Photography – Page 8 – Michael Rappa

Virginia Trip, 2018: The Farmhouse

February 27, 2019 Michael Rappa

This past October we took a road trip down to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to try and catch the fall foliage. Unfortunately, extended warm weather and a very heavy season of rain meant that everything was still green when we got down there (not that there’s anything wrong with green, just not what we were hoping for). Despite that, it was still a nice getaway.

These photos are from the charming farmhouse we rented in the town of Luray in the Shenandoah Valley. The grounds and interior were beautiful; I could totally get used to living like that, though the location was a little too remote for my wife’s taste. I, on the other hand, loved the privacy, and we both dug the feeling of staying in a historic place while still enjoying modern amenities. I would definitely recommend the farmhouse if you’re planning a trip to the area. Just do a google search for “luray modern farmhouse.”

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Our Farmhouse Rental

The cows in the farm next door to our farmhouse rental.

Our Farmhouse Rental: Ollie surfs the web with his mommy.

Our Farmhouse Rental

Babbling brook on the grounds of our farmhouse rental.

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London Trip, 2016: Buckingham Palace and St. James Park

February 19, 2019 Michael RappaLeave a comment

Back in February of 2016, my wife Jen and I traveled to London for her sister’s wedding. Unfortunately, I fell deathly ill on the second night, forcing us to cancel a planned excursion to Bath. I had already visited Bath in 2014, but I wanted to take Jen there (since a trip to the Scottish Highlands was out of the question in the middle of February). Instead, I slept in our hotel bed on the third day while she walked around Picadilly Circus looking for medicine.

By the end of our trip Jen had caught the bug and was too sick to fly, so we had to extend our stay by a day at a hotel not far from Victoria Station. I was still recovering myself but felt well enough to do a little walking while Jen slept in the hotel.

The hotel was literally a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace, so I walked around there, through St. James Park, and back along The Mall. I also visited nearby Westminster Cathedral and the Horse Guards Parade area. These photos are from that walk.

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London, England: Guards Division Memorial

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Canada Trip, 2016: Cape Enrage and Fundy National Park

February 14, 2019 Michael RappaLeave a comment

The photos below are from my visits to Cape Enrage and Fundy National Park on August 29, 2016.

My wife and I first drove to Cape Enrage, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch next to the lighthouse before taking a walk around the grounds. They have rappelling and ziplining at Cape Enrage, but unfortunately the zipline from the cliff down the the beach was closed due to the wind. Bummer.

After leaving Cape Enrage we drove to Hopewell and hiked out to the beach among the famous rocks at low tide (this experience will be recounted in a forthcoming post).

During our hike back from the beach at Hopewell the skies opened and drenched us, but by the time we got back to our chalet in Alma, it was sunny again, so we headed out to nearby Fundy National Park for an early evening hike along a small waterfall trail. It was beautiful, like a stroll through Middle Earth, and peaceful—we had the entire trail to ourselves.

Later that evening we enjoyed one of the best pasta meals I’ve ever had (yes, in Canada!) at a place called An Octopus’ Garden Cafe. Pasta is made fresh with sauce customized exactly how you want it (I chose a spicy red sauce). Highly recommended. I would make a trip back to Alma just to eat there again.

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Fundy National Park, New Brunswick, Canada

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California Trip, 2014: 17-Mile Drive

January 29, 2019 Michael Rappa

A few years ago I went on a business trip to San Francisco, where I decided to take a few extra days to myself to do some exploring. On my first day in San Francisco I met up with my cousin who lives nearby. He took me on a driving tour of the Pacific coast. These photos are from 17-Mile Drive, a scenic route along the Monterey peninsula, featuring rocky coastlines, large crashing waves; and islands of sea lions and birds.

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California: 17-Mile Drive: A seal riding the waves.

California: 17-Mile Drive: An island full of sea lions and birds

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Upstate New York Trip, 2015: Letchworth Lower Falls and Bridge

January 23, 2019January 23, 2019 Michael Rappa

These photos are from my September 2015 visit to Letchworth State Park in Upstate New York, covering my hikes of the trails leading to the stone footbridge across the Genesee River, the Lower Falls, and down to the floor of the gorge at the site of a lost town called St. Helena. Despite not being a national park, Letchworth is among the more beautiful American parks you’re likely to visit.

