Southwest Road Trip - 2009

July 6-11, 2009

The inaugural Road Trip Workshop of 2006 gave us great skies and adventure – and very surprisingly quite a bit of rain! The photo directly above shows the group busy at one of our camp spots. See below for current thoughts on the 2009 Road Trip.

Note- All of the images on this page except the top-right Monument Valley photo were made during the 2006 Road Trip!

Overview

The "Southwest" Road Trip had been something I’d been wanting to do for a long time, and the inaugural trip in August 2006 was really rewarding. I had another one planned for 2007, but student/instructor schedule conflicts made a cancellation necessary. As much as possible, the idea will be to photograph and travel somewhat like I do when I'm out on my own looking for creative photographs. That means a fair amount of seeing where a road takes us, chasing clouds and weather, and reflecting on it all at the end of the day around a campfire over a glass of some refreshment. (the 2006 workshop was a little bit too much like the way I travel on my own, in retrospect it was a bit too much driving for a group wanting to get out with cameras. I plan to land in at least one spot for 2 nights.) Because this is also a workshop learning experience, we'll have some “sit-down” photographic studies and demonstrations, as well as portfolio reviews.

Participants

In order to make the experience as rewarding as possible for all concerned,
I am limiting the enrollment to 6 participants.

Basic Requirements

A love of photography and a spirit of adventure! Weather and visual interests are never predictable – so the planned itinerary is only… planned.

Travel Logistics

In Santa Fe, there are accommodations in all price ranges including a campground (with Wi-Fi) not too far from us. The workshop materials will include a message with links to various Santa Fe resources.

Once we leave Santa Fe, this is intended to be primarily a camping-only workshop, however, I hope to plan some overnight locations within reasonable driving distance to motel-type accommodations. In 2006 we, collectively, decided to change our course and go to Hovenweep National Monument - where there is NOTHING anywhere near except the NPS campground. We will make regular stops at campgrounds or similar facilities for showers, etc., as needed. For the Campers, there will be several nights in undeveloped camping spots , which means the restroom facilities are a shovel and a bush. In short, you ought to be self-contained. Our most remote overnight is expected to be Chaco Canyon which is a bit over 2 hours from the nearest lodging. The next most remote spot, Bisti Badlands, is only about 35 miles from Farmington, NM. Whenever possible, we'll have evening campfires, providing there are no Forest or Park Service fire restrictions in effect at the time. Everyone will be responsible for their own meals, wheels and camping gear.

Duration and Fees

This is a 6-day-5-night workshop – with a price of $850 plus New Mexico tax (the same as 2006!). This includes a welcome dinner at our house on the first night. The fee does not include any Park entry or campground fees.

The anticipated 2009 route!