For the Love of…

Whatever it is that you love to do in life–whether it be artsy, or crafty, or technical, or whatever–it’s important to sometimes pursue it on your own terms, for the pure enjoyment of it. Recently, my wife and son headed out to California to visit family, and I hatched a hare-brained plan to take a 36 hour intense photo journey that combined several of the things I love to do in life: hiking in beautiful places, taking photos for myself, and doing something adventurous and spontaneous. So after dropping them off at the airport in the pre-dawn light of Raleigh, I went back home, gathered together my cameras and a small bag of clothes, and headed out for adventure.

On the way to the mountains, I went through Pittsboro, where I found the once-proud historic courthouse now humbled and headless:

And since the clouds were interesting and the weather nice, I also stopped at a farm that previously caught my eye:

My first stop was actually sort of a scouting trip for a future trip with my family–the Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville, NC, a place that I had heard read about in a book called North Carolina Curiosities by Jon Elliston and Kent Priestley. I highly recommend the book–it is full of fun and quirky things to explore in North Carolina.

When I heard about the Lazy 5 ranch, and even after I’d read about it on their website, I expected to drive through various enclosures or fields with exotic animals inside. What I found was one giant enclosure, with me in it! You can either take wagons or drive through in your own car, but the animals are free to roam, block your path, stick their heads in your car, beg for food, eye you menacingly, etc. It was quite an experience to be stared down by ostriches and accosted by llamas, caribou, white deer, and other strange animals.

From the Lazy 5 Ranch I headed on towards the mountains, and stopped for lunch at one of my favorite places in North Carolina, 12 Bones Smokehouse near Asheville. While out campaigning, Obama ate at 12 Bones, and if it’s good enough for the President, it’s good enough for me! Hanna and I had gone on a previous trip, and I have gotten cravings for it ever since.

With my belly full, it was time to go find some waterfalls. I headed towards Turtleback and Rainbow Falls. Somehow I missed Turtleback on my 4 mile hike, but I found some smaller falls, and then finally got to Rainbow.

I wish that I was a better landscape photographer so that I could bring back better images of the waterfalls, but it was a nice (but tiring!) hike, and the falls were beautiful. Even though I don’t have many photos of the hike, it was definitely one of the big highlights of my trip.

From there I wandered onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. The last time I was on the parkway, it was foggy and rainy the whole time, and we only had sporadic views of the rolling mountains. This day it was really clear, and though the light wasn’t perfect for photos, the day was beautiful, the breeze was cool, and the scenery lovely. In short, it was a wonderful, relaxing drive.

I took the parkway as far as I could on my way to Canton, where a college friend of mine lives with her husband and son. Finally, after a long day of driving and hiking, I arrived at Patrick and Brianna’s house.

After settling in and drinking some of Patrick’s yummy home brew, I headed out to take a few night photos. When I had originally conceived of this trip, my plan had been to shoot a beautiful sunset the first day and a beautiful sunrise the next morning. After a full day of driving and not much sleep the night before, however, I opted to rest during sunset and find something else to shoot at night. And that fit in with the whole spontaneous adventure thing–I had a loose plan, but you have to allow some flexibility in your plans–sometimes you find that what you think is going to be fun isn’t, and you may find beauty where you don’t expect it.

So I drove down to the Maggie Valley, found a dark spot with some hills, and took a photo of the Milky Way and the stars.

And then I headed back into Canton, which is dominated by a huge, sprawling paper mill.

And then, incredibly weary, I went back to Patrick and Brianna’s, and to bed. The next morning, I was greeted by McClain, the man of the house.

And chatted with Patrick and Brianna while they got ready for work.

And then it was back out onto mountain roads and the parkway, where I stopped at Devil’s Courthouse, one of my favorite features along the parkway.

My last stop on the way home was Murray Mill, an old gristmill situated in Catawba County. I love old mills and have traveled to and photographed several in North Carolina. Even though Murray Mill was closed when I visited, it was a nice day to photograph, and a peaceful place with the water running down the spillway.

What I’ve taken from this trip is an incredible sense of rejuvenation and energy. Though it was only 36 hours long and involved lots of driving, I was doing and seeing things I love, experiencing history and nature in North Carolina. Though these might not be the most technically excellent photos I’ve ever taken, they resonate with me in a way that makes them some of my very favorite photos ever. These are a pure expression of my vision, and I find them all very satisfying.

Whatever it is you do, whatever it is you find great joy in, I encourage you to take a little time out to enjoy it. It doesn’t have to be much time, but you have to commit your whole heart to it. For me, that meant mountain air and views, waterfalls and photography. It meant not worrying about lenses or apertures or shutter speeds, but existing in the moment, of capturing ordinary and fleeting moments, of narrating a journey in a true way.

If you find that your art has lost its focus, go back to the basics, and stop worrying about it so much.