3000 miles, 3 kids, and too many photos to count! FINAL UPDATE 7/11

[ReAnSt]

Well, we've been through the area 4 times. Here are some of our favorite spots.

Arches National Park
Bryce Canyon
Zion National Park
Canyonlands
Goblin Valley State Park
Grand Canyon (we've done both North and South rims now)
Horseshoe Bend
Goosenecks
Navajo Bridge (at Lee's Ferry)
Monument Valley
Petrified Forest
Painted Desert

Some of these are destinations, some are interesting stops on the way to other destinations. It can be as much fun researching a trip in this area as it is to actually take it. There is much gorgeous photography to find online, as well as suggested road trip itineraries. Here's an example:

http://www.takemytrip.com/07zion/07_06a.htm

We didn't use this site, but I found it when we got home.

It's also really helpful to go to Flickr and check out the Utah and Arizona National Parks photos.

I honestly cannot imagine anyone living their entire life without seeing the treasures in this area. It is truly some of the most amazing scenery on Earth, and you can just get in your car and drive there........ Told you I loved this little guy.......

Thanks, I definitely need to explore more areas of this country. I guess I can just hop in my car and drive there. I won't arrive for almost a day and a quarter if I drive straight there.

 

[twob4him]

I'm like you...I love the mountains and red rock....but I am stuck at the beach Seems I'll never see the scenes you drove through....which is why I loved your pics all the more! Great trip!!!

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks, I definitely need to explore more areas of this country. I guess I can just hop in my car and drive there. I won't arrive for almost a day and a quarter if I drive straight there.

Or.... you could fly into Las Vegas and road trip it from there. No drive across Kansas needed.... or Missouri.... or any other state without red rocks!

I'm like you...I love the mountains and red rock....but I am stuck at the beach Seems I'll never see the scenes you drove through....which is why I loved your pics all the more! Great trip!!!

Thanks Cathy! Maybe just once you can pry everyone away from the beach..... It took me 2 summers at the beach before I got back, but it was worth it. And remember.... Disneyland isn't THAT from all that scenery! Does it get any better?

 

[babynala]

Once seated, it didn't take long for Goofy to come find us!

Just made it over from the disboutique. I'm not sure how I missed the link in your signature. Great trip report. You are doing a great job with your photography, thanks for sharing which lenses, etc you are using. I love Katie's outfit for Goofy's kitchen. Love how those teenage boys find something else to do when the characters arrive.
Just finished reading the entire report. Your pictures of the fireworks came out great. Love the pics of Katie and the princesses, especially in the Tiana gown and the ones by the castle. I guess I love all of them.
The Grand Canyon pictures came out great too.
What a great trip. It makes me really want to go to DL & the Grand Canyon. I think I might have to wait to take the kids on a big road trip but I'm sure they would be up for DL.

Thanks for sharin. Love to see all those costumes in action!

 

[mom2rtk]

Just made it over from the disboutique. I'm not sure how I missed the link in your signature. Great trip report. You are doing a great job with your photography, thanks for sharing which lenses, etc you are using. I love Katie's outfit for Goofy's kitchen. Love how those teenage boys find something else to do when the characters arrive. Can't wait to read more.

Hi! It's nice to see you over here! And thanks for the kind words!

I had been planning that Goofy outfit for some time, but just couldn't get to it. I started around mid-day the day before leaving. I've never sewn so fast in my life! But she had a ball with it, and I was glad I could get it done.

As for the boys.... I think they considered bailing on the dinner (because of the characters) but the lure of an all you can eat buffet, after so many days on the road..... just won out in the end. And if I took their pictures with the characters, they probably would have pawned the camera on our way back through Vegas!

 

[disneyboy2003]

Thanks so much for your ongoing help and patience with my endless questions!

I actually read about this several years ago and thought it sounded pretty amazing. Then at some point on this trip (you know, out in the middle of nowhere...) I recalled it again and wished I had pursued it. Do you geotag your photos? Any idea what those little gizmos cost now?

