ChiTownScotty
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1964 Serro Scotty Gaucho
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Post by ChiTownScotty on Jul 17, 2018 8:16:56 GMT -8
4,500 miles, 5 national parks, 1 national monument, and 1 historical site in 3 weeks! I'll list the parks + campsites followed by some photos. Rocky Mountain National Park; We stayed at Moraine Campgrounds in Estes Park. We split the 4 days there between loops A & C. Very clean sites with a view of Longs Peak from loop C. Shuttle bus service to plenty of trailheads and a nice solar shower setup! Grand Tetons National Park; Camped at Gros Ventre Campgrounds just outside the park near Jackson. Second time there and was just as good as the first time. Firewood in a bit pricey within the campground but you are allowed to gather your own from the Gros Ventre river bank or for a sweet deal you can go to the town of Kelly and for $10 you can walk away with as much as you can carry. Plus there's food and great craft beers in the restaurants. We drove through Yellowstone this time around on our way to Glacier. Glacier National Park; Stayed at Apgar Campground for 6 nights. Clean, quiet, and the pull in sites were very roomy. Could have parked 2 Scotty's plus tow vehicles in the spot. Would definitely camp up in Avalanche Campgrounds next time we visit. 14 or so miles up the Going to the Sun Road but you cannot continue past that point with a trailer in tow. Shuttle bus service to trailheads as well. Visited Devils Tower and the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site on our way to our final park. Badlands National Park; Great sites and you can save $11 per nite if you have a National Parks pass. Clean and very cheap showers! The most family friendly and educational site on the list. Hot as hell during the day but the later afternoon and nights were perfect. No campfires allowed due to the dryness and high winds.  IMG_0427 by , on Flickr  IMG_0540 by , on Flickr  IMG_0630 by , on Flickr  IMG_0910 by , on Flickr  DSC_7203_Scotty_MW_01 by , on Flickr
Hope you guys enjoy them!
Cheers!
CTS
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Post by vikx on Jul 17, 2018 19:50:31 GMT -8
Wow! Thanks for sharing.
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charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on Jul 18, 2018 4:43:38 GMT -8
ChiTownScotty Where were the pictures of the Milky Way taken? And do you mind sharing the exposure settings if you have that? Thanks!
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SimonTuffGuy
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Post by SimonTuffGuy on Jul 18, 2018 5:36:30 GMT -8
<well - the picture of the camper with the stars behind it was quoted.... but then it disappeared> Great shot! Sounds like you had a blast. |
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Hamlet
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Post by Hamlet on Jul 18, 2018 8:57:54 GMT -8
Love the star shots. A dozen years or so ago, I was a wilderness guide in the Sierras. We’d take teenagers out on 8 day trips in the Emigrant Wilderness. One year I had a couple shave-headed, pierced and tattooed boys from the wrong side of the tracks, who were both 8 inches taller and 100 pounds heavier than I was. It was a first time camping for them. They’d never looked at the sky, and if they had, light pollution would have obliterated all but the brightest stars. The last night in the wilderness, after a week of rain, hail, and mosquitoes, the clouds parted and while sitting around the campfire, someone commented on the stars,. One of the boys said, “yeah, they’re neat! Too bad it’s cloudy.” I said that there weren’t any clouds, but that they were looking at the Milky Way. They’d NEVER heard of it and it took some convincing to get them to believe it. I looked over at them when they finally got it, and they had tears running down their cheeks.
I like to think that the experience changed their lives. I’ve lost touch with them after several moves, but the next year after I was diagnosed with cancer for the first time, i got a lovely letter from them wishin me well and thanking for the experience.
I miss backpacking and wilderness, but Hamlet has given us the ability to get as close as we can. And we will never stop looking up.
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ChiTownScotty
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1964 Serro Scotty Gaucho
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Post by ChiTownScotty on Jul 18, 2018 12:27:53 GMT -8
charliemyers,
Both MW photos were taken @ Cedar Pass Campgrounds in The Badlands. My tripod is very stable even in the high winds. Although there lights from other campers and a KOA sign across the way, they didn't come out too bad.
