Frigid Light Photography » Travel

2011 Year in Review

David Howland — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:04:01 +0000

Prompted by this thread over at the New School of Photography, I put together a set of pictures summarizing 2011 month-by-month. I tried to pick images that represent what that month was for me. It’s a mix of cell-phone shots and more serious, though-out shots. Not all of them have been processed and sharpened so they might look a little less than perfect, but this set is more about the story.

January

I was home for Christmas vacation and went to a Bruins game before heading back to Montana.

February

I skied ALOT in February, including a backcountry trip to Mt. Blackmore in the northern Gallatin Range.

March

In March I took my first trip to Grand Teton National Park and met up with Scott Hotaling (Light of the Wild) for some skiing and early sunrises.

Light of the Wild) for some skiing and early sunrises." href="http://www.frigidlight.com/wp-content/gallery/2011-year-in-review/fl20110326-1274moulton-barn-in-the-sun.jpg" rel="lightbox[yearreview]" rel="lightbox[roadtrip]">

April

It snowed pretty much the entire month of April at Big Sky Resort and I skied more days than I ever have in a single month.

May

In May I drove cross-country from Montana to Massachusetts and saw this epic double rainbow as a huge thunderstorm was clearing in eastern South Dakota.

June

June was the first month I spent splitting my time at an apartment in Cambridge, MA. Living in “the city” was a great experience and I really enjoyed my time there. Plus, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup!

July

July was HOT. I spent time in York Beach, ME and Martha’s Vineyard.

August

In August I drove back to Montana from Massachusetts and stopped at Stonehenge in Nebraska.

September

I spent every weekend in September in Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park exploring and shooting wildlife and landscapes.

October

I spent the month of October shooting cyclocross races across Montana.

November

In November I finally met up with a group of photographers from NSOP to shoot the sunrise at Elephant Rock in Westport, MA.

December

Christmas! Spent the holidays visiting the Newport Mansions and spending time with family at home on Cape Cod.

The Breakers, Newport, RI

David Howland — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 03:51:46 +0000

While traveling back to Cape Cod for the Holidays I stopped in Newport, RI to tour the mansions at Christmastime. The three most popular of the palatial “summer cottages” are decorated resplendently for Christmas and are open for tours. The Breakers, although it cost more to tour ($20 as compared to $14) than Marble House and The Elms, was worth the extra $6.

Carhenge

David Howland — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:23:49 +0000

This past week I completed yet another cross country drive to get back to school in Bozeman for the fall semester. I took a different route this time, cutting south in Chicago and traveling I80 through Iowa and Nebraska. While in Nebraska, it was impossible not to stop at Carhenge.

Carhenge is a replication of Stonehenge in England. Crafted entirely of old cars planted in the farmland, it’s truly odd.

The Carhenge site has also become a site for other wierd sculptures, including this one which is entitled “Spawning Salmon”.

I guess there’s not much else to do in Nebraska…

After Carhenge we spent the night in Sheridan, Wyoming at a Hampton Inn. The hotel was perched on a hillside overlooking the town and I was unprepared for the beauty of the sun setting through a rain cloud.

Driving from Montana to Massachusetts

David Howland — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:41:04 +0000

I study at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT and summer on Cape Cod. This means that I’m lucky enough to get to drive across the country twice per year. Last spring, starting in mid-May I left Bozeman and drove for seven days back to the Cape. I always try and stop and see National Parks, Monuments, Corn Palaces, etc on the drive and this spring was no exception. Below is a map of the drive and links to daily summaries and pictures from the trip.

View Spring 2011 Road Trip in a larger map

Day 1 – Bozeman, MT to Gros Ventre Campground, Grand Teton National Park, WY

The first day of driving took us from Bozeman to Grand Teton National Park. The route wound its way from the Paradise Valley through the snowbound, buffalo filled Yellowstone National Park, along Jackson Lake, and finally to Gros Ventre Campground on the southern edge of Grand Teton National Park.

Click here for the rest of the images and an extended writeup for this day.

