[Mallee Boy]

This post is very much conceptual, seeking expressions of interest only.

I have been to the US a few times, the last time in Sept '09 with Marc Langille's Workshop (which is very good value for anyone contemplating it), and I must admit to having a love affair with the country ( thats with... not in ).
each time I have visited I have been in the company of others and often moving to their schedule, not mine, and as many of you would know, that is not conducive to good photography....the exception to that being last year with Marc Langille, where I really appreciated travelling with a group of like minded people with a common interest.
What I want to do is go back again, yep, yet again, with the sole purpose of photographing Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Antelope (slot) Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Yosemite...and... perhaps Yellowstone and up into Canada to try & catch the Northern Lights.
I am looking for up to three ( I guess there is no reason why it couldn't be more) travel companions to share the experience, and car hire. I envisage some camping out, some motels, Yurts or similar, it will not be a luxurious trip, it will be full on,.... places to see...things to do type approach.
The very rough plan at this stage would be to fly into LAX (or San Francisco), transfer to Vegas, rent vehicle, drive to Canyons and points beyond, depending on timing.....which I imagine to be either Sept / Oct 2010 or April/May 2011.
Duration would be a minimum of 4 weeks, more likely 6, depending on how far North we decided to go.
Each person would be responsible for their own expenses and vehicle hire could be shared. Accommodation could be shared, and in some cases may have to be.
Without wishing to appear sexist, but I think this is better as a "boys trip", while I wont exclude the possibility of females attending, my wife wont be because it will be fast paced, very flexible, early mornings, late nights (sunset shoots) and the accommodation will be chosen more on price & location than luxury, including the possibility of some camping.
Hiking will be involved, to anyone that has not been to US National Parks, there is a lot to be seen with moderate hikes, up to 10km return.
So, if anyone is interested, drop me a Private Message and we can tease it out a little more.
Me?
I am in my late '50s, not a fitness freak, I dont smoke (I dont care if you do, but not in the car, room or down wind of me....I'm your worst enemy...a reformed smoker!!), and I have been known to consume alcohol, in moderation of course.:ugh:
As said, I have been over there a number of times, so I am able to get straight to places and not waste time looking.
Cheers
Grant

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Last edited by Mallee Boy; 08-09-2010 at 08:13 PM. Reason: the usual...spelling & gramma

[Ash]

You'd know why I wouldn't be able to come along to such a trip Grant (even though I'd love to), but for all you Aussies out there thinking of a group trip to the US, I can vouch for Grant to be a great travel partner - so go for it!

[jezza323]

sounds like an awesome trip, something i would love to do. not sure i can spare the cash at this point though...

am currently planning a move to canada in 2011, so am very interested in your results, cos i will be trying to do a lot of travelling like this while there

good luck!

[Mallee Boy]

Thanks Ash, I am humbled by your comments.

Good luck in Canada Jezza.....which part? For a photographer Nth America is one big candy shop, hope you enjoy it.

To anyone that has dropped in, read this thread and thought hmmmmm, maybe, if only, etc etc, keep it in mind for the future.
The window for 2010 has closed for me now, so anything I would be doing is now 2011.

Cheers
Grant

[daacon]

I have met the man , the legend can vouch for most of what he says (except for the drinking in moderation ha !!!) - Seriously you could find a better person. Salt of the earth comes to mind.

I will be watching this thread with interest , Fall 2010 may be tight for me with work travel and pre defined holidays but once the dates firm up I will do my best to once again hook up with Gandalf the white wizzard

Edit - 2011 just read that now that may be very doable !!

[Mallee Boy]

I have met the man , the legend can vouch for most of what he says (except for the drinking in moderation ha !!!) - Seriously you could find a better person. Salt of the earth comes to mind.

I will be watching this thread with interest , Fall 2010 may be tight for me with work travel and pre defined holidays but once the dates firm up I will do my best to once again hook up with Gandalf the white wizzard

Edit - 2011 just read that now that may be very doable !!

aw shucks!!

Thanks Dave......don't worry, will keep you informed. Things have slowed down here, but still moving forward. Thus 2011.

Cheers mate.

[Mallee Boy]

It may be helpful if I put a little more detail around this proposal, just in case someone is pondering and asking what if...?
Flexibility is always the key to allow for inclement weather, so this is padded out a bit and would change as we went, depending on what we found.
Itinerary:
2 nites Vegas: if you havent been, a chance to check it out while we get over our jet lag.
3 nites: Grand Canyon South, its a good days drive from Vegas.
2 nites Page: slot canyons. (Antelope)
2 nites Monument valley....walk in the footsteps of John Wayne in amongst mesmerising landscape features.
1 nite Blanding enroute to Moab; allows for a visit to ancient ruins along the way.
2 nites Moab. Arches National Park....walk in the footsteps of Thelma & Louise (without their exit).
1 nite Rock Springs or similar enroute to Yellowstone.
3 nites Cody: home of the Bill Cody museum, a day in itself, and acess to the East part of the park and the Chief Joseph Hwy.
7 nites Yellowstone...not all in one place, but spread around within the park.
2 nites Glacier NP
From here we can either head North to Calgary and then West through Canada's Rockies or head West for Oregon and the South to San Francisco, Yosemite & home....allow some 10-14 days for this section.

