A Year Gone By
Well I managed to get a bit of travel in during quarantine. And boy, was it an amazing trip. Because I had to scrap any international plans, I decided to take an offer from my friend to visit her out in Seattle. I used the opportunity to visit two of the nearby National Parks, Mount Rainer and Olympic. These were not really on my list of destinations before Covid. They were beyond expectations. I saw the most beautiful sunset at Rialto Beach, and the rock formations off the coast were other-worldly. I think I took some of my favorite pictures during this trip, and definitely the best airplane window pic (below).
The varied landscapes of the Olympic peninsula are a photographer's dream. It was my first time near a rainforest and then later in a sub-alpine environment around Hurricane Ridge. I actually drove up there from my campsite sometime after midnight to work on astro-photography. It was freezing and the wind was whipping. The pictures did not turn out well, honestly. I feel my camera may not be sensitive enough for dark sky photography right now. I really want to capture the Milky Way someday.
We hear it so often, that this year has been 'challenging', 'unprecedented', etc. And it has all been true for me as well. I bought a house and moved in on my own. I adjusted to working remotely, away from my coworkers and friends. Some things I love the most, (live sports, music, traveling), have all been put on hold. Despite this, I still have my job and my health and my family. If this crisis has taught us anything, hopefully we learned about what is really important.