Here's my setup;
Nikon D610 with 15mm-30mm Tamron Wide Angle Lens mounted to an Orion Paragon-Plus Tripod.
f/2.8
15mm
20 second exposure
ISO 3200
On the 2nd photo you can see Mars at the bottom left. I have a photo from last years trip to the Tetons of the Milky Way with Andromeda (M31) and the Triangulum Galaxy (M33) in the same shot. M33 shows up as a fuzzy cotton ball and I had to refer to a sky chart to confirm what it was haha! I'll post it in the next day or so for you.
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ChiTownScotty
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Post by ChiTownScotty on Jul 18, 2018 12:48:10 GMT -8
Hamlet,
It's pure magick when you see it for the first time. I was born and raised in Chicago so it was only something I read about and seen in NatGeo magazines until I went on a vacation with my family. My Parents are from Europe and we would visit every other year or so and the night sky's were unbelievable. My grandfather would tell us the tales of mythology in the constellations and I saw my first shooting stars (Perseids I believe) and was hooked! My wife and I were in the Tetons for the eclipse last year and it was so surreal. Something out of a pulp sci-fi book cover. My photo's were botched so I didn't waste any time fiddling with my camera so we viewed it as it was and through a pair of binoculars.
I highly recommend making the pilgrimage to a spot where you can see totality. I think there will be two in 2023 & 2024 in the US about 6 months apart.
CTS
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turbodaddy
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Post by turbodaddy on Jul 18, 2018 18:15:06 GMT -8
Thanks so much for sharing, especially the night sky photos. My daughter and I have a sort of anxiety issue with the Universe. I showed her the pics, "So pretty until you stop and think about it", she said. We both get an overwhelming feeling when we stargaze. Kind of freaks us out that our beautiful, busy, crazy, problem plagued planet is... in the bigger picture, so insignificant. I can completely understand the tough guys' reaction. For them it may have indeed been a life changing moment.
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roadtripper
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Post by roadtripper on Jul 18, 2018 19:16:41 GMT -8
Nice camper, wonderful pics. Sounds like a great trip on the road.
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CorvettCrzy
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Post by CorvettCrzy on Jul 18, 2018 19:39:51 GMT -8
Beautiful Pics! Thanks for sharing, wishing we hadn't skipped the Badlands on our trip.
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ChiTownScotty
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1964 Serro Scotty Gaucho
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Post by ChiTownScotty on Jul 19, 2018 17:35:04 GMT -8
Thanks guys it was a blast! CorvettCrzy , Badlands were great! A bit too hot for my liking though but the early mornings, late evenings and night time temps were perfet. We did had a high temperature of 107.6 in the camper one day haha! Mid October seems like a fine time to go.
turbodaddy , Yeah it really is vast and endless. I feel the same way about the ocean (anxiety). Another weird alien universe right on our own planet. I also should mention the wildlife that we were lucky enough to see. 2 black bears, 1 grizzly, mountain goats, big horned sheep, elk, mule deer, pronghorn, grouse, turkey, and bald eagles. A few people were lucky enough to see wolverines at Logan's Pass in Glacier. They said that there was a den near the path by the visitors center.
Well, time to clean up the trailer and make few repairs and possibly start planning another trip! I'll leave you guys with one more photo of the milky way. This one was taken last year in the Tetons a few days before the eclipse. Andromeda visible on the lower center with the Triangulum galaxy at it's 5 o'clock.
Cheers and Thank You! CTS  DSC_6346_MilkyWay by CTS, on Flickr |
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Poquito
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Post by Poquito on Jul 31, 2018 16:03:09 GMT -8
NICE! Sounds like a great trip. Inspiring photos, thanks for sharing!
Poquito
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Scotty_DSC_7200 by , on Flickr
