While The Girl and I were hiking, I noticed the skyline. Captured with X-T5, 2025-10-16 16:47:04, 35mm, 1/640sec, f/8, ISO-250, in-camera Tri-X Film Simulation, SOOC.
Typically, we think of a skyline in terms of a city. However, while hiking The Girl near our campsite in Utah, I noticed this vista. With one eye on her, I made a few captures and like this one the most.
There are a few more frames from this overnight stop that are worth sharing. I will work through them over the remainder of the year.
The Sun set not long after I made this capture. By that time, we had completed our short hike and returned to the camper. I set about making some supper and taking care of my girl. Then I enjoyed my supper and a beer and we settled in for the night. I was tired and had a lot more miles to make before arriving in Missouri.
On our way home from the east, we camped near Monticello, UT. This was our late afternoon view. Captured with X-T5, 2025-11-15 18:25:28, 18mm, 1/750sec, f/8, ISO-250, in-camera Kodachrome 64 film simulation, processed in PhotoLab7.
On our way home from the east, we camped near Monticello, Utah. Our campsite was in the National Forest just a couple miles west from Monticello and off the main highway. I (carefully) drove down an old logging road about 150 yards until I found this spot. I had to stack a few rocks to get the camper level, but that is nothing new.
The campsite was clearly used by other campers. I noticed after setting up camp some left-over deer parts, presumably from a recent hunting expedition by locals.
It would not have made me change locations because all of the potentially stinky bits were already consumed by the local wildlife.
After setting up camp, I got The Girl out of the rig and we hiked a bit out of camp. I noticed her pick up a stick and then noticed it was actually a deer leg. Ha! She reluctantly left it behind. It was during our hike I noticed where two or three gut-piles had been and realized that the site was recently used as a hunting camp.
I kept her close in even though she wanted to range out. The brush was thick enough that it would be easy to loose sight of her. I was also a little concerned that weather was blowing in. I had listened to the local NOAA Weather Radio channel on the way in and there was a chance for rain in the evening. The way the wind was blowing made me think the forecast was probably correct.
I paused on the way back to camp to make the image. I was intrigued by the convergence of the contrails and how the sky interacted with the branches.
After a bit of roaming about from camp, I decided I was hungry and figured she was probably hungry, too. We headed back to camp before the Sun fell behind the mountain to the west. I got the grill out and cooked a sausage I had in the refrigerator. I had a packet of pre-cooked rice and a can of Ranch Beans, so I had a feast.
Supper made, we settled in for the evening, listening to the wind blow through the pines. The gunfire died down as the Sun fell — some locals were plinking with a .22 some distance away. And, as evening came on I heard a chorus of coyotes singing much closer than the gunfire. That gave me some concern for care for when I got The Girl out for her evening constitutional.
I heard rain on and off all night. The wind occasionally rocked the camper a bit and continued to sing in the trees. I stepped outside a couple of times to empty my bladder and could see it had showered a little, but the ground was not muddy and the sky was clear.
We slept well that night. It was quiet at camp. We woke to gray skies and the threat of rain. I made a coffee, listened to the NOAA Wx station, and considered the day. We broke camp early so I could get off the logging road should the rain come. I doubt the 4Runner would have problems with a little mud, but decided to move anyway.
We did hit rain on the way to Moab. It was not heavy, but a steady light rain. It would have been snow had it been a little colder.
After setting up the camper and deploying the Chameleon MPAS 2.0 antenna, I paused to make this image. Shot with my iPhone 13 Pro Max.
More than a year ago I was on the road from Springfield, Missouri to York, Pennsylvania to see Daughter and Grandsons. As I recall, it was still winter. So, of course, I ran into a spate of winter weather on the way. I had a reservation at Salt Fork River SP for the night, but the worsening weather and short winter days resulting in my arriving near dark.
It took me a couple of passes through the camping area to find my spot, then a couple of attempts to get the camper backing into my assigned space and set up for the night. I did not unhook and did not deploy the stabilizers because I would be leaving first thing in the morning. The light rocking of the camper when I move about does not bother me anyway.
I got The Girl out for a short time (the snow was heavy enough that she eliminated and then asked to go back inside). That task completed, I quickly deployed the Chameleon MPAS 2.0 for a little radio play (to activate the park) before I called it a night.
I don’t recall the mode of operation for that activation, but I know I was experimenting with FT8 for POTA (Parks on the Air) activations at the time. I do recall making some supper, feeding The Girl (of course), and playing a little radio before crashing for the night.
