Why Do I Love SNP...

Why do I love SNP and why do I keep going back? There is a number of reasons for going to SNP, it's relaxing. At this time with my job that is important. When I go to SNP I am relaxed, everything is at a slow pace and I can take my time and enjoy myself. I also love to watch and photograph wildlife, at SNP the whitetails are wild but they are acclimated to people making them very approachable and easier to photograph. This gives one the time to observe the whitetails and how they interact with the others. The first photograph is proof of that as this buck and fawn came together for an excellent photographic moment. It is also another place for my son and I to spend some quality time together like we did on this trip. It is always exciting to see him experience the whitetails and on this trip a coyote up close. It is also a place where I get to spend some time with great people, not often on these short trips but during the rut there will be many people there that I got to know from doing this and it is always fantastic to talk with these people and share the experience of whitetail watching. From the people, family, wildlife and fresh air this is always a magical place, much like Disney World is for a small child.

Both of these photos were taken on my recent trip early i n the morning when the ISO was 640 to 800. I tried to make this post late last week but blogger did not want to let me upload photos.

Touring The New Harley Davidson Assembly Plant...

That's right another post already! I am hoping to post two or three times a week and I am going to try and mix things up between wildlife and World War 2 and motorcycle events we attended this summer.

With that said today's post comes from our recent visit to the new vehicle operations center at the York Harley Davidson plant last week. Shane and I set out early one morning for a nice ride through the country on the bike en route to the new facility. We toured the plant and looked at their small museum located in the same building. It was a great time and we enjoyed seeing where our motorcycle was assembled. Many changes have taken place since Linda and I last visited in the 80's. I must say I enjoyed the tour better then and was sad to see that all the old motors and one of the three original 1903 bikes were gone and now in the home plant.

These are the first photos I have posted of my bike since April when it came in, it has under gone many changes since then. Click the picture for a much larger version. By the way these were all taken with the point and shoot Nikon and as in the past no cameras are allowed on the tour.

Finally A Wildlife Photography Trip...

Wow! I finally got a wildlife photography trip in to SNP. This is my first wildlife trip since the whitetail rut last November at SNP. Normally I would have been to Elk country a couple of times and SNP three or four times since then. I have been following along on everyone's blogs and usually do not miss a day, I am just doing so while working overtime or something else on my Ipad so commenting is not that easy.

Shane and I had a great time as always in SNP with lots of deer including many bucks, a morning coyote and some butterfly's. This was my first chance to use the new Nikon D7000 for wildlife that I got back in February and I am relatively happy with the results. This photo was taken in the big meadow early before the clouds left the morning sun peak through so it was shot at 500 ISO.

More on the trip and our summer to come in other posts, I promise not to be gone for as long this time. And by the way we were both home in time yesterday to take Linda out for our anniversary meal. I can't wait to get out with great people for the Elk and whitetail ruts this year.

Happy Anniversary Linda...

Happy anniversary Linda, 27 years ago today we took our vows in a little Church in Centerville. We were young stupid and probably not ready for marriage, thanks to you we made it through all those times to where we are today. No matter how I act sometimes, I not only love you as much as I did then I love you more now than I did then. I have many things to thank you for and you deserve the credit for most good things in our life, but the biggest was giving me a son like Shane a little over 15 years ago. Lets do 27 more years together.