Tag: camping

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U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Weeks Four, Five & Six (Illinois to South Dakota)

North to South U.S. road trip recap weeks four, five and six

North to South U.S. road trip recap weeks four, five and six

After completing our third week on the road in the U.S. this summer, we decided it was time for a little breather. We departed St. Louis at the beginning of week four and then pressed the pause button when we reached Chicago. And there we stayed, visiting my twin brother, for the first two and a half weeks of June.

Despite growing up in St. Louis, I’d never visited the nearby Windy City ’til now. And what an awesome place it turned out to be! So much so that we decided we’d return to Chicago for an even longer break after our upcoming national park loop. We finished off this three-week period in Badlands National Park, where we found unique erosion-formed landscapes, plentiful prairie dogs, and the craziest (and unexpected) storm we’ve ever experienced! (You don’t want to miss that video.)

Note: Since we paused for so long in Chicago, this recap covers weeks four through six of our U.S. road trip. And I’m still catching up on our weekly road trip re-caps! This one covers May 30 – June 19.

Continue reading “U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Weeks Four, Five & Six (Illinois to South Dakota)”

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[VIDEO] Shot of the Week: Night Storm Symphony (Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA)

Badlands National Park lightning storm -- Shot of the Week

It was cool and sunny in South Dakota when we woke up in our tent this morning. No indication of the craziness that ensued last night, other than the minor bowing to our east-facing tent poles that left our tent slightly askew. And we were among the lucky. Our tent had survived.

Around 8pm the lightning started. It was beautiful. The sun was setting behind a thick wall of clouds, and whenever the distant lightning struck, pink light puffs would appear and pulse throughout the sky.

The campground full, there didn’t seem to be need for alarm. Everyone was continuing on, getting ready for bed as they would if there were no threat nor signs of a storm. It wasn’t until I overheard a neighboring camper collecting his son, telling him “Let’s go. I don’t want to be here when it hits,” that I started to worry. We quickly checked the radar on Ian’s phone, and the image confirmed: it was coming. And it would hit hard. Continue reading “[VIDEO] Shot of the Week: Night Storm Symphony (Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA)”

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North to South’s Ultimate Road Trip Planner: Packing List — With Free Download!

North to South's Ultimate Road Trip Packing List

North to South's Ultimate Road Trip Packing List with free printable PDF download

The open road. The fresh air. The opportunity to freely blast and belt out your favorite tunes as you explore lands previously unknown… The road trip is an experience everyone should have at least once in their life. And the effort you put into planning yours will greatly impact the memories you make.

If you’re like me and heading out Kerouac-style isn’t the approach you’d prefer — planless, penniless, thieving, and hitchhiking (yikes!) — then you should absolutely start with a list. Continue reading “North to South’s Ultimate Road Trip Planner: Packing List — With Free Download!”

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Shot of the Week: Nature’s Water Park (Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park, Missouri, USA)

North to South Shot of the Week: Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park

North to South Shot of the Week: Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park

Johnson’s Shut-Ins is a magical place from my childhood…  A two-hour drive from home in St. Louis, we only visited a handful of times when I was young. But boy did I remember it. I’ve always loved outings that involved swimming, and of all the places I’ve swam in the world, Johnson’s Shut-Ins takes the cake.

Crystal-clear water flows through, around, and over the rocks at “Nature’s Water Park,” creating tiny pools where tadpoles grow up into frogs… And you can climb right in to experience it firsthand! It’s amazing. It’s also one of few places you can find where it’s fashionably acceptable to wear tennis shoes with a swimsuit. And you need them to climb around the slippery, rocky pools. The Shut-Ins aren’t particularly large, so it was always busy when we’d arrive early morning in my childhood. But mid-afternoon just after Memorial Day weekend, we were pleasantly surprised to have the place almost entirely to ourselves. If you’re looking for a summer day trip from St. Louis or Branson or the Ozarks, go here. You won’t want to miss it.

This photo was taken on May 26th with the Sony RX-100 III. Continue to view full photo and a video from this cool place!  Continue reading “Shot of the Week: Nature’s Water Park (Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park, Missouri, USA)”

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U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Week Two (Arizona, New Mexico and Texas)

U.S. Road Trip Week Two: The American Southwest -- Arizona, New Mexico and Texas

U.S. Road Trip Week Two: The American Southwest -- Arizona, New Mexico and Texas

Two more National Parks and three new National Monuments, including the most beautiful (and surreal) place I’ve ever seen! Week two of our summer road trip took us all the way from Arizona to Texas, with a scenic desert drive through New Mexico on the way.

Below is a photographic re-cap of our second week of road-tripping across the U.S. in our little red Yaris. Read on for beautiful white sand dunes, cacti that actually look like the ones you drew when you were a kid, and a couple of neat ruins speckled about the American Southwest!  Continue reading “U.S. Road Trip Re-Cap: Week Two (Arizona, New Mexico and Texas)”

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Shot of the Week: Desert Shenanigans (Jawbone Canyon, USA)

Shot of the Week: Christmas Tree Burn in Jawbone Canyon 2015

Shot of the Week: Christmas Tree Burn in Jawbone Canyon 2015

What do you get when you combine fire, truckloads of Christmas trees, ample libations, a 10-ball roman candle, Santa, a full-size school bus, an acoustic guitar, and a ton of people you know — plus even more you don’t know — summing up to a crowd of (probably) over 100 people? (Did anyone count?)

A recipe for disaster? Maybe. But we survived. And the answer’s not Burning Man, either. But it’s similar… (read on to find out!)

The above photo was taken with the Sony a7s and Sony E 10-18 f/4 OSS.  Continue reading “Shot of the Week: Desert Shenanigans (Jawbone Canyon, USA)”

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Burning Man 2014: Portraits of a Camp

Burning Man 2014: Portraits of a Camp on northtosouth.us

Burning Man 2014: Portraits of a Camp on northtosouth.us

It’s been one week since our return to the Default World, so it’s high time for some Burning Man photo sharing here on the blog. Our fellow burners are mostly what makes Black Rock City feel like home, so it’s only appropriate that our first Burning Man recap highlights the people.

Sunset photo shoots with our burner friends have become tradition after a second successful year of playa portraits. When the light’s just right, Ian grabs his camera and we round up anyone in ear shot. From year to year our camp roster may change but never fails to express its wild and friendly spirit during these spontaneous photo excursions into the dust.

Burning Man 2014 sunset portraits on the playa on northtosouth.us Burning Man 2014 sunset portraits on the playa on northtosouth.us Burning Man 2014 sunset male portraits on the playa on northtosouth.us

So, from Ian and I to our fellow campmates and friends (and our fondly yet peculiarly named camp), this one’s for you.

To everyone else, meet the 2014 cast of Prosciutto Bay. Continue reading “Burning Man 2014: Portraits of a Camp”

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How to Prepare for Burning Man

How To Prepare for Burning Man on northtosouth.us

How To Prepare for Burning Man on northtosouth.us

[NOTE: This post was written prior to Burning Man 2014, but all the steps below still apply, year after year. Have a great burn, everyone.]

16 days til the man burns. That means less than two weeks to finish prepping for our week-long journey into radical self reliance and expression in the playa of Black Rock City. (If you’re not familiar with this exquisitely unique festival, read more here.)

When prepping for Burning Man, careful planning helps keep Walmart trips, Amazon orders and overall expenses to a minimum. These next two weeks we’ll be sharing our preparation process right here for your reading pleasure. Organization is key, so I’m splitting up the whole charade into easy-to-follow (but very thorough) steps. Continue reading “How to Prepare for Burning Man”