SEASCAPE SLIDESHOW

I'm just playing around here and thought I would try posting a seascape slideshow from my Website. Too bad I can't put it to music. That's probably possible but beyond my pay grade.

Enjoy the show!


SEASCAPES - Images by Kinsey Barnard

©Kinsey Barnard

THANK GAWD FOR GINNIE GPS! OR, GPS'S ARE GREAT BUT YOU GOTTA TURN 'EM ON.

Before heading out from Wickenburg we took a good long morning walk in the lugga. Oh, sorry that's swahili for wash or riverbed. I use it because it reminded me so much of luggas I have tramped in Kenya, stories about which I will one day get to at my Musings and Memories blog.



I couldn't resist a snap of this punk rock cacti I saw in the park. So cute! Anyway, another travel day so not much photography.

Technology is a wonderful thing but one of it's short comings is that if you don't use it, it doesn't help much. Such is the case with my Garmin GPS. I bought the thing on last year's shoot of the Pacific Coast (if you want to look at some photos you can visit my SEASCAPES GALLERY) The GPS is a minor miracle.

The thing has a female voice that gives you verbal directions which is great especially for a solo flyer because reading maps whilst driving can be hazardous to your health. As you know by now I have a penchant for naming everything and the GPS was dubbed Ginnie. Ginnie can do so much. In addition to getting you where you want to go she'll find all the places you need when you get there. When I arrive in a place, that's largest enough, my first two inputs are Costco and Wal-Mart. You just punch in your desire and Ginnie takes you there like you've lived in town all your life. It is so cool!

But, there are a couple of problems. First, in case you haven't guess it, I am the dinosaur and it IS hard to teach old dogs new tricks. After forty plus years of traveling all over this continent, and several others, I'm still mentally geared to paper maps and my innate sense of direction. I am forever forgetting about poor Ginnie. The other problem is that I doubt her. She tells me to do something and I don't believe it's right. And, the girl has attitude. When I don't follow her directions she says in a very put out and exasperated tone "Recalculating!" I usually tell her to stuff it. :) Actually, sometimes ignoring her is a good idea because she is programmed to take you the shortest route to your destination without any regard for your mode of transportation. So, if you're in the boonies driving and RV you might want to consult the old map too. Ginnie doesn't know it but all routes are not created equal.

Today, thank goodness, I got old Ginnie routed in for Tucson and it's a darned good thing I did. I thought the shot south to Tucson would be a no-brainer. All I can say is if Ginnie hadn't been guiding me I would still be wandering the highways trying to find my way around Phoenix. My sense of direction would have been all but useless. The way to Tucson is via Interstate 10 East! Now I defy you to look at any map and tell me Tucson is East of Phoenix. I'm told, the highway does go east but that's after you have driven over a hundred miles south! Anyway, if we hadn't had Ginnie, we would have been like that poor guy beneath the streets of Boston who never returned. Mind you this whole, nerve wracking time, Koty Ko-pilot was sound asleep in the co-pilot's seat. Thank you Koty Bear!

But, we're here and wowser I've never been in an RV park like this one. It's enormous. It's also like a cruise ship, a gazillion activities and schedules. Ain't no kinda place for this country girl. But, as always, we'll make the best of it. I would like to thank hurricane Ike for messing up my plans to shoot the Gulf Coast of Texas. Thank you IKE!


If you're dying for photos you can see all of our trip so far in high resolution at TRIP GALLERY.
Ciao for now,
Koty & Kinsey

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Special Announcement

I have been frequently been asked if I couldn't offer my photographs with frames are matting. I am pleased to announce I have hooked up with Red Bubble and am now able to offer note cards, matted prints, laminates, framed prints, posters and canvas prints.

Several people have already tried out this new service and report that they are extremely pleased with the products.

Take a look at this new site. In their various forms they make really cool gifts for your special friends.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

My new photo gallery

Hope to see you there!

Koty Bear

OREGON RESEARCH AQUARIUM & YAQUINA HEAD

We decided a drive in weather was more fun than a day stuck in Clementine so we piled into Shadow and headed north on 101. It was really raining and blowing and we could barely see a thing. But, when in doubt keep on going. Before we knew it we were all the way up in Newport.

Since mom had not seen the aquarium when we were here in November she decided to give it a go. Unfortunately, it was the weekend and the place was crowded with people. They have a number of outdoor exhibits but it was raining so hard everyone was crowded inside.

The good news is mom didn't spend as much time as she might have and I didn't have to get stuck in the car as long as I might have.

