Category Archives: Photos

Albuquerqation: Judgment, peril, and beauty beyond words

One evening, we visited the local courtroom. This wasn’t just any courtroom, though: this was an Air Force courtroom. Since he was looking all dignified with his beard, my dad decided to be a judge for a moment.

In the case of Bob vs. The Beard, I find the defendant accused fuzzy.

The next morning, we set off for Sandia Crest, the peak of the mountains you saw beyond the city in the photos from Petroglyphs. This involved a trip up a winding road, past a ski area, and finally up next to a flourishing landscape of communication towers.

Next to the parking lot they had signs warning that the towers might interfere with wireless devices like car remotes. I was vastly disappointed to find not just that our car remote worked just fine, but also that I wasn’t receiving any curious communications in my fillings.

You may have noticed the strange white coating on the ground. That’s called snow. Albuquerque itself doesn’t get much of it, but since Sandia Crest is over 10,000 feet above sea level, it has the good sense to have a good solid winter. This made us snow-loving Michiganders happy.

There was, however, one downside we couldn’t ignore: they don’t maintain the roads and trails during the winter, so snow can make things a bit interesting. Things got crazy interesting…but wait, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Crazy interesting wasn’t until later.

From the parking lot, there was a very short path to a scenic overlook. Due to the lack of winter maintenance, this path was approximately 99.998% ice, but we made it to the overlook thanks to the presence of handrails. We were glad for those handrails, too, because the overlook provided this view:

That’s Albuquerque you’re seeing. Yes, there’s a lot of Albuquerque.

At the top of that photo you can see the main section of Albuquerque. (That’s highlighted by the presence of the few buildings that are taller than one story. The University of New Mexico is near there — keep that in mind for the next post.) You can also see how the city just seems to keep going and going and going. In that sense it’s like Toronto, but without all the tall buildings and Canadians and with about 2 million fewer people.

Having sufficiently looked over the scenery — and having successfully made it back down to the parking lot (by clinging to the handrail as if our lives depended on it, because they did) — we decided to brave the lack of maintenance and try exploring one of the trails. In theory this seemed like a fantastic idea, but…well, this is when it got crazy interesting.

With more handrail clinging and very cautious steps, we managed to make it around the gift shop to the start of one of the trails. At that point I paused because while the handrails ended there, the icy snow kept going, and I did not trust my questionable-at-best balance on such a surface without any sort of handrail. As I paused, dad moved toward a staircase down to a lower parking lot to shoot a few photos. I heard him yell, so I looked in his direction. What did I see? I saw dad sliding headfirst on his back down a gentle but very icy slope.

Before my brain could process that bizarre and entirely unexpected sight, suddenly dad just disappeared. No, seriously. One second he was sliding down a gentle slope, and the next second he…wasn’t. Concerned, my mom and I made our way in that direction to see where he could have ended up. As we approached, we were relieved to see his head peek up over the edge of a dropoff. Remarkably, he suffered no significant injuries.

Here’s a look at dad standing at the bottom of his dropoff.

If you look closely, you can see his slide marks leading from the bottom right corner of the photo to the edge of the dropoff. That’s where he slid on his back headfirst over the edge. If you continue looking closely, you can see a rock on the ground near him. That’s the rock he dislodged on his way down.

Since he went over on his back, he tore up the back of his coat.

As we (VERY CAREFULLY) walked down the staircase to join him at the bottom of Bob’s Cliff — hey, it needed a name — we couldn’t help but laugh at the sign we saw.

When we got to the bottom, we got to see just how tall Bob’s Cliff was.

It looked to be about ten feet tall.

For posterity’s sake, I had to get a better shot of the rock he dislodged.

See that dark spot just to the right of his head? That’s where the rock used to be.

Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned the best part: you may have noticed that he’s holding a very nice camera in his left hand. He had that in his left hand when he slid over the edge. Do you know how much damage the camera suffered? None. He told us that when he was sliding down the hill, he was thinking that he had to protect the camera. Somehow he managed to do that and escape injury himself.