When I woke the next morning, early, I was treated to some lovely sunshine on the snow. The Girl and I had a short walk, fed, and then we recovered all of the equipment, buttoned up the camper, and we were off on the last leg of our journey to see my family.
I need to make this trip again, soon. Work will keep me busy until the fall. But then, God Willing, I will make the trip east to see my loved ones and friends.
Life is good.
While it was beautiful, I did not relish thinking about dragging the camper on snowy roads. Shot with my iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Nightingale Camp, shot with Sony A7iii and Carl Zeiss DDR 135mm f/3.5 at f/8, SOOC.
I see that I never finished my story. Saturday morning I rose about sunup, or a little after. There was a large hill to the east that made it seem like daylight was later than it was. I made a coffee and sat down at my table. I turned on the little C.C. Crane radio and listened to the NOAA Weather Radio station that is on Virginia Peak. The Saturday weather looked OK, but the winds were to pick up Sunday with more early winter incoming.
I noticed my buddy sitting in the morning sun, so I took The Girl and my coffee over to sit and visit.
I spent a good part of my day Saturday and Sunday morning visiting with my friends. The Girl and I got out for a walk and I made a few images. I worked a DX station in CW Mode with 15w from the little KX3. I chased a few POTA and SOTA activators doing their thing.
And I read. I finished A Cold Dish Sunday evening and returned to Abaddon’s Gate (part of The Expanse cycle). I listened to weather radio. I saw my friends off to their home Sunday afternoon.
The Sunday afternoon winds buffeted the camper a bit. But it was not bad with the stabilizers down. It showered off and on all of Sunday night into Monday morning. There was enough wind to blow a bit of rain into the camper, but not much. It was also enough to the wet the silt at the ground surface just enough to make me drag mud into my camper when I broke camp Monday morning.
Nonetheless, it was a good weekend and a good chance to camp a little. I did not miss the Internet and enjoyed reading my book, hiking with The Girl, and making a few images.
The drive home Monday was relatively uneventful until I discovered that my trailer brakelights were not working. The brakes worked fine; just the lights did not. Nothing I did rectified the problem.
So, I have some work to do on the camper before I take it out again.
Nonetheless, it was a good weekend. I am grateful. Life is good.
Later edit: I took the camper to my buddy’s place and we tracked down a bad ground. It was an easy repair (if you know what you are doing).
The south end of a north-bound dog… a view that I see often. Sony A7iii and Carl Zeiss DDR 135mm f/3.5 wide open, SOOC.
It has been a busy week. I went camping last weekend with Greg/Subrina north from the Interstate and near Nightingale Mine. There was no particular radio event happening, I simply wanted to go camp with my friends, get away from the house after the previous busy weeks, and be outside.
I made a quick provision of the camper, bought a little food (too much, of course), and headed east on US 50 with The Girl. It is not much more than an hour to the site and I readily found their rig. I pulled up nearby, got out, and surveyed the site. I did not care for the stickery weeds growing on the site, but figured there was probably not much better available nearby. They were already setup, so I checked my camper for level (good enough), and deployed the stabilizers.
The Ryobi impact driver I bought makes deploying and recovering the stabilizers trivial. It sure beats hand cranking the bastiges. The driver will also serve should I need to remove a wheel from the rig for repair. That was a lesson learned from last winter when I struggled with a lug wrench on the shoulder of I-40 in the cold and wet.
I put up the Chameleon MPAS 2.0 so I could play some radio. I also got the Elecraft KX3 to chase some Zombies in the annual Zombie Shuffle. But I could not hear many Zombies and decided to go visit with my friends.
After supper, Sera and I returned to our mobile house where I fed her and then chased a few more Zombies. I managed to work a DX expedition station, CM21MM, although I did not know it was an expedition at the time. Sera settled on the bed while I enjoyed some radio time.
When I tired of that, I got out my Kindle and worked on a book I was reading, “A Cold Dish” by Craig Johnson. I loved the Longmire series on Netflix and a buddy suggested I read the books. They are better (and different).
There is more, but I have things to do this morning. So, I will table the story for now.
The image is of the south end of a north-bound dog… a sight I often see given the personality of My Girl. I shot it with a new-to-me Sony A7iii and a lovely Carl Zeiss DDR 135mm f/3.5 Sonnar vintage lens wide open. I like the way the lens renders the image.
