A Stefan Klopp Weblog

File this post under the better late than never.

The major reason for me to go on the big road trip from California to Colorado was to attend the wedding of my friends Venassa and Raphael. I had met Venassa back in 2006 in Vegas when following Pearl Jam on their west coast leg of the tour. She had seen us during the Canadian Tour (or our Van) and got into contact with us wanting to join us if we ever did another tour. When the US tour was announced she joined us in Vegas. As things go I also met her now husband Raphael at the same time. He was living in Vegas at the time, and was meeting up with Venassa for one of the first times after the two had been set up by friends who thought they would get along well.

After the tour I kept in touch with Venassa and would see her every so often when visiting Montreal. When she told me she was engaged to Raphael I was extremely ecstatic for them. The chemistry between the two when I first met them was obvious, and it made me happy to hear they finally were able to make it work. When Venassa asked if I could take a few photos of their wedding, I told her I couldn’t be happier to.

As for the wedding, it took place at Keystone Resort a little over an hour East of Denver. It was completely non traditional; on top of a ski hill, Venassa’s cousin doing the ceremony, everyone dressed in ski gear, and most people going for runs after. It was a fun, and touching ceremony, and a fantastic weekend. Shooting the wedding was a bit tough due to all the ski gear everyone had on, and the midday light, not to mention having to hold a camera in the extreme cold. Regardless I think I got a few good shots from the wedding. Here are some of my favourites.

My last stop of my trip before heading off to Colorado for Venassa & Raphael’s wedding was in Moab, Utah. Moab is a really cool town that sits just outside of both Canyonlands and Arches, and is a Mecca for rock climbers, mountain bikers and other nature and extreme sport lovers. I was initially going to camp in Arches for the 2 days I was there, but after having such a good time in Moab (the brewery in town is fantastic) I decided to simply stay in a hotel.

Over the two days I spent most of my time in Arches. However on one of the mornings I got up early and raced my way up into Canyonlands so that I could get a picture of the Mesa Arch at sunrise. It is probably one of the most photographed arches. While I was racing time to get up to the Arch I noticed another car behind me driving equally fast. When I pulled over at the Mesa Arch trailhead they pulled in right beside me. We all got out of our vehicles, full camera gear in hand, and ran off to the Arch to setup before sunrise. We got there just in time. The group of three photographers were from Portugal. One of the photographers (Fernando) used to be a professional photographer, however now he just shoots for himself. It was a real pleasure to meet this group, and get some pointers from Fernando. He had such a great eye.

After shooting the sunrise I headed up to Arches National Park and went for a hike along the Devils Garden trail. It was a really fun hike that took me over fins and canyons, and to a lot of different arches. It was a bit ridiculous how many arches are in the park. Later that day I did another hike up to the Delicate Arch where I ran into the group from Portugal again. Delicate Arch is the arch that is featured on the Utah licence plate, and probably one of the most famous arches. I hung around taking photos and watched the sun set. It was a bit of a task hiking back down from the arch in the pitch dark. Luckily I had my headlight and was accompanied by a couple other photographers with lights.

I really enjoyed my time in Moab and the parks nearby, and am really glad I decided to change my trip to accommodate them. Would love to go back sometime in the future.

Here are some photos from Canyonlands and Arches.

Page is not the most exciting city in Arizona, however the sites around the city are simply breathtaking. There were three main sites I had wanted to see near Page before I started this trip. Horseshoe Bend (where the Colorado River does a 180 degree turn), Antelope Canyon, and The Wave. Going through Page twice I was able to do two of the three. Later in my trip I was actually offered to join a group of Portuguese photographers who had won the lottery for entry to shoot The Wave, unfortunately the day they were going was the same day as the wedding I was on my way to. For another day.

Horseshoe bend was really a fantastic place to see, albeit a bit unnerving. You stand on a cliff with a sheer 1,000 foot drop down to the Colorado River. Talk about facing my fear of heights full on. My drive to get a good shot of the bend eventually won over my fear of heights and lead me to inch my way to the edge of the cliff. It was breathtaking. I actually visited the Bend twice. Once on my way up to Zion, and then the second time the morning before entering Antelope Canyon. The latter I had the place all to myself, and was able to have a few silent hours alone along the ridge.