So yeah. My dad fell headfirst down a ten-foot dropoff…and brought a chunk of rock down with him…and walked away unharmed beyond a couple minor bruises. Sandia Crest: 0. Bob: 1.

—

As the end of the day approached, our jaws dropped when we looked at the sky. The sunset was…I mean, it was so…well, just look at the pictures. Just look.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. My, oh my, do they ever.

—

Check back soon for the next — and last — Albuquerque post. It’ll have bricks and flags and Lobos and a bear! You won’t want to miss it.

Albuquerqation: Snakes, rocks and curies

Before we get into the attractions listed in the title, I have a couple trip notes.

First: this is what we did nearly every evening.

That’s a custom version of the game Settlers of Catan that a friend of mine made for another friend of mine. (He was generous enough to let me take it on the trip.) We played it nearly every night…and I didn’t win a single game. I came close once, but I was thwarted by a lethal combination of the longest road card, the largest army card, and a victory point card.

Second: this was the weather while we were there.

It was nice. I think I’d get tired of it after a while, but I enjoyed it for a week.

On to the next section of the trip!

One day we headed to Albuquerque’s Old Town to enjoy the historic ambience. We also happened to make a visit to the rattlesnake museum. If you don’t believe me, ask this guy.

Once we finished our deeply intellectual conversations with the snakes, we headed out to the Petroglyph National Monument. There, we were warned to keep an eye out for more snakes.

Apparently some snakes must have escaped from the museum or something.

Having been properly warned, we headed up the hill.

As we ascended, we began to find views of the sprawling city of Albuquerque. I think there are maybe three buildings over two stories. Maybe. (I suspect at least one of those buildings is just an optical illusion.) As a result, the city just keeps going and going.

Also interesting: as you can see in that photo, a newer housing development runs right up next to the Petroglyph National Monument. For the people who live in the houses, that’s an impressive back yard. For the monument itself…well, I don’t know. That doesn’t really seem like the greatest idea. Maybe it’s time to get crazy and build some three-story buildings or something, Albuquerque.

Here’s another look at the city. This gives a better idea of just how close those houses come to the park land.

The mountains beyond the city will show up in a future post. Yes, you should be excited about that. Mountains are awesome. And I mean awesome in the classic sense of the word. Mountains have some awe!

The trail on this particular hill proved to be more rugged than I expected, and since I don’t have a strap on my camera, my brother offered to carry it so I could have my hands free to keep myself from tumbling down the hill. Given means, motive and opportunity, my brother took a few photos. (Since my brother is a lawyer, I figured I had to break out all that fancy lingo I learned from shows like Matlock, Quincy M.E., and Psych. Objection! Overruled, counselor. APPROACH THE BENCH.)

Look at me, all mountain climbing and stuff. I know technically there was a “trail” to make my ascent “easier” and the “hill” was relatively “small” and the “trail” didn’t actually go all the way to the “top,” but let’s not quibble over minor details. I totally conquered that thing.

At one point on the trail my nephew needed to take a break, so my brother stopped with him. Since he still had my camera, he took another photo.

Our adventures that day ended at a delicious Mexican restaurant called Garduno’s.

—

Hey, did you know there’s a National Musem of Nuclear Science & History? (BEST SLOGAN EVER: “Reactions welcome.”) And did you know it’s in Albuquerque? I didn’t before, but now I do! I know this because we visited the museum.

Some of you might be wondering just how interesting that museum could be. Let me tell you: it’s fascinating. If you’re ever in the ABQ area, go visit the museum.

If my plug wasn’t enough to convince you, let me show you the floor just inside the front doors:

I have absolutely no idea how The Greatest Floor In The History Of The World couldn’t be enough to entice you to visit the museum. But if it’s not, here’s what they have behind the museum:

Also, there are a few airplanes and other pieces of military machinery to ogle.

