Ruminator

Photo by: Tim Bindner Our lodging and many meals on our trip took place in Centennial, Wyoming. It is a tiny town with a rich history. The valley was settled in 1868 and 1869 with plans to be a supplier for the oncoming transcontinental railroad. In 1869, the timbermen were forced out by an Indian raid. The following year in 1870 the first homestead was staked out and over the next decade the rangeland were taken up by homesteaders. Many of those family descendants still live there today. In the year 1875, a gold mine was discovered in the nearby mountains. The mine produced over $90,000 worth of ore within the first year. The mountain, mine and the first post office were named Centennial. It was the only post office in the United States to be named. The gold eventually dried up, but the prospect in the 1890s of silver, and continuous searching for gold kept the mine and town going. With the possibility of precious ores being discovered, the Van Horn-Miller Company promoted a railway t...

Photo by: Tim Bindner Our first morning in Colorado was going to be a busy one. We woke up, packed our suitcases, drove to the front of the hotel, and I went inside to check out. We bought 2 bottles of water and drove across the street to the Mountain Home Cafe for a wonderful breakfast. Bellies full, we made our way to the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). A short drive from the restaurant down highway 36 past the Beaver Mountain Visitor Center and through the gate we were met with our first obstacle. The park requires reservations after 9am and since we got there a bit before 6:30am (8:30am my time); we didn’t experience any traffic, which was a good thing. However, they were doing construction and that meant the road was closed until 7am. We were instructed to turn around by the Ranger and told we could take highway 36 back through Estes Park, catch highway 34 which would allow us to enter the RMP via the Fall River Entrance. We took that route. The gate was open and...

Photo by: Tim Bindner I debated on whether to document my recent trip to Colorado and Wyoming because, like my photographs of the areas we visited, I don’t feel I can do it justice. I have taken a stab at it. Day one began as uneventful. Got up at 5:45 am, took a shower, loaded the rest of my stuff into my suitcase, and had breakfast. Said goodbye to my son and dog, put the suitcases in the car and off we headed to the airport. Check in at the airport, TSA, wait and then board the plane for 2.5 hour flight to Denver. Uncomfortable seats for my gigantic body depart, a long walk to baggage claim. Walk to the car rental bus. Wait again while listening to a man who noticed my Lanesville t-shirt and telling me how you will never sweat here. “You sweat and it dries on your skin immediately.” He does not know me, and I proved him wrong. Finally took a 10-minute ride only to stand in line again before receiving keys to our rental car. Place luggage in the back of a dark gray Chrysler 300S, ban...

Photo by: Tim Bindner I recently returned from a vacation out west with my wife. Though this post is not specifically about the trip, it is a rant about the result. Upon return I have had contact with multiple people who have all asked “How was your trip?” A normal question and appreciated question. As I answered, that is where my frustration began. In every scenario as I answered I was cut off, or even worse, the recipient of my answer told me of their experience similar to mine or an example of someone they knew who had been there and they explained what that person experienced. Also, in every case I could never finish my statement or point I was trying to relate. I understand people are trying to relate to my experience by providing their own (or someone they know), but it really bugs me that when asked I am never given the chance to provide an answer to a question, I am asked. My blog has become my safe place. I can write about something uninterrupted and get my point across withou...

Photo by: Tim Bindner Soon I will head out on a long vacation. The intent is part celebration (for paying off the house), part visiting an area I have never been too, and part a vacation with my wife for some much needed quality time together. I will provide more details of the trip upon my return. A few photographer friends that know about this trip have inevitably asked me “what cameras and lens are you taking with you? ” My response caused all of them to either be shocked, question my decision and, in one case, tell me I will regret my decision. Bear with me why I dive a bit into some technical photography aspects, then I will explain my decision and why I came to it. To simplify things I am going to lump camera lenses into two categories. Zoom lenses and prime lenses. A zoom lens allows you to ‘zoom’ in or out on a subject while standing in one spot. Zooms can go very wide (think a panoramic shot) or even zoom into a fly on the butt of a rhino from ½ mile away (and even tighter if ...