Unfortunately I don't foresee needing one for quite a while now. When we go to the beach, we pretty much stay in the same place the whole time. We have done fishing trips, and might add a dolphin watching trip next time, but still no need to geotag. And definitely not much of note between here and there either. This definitely would have been the trip for it though!

Thanks. It actually wasn't too long ago when I pretty much had the exact same questions you've been posting. It usually took me *weeks* to find the answer or to gain enough experience to understand how to do stuff (especially topics like Photoshop or flash photography). So if I can save a fellow Disboard photographer some time and simplify an answer, I'm always happy to help.

I actually like to geotag pretty much ALL my photos. I think the only photos I don't geotag are the ones I take at home...just in case some psycho sees my photo and finds the GPS coordinates of my home.

Otherwise, I like geotagging photos from everywhere else. If I walked around a local park to take photos, I'll geotag those photos. Or, it's neat geotagging all my photos at Walt Disney World. If I'm on the monorail and I take a picture, I can see the GPS coordinates of the monorail track where the photo was taken. Or, in Animal Kingdom on Kilimanjaro Safaris, my directions are always disoriented while I'm on the ride. However, by geotagging those photos, I can see the exact spots on the safari where my photos were taken.

So you really don't have to limit your geotagging to cross-country photo trips.

With GPS receivers, you can go anywhere from cheap to super expensive. I think the cheapest I've seen is about $60 for a no-frills GPS data logger. For these types of devices, there's usually no screen, you can't see the actual GPS coordinates on the device, and the entire device is made up of like 1 button and 3 lights. However, it records your GPS location throughout the day, and all you do is download the data (GPS tracklog) onto your computer. Even though it's a no-frills GPS device, it seems to get pretty good reviews (link).

I ended up buying a Garmin Colorado 400t (link), which I see has now dropped a whole bunch in price! I like having a screen that shows my current GPS coordinates. I like seeing my current location on an electronic map. I like seeing details of how accurate my GPS lock currently is. I like seeing the number of satellites my GPS receiver is locked onto, and where those satellites are in the sky. I can also use my GPS receiver to mark my parking spot at the Ticketing & Transportation Center, so I can find my way back to the car at the end of the day.

My GPS receiver also shows my current date and time. This is SUPER important because GPS satellites orbiting above us have highly accurate atomic clocks. Once my receiver is locked onto several GPS satellites, then the clock in my GPS receiver is just as accurate as those atomic clocks! (isn't that amazing how technology works?) That's why I *always* sync my cameras' clocks to my GPS receiver's clock.

Actually, if you have an iPhone or BlackBerry, you may already have a GPS receiving inside your phone! All you have to do is find an app that records your GPS tracklog. On my BlackBerry, the downside is that using GPS seems to drain the battery a lot faster.

No matter how much $$$ you decide to spend on a GPS receiver, ultimately the key functionality you'll need is something that records your GPS tracklog. Everything else is just bells & whistles.

Hope that helps!

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks. It actually wasn't too long ago when I pretty much had the exact same questions you've been posting. It usually took me *weeks* to find the answer or to gain enough experience to understand how to do stuff (especially topics like Photoshop or flash photography). So if I can save a fellow Disboard photographer some time and simplify an answer, I'm always happy to help.

I actually like to geotag pretty much ALL my photos. I think the only photos I don't geotag are the ones I take at home...just in case some psycho sees my photo and finds the GPS coordinates of my home.

Otherwise, I like geotagging photos from everywhere else. If I walked around a local park to take photos, I'll geotag those photos. Or, it's neat geotagging all my photos at Walt Disney World. If I'm on the monorail and I take a picture, I can see the GPS coordinates of the monorail track where the photo was taken. Or, in Animal Kingdom on Kilimanjaro Safaris, my directions are always disoriented while I'm on the ride. However, by geotagging those photos, I can see the exact spots on the safari where my photos were taken.

So you really don't have to limit your geotagging to cross-country photo trips.

