China travel stories

Hello, with the 2008 Olympics in China, I thought I would post some pictures from our travels around China including Tibet. Click here if you would like to see a slideshow. China.
In May 2005 we traveled around China for 17 days and in 2003 we visited Tibet so I am including some pictures from that trip as well. China is an amazing country to experience and we would like to go again as there were several places we didn't get to see.
We started in Beijing where we began with an authentic Dim Sum Breakfast before going to Tiananmen Square followed by a pedicab tour of the Hutong, Old Beijing's neighborhoods with narrow lanes too small for cars. We were treated to a home hosted dumpling lunch while our pedicab drivers gambled playing cards outside.
The next day we climbed a few miles of the Great Wall which is much steeper than you might think.
On our final day in Beijing we visited the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven before catching an evening flight to Wuhan.
In Wuhan, we began a three day cruise on the Yangtze River including pasting though the Three Gorges Dam.
The cruise ended in Chongquing which is the largest city in the world with more than 40 million people!
On a day trip from Chongquing we went to see the Dazu Stone Carving masterpieces that are combinations of Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian Statue themes.
Our next stop was the city of Guilin in southern China where the Li River flows though picturesque landscapes of lush tropical limestone hills which have inspired many ancient and modern artists and poets.
From Guilin we flew to Shanghai and quickly transfered to the 2500-year-old city of Suzhou which is known for silk, gardens and canals.
On a day trip from Suzhou we visited the city of Nanjing the home of Dr. Sun Yatsen's Mausoleum and the Nanjing Massacre Memorial from WWII.
Our trip finished in Shanghai, the commercial and artistic center of China.
I've only touched on the highlights of our tour so please check out the slideshow to get a real sense of what we experienced.
Cheers, Kent

Hiking in the high country

Hello, last week I took a day off to go hiking with my good friend Rick Everstein. We decided to do a big loop around the Herman Gulch area which is near Loveland Basin Ski Area. The trail started at about 10,000 feet elevation and we went over three summits that were more than 12,000 feet before we hooked up with the Continental Divide Trail. Then we came down Herman Gulch.
It was a perfect day for a long hike above timberline. Most of the time we had high clouds to shield us of the sun but it only rain about 10 drops. The views were absolutely amazing and the wild flowers were in full bloom. I've never seen so many columbine flowers before!
Cheers, Kent

July 4th Camp Out

Hello, I finally had a weekend off to go camping with Geri and a group of friends over the Fourth of July holiday. We decided to pitch our tents near Home Stake State Park between Leadville and Minturn.
Click here to see a slideshow.Camp Out.
My friend, Paul Broome, arrived first and found a perfect campsite off the road with our own lily pond and river access plus lots of room for the rest of the group who were arriving the next day.
So Paul, his black lab named Jackson, and I had the place to ourselves the first night. In terms of car camping this was the best site I've ever had. The ponds weren't deep enough for fish to survive over the winter months, but at the end of the road was Home Stake Reservoir at more than 10,000 feet in elevation.
The reservoir visit was a full day's adventure using Paul's pontoon fishing boat and Jimmy and Rosie's canoe to transport everyone across the lake including two dogs.
It was a beautiful day for boating, fishing and sunning but the water was a little too cold for swimming - unless you were a dog.
Speaking of dogs and fishing, you might be wondering what the deal is with the weird fish hat. Well, it actually belongs to me. I traded for it at a White Elephant post- Christmas party a few years ago and decided to wear it one morning. Then someone came up with the idea to photograph everyone wearing it including the dogs.
Cheers, Kent

Denver Botanic Gardens Concert

Hello, last week I managed to sneak in three concerts between three weddings. The first two shows were at Red Rocks. Red Rocks.
First, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on Saturday evening after a morning wedding. Then Mark Knopfler on Tuesday night. Sorry, I didn't feel like sneaking my camera into the venue - so no pictures.
Finally on Thursday night, we went to see Richard Thompson and Loudon Wainwright at the Denver Botanic Gardens and cameras were welcome! Botanic Gardens.
Not only was it a great show but we were able to bring in our own picnic dinner and beers. Plus, this summer they have a cool Urban Nature art show throughout the different landscapes. I managed to include several in my pictures. Urban Nature.
Ten of the most skilled local, national, and international "Street Artists" created the exhibit using spray paint.
It doesn't get much better than a good concert with interesting art in the best garden in town.
Cheers, Kent

