Nine-Years Ago (14-August-2010) — Iowa

Gone to See America August 2010 Road Trip. Day 14: Waterloo, Iowa to Columbus, Ohio.

Nine-years ago, I was returning from a cross country road trip. I stopped a a rest area along the interstate highway an saw where they planted a Prairie Wildflowers display. It had attracted a number of different butterflies. Images taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 24 mm f/1.4 lens or a Nikon D3x camera and 80-400 mm VR lens. At that point I said:

This is what I want my backyard to look like…

I’ve been trying for several years — fighting the deer, mile-a-minute vine, too much rain, too little rain. This year I am getting pretty close to having my own Wildflower Meadow. Images below are what I saw in Iowa back then. If you have been following my Photoblog recently you have seen the Butterflies, Hummingbird Moths, and Wildflowers in my Backyard this spring and summer.


Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.


Nine-Years Ago (09-August-2010) — Nevada

Gone to See America August 2010 Road Trip. Day 9: California to Nevada.

Closest Restaurant, Bar and Motel to Area 51. Little ALEINN in Rachel, Nevada. Earthlings Welcome. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 45 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 45 mm, f/16, 1/80 sec).

Earthlings Welcome. Little Aleinn Restaurant Bar and Motel in Rachel, Nevada. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 45 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 45 mm, f/16, 1/80 sec). (David J Mathre)
Earthlings Welcome. Little Aleinn Restaurant Bar and Motel in Rachel, Nevada. Image taken with a Nikon D3x camera and 45 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 45 mm, f/16, 1/80 sec). (David J Mathre)

Nine-Years Ago (09-August-2010) — Nevada

Gone to See America August 2010 Road Trip. Day 9: California to Nevada.

Extraterrestrial Highway Sign (Nevada 375). For those that are planning on visiting  Area 51 this year. Note, there are not many places to stay in the vicinity so plan on roughing it. Bring plenty of water.


Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.


Nine-Years Ago (06-August-2010) — California

Gone to See America August 2010 Road Trip. Day 6:  Eastern Sierra Photography Workshop with Michael Mariant. Mono Lake.

The first stop of the morning was to Mono Lake to view the Tufa towers at dawn and in the early morning sunlight. We had to leave Bishop well before sunrise to get there, even then we were a bit late.

Silhouette of Mono Lake Tufa Towers at Dawn. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 50 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 50 mm, f/16, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Silhouette of Mono Lake Tufa Towers at Dawn. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 50 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 50 mm, f/16, 1/500 sec). (David J Mathre)
Silhouette of Mono Lake Tuffa's at Dawn. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 50 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 50 mm, f/16, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)
Silhouette of Mono Lake Tufa Towers at Dawn. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 50 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 50 mm, f/16, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)
Early Morning View of Mono Lake Tuffa's. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 50 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 50 mm, f/16, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)
Early Morning View of Mono Lake Tufa Towers. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 50 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 200, 50 mm, f/16, 1/1250 sec). (David J Mathre)

Nine-Years Ago (06-August-2010) — California

Gone to See America August 2010 Road Trip. Day 6: Eastern Sierra Photography Workshop with Michael Mariant. Bodie State Historic Park.

Images taken on my second visit to Bodie State Park. California maintains the park in a state of arrested decay. The park is a National Historic District, and is known as a wild-west gold mining ghost town. All of the images were converted to monochrome/sepia to fit with the historic nature of the ghost town. The Schoolroom Marm’s hat is a repeat of an image I took in 2008.


Nikon D3s camera with 50 mm f/1.4 lens. Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.



Nikon D3s camera with 200 mm f/2 lens. Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.



Nikon D3x camera with 24 mm f/1.4 lens. Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.