With GPS receivers, you can go anywhere from cheap to super expensive. I think the cheapest I've seen is about $60 for a no-frills GPS data logger. For these types of devices, there's usually no screen, you can't see the actual GPS coordinates on the device, and the entire device is made up of like 1 button and 3 lights. However, it records your GPS location throughout the day, and all you do is download the data (GPS tracklog) onto your computer. Even though it's a no-frills GPS device, it seems to get pretty good reviews (link).

I ended up buying a Garmin Colorado 400t (link), which I see has now dropped a whole bunch in price! I like having a screen that shows my current GPS coordinates. I like seeing my current location on an electronic map. I like seeing details of how accurate my GPS lock currently is. I like seeing the number of satellites my GPS receiver is locked onto, and where those satellites are in the sky. I can also use my GPS receiver to mark my parking spot at the Ticketing & Transportation Center, so I can find my way back to the car at the end of the day.

My GPS receiver also shows my current date and time. This is SUPER important because GPS satellites orbiting above us have highly accurate atomic clocks. Once my receiver is locked onto several GPS satellites, then the clock in my GPS receiver is just as accurate as those atomic clocks! (isn't that amazing how technology works?) That's why I *always* sync my cameras' clocks to my GPS receiver's clock.

Actually, if you have an iPhone or BlackBerry, you may already have a GPS receiving inside your phone! All you have to do is find an app that records your GPS tracklog. On my BlackBerry, the downside is that using GPS seems to drain the battery a lot faster.

No matter how much $$$ you decide to spend on a GPS receiver, ultimately the key functionality you'll need is something that records your GPS tracklog. Everything else is just bells & whistles.

Hope that helps!

iphone????

blackberry????

What are these things you speak of?????

Remember, up to a few weeks ago, I was still using Photoshop Elements 2.0 ....... And we DID take that entire trip without a GPS in the car......... and if it weren't for that wrong turn in Vegas, I could claim complete success with just our Rand McNalley paper road atlas.......

Still, I am very intrigued by this. Many thanks for the rundown. I hadn't even considered how it might add a new dimension to what I photograph. Thanks for the info and the links!

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

What a great journey, I am glad I followed this thread.

 

[mom2rtk]

What a great journey, I am glad I followed this thread.

Many thanks! I'm glad you came along.

 

[tractortippin]

I saw your trip report link in one of your posts and couldnt resist the "too many photos to count" part!! Im a photographer and I swear I could look at pictures all day long. Still cant get enough! Your are fabulous, good job!

I actually have a question though....I had seen a few posts w/ your different costumes that you make and I'm SOOO impressed!!!!

I probably should NOT admit this but...I cant sew. I dont even sew a button back on if it falls off (sad I know). Still one of the things I think everytime I see these amazing costumes is where on earth do you get all these fabrics???? Again I dont sew so they could be at any old store and I just dont know it but man I think maybe you work w/ Disney costume dept. Thats really amazing.
The Tiana dress blew me away! Another one I love is the Marry Poppins dress!
I hope your DD continues to dress up so we get to see your work! (although I could see by your "photo spot" near the castle she's not so little anymore!

Anyway, good job on the photos and the costumes! Great trip report!

 

[mom2rtk]

I saw your trip report link in one of your posts and couldnt resist the "too many photos to count" part!! Im a photographer and I swear I could look at pictures all day long. Still cant get enough! Your are fabulous, good job!

I actually have a question though....I had seen a few posts w/ your different costumes that you make and I'm SOOO impressed!!!!

I probably should NOT admit this but...I cant sew. I dont even sew a button back on if it falls off (sad I know). Still one of the things I think everytime I see these amazing costumes is where on earth do you get all these fabrics???? Again I dont sew so they could be at any old store and I just dont know it but man I think maybe you work w/ Disney costume dept. Thats really amazing.
The Tiana dress blew me away! Another one I love is the Marry Poppins dress!
I hope your DD continues to dress up so we get to see your work! (although I could see by your "photo spot" near the castle she's not so little anymore!

Anyway, good job on the photos and the costumes! Great trip report!

Many thanks for the kind words! Finding the right fabrics is my biggest frustration when trying to make costumes. Fewer people sew, so the fabric stores just continue to shrink. I shop online too. I was really excited when I finally found the right combination of fabrics to do green Ariel. It's rather a sickness, I know.... but it's cheaper than a therapist!

