The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

My year-long USA camper road trip/sabbatical continued on from Winslow, Arizona to Moab, Utah. Early October 2018.

Rain.  Yes, it rains in the desert.

After an all day drive from Winslow, Arizona - through beautiful desert country in the Four Corners area of the American Southwest, I arrived in Moab, Utah in the middle of a major rain storm . . . record rain and a danger of flash flooding.  I wanted to stay a night in a motel rather than in my camper . . . dry and warm. I Googled motels in Moab, looked up quite a few: all expensive and showing FULL . . . but one . . .

 

As I neared the town of Moab the rain increased, streaking the red cliffs.

 

The red rock formations got wetter and wetter as I approached Moab.

 

I discovered desert rock formations become even more fascinating when they are wet.

 

And the rain continued to come down harder and harder. When I arrived at the only motel showing vacancies in Moab, I found out that the last room had just been taken, but I could come back the next day and stay for two nights.  I booked it and went up the highway for 51 miles to Green River, Utah, on Interstate 70 where I found a room for the night.

 

Driving north on Highway 191 out of Moab in a driving rain storm.

 

Water poured off of the mesas and buttes.

 

After a Sunday night in a Green River, Utah roadside motel (where I was able to watch an NFL game), I drove back to Moab to check for motels there . . . still in a light rain.  I found one and sat out the day on the internet and watching Monday Night Football, as the rain became heavy all day.  The next morning it was cloudy, with clear spots, so I headed to an RV park and bought a slot for camper next to a German couple who had been on a one year camper road trip in the USA.

 

Moab is the "Outdoor Adventure Capitol of the USA" . . . and also a very interesting old mining town.  I stopped in a gems and fossil shop to look for dinosaur fossils for my grandson at a place that had lots of antique mining equipment laying about . . .

 

 . . . an old mine winch . . .

 

 . . . a water wagon that once services a long forgotten mining operation.

 

The good people in the rock shop advised that I go and see Dead Horse Overlook State Park, about 20 miles out of town  . . . and through fantastic high desert chaparral country.

 

The small paved road out to Dead Horse Overlook was GRAND!

 

The sky became very dark and I was worried that I would lose another day in bad weather . . . I pushed on to Dead Horse Overlook.

 

As I neared the overlook I knew I was in for something truly wonderful.

 

Now and again I would get a glimpse through the roadside shrubbery of a grand landscape . . . .

 

When I finally arrived at Dead Horse Overlook I parked right next to the precipice of this amazing sight! The grandest view I have ever seen!  I was parked out on a ridge that jutted out into this spectacular canyon! There was a 300 degree view from where I stood. This view is looking north.

 

I walked across the road to this south facing view of the mammoth canyon!

 

Potash evaporation ponds could be seen in the distance in the south side view.

 

I was left speechless by the grandeur of this place . . . and so were the 15-20 other tourists there . . . walking around very slowly with their mouths open . . . in complete silence.

 

Astonishing beauty.

 

I walked along the south edge toward the outermost point of the ridge . . . 

 

A meandering Colorado River cuts its way through the red rock.

 

At last I stood out at the end of the ridge  . . . with the entire canyon below . . . 

 

Looking north from the ridge point I could see the storm clouds gathering on the far canyon rim.

 

Indescribable beauty.

 

The rain moved rapidly across the canyon.

 

The rain came swiftly . . . I ran to my camper.

 

I hated to have to leave this incredible place  . . . I slowly drove away from Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah.

 

Back down the road through the rain toward my motel room in Moab . . . too cold and wet for a campground . . . 

 

Hard rain on hard flat rock.

 

The next morning broke bright and sunny.  I left my motel and found a nice RV park at the edge of town, got a space, set up, and set off on my bicycle.  As it turned out, my RV park was at the beginning of a long and paved bike trail that led out of town and up into the red rock canyons.

 

The trail was beautifully paved and at a not too steep grade.  Perfect.

 

The views coming up the bike trail out of Moab were spectacular!

