trickle trickle

More

4x5 scans are a'comin in.

Lunch line near Bozeman, MT

Bean Broker coffee shop- Chadron, NE

Andrew and Shawney- Chadron, NE

Jeannie (grandmother) and Jocelyn (grandaughter)- Casper, WY

35mm film is processed, scans coming soon.

Frame 23: "You have been boned by the boner squad."- Lusk, WY

Goodnight!

4x5's will be trickling in

Colors are still whack, but I'm hungry, leaving to go out for the night, and wanted to put something up, even in haste.

Dayton, Ohio Habitat for Humanity board members and volunteers- Dayton, Ohio

Amy- Binghampton, NY

p.s.- Don't buy cheap lenses off ebay that might give you problems in the future, I've got alot of photoshopping to do. gaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Japanese Garden

Been in Portland for a couple days now. I've been riding about 20 miles per day, tooling around the city, and every mile I ride makes me more excited to move here shortly. Got a place to live, and some more friends as well. Just need a part-time job now and I'll be all set. Haven't been shooting too much these days, but I did make it up to Washington Park to see Portland's Japanese garden, which is the most beautiful I've ever seen. If it didn't cost $6.25 to visit, I'd been there a couple times a week. Nothing more peaceful and beautifully designed than this...

Tea house

B.C. and Oregon travels

I'm working my way up and down the West coast. Here are photos from British Columbia and the Portland/Canon Beach area:

Crescent Beach, B.C.

Hate outlet malls and McDonalds, especially after seeing how they constantly cut into the remaining independent businesses that give vitality and character to the country. So, I took a photo of both at the same time.

Girls at the outlet mall

Pacific sunset, driving to Portland.


Gas station- Washington/Oregon border

View of downtown Portland from hotel window- Portland, OR

Painter- Portland, OR

Canon Beach, OR

Canon Beach, OR

Canon Beach, OR

Haystack rock. I biked here a year ago, felt great to revisit- Canon Beach, OR

Dad- Canon Beach, OR

Dad- Canon Beach, OR

Haystack again, so pretty- Canon Beach, OR

Ocean water attacking out of nowhere, though I was way up the beach- Canon Beach, OR

Flying turtle- Canon Beach, OR

There's alot of logging that's going on near the coast. Don't know much about it, but I can imagine there are alot of politics surrounding it. Very depressing to see, and made even more macabre by the heavy fog rolling in from the coast- Canon Beach, OR

Dead trees- Canon Beach, OR

These guys stayed up for some reason- Canon Beach, OR

What is left

p.s. I know my lens vignettes at f/4, but I can't send it in just yet, and I don't much mind anyway.

This is over but It's never over (I've decided)

Our group rode into Seattle, our final destination of this 2.5 month transamerican journey, on a day fluctuating between spitting rain and sunshine. The 31 of us, who had pushed through relentless Nebraskan headwinds, muscle-draining mountain passes, and 70 mornings of rolling up our thermarests to again head Westward, dove into the cold, salty water of Puget Sound at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 10th.

Though this is my second time riding across the country, the end of this trip in particular has been a more impacting event upon me. Maybe it's because I'm a year older (22), or because we landed in a big, vibrant city in the Pacific Northwest (reality check, I'll soon be living out here), but probably because I am now done with college, unbound and on my own accord.

I can't begin to describe the highs that come with traveling the country, by bicycle, with 30 other friends. Adventures everyday. Stories 4 ever. And so I really shouldn't be surprised that the end of this year's trip has hit me hard again. All of a sudden, the presence of all these loved friends and co-riders, people I've shared every waking moment of the summer with- biking, eating, living, exploring, even showering- has vanished. To literally leave it all as I closed the car door and drove off was an evaporation of what I've known for the past two months. It's tough to process such an immediate and simultaneous loss, but I've stayed in a good mental state by keeping active and spending plenty of time outside. Plus, I already have plans to visit a bunch of riders in the next month, which I'm committed to keep up.

In reference to the title of this post- I've realized I love traveling and exploring so incredibly much. I have no issue with indefinitely sleeping in thermarests, camping, and going out on the road (so long as I have a laptop). It's a proposition that excites me, especially for photographic purposes. For me, there is no better place to shoot than out on the backroads of America, being in touch with what is still authentic and personal, away from yuppie bubbles and corporate slaughter (harsh). But traveling on this trail makes for great photographic opportunity and experience. So yes, this trip is over, but it doesn't mean the lifestyle I love most has to be. Such a deceivingly simple, but empowering concept. Ahhhh, youth and idealism.

I hope you're still with me. So this is my plan for the next very busy and ambitious month: Spend time in Portland, fly back to NYC, scan the 50 4x5's and 17 rolls of 35mm I shot, process the scanned images as quick as I can, develop a portfolio, send out some targeted PDF books, then pitch a story that I don't want to open the lid on yet, but that involves a cross-country motorcycle trip infused with hitchikers, gas stations, National Forests, retired RV'ers, and campground stays. It'll document a very interesting American subculture that could be definitely covered from a novel angle. And of the .2% off chance you have the time and a bike, I could use the company.

So, in the coming month(s) this blog will serve as a posting area for scanned film images as they come in and other news tidbits. Then, will become a reincarnation of this blog's original puspose, as I document another exciting trip across the country.

Photos from Seattle :

Seattle skyline in the afternoon

About to get to the beach in West Seattle. Emily, Hana, and Jake. Just toss it in.

We waited a mile before the end of route to collect everyone, so we could ride in as one big group.

Inside joke, part 1 of 2. Willa and Jake.

Immediate ditching of bikes and running into the Puget Sound.
(Photo by Ivan Stangel)

The crowd, including onlookers wondering why 31 bikers randomly seemed to stop and dive into 60 degree water.
(Photo by Ivan Stangel)

Me and Shira, post swim. Shira and I rode together on last year's ride from VA to OR as well. BFFs.
(Photo by Ivan Stangel)

The four of us fearless leaders. About to cheers to friendship, literally. Joe, myself, Shira, and Marita (L to R).
(Photo by Ivan Stangel)

A month of sugary Gatorade spillage turned mildew on my bike.

My packed bags. Check out that sweet tan 70's era, leather Samsonite suitcase. Bought it for a dollar in a thrift store in Wilber, WA. If there were ever a case for HDR, it'd be this.