© 2011 Noella Ballenger   All Rights Reserved.

I love traveling through our wilderness locations.  There is nothing more exciting than topping a crest and having a magnificent vista in front of you.  This was taken on the road that leaves Bryce Canyon as we were driving to Kodachrome Basin. 
 

 

It’s about this time of year that I have my basic travel plans in place for my next photo adventure here in the U.S.  I typically travel in my own vehicle or via airplane and then a rental vehicle.  I know where and when I want to go but haven’t yet planned out all of the details.  So how does one go about making sure the particulars of your trip are in place and will work smoothly for you?  How do you know just where the best places are and when to be there for the optimum photographic opportunities?  Here are some tips that might help you with that final planning.

 

Gathering the Information

 

Here in the U.S., travel agents can help you get a head start on your plans, especially if you are familiar with a company that you have previously used for foreign travel.  They can be extremely helpful in sharing the resources they have at their fingertips and someone within the company may even have first-hand knowledge about a particular area.

     

Next, one of my best resources is the local automobile club.  If you are a frequent traveler or even just travel once a year, I would encourage you to join an auto club in your area.  Not only do they have knowledgeable agents, but they can supply you with a variety of books and maps.  As a member of AAA here in Southern California, I know that I can not only find lots of good materials here, but one of the special advantages to this resource is that many of the travel agents are people who love to travel themselves and do so frequently.  I try to go in when there aren’t too many people and find out if anyone knows about or is from the area I want to visit.  They are usually very friendly and willing to share all they know.
 

After I have studied these maps and guides from the auto club, I go online to look up the various places I plan to visit.  Just by typing a subject or location in the search engine, you get long lists of articles and information that you can check out.  There is so much information to be found at your fingertips.  If you are into wildlife or birds and birding, check out the National Wildlife Refuges sites,  or go to the National Park Service if you want to visit one of the many National parks across the country.  In California I go to the California Parks site--every state has a similar site to visit.  Just type in Oregon or Florida State Parks and you will be directed to the appropriate site.

If you aren’t online or can’t find exactly what you want, then go to your local library.  They frequently have books with lots of photographs and I make note of some of the locations that look really interesting to me. 

 

Then I turn to friends and/or other photographers I know who travel.  They may have been to the particular area I want to visit.   I contact photo labs and camera stores that I’ve frequented and ask them for any information they may have or other contacts that they may know.  Most people are always pleased to share locations when they have had a great time … and if they haven’t had a good time or have been disappointed they share that information as well. 

© 2011 Noella Ballenger   All Rights Reserved.
 

The salt flats in Death Valley are formed in the lowest part of the valley.  As water drains into the basin from surrounding mountains, minerals and salt are dissolved and temporary lakes form.  Because there is no drainage out of the basin and because evaporation exceeds precipitation, the dissolved salts and minerals are left.  After thousands of years a crust formed.  Salt crystals expand and push out to make these beautiful formations.

 

So much of the information we need to sift through can come from non-photographers, so don’t forget about photography clubs and on-line photo forums where you can ask questions about things to see and do at the various destinations.  Or subscribe to a photography newsletter, like Bob Hitchman’s Photograph America.  His is an essential part of my planning whenever I travel in the United States.  Over the years I have come to rely on these sources of information, as it puts you in the right spot at the right time and can also include helpful insight on places to stay and eat.  I bookmark or save the information on my computer, so it always accessible for printing when I plan my next trip.

 

And who knows, after your research if all said and done, you may discard some areas you had planned to visit and choose new ones that appear to be even more to your liking.

 

© 2011 Noella Ballenger   All Rights Reserved. In the spring, in a good year, there are many lovely flowers in Death Valley.  One of the books I found at the Visitor Center was Death Valley Wildflowers by Roxana S. Ferris.  That helped me identify this Brown-eyed Evening Primrose.

© 2011 Noella Ballenger   All Rights Reserved. Mojave Mound Cactus is a variety of the Claret Cup Cactus.  I found this one described in a postcard book called Cactus Flowers produced by the Sierra Press.  Postcards are great for finding locations and even identifying species of plants.

Using Your Resources to Plan the Trip
 

Now that I have gathered lots of information, I sort it into general areas and try to forecast a timeline.  I know about how many days I have and about how much territory I want to cover.  I generally know my entrance and exit cities (depending on whether I’m flying or driving) and plan those times with some flexibility.
 

Now I turn to my maps and start marking locations that sound interesting.  When I get enough locations marked on the map, I can start to see my route beginning to emerge.  I note any special attractions that I might want to see and block some time for those.  For details of the attraction or area, I again turn to my computer and print out any added information that I might want to take with me.

 

There are two computer programs that I like to use to plan and fine tune my trips.  One is Google Earth.  Here you can put in an address or an attraction and get a feel for what the area looks like, what is near where you plan to be and see if you want to spend the allotted time there.  Go to Google Earth and get a free program download and test it for yourself. 
 

You can also get a free trial version or purchase Microsoft’s program, Microsoft Streets and Trips.  Once my location is set, it is nice to run the program and it will give you estimates of how far you will travel in a day, special locations, special maps and GPS coordinates.  There are even construction updates.  And if I know that I am going to be staying at a certain location in a city, I print out a small detailed map that shows me exactly where that is and how to get there.

 

In today’s world of modern and exciting gadgetry, a GPS is wonderful and has saved me a couple of times, but I tend to use the old fashion means more--maps.   I like to mark them up and check them for side roads and routes that I might miss.  It’s not the most modern way to travel, but I like visually seeing where I am going on the map.  If navigation gets rough in a strange city, then there is nothing as nice as your GPS guiding the way.
 

 

© 2011 Noella Ballenger  All Rights Reserved.

There are many resources at your disposal.