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Yellowstone’s Mud Volcano Area

January 15, 2019 Michael Rappa

The Mud Volcano Area of Yellowstone National Park is filled with hot springs and boiling pools of acid and mud, as well as the unmistakable rotten-egg odor of sulfur that bombards you as soon as you exit the car. The sulfur smell is abundant throughout the geyser basins and hot spring/caldron areas of the park. Nearly all of the pools of liquid in these photos would dissolve you instantly were you unfortunate enough to stumble into them.

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Mud Volcano Area, Yellowstone National Park - August, 2017

Butterfly (center). Also a bee to the upper left.

Thick, boiling mud of the Grizzly Fumarole.

Sulphur Caldron Overlook

Mud Volcano

Dragon’s Mouth Spring. It actually does look like a dragon’s mouth from this angle.

Dragon’s Mouth Spring

Mud Caldron

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American Southwest Trip, 2018: National Park Wildlife

January 10, 2019 Michael Rappa

After so many consecutive Northwest trip posts, I’ve decided to start mixing in entries from my other recent trips to add some variety to my blog feed. This is the first batch of photos from my trip to the American Southwest this past summer, featuring shots of animals from Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, and the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon.

I shot a little bit of everything on this trip: mammals, birds, and reptiles. Many of the animals showed no fear of humans—one of the elk practically let me walk right up to her. I also saw bison on my way into the North Rim of the Grand Canyon but chose not to stop for photos since I already had so many bison photos from my Yellowstone trip. I believe that I heard rattlesnakes during one of my photo stops on Route 66 in the Mojave Desert, but I did not see them, and was not about to go looking.

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A philosopher pondering the larger questions in life.

Grand Canyon: North Rim, Arizona - August, 2018

Glamour shot.

One of the only signs of life I saw during my 4-mile round trip hike of the Cape Final trail.

Grand Canyon: South Rim, Arizona - August, 2018

The town square.

Do you mind? I’m trying to eat here.

In his three-point stance and ready for some football.

You talkin’ to me?

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah - August, 2018

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Lamar Valley, Yellowstone

January 8, 2019January 9, 2019 Michael Rappa

On my first day in Yellowstone National Park I detoured to Lamar Valley to take these photos before checking in to my hotel. Lamar Valley is supposed to be another prime wildlife viewing area, but in my case it proved to be less fruitful than Hayden Valley. Nevertheless, I did see a couple of bison herds here. On my way back out of the valley I stopped for a few shots of the Yellowstone River.

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Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park - August, 2017

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Yellowstone Lake

January 7, 2019January 9, 2019 Michael Rappa

These photos are from different areas of Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park. The West Thumb photos were taken near where I stayed in Grant Village and the Lake Butte Overlook photos were taken on my way out of the park on the day I drove across Wyoming into South Dakota.

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Yellowstone Lake: West Thumb

Yellowstone Lake: Lake Butte Overlook

Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake: West Thumb

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American Northwest Trip, 2017: Hayden Valley, Yellowstone

January 3, 2019January 9, 2019 Michael Rappa

These photos are from my visits to where the buffalo roam: Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park. There were herds of bison everywhere I looked—it’s easy to see why Hayden Valley is sometimes referred to as the American Serengeti. On a good day you can also see many other animals passing through the valley, but I wasn’t lucky enough to spot a wolf or bear. When shooting bison (or any wildlife) it’s helpful to have a good zoom lens because you definitely don’t want to get too close to them. They look mild-mannered enough but will charge you if they feel threatened. I saw some people with smartphones getting way too close for comfort.

I went a little nuts with the photos (what can I say, I love animals)—I took so many that it was quite a task to cull them down to the smaller batch I’m sharing here. I forgot to switch over to shutter priority for the action shots, so they’re not nearly as crisp as I would have liked, but I still managed to get some decent ones. In addition to the bison photos I captured some avian wildlife (including a great blue heron) and snapped a few landscapes along the Yellowstone River.

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