 

The cut-off road to the Arches National Park was just outside of town . . . .

 

I thought about going into the Arches National Park, but the road was always busy . . . and so was the Visitors Center.  I couldn't imagine seeing anything more impressive than Dead Horse Point overlook.

 

I must have been a geologist in a previous life.  My college roommate was a 'geomorphologist' and I guess I got the geology interest from him.  This scenery fascinates me no end.

 

Layered rock outcrops lined the bike trail.

 

Layers of ancient, solidified mud (?) along the way.

 

The geological formations seemed to completely change every 200-300 meters.

 

I stopped often (especially when the bike trail got steep) to snap photos and drink water.  I packed a nice lunch too.

 

A lovely spot to stop and be amazed by the geology of this fabulous place.

 

The opportunities for dramatic nature photos were endless.

 

At one point just out of Moab, the canyon widened out as the Colorado River crossed under the bike path. It was the best bicycle bridge I had ever seen.

 

Such a wondrous place for a long bike ride.

 

There were only occasionally patches of large plant life . . . 

 

I rode my bike on up the very long steep uphill trail . . . noticing more "cactus" type plants the higher I went.

 

More and more geological changes.

 

Rocky desert portrait.

 

Rocky desert flora portrait.

 

After riding uphill all day I was getting ready to turn back in the late afternoon . . . after I climbed this last steep hill.

 

My last steep climb.

 

At last I reach my 'this is far enough for the day' point . . . and it was beautiful. I consoled myself with the knowledge that it would be all downhill to my RV camp site in Moab.

 

I felt that it must get pretty windy and dusty up here  . . . and turned around right here . . .

 

And downhill I went . . . and saw the very first bike rider all day . . . a woman from South Africa.  She stopped and we asked each other where we were from.  I said Bangkok, Thailand . . . and she laughed.  On we rode, she uphill, and I coasting back to my camper.

 

The bike trail ran next to Highway 191 for a short while on my way back.

 

And back across the Colorado River bike bridge . . . 

 

My last stop for a photo of my bike and a stone cliff . . . not far from my Slick Rock RV Campground (very nice place with very nice people working there).  The next morning I would wake before dawn . . . and before coffee . . .  for the long drive over the Rocky Mountains to my next destination: visiting an old high school friend in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

 

I headed out of Moab on my birthday on highway I-70 heading east to Colorado . . . this was the last view of Utah . . . snow on the mountains . . . little did I know that I would drive across the high Rocky Mountain passes during the very first snow storm of the season . . . but that is another story.

My wife and I visited Poland (Kraków and Gdańsk) in the summer of 2014.  This entry is of the three days we spent in Gdańsk, while there is another entry for Kraków HERE.

Gdańsk is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited . . . and as good luck would have it, we visited during a street festival!

 

The statue to Neptune.

 

One of many small squares in the city center.  The architectural style was surprisingly . . . . Dutch.

 

Gdańsk is on the Motlawa River estuary.

 

An old city filled with wonderful architecture.

 

The architecture of Gdańsk tells a story:  "Parts of the historic old city of Gdańsk, which had suffered large-scale destruction during the war, were rebuilt during the 1950s and 1960s. The reconstruction was not tied to the city's pre-war appearance, but instead was politically motivated as a means of culturally cleansing and destroying all traces of German influence from the city. Any traces of German tradition were ignored by the communists, suppressed, or regarded as Prussian barbarism only worthy of demolition, while communist and Flemish/Dutch, Italian and French influences were used to replace the historically accurate Germanic architecture which the city was built upon since the 14th century. [Citation]

 

The Long Street with the old (circa 1327) City Hall towering over it.

 

Although I would have preferred to stay at an old 'boutique hotel,' we instead stayed at a modern 25 story hotel.  The plus side of the modern hotel were the views over the city.

 

Gdańsk was reduced to piles of stone and brick during WWII by Allied and Soviet bombers.  Almost all of what you see here was reconstructed during the 1950s and 1960s.

