photo by Robert Barkin
National Parks Retro-Trip. Sadly, we could not go on a field trip together during a pandemic, but Jean-Pierre Plé had the idea that we could share past images to iconic trip-worthy spots. On June 6, 2020, ten NBCC members led club members on a visual journey via Zoom through U.S. or Canadian national, state or provincial parks, national historic sites, and national wildlife refuges they had photographed, sharing landscape and water scenes, close-ups, abstracts, forts, forests, and more. They also shared tips for future travelers.
Robert Barkin: My excursion last summer into Olympic National Park brought me to a national treasure unlike any other site within the U.S. park system. It is the only park with three distinct ecosystems: a temperate rain forest, a rugged coastline and the high country. Beautiful ocean sunsets over stark sea stacks, lush forests and glacier-covered peaks are all contained in 1,441 square miles.
Craig Carlson: Though we often anticipate photographing national parks to be the pursuit of the grand and majestic, seeking images in the Smokey Mountains National Park felt quite the opposite; very intimate, personal. There are a few 'grand views' from overlooks, but there are many more views that involve finding the spirit that inhabits its many narrow streams, hollows, small clearings and meadows. This is ancient land; mountains worn by eons of time...generations of people...native Americans, early European settlers, more recent settlers seeking escape or better opportunity...all have inhabited the forests and glens for some time, then moved on. What remains of all these generations, is there to be discovered.
Lorraine Chickering: This sample of Yosemite images attempts to share both the iconic and the intimate visions available in this wondrous landscape. The one black and white is "My Ansel Moment." This field trip program provided me a lust for travel to some of the parks I have yet to explore.
James Corbett: Puerto Rico’s San Juan National Historic Site showcases the pair of Spanish forts and the city walls that surround old San Juan. The fortifications were built over a 250-year period from 1539 to 1790. There is no end to the variety of perspectives and vistas to explore when staying in the old city. Be sure to watch for the wild parrots, visit the La Perla community, take a sunset sail on the bay, and enjoy the beauty that is la Isla del Encanto – the Island of Enchantment.
Max Kantzer: What struck me most about Yellowstone National Park were the landscapes that were like no other on Earth. In these images, I tried to capture that feeling of witnessing truly alien terrain created by the unique hydrothermal and geologic wonders.
Nancy Morrison: Bryce Canyon National Park
Steve Parker: The Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is 13 miles long, along Route 12 on Hatteras Island, between the Oregon Inlet and the town of Rodanthe. It is primarily known and visited to see over 365 species of birds, primarily on the Sound side, where many ponds and fauna are found. The visitor's center is the only open structure in the national wildlife refuge. Compared to other national parkland, this is sparsely visited, especially the Ocean side where many small man-made mini sand dunes are found, resulting in unusual patterns in the sand.
Jean-Pierre Plé: Paddling by sea kayak in French River Provincial Park, Ontario, I photographed and retraced a route used by Les Voyageurs on their way to Hudson Bay, the Arctic and British Columbia. Each day brought views of pink granite islands with their wind swept pine trees, majestic forested interior water passages, and ended with a quiet campsite, one perhaps used long ago by those who sought to traverse a continent by canoe.
Eric Schweitzer: Death Valley National Park is the largest in the lower 48 states and includes several ecosystems. It includes many valleys, including the lowest point in North America, Badwater Basin at -282 ft and several mountain ranges including the Panamint Range with Telescope Peak at 11,049 ft. The photos show some of the more popular areas, Uhehebe Crater, Aguereberry Point, Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, Zabriskie Point, and Badwater Basin.