Airport). Neither Kim or I know much Spanish, but having been through this one before, know that most announcements, etc. are bilingual.

I booked the flight, transportation shuttle in Cabo, and the resort hotel, plus travelers insurance as part of a package deal. We flew in on Thursday, April 27 arriving mid-afternoon and stayed through Sunday, April 30th, leaving late morning. Four days and 3 nights, and it turned out to be a shorter-than-wanted trip!

Resort Life

We had a friend drop us at the CBX on the border, and after a quick passage, found our gate. The airport reminded me of some of the airports I flew through back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with some excellent upscale shops and places to eat.

After landing in Los Cabos (a town about 20 mi from CSL) and finding our shuttle, we pulled into the Villa del Palmar resort about 45 minutes later. Super-easy and everyone spoke excellent English, including the concierge assigned to help us get acclimated.

Early morning at the Villa del Palmar resort

Our room was a “junior suite”, which meant it had a little kitchen, living room, balcony and a nice bedroom with a queen bed. We didn’t exactly have a view of the Sea of Cortez, but if you leaned out enough, you could catch a glance!

Glass of wine beachside, anyone?

This outdoor chess set was a hit among the guests, especially the kids

View from our room if you leaned out off the balcony far enough!

The resort was really clean and featured several pools plus easy access to the beach. Our location overlooked the Sea of Cortez and an area at the end of Baja Peninsula called “Land’s End” - the subject of the next morning’s excursion!

Land's End, at dawn

I got up early every morning to see what the dawn would bring, and also shot at night to catch that flavor of the Resort.

Resort guests around a firepit, enjoying a warm and gorgeous night.

Excursions

Excursion #1: Waking early, we caught a cab for the north end of the CSL Marina to a place called simply “The Hike Spot”. This was a "secret" suggestion from the concierge at the resort. The excursion was a guided, “short but strenuous” hike up to a small mountain overlooking Land’s End and the entire bay of Cabo. Kim and I were excited to get some exercise, but frankly it was a bit more than we planned on! Switchbacks, rock scrambling, and plenty of hot sunshine was the order of the day.

Starting at 8am, the hike was led by a guy named Enrique who only asked for tips afterwards. It seems his main gig was boarding and training dogs. So, while we were waiting to begin, over 20 dogs were dropped off by their owners and ushered in through locked gates!

Totally non-descript "hidden" entrance to The Hike Spot - no sign!

During the pre-hike briefing and Cabo “history lesson”, Enrique explained that several of the dogs would be accompanying us up the trail to make sure any snakes would remain hidden - ha! To be honest, it made me feel better knowing they were “on the case”.

A large group ascends the trail in the morning!

The hike was absolutely worth it once we got to the top. We could see all of Cabo, the Sea of Cortez, Land’s End AND the Pacific ocean all at the same time. Very inspiring!

Cabo San Lucas bay viewed from the last mountaintop before Land's End

Looking down on Land's End. A lot of couples hiked up to enjoy the view together. These two were from Texas and let me take a "tourist shot" of them!

The Mexican flag, planted firmly on top of the mountain

Enrique on the far right, along with his son and friend. He does this strenuous hike twice a day, in addition to training dogs. What a guy!

Excursion #2: The second of two excursions we took was a sunset dinner cruise out to “The Arch” at Land’s End. When researching the trip, snagging some photos of this famous icon was numero uno on my list, and I wanted to make sure we were in an ideal spot. The cruise was on a double-decker catamaran-style boat. The captain was the epitome of cool.

Our captain for the sunset cruise

The upper deck was definitely the party deck, but I figured the cool photos would be easier to take on the first level.

Cruising out of the marina, we passed glass bottom boats, some really nice yachts and even a “pirate-themed” ship heading to Land’s End as well.

Next time we might try a glass bottom boat tour

Ahoy Matie! This was a party boat, but after dark we saw (from a distance) a swashbuckling swordfight show and fireworks

As it turns out, there were a LOT of boats out there for sunset, but it seemed like all the captains knew how to weave in and out so that no one boat dominated the scene for long.

The Arch at sunset - gorgeous!

As the sun started to sink pretty low, we headed out to the Pacific for a seaside view of some of the stunning resorts we looked down upon earlier in the day! 

Fabulous cliff-side resort on the Pacific coastline

Cabo San Lucas bay, returning after dark

In Town the Next Day

Saturday was reserved for a leisurely stroll around the Marina and through the older parts of Cabo. I was looking for some actual artisans and an authentic Mexican restaurant, while my wife had her sights set on finding some “knock-off” luxury brand purses - haha!

Picturesque walkway off one of the main streets near the Marina district

Tequila shop near the Marina district

Some parents were lining up their sons for a shot near the #Cabo sign

While Kim was shopping, I wandered past many small stores along the streets, and into a nearby marketplace with a lot of different vendors selling things to tourists.

One of many stores along the main streets

Huzzah! My luck held! I finally found a guy with a little shop where he hand-makes beaded animals, bowls and the like. He was very proud of the  more prominent pieces and the work was meticulously detailed. I ended up buying a small bowl from him, but not before asking politely if I could take his photo!

My new friend the artisan, working on applying beads to a duck!

I had heard from some folks at the Resort that “Mi Casa” was a terrific local restaurant chock full of artisan shops that we should check out. Leaving the purse shop, we caught an Uber to Mi Casa, and were not disappointed.

The famous Mi Casa restaurant - very local!

Loved the colors of this wall

Artistic delights awaited you in room after room

Room after room of art pieces almost overwhelmed us, then we managed to find the outdoor dining area proper. I was even more in love with this place! Again, lots of rooms, all with semi-outdoor seating and glorious murals and art on the walls.

Even the bar was chock full of art and curios for purchase

The restaurant itself was terraced, built into a hillside with many rooms in which to enjoy a meal or drinks, some easily large enough for weddings or quinceañeras

Clearly Mi Casa was a favorite of the locals and they were set up for anything, including tableside guacamole and drinks for a couple of thirsty tourists!

Kim enjoying the afternoon

The tableside guac was soooo delicious!

All Good Things…

… must come to an end. The trip home consisted of a shared shuttle to the airport (met some nice people from Calgary on the way), a flight aboard “Viva Aerobus”, walking across the CBX border crossing again and a very expensive Uber ride back to our San Diego home. The day was long-ish but straightforward and uneventful.

Both Kim and I came home tired, but content from the trip. And, now that we know the “lay of the land” so much better, we're eager to go back with friends. I learned that Cabo San Lucas is the gift that keeps on giving - we’ll be back soon!

A fun neon sign that is totally apropos!