 

As luck would have it, we arrived in Gdańsk right in the middle of the annual St. Dominic's Fair. With 750 years of successful tradition, the history of the Fair goes back to the year 1260, when it was established by the decree of Pope Alexander IV. 

 

St. Dominic's Fair brought tourists from all over Poland, Europe, and the Far East.

 

Every street in the city was set up with stalls selling food and crafts. It was the biggest street food and crafts fair I have ever seen!

 

In addition to the street stalls, the fair attracted artists . . . 

 

 . . . buskers . . .

 

 . . . street performers . . .

 

 . . . morose balloon salesperson . . .

 

 . . . historically costumed information givers . . . giving me the Evil Eye! YAR!

 

 . . . and this guy (wearing a hat that said Crime!) who tried to entice the tourists to wager on his 'snail races.' The street fair was, in many ways, still like its medieval origins.

 

We enjoyed shopping at the many interesting crafts stalls.

 

Interesting bags . . .

 

 . . . very cool hats . . .

 

 . . . very cool hat and bag!  There were some very unusual arts at the fair.

 

Many beautiful textiles on sale.  We bought many things at the these stalls to take back home to Scotland with us.  I bought a hat!

 

These street stalls were so cute: they mimicked the style of the Gdańsk buildings.

 

The textiles, hats, and bags were nice . . . but the variety of FOOD at the festival was incredible!!!

 

The breads were fantastic!

The breads were fantastic!

I was in pig heaven for sausage lovers like me!

 

SAUSAGE!!!!

 

I loved cured and smoked pork fat as a child . . . a few thin slabs on a piece of peasant bread . . . mmmmmm!  But I resisted! 

 

Cures and smoked meats . . . a very Eastern European way of eating . . . and so very tasty!

 

Many of the shops put their fruits and vegetables out on the street.

 

Temperate climate fruits are a real treat for us.  These kinds of fruit in Bangkok cost a small fortune, so we went crazy living in Europe for a few years.

 

Lovely fruit.

 

Whole heads of sunflowers . . . that's the way to sell sunflower seeds!

 

Fresh, crispy cucumbers!

 

They had every kind of street food at the fair, including this actual Burrito Truck!  Amazing! (I didn't buy one, and immediately regreted it!)

 

We bought a lot at the wooden spoon stand to take back home to our cottage in Scotland.

 

A dealer of art and socks . . .

 

A woman set up her stool and sold her own crocheted items.  Sweet.

 

There were many buskers, but this guy was exceptionally good.

 

The weather varied from bright sunshine to dark clouds and sudden bursts of rain.

We found thee perfect Old Europe restaurant  . . .

We were hungry for lunch and found this charming old restaurant.

 

Down along the river quay.  A fine medieval dock crane on the far left.

 

River cruise ship for the tourists . . . 

 

For me, the lure of Gdańsk was the marvelous array of fascinating architecture.

 

A few of the old buildings survived the carpet bombing.

 

Such an odd building . . . all roof and dormers . . .

 

Narrow alleys, cobbles streets, ancient buildings . . . the charms of old Europe.

 

Here and there . . . public art . . .

 

My love of old doors, walls and windows was satisfied in a big way in Gdańsk!

 

I was told by a shopkeeper that some of these grand old doors and their stone casings were pulled from the rubble after the bombings and restored and reused.  Marvelous.

 

I marveled at these windows . . . exquisite!

 

Such lovely symmetry, color, shape . . .

 

A gate from the time of horse drawn carriages . . .

 

I loved the whimsical display.

 

So sweet.

 

A weathered door . . . and . . .

 

 . . . and its context.

 

A fine, formal marble doorway.

 

High relief stonework.  Nice.

 

Not all of Gdańsk's doors were as appreciated as I would like to have seen.

 

The views out over Gdańsk at night from our high rise hotel room were wonderful.

 

Making this photo blog about this wonderful city has made me very homesick for living in Europe . . . 