I will stop here and offer up some costings in reply (no sure how large these posts can be.
Cheers
Grant

[Mallee Boy]

Given that we are talking either May / June 2011 or Sept/ Oct 2011, these costs are very much approximates in $US.
Car hire: a larger style SUV, Chev Trailblazer/Ford Explorer/Jeep ? will cost around $2500 for the 40+ days. Depending on the numbers travelling a smaller SUV may be possible if it was only two, I have costed one of these at $1500.
Accommodation: for blokes not being too fussy motel prices will start around $45 and up to $100 if you wanted to treat ourselves occasionally.
Meals: most motels will offer a light breakfast, cereal, toast, coffee, if not Deny's is never far away. Lunches would be whatever we could find (road kill acceptable if still warm), but I suspect mainly takeaways. Dinners would be at local diners, I would expect to have a meal and a few beers for $50 & have change.

One of our first ports of call once we had wheels would be Walmart, where we would stock up on a small car fridge (I do know where there is one I may be able to borrow if its still in Vegas) and water, grazing food, gatorade, etc etc, so we will always have something in the car.

What to wear?: lightweight gear such as Columbia or Gondwana, with a shell for wet weather, a fleece for warmth and two pair of good hiking boots/sneakers, one for day, the other for evening or emergency should the first pair get wet. The beauty of this type of clothing is that it dries quickly, and looks good...well, ok....after washing without ironing......a very important factor for blokes travelling.

Altitude: if you haven't been above 5,000 feet please say so; most of this trip will be at 5,000 -10,000 feet or higher and for the un-initiated that could mean some altitude sickness at around 8,000 feet, it generally only lasts a couple of days and you acclimatise, so fore warned is fore armed.

Type of Travel: early mornings and long days, so if that is not your scene, don't come. Some days will involve some long distances driving, again, if you are not into that, this is not for you. Drivers license essential.

Hope that puts a bit of detail into it and may answer some of your questions.
Cheers
Grant

[wjt]

That sounds like an awesome trip and i would so very much like to go, sadly too long for me to be away due to work etc but you will have a blast going to most of the places on my wish list. I would recommend squeezing in a western rim tour if you can, i don't think it was all that expensive and quite touristy but very pretty (i only had 2 days in vegas and one was on the tour to the canyon so can't compare to southern rim).
If this doesn't get legs for 2011 and you try for 2012 then it would be something i would seriously consider.

[Mallee Boy]

Thanks for dropping in Mibane.
At this stage I would say absolutely anything is possible. The above itinerary is very flexible and very much "the maximum" approach. I offer it up that way to show what is possible.

It could be shortened considerably if anyone gets serious.

2012 may be an option, stay tuned.

The West rim 'experience' is certainly an option, and could be easily fitted in by a night at Peach Springs, which makes the following days run to GC Sth a lot more relaxed.

Cheers
Grant

[goddo31]

I know it probably doesn't help your planning Grant, but I am another who would love to do this sort of trip. Unfortunately money and time constraints would make it very hard or impossible in the next year or so, but perhaps I will need to cost it up just in case...

It does sound awesome.

cheers,
Jason

[Mallee Boy]

Hi Jason,
I understand where your coming from, I really do. Which is precisely why I have hung this out there.

Having been over there a few times has given me some insight into how to beat the cost traps....which is simply to do it yourself.

The big cost items are airfares, economy returns are out there for $1000 - $1300, depending on travel timing. (www.bestflights.com.au);
accommodation: My first trip to the US was with two other blokes, we went over a week before a business meeting, and we booked the first night in advance and winged the rest. Its much like travelling here in Australia, motels are plentiful, clean, and reasonable in price and as long as you follow the golden rule of if you are not in a room by 3-4pm, make sure you have booked one ahead. A little planning the night before and a mobile phone means you dont spend any nights sleeping in the car.
Food: you can really spend as much or as little as you like. I tend to avoid alcohol in any quantity while travelling on these trips (depsite what Dave says :ugh: )....however part of the Walmart stock up will include a slab or two (its so cheap!!!....any self respecting Aussie would grab a couple for emergencies). Walmart is a great resource for this type of trip, unless you have been in one you really cant appreciate the prices compared to here, so that allows you to stock up the essentials for not much money. The car fridge I referred to earlier was a little Coleman, held a dozen+ cans, plugged into car and mains power...$60!, things like that mean that you can buy sandwiches in the morning as you leave a town for example, paid for itself many times over.
The other biggie is car hire, thus this thread and therein lies the opportunity to save a few thousand depending on how long it turns out to be. Add in a National Parks pass (one per vehicle)...and your set.

Even if you dont make this trip Jason, I hope the process will inspire you try and make it happen one day......but keep in touch....who knows where this will lead..............
.............I don't.

Cheers
Grant

[skinja]

Grant, sounds like a great trip. I may just need to move over so I can partake..... OH wait a minute, I will wait until you get here. I still have that little coleman when you need it. 4 to 6 week stay it would probably be worth buying a rig and doing a resell on it when you get ready to head home. If only you knew some one in the states to help on such purchase.

I really hope that I will be at a point that I will be able to tag a long for a portion, I may have found a couple of things worthy of such a trip a little further to the east, not sure if I mentioned this but I can be in Page in about 8 hours from Denver. I might be interested in visiting a lake in that general area. I will continue my search to find incredible little known locations for your visit whenever that may be.

[Mallee Boy]

This is a final bump (final call if you like).

May/June 2011 is the next best opportunity to do this and planning will need to start soon.

So if you are interested, please step forward, and lets start talking.

Cheers
Grant

[wjt]

I can't make that timeframe, but i really hope some people are interested because it does sound like a fantastic trip. Good luck mate.