Day 2 – Gros Ventre Campground, WY to Cody, WY

On Day 2 we traveled from Gros Ventre Campground down to Jackson, WY, up through Grand Teton National Park, and back through Yellowstone, stopping at Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, before proceeding out along the lake through the West Entrance Gate to Cody, WY.

Click here for the rest of the images and an extended writeup for this day.

Day 3 – Cody, WY to Keystone, SD

Our third day of driving was the first high mileage day of the trip. We crossed the rest of Wyoming through the Bighorn National Forest and the accompanying snowstorm, stopped at Devil’s Tower around sunset, and then crossed into South Dakota before we stopped for the night in the town of Keystone.

Click here for the rest of the images and an extended writeup for this day.

Day 4 – Keystone, SD to Sioux Falls, SD

This day took us from Keystone, to Mt. Rushmore, and then along I90 all the way across South Dakota. We stopped at Wall Drug and spent the night in Sioux Falls, miles from the Minnesota border. Right before we stopped a torrential downpour gave way to a resplendent double rainbow and we were suitably awed.

Click here for the rest of the pictures and an extended writeup for this day.

Day 5 – Sioux Falls, SD to Tomah, WI

Hooray for Capitalism! The highlight of Day 5 was the Mall of America. We traversed Minnesota and spent the night in Tomah, WI.

Day 6 – Tomah, WI to Cleveland, OH

Our trip was cut short on Day 6 by a family canine emergency and we aborted our plans and high-tailed it straight back to Cape Cod.

Day 7 – Cleveland, OH to Cape Cod, MA

It’s always good to get home after a long trip. Spending that long trip cooped up in a packed car only doubles the feeling.

Shots from MSP

David Howland — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 02:19:55 +0000

A quick trip home last weekend had me on a flight from MSP to BDL. I took a couple quick shots from the plane. I love flying.

Happy Holidays from Kona, HI!

David Howland — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 03:31:17 +0000

Sunset from the apartment I’m staying at in Kona, HI.

I’m here until December 30th. Today was hot, humid and beautiful. A wonderful change from Bozeman and Cape Cod, both of which have been cold and snowy. I went snorkeling today with a bunch of barberfish, needlefish, and sea turtles. It’s hard to believe this is Christmas Eve. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

SLC

David Howland — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 03:07:13 +0000

Taken today at Gate D3 at Salt Lake City. I slept through my 6AM flight from Bozeman to Minneapolis this morning and thus ended up flying to Salt Lake instead. I’m on a plane now heading towards Boston. Thursday I head for Hawaii!

The Chinese Garden – A Panorama From Montreal

David Howland — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:09:54 +0000

The Montreal Biodome, Olympic Stadium, and Botanical Garden is a truly awesome place. On a trip to Montreal in late-July I spent the entire day walking around the Stadium, the Biodome, Insectarium, and the Botanical Garden. Probably the coolest part of the garden was the Chinese Garden, which was a large lagoon surrounded by Chinese-style buildings and adorned with flowering plants and wildlife. In the background, the tall spire of the Olympic Tower loomed overhead. I took this panorama looking out over the lagoon and on to the Olympic Tower.

Follow this link to the full-size file. Be warned, however, it’s quite large.

http://www.frigidlight.com/fullsize/ChineseGarden.jpg

First Week In Montana

David Howland — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:46:53 +0000

This first week has been pretty good. I could have done without the Lyme Disease/Miniscus Tear (still not sure yet) that resulted in my massively swollen knee and no hiking or biking, but whatever. I’m not gonna complain about a day spent whitewater rafting or lounging around at the Madison River, either. The weather has been awesome, save for the rafting day, when it poured. But hey, we were already gonna get wet, right? We drove up to Bridger Bowl today and I’m really psyched for ski season. I took some pictures of a double rainbow that showed up our first day in Big Sky, and of the Warm Springs Recreation Area on the Madison River, and they appear below.

The full-size panorama can be viewed at:

http://www.frigidlight.com/fullsize/MadisonRiver-2.jpg