 

I don't know if I will ever return to Gdańsk, but I know I will always have fond memories of it.

Our trip to the Isle of Mull was, a road trip, and as such, we saw many interesting places on the way there.  One such place of interest was not far from where we spent the night, the famous village of Pitlochry . . . Blair Castle.

 

The oldest sections of Blair Castle date from 1269.

 

A lovely burn (creek) ran along the side of the castle.

 

Like many castles in Scotland, there have been many renovations and much remodeling over the centuries.

 

Our route took us along the souther edge of the Highlands, and along Loch Tummel.

 

Although it was early April, Spring had not yet reached Scotland.

 

Way out in the countryside, people still built their homes as row houses . . . a statement of the power of the Scottish Lairds as much as anything I guess.  Here, along Loch Tummel.

 

Along the bluff above Loch Awe.

 

Lovely.

 

I wanted to take our Thai visitors to a magical place . . .

 

I wanted our visitors to see one of my favorite chapels in Scotland,  Saint Conan's Kirke on the shores of Lach Awe.

 

Saint Conan's Kirke is interesting because all the local Clans had a seat of representation in the chapel.

 

The Clan seats were reserved with their coat of arms.  Fascinating cultural artifact.

 

A beautiful pipe organ filled one side of the chapel. I would love to have been there to hear it play.

 

The crypts of nights and clan leaders lined the chapel.

 

The Saint Conan's Kirke chapel interior with many moods.

 

A dark, cloudy day . . .

 

There was some fine stained glass there as well.

 

A very stylized effect.

 

A wonderful window to the world . . .

 

Simple, straightforward furniture.

 

Saint Conan's Kirke.

 

Not all churches are churches.  This old rural church has been converted to a cafe . . . we stopped for coffee, tea and, of curse, scones.

 

The cafe retained many original features of the church.

 

The very beginning of Spring . . . and the first buds.

 

We arrived in the old harbour town of Oban.  It is a favorite place of ours to visit, not just because of the ferries we have taken from here, but because our favorite restaurant to have fresh oysters is there (front and center on the dock with the bright red roof). "The best oysters in the world" - my wife says.

 

We checked into a nicely restored old seafront hotel (the only white one in the row of guesthouses and B&Bs).

 

Ferry service to many of the western isles of Scotland originate from Oban.

 

The Oban Ferry Terminal (foreground) where we departed for the Isle of Mull.  That is a fake ruin on the horizon, a folly, built in Victorian times when ancient ruins were fashionable to have in your city.

 

Oban has some fine old architecture.  Here, Gaylen House.

 

Down along the pier, Oban harbour.

 

A row of old Oban harbour side B&Bs.

 

Quaint, weathered, old world charm.

 

Weathered charm.

 

But Oban was just a stopover . . . our destination was across the water . . . the Isle of Mull.

 

The ferry that took us to the Isle of Mull as it arrived in Oban.

 

The views from the windy deck of the ferry were breathtaking!

 

The rugged hills of the Isle of Mull.

 

The Isle of Mull in a nutshell . . . a sea economy and culture.

 

Friends and family visiting from Thailand means an opportunity for a road trip somewhere I have never been.  The Isle of Mull, and it's atmospheric and moody landscapes and quaint seaside villages beckoned . . .

 

The west coast of the Isle of Mull is wet, wet, wet.

 

Thick, wet moss of the west coast.

 

Early April 2017 . . . always very damp Isle of Mull.  The dampness on a cloudy day certainly brings out the color of the decomposing autumn foliage.  A view from a hill.

 

The sea invades the land around the whole of the Isle of Mull.

 

When we saw a castle ruin we would stop for photos.

 

We stopped often and walked out to points of interest and to gaze upon the fantastically moody vistas.

 

As is true for all of Scotland, there are always castle ruins to explore.

 

Castle ruins everywhere.  These are the ruins of 14th century Aros Castle.

 

Isle of Mull always presents a strange, otherworldly view.