10th Mountain Division Hut Trip

Hello, last weekend we made our annual 10th Mountain Division Hut Trip with a group of 16 friends from around Colorado. This year we went to the Harry Gates Hut which is between Aspen and Vail. 10th Mountain Division Hut Association
For the first time, I snowshoed rather than skied. The first 3 miles of the trail were steep, narrow and icy. The last 3.7 miles were up and down on a snow-packed road. Snowshoes aren't as fast as skiing but much safer.
Our friends Darrell and Dana drove our backpacks most of the way to the hut with their snowmobiles pulling a sled. Snowmobiles aren't permitted on the first part of the trail so they went the long way around and met us on the road and then had to park about a half-mile below the hut.
It was a long hike in carrying a day pack and a camera. It took me almost 4.5 hours!
Using the snowmobiles adds a nice safety factor if anyone has a medical emergency, gets lost, etc. Plus they allow you to take more supplies in such as food, wine, beer, snowboards, etc.
The weather this year was almost perfect - not too cold, not too hot and lots of snow. Last year we left for Uncle Bud's Hut in a huge blizzard.
After a good nights sleep, Sara and Jason decided to build a jump for their snowboards while others spent the day hiking or snowmobiling around the area. Four members of our group could only stay one night and hiked out early on Sunday.
On Monday morning we prepared a huge breakfast including Mimosa's, we even added a few raspberries.
Then it was time to clean up and pack up. It only took 2.5 hours to get back to the trailhead. If you would like to see a slideshow of trip, CLICK HERE: Winter Hut Trip

Extreme Winter Sports

Hello, last weekend I was hired by Alex, a bride from one of my weddings last summer, to go along with her husband Jay and his buddies into the mountains on their snowmobiles to the top of the continental divide where they snowboard or ski down extreme chutes and off cliffs. Alex gave this photo session to Jay as his birthday present last November.
Wow, what an experience! Click here for an Extreme slideshow. Extreme slideshow. It was quite a ride just to get to the top and then the wind was blowing at times 40-50 MPH as these guys negotiated which chute they wanted to drop into. Jay listened to the song White Wedding by Billy Idol as he made his first run so that is the song on the slideshow! Don't worry no one was hurt during this adventure and please don't try this unless you are ready to turn Pro.
After a few runs from the top and grilled bratwursts for lunch, they decided to jump off some cliffs in a gladed area to finish off the day before the sun went down.
If you would like to see Jay and Alex's wedding slideshow click here, Jay and Alex wedding. And if you want to see their engagement session which was shot on one of the coldest days last winter click here, Jay and Alex engagement.
Thanks for another wonderful photographic experience Alex/Jay.
Cheers, Kent

Welcome to Winter in Colorado

Here are a few pictures from a somewhat recent trip to the mountains around Aspen and Basalt. Colorado is having a record breaking snow year, at least in the mountains. It can be fun if you like to play in the snow but it can also make for a long winter and the spring melt will be interesting. For me there is something special about being in the mountains during the winter. Colorado is at the top of the water chain because the Continental Divide, the main series of mountain ridges in North America, forms a watershed that separates the rivers flowing east into the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico from those flowing west into the Pacific Ocean. The last three pictures are our friends Nancy and Ray Broome with their Golden Retrievers, Brandy and Marley, and Geri is the one scraping the ice off the windshield. Cheers, Kent

Cat Bird

Hello, this is my friend Tweet. She is the official greeter and night shift supervisor at The Wild Bird Center. I couldn't help but take her picture wearing her Mardi Gras collar. This is where I buy all my bird seeds, feeders, bird baths and bird bath heaters etc.Wild Bird Center.
Cheers, Kent

Valentine's Day 2008

Hello and Happy Valentine's Day!

Cheers, Kent

POY Slices of Life images from 2007

Hello, this week I've prepared my Slices of Life Pictures for the Year 2007. Wow, what a busy year it was filled with snow storms, memorials, camping, hiking, skiing, concerts and traveling.
It was a difficult year with the death of my father-in-law, Jim Meyers, last March as he was a very special person in our lives. I photographed him so much over the past 15 years and he was always at ease with me. I had no idea until the last few years what a collection of images I had amassed. After preparing a memorial collage for Jim's wife Pat a few years ago, I realized, that Jim had given me a gift and wanted me to continue documenting his life all the way to the grave. If you would like to see a memorial slideshow about Jim Meyers, CLICK HERE: Jim Meyers. If you would like to see a slideshow from Jim's Montana Memorial, CLICK HERE: Jim's Montana Memorial. IF you would like to see Jim's Minnesota Goodbye, CLICK HERE: Jim Meyers Minnesota Goodbye.
These collections of pictures might well be my favorite story of all time.
Every picture tells a story as you can see with my POY 2007 slideshow, CLICK HERE: Pictures of the Year 2007.
Cheers to 2007, a vintage year, Kent

Good neighbor with a snow blower

I want to shout out a huge thank you for one of our neighbors, Tim Taylor, who cleared the sidewalks on both sides of our street last week with his snow blower.
Kent