My daughter will turn 10 this fall, so will no longer be "street legal" for wearing costumes at Disney outside hard ticketed parties. I'm going to take my cues from her though. I think we'll be fine for a while, and I expect her to stop long before anyone at Disney says anything. I think as long as she looks like a child, and not an adult character, we'll be fine.

I'm already gearing up for our December trip to the World. It gets harder and harder to come up with new ideas, but we managed.

 

[kdzbear]

I followed your link on Disbotiquers. I have made the drive you made. My husband and I lived in KC while he was in law school and one vacation we thought it would be fun to drive to Vegas and then on to LA. Only, we started at 9PM at night and did not stop until we got to Vegas. We took turns sleeping and driving. Then we also drove to Breckenridge two years ago with all of the kids and the scenery is amazing! I also took way too many photos!

I love the Goofy's Kitchen outfit. I love to eat there when we make it out to CA. I have read pages one and nine. Now I need to go back and read the middle, but I just wanted to leave a comment!

 

[mom2rtk]

I followed your link on Disbotiquers. I have made the drive you made. My husband and I lived in KC while he was in law school and one vacation we thought it would be fun to drive to Vegas and then on to LA. Only, we started at 9PM at night and did not stop until we got to Vegas. We took turns sleeping and driving. Then we also drove to Breckenridge two years ago with all of the kids and the scenery is amazing! I also took way too many photos!

I love the Goofy's Kitchen outfit. I love to eat there when we make it out to CA. I have read pages one and nine. Now I need to go back and read the middle, but I just wanted to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading along! Actually sleeping through western Kansas just sounds like a great plan, if you ask me! Of course, I'd definitely recommend waking up once you hit Denver!

Thanks for the kind words too. Katie loved the Goofy's Kitchen outfit so much she said she wants to be Chef Goofy for Halloween this year. I had to break it to her though that nobody would probably "get" who she was.... She's mulling it over.....

I'm glad you stopped in and said Hi! Happy sewing!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I love your foto trip report! I that you enjoyed my beautiful state ~ this year we've visited Arches & Canyonlands *for the 2nd time* and Zion for the 1st time. My DS prefers visiting National Parks over Disney ~ early next month I'm taking my boyfriend *from England* to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce ~ we'll probably base ourselves in Kanab UT.

Your DLR pictures are lovely ~ I love your DD's blue & pink Aurora dress *I will always prefer Aurora in blue

 

[mom2rtk]

I love your foto trip report! I that you enjoyed my beautiful state ~ this year we've visited Arches & Canyonlands *for the 2nd time* and Zion for the 1st time. My DS prefers visiting National Parks over Disney ~ early next month I'm taking my boyfriend *from England* to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce ~ we'll probably base ourselves in Kanab UT.

Your DLR pictures are lovely ~ I love your DD's blue & pink Aurora dress *I will always prefer Aurora in blue

Hi! Many thanks for the kind comments. How lucky you are to live in such a gorgeous part of the world! I honestly think I could go over and over and never tire of it all.

Tell your son I like the parks too, but like them even more when I know Disney awaits me at the end of the journey! Of course, when you're driving from Missouri, it really doesn't seem all that far to just keep heading a "little" farther west to Anaheim.

And BTW.... I also prefer Aurora in her blue. Too bad they don't ever seem to have her out at the parks in blue any more!

Have a great trip to the North Rim!

 

[tolemommy]

Thanks Momtrk, I've loved following your thread. I am in awe of your road trip, photographs, and dear daughters dresses. I hope to take a similiar road trip in a few years but starting from the West Coast.

How long were you on the road?

Like your family, I am old school, no GPS, blackberry, iPhone, or ? My father taught me how to read a road map, and atlas when I was a little girl. We took turns assisting dear dad when we took cross country road trips. I continue to honor his memory by navigating the old school way.

I must admit I am like you, I will pull the car over to get a good shot.

