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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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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Spring has officially arrived. Sure it may, and most likely will, leave us shortly, but let’s enjoy it while it’s here. A couple Seattle pictures, shot from the bike, the ferry and the sea kayak.

View more Seattle pictures and photos of the surrounding area. Fine art prints are for sale.

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I love outdoor gear. My ‘office’ is crowded with bikes, skis, soft-shell jackets, etc…but really, when I look at it all, I’m pleased that all of it gets used. Very little of it collects dust. So as much as I would enjoy contributing to our ailing economy by buying even more stuff, I’d much rather prefer buying gear that works well in all types of environments and will actually last more then a year. I’m not sure why it is than, but I seem to be having a hard time finding a camera bag I really like. There are literally hundreds of camera bags on the market, so why is this such a challenge?

Lowepro Slingshot 200

The problem: I’m often outside, in the elements: snow, rain, mud, sand, salt-water (and sometimes the sun.) Furthermore, I’m typically on skis, a bike, in a sea kayak, while photographing. The result is, I typically don’t have a warm, dry car to escape to, or somewhere I can load up my photography gear, including a tripod, camera, lenses, towels, etc etc. Matter of fact, most of the time I only carry my digital Canon Rebel XT with a 17-85 IS lens, polarizer, some batteries and memory cards. The tripod typically stays home (although this may change as I just ordered an Ultrapod, a tiny tripod that will be coming with me to SE Asia in a couple weeks.) This is why I was looking forward to receiving the new Lowepro Slingshot 200 camera bag this past Christmas. It appeared to offer a utilitarian combination of space for cameras, lenses, etc,  but was small enough to mountain bike with, skate ski with, go backcountry skiing with, even act as a combo backpack/camera bag if needed for day trips.

Has it been a satisfying experience? Mostly. It’s worked great (most of the time) for a 2-3 hr skate ski, when I usually only carry the camera, polarizer filter plus some food and water. I can’t really use it for backcountry skiing, an activity that requires too much avalanche gear, extra clothing, food and water for an eight hour adventure. (For these trips I strap on a small TLZ-1 Lowepro bag that hangs from my chest.) The Slingshot does do well in these adverse conditions though. The bag repels water (and snow) well. Not sure how it would hold up in a downpour, but I think it would be fine, for a short while (the zippers aren’t sealed, so water would surely leak through these eventually.)

I am having some issues mountain biking with it, as I found out last weekend on a short ride outside Seattle.

Lowepro Slingshot 200 - just ok for mountain biking

The whole idea behind all Lowepro Slingshots is that you can access your camera quickly, without having to remove it, by undoing a single buckle and sliding it around your waist. And yes, it does work. The problem I have, and I will try to retrofit this, are the two existing straps don’t provide a tight enough fit if you’re actively moving around, be it on skis or while riding a mountain bike for example. What it needs is a waist strap.

Also, the bag doesn’t have any additional straps to carry a tripod, an obvious oversight in my opinion. It does contain a two small separate sections for all those little accessories and the inside will easily fit a DLSR and a few lenses (but probably not a big zoom.) I’ve never really been happy with Lowepro zippers…they just don’t seem to last very long.

Not sure why, but I always end up with Lowepro camera bags. If you’ve used another bag or have some recommendations for something similar that may be better for outdoor use, please let me know.

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It doesn’t necessarily feel like spring here in the Pacific Northwest, but there are signs it’s inevitable. Flowers are sprouting, the snow is melting faster…

For a very limited time I’m offering 50% off any photograph that has snow in it! Below is a small selection. View even more WINTER PHOTOGRAPHS here

View even more WINTER PHOTOGRAPHS here

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There are many reasons to live in the Pacific Northwest, even if it does rain a bit here and there. Sure we have moss sprouting from the roofs of our homes, but now I know that’s a good thing.

Mosses cannot survive in polluted air. Like the lichens, they need a healthy atmosphere to survive.

A couple mountain bike photos from a short ride the other day.

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Sometimes you forget why. The other day I was reminded. Below is a photographic journey into the central Washington Cascades for a day of backcountry skiing.

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Below is a short list of landscape and nature pictures available as panoramic prints.

Fine art prints are available as 5×15, 9×18, 10×20, 12×24 and, when possible, 10×30. Please contact me if you are interested!

CLICK HERE to watch a slideshow of these panoramic photos

To view print pricing, see our Pricing Page

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Last Chance! Two More Days To Order. This is it folks. I’m shutting the doors on any and all orders at the end of this week. Sure the economy sucks, but your gifts don’t have to.Have a question about a print or print size? Shoot me an email. - All prints up to 24″ mounted on canvas for only $135*. After the holidays these will go back up to $200. Two mounting options to choose from. 3/4″ stretcher frames that do not require ANY framing, or canvas mounted on matte board that can be framed - Want a framed photo instead? All photos are printed on museum quality luster or matte paper using archival inks. - A 5 x 7 double-matted print is only $25. Or, any 8 x 10 print for just $30! - You can also purchase just about any print to use as greeting and/or thank you cards. A set of 24 costs only $49. Stock up now and say thank you with style. - Another inexpensive card option is a one-sided 4×8″ card with vertical or horizontal orientation. A set of 12 for only $20! Can’t decide what print to give? Let them choose! Send a gift certificate for any size print or dollar amount! Watch a Slideshow! I just moved a large number of images into this slideshow, making it significantly easier to browse photos. Check them out now! This really is your last chance to get print orders in for the holidays.

Panoramic Prints Mt Rainier Photographs Backcountry Skiing Photos *not all print sizes available on canvas

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Last weekend, with no snow to ski tour on and feeling a bit depressed as even the Rockies were getting pounded, some friends and I thought a trail run up Mt Si would be fun. Running, or jogging, nearly 4000 vertical feet is never easy, but the views of Mt Rainier and surrounding Cascade peaks were beautiful.

Mt Rainier Photo, taken from Mt Si

Thankfully we have options like this in Seattle. No snow, no problem.

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