I’m a sucker for ridiculous souvenirs that weren’t originally intended to be souvenirs, and the museum’s gift shop offered perhaps the ultimate such repurposed object:

Yes, I bought that from the museum gift shop. It’s sitting next to me right now. And if I put batteries in it, I bet it would start clicking like a tribesman in The Gods Must Be Crazy if I put it next to Jim Tressel’s resume right now. (What’s that? You’ve never seen The Gods Must Be Crazy? GO WATCH IT. WATCH IT NOW.)

That’s it for this post. Tune in next time for a fuzzy judge and a mountain.

Albuquerqation: Been a long drive, been a long drive

Recently I visited my brother in Albuquerque, a city whose name I wasn’t really sure how to spell until…just recently. I did take some photos with my serious camera, but I didn’t take too many because I was, you know, on vacation and all. But I did make good use of my iPhone.

Rather than endure airports and airplanes and all that nonsense, we decided to enjoy more of this grand nation by driving from the Mitten to the…uh…Big Square With A Growth. This would involve two days of driving rather than a few hours of flying, but it would also involve 100% fewer security checkpoints and significantly more personal space during the trip.

However, there was one significant drawback:

That’s when we started driving. That means I had to be out of bed when the time started with a 5 and ended with an a.m. That’s disgusting. I might dislike early mornings more than I dislike weddings. If you know me at all, you know that’s really saying something. If you’re not sleeping in the early morning hours, you’re doing it all wrong. I was doing it all wrong that morning.

The morning was uneventful, largely because I managed to spend several hours sleeping. When it was time for lunch, we happened upon some of the most refreshing refreshment known to man:

If you haven’t had A&W root beer in a frosty mug, you haven’t lived.

Some time later, we saw America’s largest magnet, on loan from Chuck Norris.

I don’t know what it’s stuck to, but it’s stuck there until Chuck Norris decides he wants it back.

Midway through Missouri, we stopped for gas at a truck stop in Cuba, MO. What does the truck stop in Cuba, MO sell?

That’s right: the truck stop in Cuba, MO sells cigars. They’re Cuban, but they’re not Cuban.

The truck stop also sold something very familiar to many of us from southeastern Michigan:

Those are Uncle Ray’s potato chips, straight from Detroit. I didn’t buy one to see if it came with free marijuana inside — seriously, click that link — but it was nice to see a Michigan product on the shelves.

We stopped for the night in Joplin. When we got on the road again (FAR TOO EARLY) the next morning, the world around us had vanished.

The world reappeared shortly after we crossed into Texas. That must mean something.

The rest of that day was uneventful until, at a gas station in Texas, I saw one of the wordiest warning signs ever created.

If you’re on a mobile device or something and the sign is too small to read, here’s the full text:

UNAUTHORIZED VEHICLES PARKED IN DESIGNATED ACCESSIBLE SPACES NOT DISPLAYING DISTINGUISHING PLACARDS OR SPECIAL LICENSE PLATES ISSUED FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES WILL BE FINED MINIMUM $250

Many Blue Wheelchair Man signs don’t even have warning signs anymore, probably because nearly everybody knows what they mean. Even if they do have warning signs, they’re typically small signs that list the minimum fine associated with the offense. But this sign? Oh, this sign left nothing to chance, which is why the warning sign is larger than the Blue Wheelchair Man sign it’s accompanying!

In an effort to encourage efficient communication, I have a suggestion for a superior warning sign. Instead of using so many words, how about this brief but informative message:

NO PERMIT, NO PARKING
YOU PARK WITHOUT PERMIT, YOU PAY [amount]

If that’s still too long, here’s an even more succinct message:

NOT A CRIPPLE? PARK ELSEWHERE OR PAY UP

Anyway. That was the last photo-worthy sight I saw before we made it to Albuquerque that evening. The next post will feature pictures of snakes and rocks and other charming Southwestern things.

