In late November, I embarked on an 8-day trip from Colorado to Florida and back. The primary goal was to bring home a rowing shell and, of course, capture as many pictures and video clips as possible. I drove my Toyota 4Runner, accompanied by my dog Milo. Our accommodations mostly involved car camping, with a couple of nights spent in a motel in Sarasota, FL. While I am still in the process of editing the images from this journey, below is a small selection for you to preview.
My first photo session took place in eastern Colorado, capturing the sunset over the South Platte River near Crook. It showcased a typical late fall scene with low water levels and exposed sandbars.
I reached Brownville, Nebraska, around midnight, and the following morning, I crossed the Missouri River before continuing my journey southeastward.
I took a longer stop at the Katy Trail near Rocheport, MO. You can see more leaves on trees than in Colorado. Rocheport is a place I consistently visit when traversing Missouri.
The next night stop and morning photo session was at Colbert Ferry Park, Natchez Trace National Parkway. I love the Natchez Trace. I previously covered the entire span of this parkway in 2017 and 2018 after participating in the Chattajack Race. This visit, however, was brief, and I also explored the nearby town of Florence with additional old truss bridges over the Tennessee River.
The third car camping night I spent already in northern Florida in somewhere the middle of Apalachicola National Forest near Tallahassee.
My visit to Florida was pretty short. I picked up the Literace 1x, a solo rowing shell in Sarassota from Coastal Rowing USA. This boat is designed and manufactured in France by Liteboat. I got many valuable tips and instructions from Jim Henderson and also did some rowing in his boat. Certainly, there is much more practice and training ahead of me to get comfortable in this boat. I believe that this visit was worth driving to Florida comparing to shipping the boat to Colorado and incurring a $1200 freight cost.
During my final photo session in Florida, I captured the sunrise over Tampa Bay from Skyway Beach. I reflected on my experiences of paddling across Tampa Bay three times during WaterTribe racing events – once in a Surfrigger outrigger canoe and twice in a Seawind expedition canoe.
On my journey back to Colorado, I made another stop, dedicating a longer morning session to photography at Colbert Ferry Park along the shores of the Tennessee River. The atmosphere was enveloped in thick fog, gradually giving way to a clearing sky as the morning unfolded. I took several pictures featuring my Toyota 4Runner with the Literace boat securely strapped to the roof racks.
From Colbert Ferry Park, I embarked on a brief side trip along the Tennessee River, exploring the Riverton Rose Trail and Pickwick Lake dam.
I made an evening photo stop at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, near Fort Defiance State Park in Cairo, Illinois. The scene featured bustling barge traffic and presented two picturesque old truss bridges for capturing in photographs.
The final night of my trip was spent in the heart of Missouri at Roberts Bluff Access, located on the shores of the Lamine River. This spot served as a resting place during all of my racing trips to Missouri throughout the year. The following day brought cold and windy weather, with snow showers starting in Nebraska. The drive back to Colorado was challenging and slow, but I safely arrived home.
As usual, I am adding all pictures and video clips from this trip to my stock photography portfolio. They are now available for licensing as royalty-free images and video content. Stay tuned for additional images featuring the Literace 1x rowing shell, with a focus on capturing its grace on the water—coming soon.
