Greetings and Welcome!

I've been photographing Wyoming and all of its wild residents for my entire 38 year career, and it never gets old or tiring. If the good Lord gave me several lifetimes I could not accomplish all that I dream of or visit all of the places in this state I've called home for 57 years.

I have two websites currently that showcase my work at www.jerrygeist.com and www.wyomingpanorama.com. There you will see galleries of landscape images, Wyoming's wildlife and wildflowers and special galleries of my favorite place, Yellowstone National Park and my favorite large mammal, Bison Bison or the buffalo as many call them. There is a special gallery dedicated to this fascinating creature and I've even made a special tribute print called 'Tatanka and the Iron Horse - the Decimations Haunting Specter' remembering the near extinction of this most significant symbol of the west. My intrigue for this wonderful animal will continue for as long as I can make trips to photograph them.

You can read all about my work, my career and individual pictures by visiting the website, but here I will share with you special places that have particular interest to me, see how I travel and shoot my images, read about some of my past and present experiences, meet friends that have shared special times with me, hear my ramblings about equipment, and hopefully respond to some of your comments.

Well, that is enough of an introduction. Welcome to my world - Images of Wyoming.

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Friday, October 31, 2008

Traveling in Wyoming for Photographers - Part 4

It has been awhile since getting to this final installment of the travel options for photographers in Wyoming. It has been a very busy fall season and I've had opportunity to use the rig that I believe to be best suited for my particular type of shooting. So with that excuse for my delay in finishing this article, lets talk about my choice for an ideal rig.

In the last installment I told you that I thought the motorhome outfit was getting very close to what I considered ideal. It gives the traveler a self contained, driveable rig and the ability to tow a boat, a 4-wheeler, or second vehicle to accommodate whatever need you may have. Well, if that was nearly ideal, what was missing in my opinion that kept it from being 'the perfect rig'? Here it is - the lack of 4-wheel drive. Motorhomes are simply not offered with a 4WD option.

Since I like to do back country work and am not often close to a campground or RV facility, the conditions tend to be more primitive. Take for example going out the Red Desert in early Spring. The roads to the Killpecker Dunes are nearly impassable when they get wet. Or how about traveling the Bighorn Mountains in early spring or late fall when the roads are still snow packed and icy. These are both great times and locations to make exceptional pictures, but the weather and road conditions can make travel almost impossible unless you are properly equipped. That is why I have compromised a little for the comfort offered by the motorhome for a pickup camper on a 4WD truck. Here's my rig.

I can get most anyplace that I want with 4WD, still have the ability to tow my small 4WD photo vehicle or any other type vehicle that may be more appropriate for particular locations. If I wanted to do some winter pictures I could tow a snowmobile. If I were a boater, I would have another option. If I wanted to four wheel in the desert to get to wonderful places like the Oregon Buttes, then all I have to do is hook up the vehicle of choice and be off.

I have a couple of options for my tow vehicle and how I get it to where I want to go. Shown in the picture above is my truck with a popup camper towing a Suzuki Grand Vitara flat on the ground. It is a very easy hookup and tows like a dream. The disadvantage is that you cannot backup with the vehicle on the ground. I've gotten into trouble trying to go down a muddy road, reaching a place where I couldn't go on then having to unhook the Suzuki and get both vehicles turned around separately and going on my way. The simple solution would be to put the tow vehicle on a small trailer. It makes maneuvering much easier, but I've learned what my limitaions are and don't run into many situations I cannot get around. When I take a four wheeler, I tow an enclosed trailer for the vehicle and supplies. It is such a versatile rig.

When I get to a location where I want to spend some time, I just set up camp, unhook the Suzuki and can get busy all in the space of about 45 minutes or less. The popup camper is easy to set up and has most of the conveniences of a motorhome, including a toilet and shower. I have custom built boxes that house spare batteries, generator and additional propane for extended stays. In all but the most severe winter weather the camper is very comfortable.

If things turn nasty when I'm ready to leave a location, I have the added security of 4WD. I haven't been stranded yet though I've had to depend on the truck's capabilities quite often. The truck is equipped with a diesel engine to handle the heavy loads and towing a sometimes heavy trailer. That is a personal preference. Some may prefer gasoline. Even in the cold, I've not had any real problems with the diesel. If I need to preheat the engine, I have a generator to operate the block heaters. So far, so good.

Is there anything I'd like to change? Yes! My next and final incarnation 0f the perfect rig is to get a large truck and put a full-sized hard sided 4 season camper on it. That will give me more versatility when it comes to true 4 season camping. It would be much warmer and more luxurious by space standards at least. I would get a camper with some tipouts to make those long trips more comfortable. The camper I would put on a truck would require a much larger truck to handle all the loads, but that is not a big deal to me.

With fuel prices being what they are, this is a good time to consider purchasing a camper and truck. There are some great deals to be had, but probably not for the part-timer. It is still a sizeable investment. Until I find the perfect large truck, this will be my workhorse travel vehicle combination for photographing and traveling in Wyoming.

In a future installment of my postings on this blog, I may share with you the special ways I've equipped my vehicles for convenience, security and accessibility. I've got a truly functional setup that affords me easy access, economy and it is all custom tailored for photography. Well, until then keep on shooting and enjoying this fantastic state. It is Halloween evening as I write this and I must be going. Got some more things to do to get ready for winter preparations of vehicles, etc. while the weather is so incredibly nice. That is supposed to change next week, so must take advantage of opportunities as they become fewer and fewer. Also need to watch out for those ghosts and goblins that will be on the prowl tonight. Until later, Jerry.

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