Photo of the Hockey Now: 19 November 2011

Chelsea hockey faced Riverview. They’re called the Pirates, but it was the Bulldogs who made off with the loot of victory. Arrrrrrr! (Special note for the MHSAA: there was no actual loot involved. Only victory. Arrrrrrr!)

Midway through the game, one Riverview player leveled a Chelsea player with an illegal hit.

After a few minutes, he managed to make it to his feet and woozily skate off the ice with some help.

He spent the rest of the period talking to the trainer.

He didn’t return to that game, but there is good news: he’s now back in action.

Chelsea won the game by a large margin, so there was plenty of celebrating.

There also were a few penalties. Here, Connor can’t believe they called that penalty:

One Chelsea fan got especially excited about one of the Bulldogs’ goals:

I was tasked to shoot a few photos for the newspaper that covers Riverview. Here’s one.

There. That proves I’m an equal-opportunity blogger, right?

There’s an old axiom that says “When push comes to shove, you’re probably playing hockey.”*

*This axiom is not old because it does not exist.

Later in the game, Joe managed to maneuver around both the defense and the goalie to give himself a wide-open net.

Yeah, he put it in the net.

Always remember: Coach Wright is watching you.

Photo of the Cross Country Finals Now: 5 November 2011

The MHSAA cross country lower peninsula championship is a great event held at a remarkable venue: Michigan International Speedway. It’s become one of my favorite events to shoot, in part simply because of the venue.

Like last year, both Chelsea boys and girls qualified for the championship. Here you can see the division 2 girls race starting with the racetrack in the background. (The Bulldogs are in the center of the photo in the yellow and white uniforms.)

After getting a few photos at the start, I took up residence at the finish line.

A little while later, the division 2 boys race made its way through the course and approached the finish line. When the lead runners rounded the final bend and came into my view, do you know who was leading the way to the finish line? Well…you might. But if you don’t, I’ll tell you: it was Chelsea’s own Bryce Bradley!

In the following photo, you may notice that his knee brace is no longer bracing his knee. Instead, it’s bracing his ankle.

Despite his knee brace’s well-intentioned but entirely unhelpful relocation, Bradley crossed the finish line in first. And not only did he finish in first, but he had the fastest time across all four divisions. In other words, Bryce Bradley was the fastest high school cross country runner in the lower peninsula. Is that impressive? Oh man, that’s impressive. That’s impressive.

(If you’re curious, his championship time was 15:20.6.)

At the awards ceremony, Bradley received congratulations from the second-place finisher.

He then smiled just a little bit. Just a little tiny bit.

It Takes 11: Week 2 vs East Lansing

Varsity 2011 record: 1-1 (0-0 SEC White)

The Enemy:
Opponent: East Lansing
Mascot: Trojans
Last Year’s Record: 7-3
Previous Result vs. Chelsea: 24-16 EL win (2007)
Last 10 years vs. Chelsea: 1-0
Miscellany: East Lansing High School is just across town from Michigan State University. MSU is the Spartans; ELHS is the Trojans. MSU is green and white; ELHS is blue and white and wears uniforms strikingly similar to those of Penn State, an MSU rival. Perhaps best of all: ELHS fans frequently utilize the cheer “Go Blue!” — a favorite cheer of Michigan, MSU’s hated rival. I might be tempted to make MSU-related jokes, but whether by accident or by design, ELHS is as far from MSU as ethics are from OSU football.

The Photos:


Mark Moundros covers the points. Do you cover the points?


Grant Fanning will give you five good reasons.


The marching band paid tribute to CHS cross country runner Kersch Ray, who had been hit by a car that morning and was in a coma.

In the first half, Tyler Geiger grabbed an interception and returned it for a touchdown:

After that, the Chelsea defense got back to its regularly-scheduled tackling.


The student section saw the signs. They opened up their minds. They saw the signs.


This isn’t quite the intent of the slogan, but…hey, it works. Actually, it works remarkably well. Excellent work.


Frowny face.