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks Momtrk, I've loved following your thread. I am in awe of your road trip, photographs, and dear daughters dresses. I hope to take a similiar road trip in a few years but starting from the West Coast.

How long were you on the road?

Like your family, I am old school, no GPS, blackberry, iPhone, or ? My father taught me how to read a road map, and atlas when I was a little girl. We took turns assisting dear dad when we took cross country road trips. I continue to honor his memory by navigating the old school way.

I must admit I am like you, I will pull the car over to get a good shot.

Many thanks for the kind words! It is an amazing trip that I can't recommend highly enough. If you can do it starting on the west coast and not have an entire day traveling (each way!) across western Kansas..... than lucky you!

This was an 11 day trip for us. On our previous trips, we've taken up to 15 days. There is SO much to see that you can easily fill whatever time you can give it.

I bet your dad will be there in spirit with you when you make your trip!

 

[jenseib]

I love your pcitures! I love all that scenery. I wish I could do that someday...but with my husband who can barely walk right now, I don't know if/when we could do it. Maybe when Claire is older.
I have to say, I saw that picture of Rick on the way back through Vegas, and was so excited! LOL! I would've been the paparozzi too!
I might have to start aksing you questions about phto taking too. I read so much, but evidently my brain can't hold it all in, and I forget what I have read when it's time to use it.
Which camer do you have. I'm assuming one of the Rebels? I had the rebel xti..and love it, but it broke after my last trip. (the pin in the card reader slot broke and it would cost $250 to get it fixed ) I decided to upgrade and got the 50D. Which I like. But I liked that the rebel was more lightweight and a little easier to use. I still have it around, contemplating on whether or not to someday get it fixed. I need to win the lottery.
What is your wide angle lens. I have thought about getting one, but of course I don't want to spend the money. I have 5 lens, but I only use 2 regularly.


I have an external flash too, but I'm not too handy with it. Again, I forget how to use it half the time, when I go to use it. But if I practice with the book open next to me...the shots are wonderful.

Thanks for sharing all that wonderful scenery with us.

 

[mom2rtk]

Hi Jen! Thanks for reading along on our journey. I do hope Skip finds an answer soon and he can start getting around better! I really do think that someone could even experience this area of the country with some limitations. There are SO many natural wonders there completely visible from your car or just a short walk to an overlook. I hope you get to see it with your 50D one day!

I have a Rebel Xsi. Not the latest or greatest, but it gets the job done. I did add a few new lenses over the past year. My wide angle is the Tokina 11-16 f2.8.

I highly recommend just hanging out here on the photography forum, maybe doing some of the monthly challenges you see posted, reading the questions from others, and asking any questions you have. There are many helpful and friendly experts here always willing to answer any question, no matter how basic or advanced. I also picked up the Canon Xsi for Dummies book and worked my way through it last spring. It's an easier read than the camera manual!

I also started studying the exif data on pictures I see posted here and on Flickr. It helps to see why they got the results they did.

I've seen many of your posts. I think you have a good eye and would enjoy hanging out here.

And yes, the Pawn Stars stuff was fun. Just the little kind of stuff you can do on a long road trip (right up there with hunting for the world's largest ball of twine!) I don't even know why we like the show, but it IS something the entire family can watch, and we all like to make fun of Rick's laugh!

 

[jenseib]

Do you shoot in RAW? I shoot jpeg. Mostly because I don't want to always have to process everything I shoot. And it takes up so much more on the card too.
I have a CS3 book, that I have started (about a year ago) and learned some more about processing, but I just don't have time to sit and try it all out...and then remember it. LOL! I have read some some books on photography and tooks a few basic classes (one was black and white flim and we learned to develope...really fun!). But it's been a few years, and I need to refresh myself again.
I shoot in manual, but pretty much take the lowest aperture, (wide open) and then adjust the shutter speed to that. I know that is NOT the best way to go about it for all pictures. I should pull out some of the books and go at it again.

Did you get lightroom? I had a friend give me a CD with photoshop and it had lightroom on it, but I unistalled it. I just didn't have a clue what it was. I wonder if I can find that CD and reinstall it again and learn about that too.