When we were here in November both of us decided that Yaquina Head was one of our most favorites places so we headed back up there. As luck would have it, there was a break in the weather and we got to walk around and enjoy the place one more time.

If you ever get by this way you really don't want to miss Yaquina Head. It is really very special. At least we think so. And Newport is a must stop on any coastal road trip.

The drive back to Florence was rainy and blustery but we didn't care because we had a great little trip. Just goes to show. When you think things look bleak if you will just venture on you will find some gems to make it all worthwhile.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

WILLITS, CRESCENT CITY & THE DREDDED TURNAROUND

Well, thank goodness. The tax stuff is done and we are on our way again. Our first stop was at Willits. We were going to spend some time there but it was too wet and rainy so we spent the night and pushed on to Crescent City.

Crescent City is the last town on the California Coast before you get back into Oregon. The town itself is not so much but it is surrounded by some of natures best. There's a harbor, we love those, and there is access to forests. We love those too.

We thought we had a place picked out to stay, Hiouchi, but mom didn't pay enough attention to the location and in route she realized it was going to be a long way from the harbor. We were headed up 199 when she decided to turn around. She picked a road thinking there would be a place to turn around. Well, she picked one and it wasn't a good one.

When you tow a car on the ground you can't back up. So, you need to be careful you've got room to execute your turn. Well, mom picked a loser and she jack knifed little Shadow who ended up sitting in the road. Thank goodness it was a road less traveled. It had rained all the way up here so everything was wet and muddy. She had to unhook Shadow, move Clementine and then hook Shadow up again. But, good old mom, she just got out there and got after it.

We went back to town and found a place to stay. Over the weekend quite a storm went through and we were without power for about 7 hours. We've done a little exploring as you can see from the photos. Last night's sunset was pretty cool.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

WAVES, WAVES & MORE WAVES + WE GOT A GARMIN

I think mom has gone a little slap happy with these waves. But, I have to admit they are beautiful. I think winter must be especially good for waves because we have seen some doozies.

I must tell you. That GPS thingy we bought, it is really neat and it cuts down significantly on mom's stress level which is good for me as well! :)

To give you an idea of what you can do, here's what we did. The other day mom decided we needed to clean up poor little Shadow who has been on the receiving end of a lot of sand. So, she types in "car wash" and the GPS takes us right to one of those do it yourself places. Naturally, the coin changer thing wouldn't work. So, we typed in "bank" and it took us right to the nearest bank where we bought a roll of quarters. After cleaning up Shadow mom typed in Costco and it took us right to Costco.

Anyone who does any car travel has got to have one of these things. Of course, my mom is generally behind the curve on technology so probably everyone already has one. But, if you are a techno slow poke, like my mom, you really need to look into one. We bought the Garmin Nuv i 260 for around $300. There are more expensive ones equipped with Bluetooth. Anyway, check them out. You'll never get lost again! :)

© Kinsey Barnard

Turbulent Seas

Yesterday we went out wave watching. The Weather Channel had indicated that the weather would be nice but that certainly wasn't the case. It was cloudy, cold and raining. At the risk of repeating myself, and I know I am, I much prefer my Montana cold. Seriously, 25 degrees in Montana isn't as cold as 40 degrees on the Oregon Coast. Plus, I do not like getting wet!!!

Ok, enough griping. We drove up the coast and there were some pretty good waves. Mom took lotsa pictures but I heard her grousing about the weather too!

If we are "lucky" we will be leaving Florence tomorrow. Luck comes into play because we have a water faucet problem and it needs to be replaced. It was supposed to be here Friday but that didn't happen. If it comes in today we will remain on schedule. If not .....

© Kinsey Barnard Photoraphy

Heceta Head Lighthouse, Sea Lions, Beaches & Sunsets

First thing yesterday we took off for Heceta Head. It was a very beautiful morning. We stopped at the big viewing area on 101 for a distant view of Heceta Head Lighthouse. In the rocks below were a bazillion sea lions lazing on the rocks! Oh, boy I wanted to get down there!

We went on over to the lighthouse and walked up to it. Right there at the lighthouse is a trail that takes off up the mountain heading north. It's a really nice trail with some awesome views of the Pacific. We hiked about an hour before heading back down. By this time it was lunch so we headed for Clementine.

After lunch and a siesta we headed back to Heceta Head to see if the beautiful waves that were there the day before were back this afternoon but it was not to be.

We ended up the day at the jetties. And, it was an awesome sunset that we had! There were tons of people there watching it. This must be a very popular spot with the locals because it kinda looked like a sports event with all the people.
©Kinsey Barnard