Taking advantage of stellar early season conditions, a group of us headed north to HWY 20 and the North Cascades, beating out a seasonal closure that shuts down the highway to all (except those w/ snow mobiles.) While coverage was thin in spots, it was an opening day not to be forgotten.

Morning light was tough for backcountry ski photos, but over the course of the day, the clouds parted and everyone quickly forgot about the long drive from Seattle to get here.

And one last image – a hand-held panoramic, taken from Maple Pass. North Cascades HWY meanders up the valley in the left part of the image as it heads east towards Mazama and Winthrop. Soon after I took this, the sun disappeared, the temperatures dropped to about 10 degrees and we left for Seattle, thankful for what the season has already provided.

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The wife pulls the family to the coast of Washington, for what could be her last surf weekend of the year…and my last chance to catch some sunset colors before old-man winter throws the blanket over our eyes

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It was a bummer I didn’t have my camera on hand when a bobcat (or was it a lynx?) scurried past me towards the end of our mountain bike ride on the eastern side of the Cascade mountains last weekend. It was a fitting end to a nearly perfect fall ride though – cool & crisp, maples leaves leaching reds, greens & yellows. Above 6,000 ft, the western larch, painted in deep yellow hues, began their final life cycle before old man winter takes hold.

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This photo was taken during a short two-day bike tour from Sisters to Oakridge, Oregon, via the McKenzie Pass—Santiam Pass Scenic Byway. Closed in the winter, this road is a true delight to pedal…as long as you start early to avoid heat and summer traffic.

Making the below photo your desktop wallpaper is easy:

click image
Mac: right click and “Set as Desktop Background”
PC: click image >> right click >> save to desktop >> open image >> right click >> save as desktop background

Monitor resolution – 1440 x 900

Monitor resolution 1280 x 800

Monitor resolution 1024 x 768

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What a finicky winter we’re having here in the Pacific NW. Early on we had more snow then we knew what to do with. Last weekend, for this ski tour to Harding Mountain, we enjoyed spring-like corn near the summit and about 4-6 inches of hoar-frost powder in the valley and more shaded spots.

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Harding Mountain tops out at 7173 feet. The summit provided a remarkable vantage point of the central Washington Cascades, including nearby peaks such as Mt Stuart. With the help of snow mobiles, we accessed the peak from the Salmon La Sac entrance (think Roslyn & I-90), but once at the top we could see all the way to Asgard Pass, which is typically accessed from the town of Leavenworth.

Below is quick look at where Harding is located.

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You’ve seen it many times before, in magazines, calendars and postcards. A surreal-looking sun sinking below the horizon or sliding behind a mountain peak, streaks of light emanating from the center. Last time I checked, I didn’t think those streaks were natural, so how did the photographer do this?

You might be thinking a fancy filter is required to get this effect, and yes, there are actual star filters you can buy. You could also use Photoshop with similar results. But why bother, when all you really need to do is adjust the aperture setting on your camera.

Photo stats: f/20, ISO 200, 1/250 sec

First, a quick definition of aperture:

The aperture of a lens is the diameter of the lens opening and is usually controlled by an iris. The larger the diameter of the aperture, the more light reaches the film / image sensor.Aperture is expressed as F-stop, e.g. F2.8 or f/2.8. The smaller the F-stop number (or f/value), the larger the lens opening (aperture).

You can read more about aperture HERE

The secret to getting the star effect is to adjust your aperture to the largest F-stop possible. In the case of the backcountry skiing photo above, I shot this at F/20. The sea kayaking picture below was shot at F/16. I wouldn’t go much lower than f/16 or the star effect begins to fade. f/18 – f/22 seems to work best. (Although you will continue to get the effect above f/22, generally speaking, the quality of the image will begin to deteriorate.)

This sea kayaking photo was shot at f/16, ISO 200 1/320 sec

If you have a digital point & shoot camera, attaining the star effect may be a challenge as most P&S cameras don’t allow you to adjust the aperture to the necessary level.

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When one thinks of traveling in Vietnam, you’re more likely to imagine floating down the Mekong River in a dug out canoe than dodging towering karst formations in a sea kayak while enjoying the tranquil waters of Bai Tu Long Bay. I’m here to say, change your perceptions of Vietnam. Yes, go for the culture, but keep in mind the great outdoors are beckoning and quite often, if you know where to go, you’re going to be alone.

We had a great time mountain biking in Dalat, but one of the other highlights of our time in Vietnam was sea kayaking in Bai Tu Long Bay. Now this wasn’t necessarily a wilderness trip per se. We boarded a junk with ______ (looking for name of company) and spent 3 days cruising this truly amazing waterway that is NE of the over-touristy Ha Long Bay. The itinerary was pretty simple: cruise for a while and then jump in your kayak and spend hours paddling calm waters, exploring hidden coves and pulling up to white-sand beaches.

Sometimes it really did feel like paradise.

Heading back to “camp” – a traditional-style junk.

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Where else can you mountain bike on the side of an active volcano? The mountain bike trails that skirt the site of past Mt St Helens eruptions are truly one-of-a-kind. I don’t know of any other place in the US, if not the world, that offers such a unique and inspiring ride.

View More Mt St Helens Pictures on Flickr.

Photos from the previous days ascent and ski descent of Mt Adams are coming soon…

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Nothing can really prepare you for the streets of Saigon, Vietnam, where crossing the street is truly a risky venture. There really are no rules of the road here. Everything goes.

The below video clip was shot with a Canon G9, which was a great back-up camera by the way

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Located at an elevation of 4500 ft (1500 meters) Dalat, Vietnam, provides a much needed respite from the searing heat seen elsewhere in the country. It’s a land of rolling hills covered in towering pines, while hidden valleys reveal fields of artichokes and small rice-growing operations. It’s also one of the few spots in Vietnam (that we knew of) that offered the mountain bike geek an opportunity to enjoy some aerobic exercise, fresh air and a unique, locals perspective of the “vegetable capitol” of Vietnam.

Below are a couple mountain bike photos from our 3-hr tour with Phat Tire Ventures. We had two very friendly English-speaking guides accompany us, both of whom were quite impressed with our (or should I say Jeannine’s) ability to ride all the terrain.

Our guide, with water and food (lots of bananas) mountain Biking in Dalat, Vietnam

Phat Tire Ventures offers other mountain bike rides in and around Dalat, as well as in Hoi An, a town we visited later (photos coming soon) on the central coast of Vietnam.

Pine-covered hills felt almost like eastern Washington, not Vietnam

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