 

A fisherman out on an Isle of Mull inlet.

 

Small villages dot the inlets.

 

This church was in a style I had not seen before in Scotland.

 

Abandoned and weathering ship on the Isle of Mull.

 

The dampness from a light drizzle brought out the color, pattern, detail, and complexity of the old rotting ship.

 

Sheep everywhere.  Very wet sheep.

 

View from our hilltop B&B of the sweet 'town' of Tobermory.

 

Our very sweet B&B, The Harbour View, was was run by a Scot and a Thai!  Our Thai visitors were able to have Thai breakfast!

 

Tobermory, Isle of Mull, has to be one of the most picturesque villages I have ever seen!

 

Not only a photographer's dream . . . Tobermory is a painters dream as well.

 

Simply Beautiful.

 

Low tide, Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Scotland.  April, 2017.

 

Half of the harbour village of Tobermory.

 

Walls along the colorful streets of Tobermory.

 

The old Tobermory church steeple against a perfect blue sky . . . in the western isles of Scotland . . . in April. Impossible.

 

I never tire of this view.

 

The small pink shed next to the harbour sold excellent ice cream.  Our B&B was on the hill above the village.

 

The old Tobermory town clock.

 

History marks itself.

 

Ancient battles fought and castles defended near here.

 

Castle Duart (c1350) under renovation.

 

The atmospheric view from Castle Duart on a cold, rainy day on the Isle of Mull.

 

Then, around a bend . . . . a photographer's dream come true!

 

Fantastic patina of age and deterioration.

 

Abandoned after years of service.

 

There are no bad light days in photography . . . .

 

Not too long before this ship completely disappears.  I wonder if this is an Aberdeen Trawler.

 

Three old fishing trawlers abandoned.

 

Nature taking over.

 

Fishermen worked these decks for how long?

 

Always a view of sea and rising hills.

 

On another day . . . sun and blue sky along the tiny roads . . .

 

Cattle and sheep augment the fishing industries of Mull.  These are Highland cows.

 

We meandered along these small roads using Google maps to guide us to points of interest.

 

After a long drive in the rain on tiny roads, we reached a small valley rimmed with low clouds and this austere church.

 

The rain came and went on all days.  These cattle were very wet!

 

The morning we were leaving the Isle of Mull the weather turned wonderful . . . of course!

 

Ships to and from the Outer Hebrides pass through the Sound of Mull.  We took one of these ferries there last year.

 

We boarded our ferry back to Oban on a beautiful morning.

 

It was a smooth passage home.

It's Autumn in Scotland . . . and my garden is alive with color and wonder.

 

The days are getting shorter . .  and many of the birds have gone.

 

The leaves have gone red . . .

 

. . . or golden.

 

The apples are ready to harvest in the far end of the garden.

 

The garden is very old and the original planter created a garden that has continuous flowering . . . when one plant fades, another comes into bloom.  These are still flowering in late October.

 

These miniatures grow from the nooks an crannies of the garden wall.

 

The garden hedge sprouted these blossom buds recently . . . although they have not opened, they attract large numbers of bees, wasps, and flies.

 

There is a great variety of foliage throughout the garden.

 

The roses were among the first to bloom . . . and they are still producing amazing flowers.

 

And there are more roses yet to come.

 

These popped out a couple of weeks ago . . . right before I was going to pull them out, thinking they were weeds!  Close call.

 

Autumn weather can be wet and wild in Scotland . . . and occasionally throws up amazing rainbows.  I watched this one go through many phases . . .

 

This rainbow ended in this striking streaked image.

 

Fast moving clouds full of rain cross the landscape continuously.

 

Rain and shafts of light.  Beautiful.

 

Occasionally there is a  window in the storms and a glimpse of the sky appears.  Sometimes there is magical light that pours through the holes in the sky . . .

 

And when the sun pours through . . . .

 

These back-lit 'silver dollar' leaves . . .

 

So beautiful.

 

And when the garden stops flowering . . . I have house plants.