Photo of the Kersch Ray Fundraiser Now: 25 October 2011

If you’re in the Chelsea area, you’re probably familiar with the Kersch Ray story. If not, let me catch you up:

Back in early September, the Chelsea High School cross country team was out on an early morning run when two runners were hit by a car. One of the runners — Kersch Ray — suffered two broken legs and a closed head injury and spent ten days in a coma. He woke up, began rehab, and started speaking again. And then, just over two months after the accident, he went home to continue his recovery.

With the family supporting Kersch in his recovery, the community of Chelsea stepped up to support the family. On the 25th of October, a variety of local businesses and individuals gathered together and put on a spaghetti dinner and silent auction at CHS.

It was very well-attended.

There was an abundance of silent auction items around the room.

There was one particular donation that was extremely well-received:

No, I didn’t partake. I was working.

The spaghetti dinner was provided by the folks at one of Chelsea’s most legendary restaurants: Thompson’s Pizzeria. What’s that? You haven’t eaten at Thompson’s? GO. GO NOW. If you’re in southeastern Michigan and you haven’t had Thompson’s pizza, you’re missing out. It’s delicious.

The Ray family was grateful for the support from the community.

Photo of the Fire Station Open House Now: 16 October 2011

Every year, the Chelsea Area Fire Authority opens up the fire station to allow local kids to check out the firefighting equipment. It’s a great event that’s been happening for years — I remember visiting the fire station when I was a kid — and once again this year it was well-attended.

Yes, CAFA has a hovercraft. CAFA is that cool. A while back I asked a firefighter about the hovercraft, and he told me it’s great for rescues on the ice. There are a number of lakes around Chelsea, so it’s a useful tool. And it’s also really, really cool.

The fire station is in the shadow of the famous Jiffy Mixes silos:

Behind the station — back near the silos — they had a firefighter with a hose set up for kids to try. That’s what I most clearly remember from my visit to the station as a kid. It’s fun.

As usual, it was a popular attraction.

This little guy was very intent on his task:

If you didn’t make it to the open house this year, be sure to make it next year. Your kids will have a great time checking out the trucks, and you’ll get a chance to meet our local firefighters and to let them know you appreciate the work they do.

Photo of the Irish Hills Scenery Now: 12 October 2011

In an effort to catch a little bit of fall color, my parents and I visited Hidden Lake Gardens, a botanical gardens and arboretum in the Irish Hills. It was still warm, so the colors were a bit sparse. Still, the scenery was beautiful.

We decided to explore one of the trails. While on that trail, we found the most obvious sign in the whole county.

I was hoping to find another sign in the middle of a field somewhere saying “NOT A ROAD”.

The colors may have been a bit sparse, but there were plenty of leaves.

Some of them were even colorful!

The birch trees were still plenty white, though.

Elsewhere in the gardens is one of my favorite trees.

Sure, it may not look like much from the outside. But wait until you get inside!

There’s only one problem with this tree: people seem to think it’s a good idea to carve their names or initials in the bark.

I don’t understand what’s so appealing about carving things into trees, but since so many people do it, I’m assuming there must be something fulfilling about it.

From there we went to the conservatory. The arid dome has a collection of fascinating plants.

Outside the conservatory is a bonsai collection.

We found more color back in the conservatory’s temperate house.

We also found a plant that could become violent at any moment.

I’m happy to report that it didn’t attack while I was there. (Yes, I know the military term is spelled with an e. Don’t rain on my fun.)

Back outside not far from the conservatory, there was a cluster of maple trees full of color — mostly yellow. Many of the leaves had already fallen, providing a thick, brightly-colored carpet.

There still were plenty of leaves on the tree, though, and some of them were still holding onto a bit of green.

If you’ve never been to Hidden Lake Gardens, I’d recommend a visit — it’s gorgeous. It’s relatively drab right now since it’s November, but there’s beauty in a Michigan landscape no matter the season. And if a winter landscape isn’t your thing, don’t worry: it’ll be spring soon enough.