And the Dr. Seuss Title was……

Richard Charpentier Arizona, Canon Cameras, HDR, Notes from Rich, Off Road Adventures, Photography 3 Comments

“There’s a Wocket in my Pocket.”

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Tom Hoopes was kind enough to stand still for an early a.m. photo

Figured folks would get pocket and do a little reverse engineering to get to White Pocket.  🙂

24 hours ago two figures marched around White Pocket in blasting winds.  Lens filters got sandblasted, lenses were not changed out, and chilly temperatures made the going tough in some ways, but easier in others.  By the time the photography was done and camp was in sight it was plain to see that White Pocket can be a rugged area.  One tent was knocked over and held in place by only a single stake, and the other tent, closed up as it was, held massive amounts of sand blasted in by the winds.

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If you're impressed by the patterns in the rock, you should see what the sand blasting did to me!

Shortly after 6 p.m. the sun disappeared for the evening.  Temperatures dropped below the forecasts, and we found that the label on 30 degree sleeping bags should be considered optimistic.  I think in the case of my sleeping bag the 30 degree rating was extremely optimistic.  We also found that blasting winds full of sand makes it take a little longer to boil stew….especially when you’re watching the pot.

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Got to try out my new flash light in the tent!

A lot was learned on our short trip to White Pocket, and I’ll detail it all in future posts.  But let me give you the key points:

  • Several 2m repeaters are reachable from White Pocket!  A great lesson for the safety conscious traveler.
  • Deep sand can get deeper.
  • I hate walking in deep sand!
  • I hate sleeping in sand, when it’s in my tent, sleeping bag, etc.  Feeling gritty!
  • The formations in the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument owe a good deal to blasting winds full of sand.  I thought if I stayed in the wind too long I might just get eroded.
  • Several hours of sand blasting can chip your lens filter.  Glad it was on the lens.
  • The person stirring the stew doesn’t gt to walk around taking pictures.  Time it right though (stir the first pot not the second) and you can shoot right when the sun is doing amazing things to the scenery.
  • Colors are not consistent.  They change from day to day, week to week, and month to month.
  • Clouds rock.
  • Clouds suck.
  • A Posteri, by Enigma, makes great off roading music.
  • Folks chattering away in the background on a HAM radio sometimes overwhelms the music.
  • Tour guides are showing up in White Pocket.
  • Coyotes don’t dig stew.
  • Shooting by moonlight is fun.
  • Skipping breakfast and lunch isn’t a great idea…….
  • Waking up at 4:30 a.m. cause you’re cold isn’t.
  • Firing up the truck to warm up can often wake up other party members.
  • Playing with the bulb mode on the 5D Mark II by moonlight is big fun!
  • When the sun sets, grab your sleeping bag.
  • Just because it’s Arizona doesn’t mean you won’t get cold.
  • Lots more….really, I’ll cover it soon.

Alright, there’s my over excited return post.  Tune in throughout the week to get the low down on the White Pocket Trip.

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With a little moonlight, ISO 1000, time, and mittens, you too can get a star filled shot like this!

**Note:  All photos in today’s post are unedited as shot.  I haven’t even settled in yet, just got home about 45 minutes ago.  So, the sorting hasn’t started.  Just had a few shots in mind I wanted to share cause I knew they’d be cool.  Give me a few days to fully sort!  🙂

Comments 3

  1. Heh, nice “wocket” post – although I am not sure I would be thrilled with a bag rated for 30 degrees that fell short of that expectation. Ever look at the ones from REI? Good bags and very light!
    .-= Jason´s last blog ..Do My Eyes Deceive Me? =-.

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