After the morning at the Bend I made my way to Antelope Canyon, where I was able to get a photo pass. Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon carved into the red sandstone. What makes it special is that when the light shines into the canyon it reflects off the canyon walls creating some amazing colours on the rocks. I was the first one into the canyon, and spent close to 3 hours wandering through it taking photos. It was pretty amazing time.

Finally I had to make my way East. I left Antelope Canyon and headed off through Navejo land for Monument Valley. I got to the Valley a few hours before sunset and did the scenic drive. I was initially thinking of camping in the valley, however due to the lack of hiking in the area, I decided to push on forward to give myself more time in Arches and Canyonlands in Utah. So I left Monument Valley as the sun was setting as so many westerns that were shot there had ended.

Here are some photos from Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon and Monument Valley.

On my way out of Bryce Canyon I didn’t have too much of a plan for the rest of the day. I needed to get to Page, Arizona; but didn’t have to be there by any set time. I knew there were a few state parks a little south of Bryce, so I figured I would just pick one and try it out. I decided to go with something a little different than Canyons, and picked the Coral Pink Sand Dunes.

On my way there I passed by a dinner that I had to stop at. It was located right at Camel Junction (between Bryce and Zion) and had a big sign saying, “Home of the Ho-Made Pies”. Any dinner with a sign like that required a stop. I ended up getting a snack, and then tried a slice of the coconut cream pie. It was pretty great.

Back on the road I got to the sand dunes about an hour and a half before sunset. Once again the only person at the park. Myself and a bunch of pink sand. I wandered around in the dunes, taking some photos and just exploring the sand. It was a pretty wild place, and when the sun began to set the sand turned a majestic red. What a great end to my day.

Here are a few photos from the Coral Pink Sand Dunes in Utah.

My plan for my second day in Bryce was to wake up early and catch the sunrise over the amphitheatre before heading out on a hike around Fairyland Loop. When I woke in the morning I noticed something was a bit off. It was oddly warm in the car. When I finally opened up my eyes and looked around, I realized my car was completely covered in an couple inches of snow. So much for the clear skies I had seen the night before. This pretty much ruined my chances of shooting a sunrise over the canyon, so I took my time getting myself together in the morning, before heading out to one of the lookouts to inspect the situation.

The snow at this point was already starting to slow, and from what I could tell the trails all looked pretty good. After seeing an ill equipped group from Florida head out down one of the smaller trails, I decided I was good to go for the Fairyland loop. I am so happy I decided to push forward with this hike. The snow was not a problem, and this was one of my favourite hikes of my trip. I didn’t see a single person the entire time, and it was just me and the hoodoos. Midway through the hike the sky began to open up, and the fog and clouds lifted leaving the last half of the hike in the sun. It was a real treat.

After my hike I made a small lunch before checking out the viewpoints one final time, then set off back for Page, Arizona.

Here are some photos from my second day in Bryce Canyon.

Bryce Canyon was one of my favourite National Parks that I visited on my Southwest trip. I loved the out-worldliness of it, and how different the scenery was from what I am used to. Most of all however, it was a fantastic place to hike and take photographs. My first day in the park I spent hiking some of the smaller trails and taking photos, leaving my big hike for the next morning. After spending a fantastic day in the park I picked up some dinner, a 6 pack of beer and made a camp fire in the deserted camp ground. The stars in Bryce Canyon were simply amazing, and the brightest I have seen in a very long time. Here are some photos from my first day in Bryce.

I didn’t spend a long time in Zion National Park, and was lucky to even make it there. Midway through my trip I decided to change my route in order to fit it in. In my initial plan I was to go North from Page to Bryce then continue north through to Arches National Park and then further south to Monument Valley. However after looking at a map I realized that would have caused me a lot of back tracking. Now instead of going north after Bryce, I would go back south through Page, then East over to Monument Valley and then north through to Arches.

After the Grand Canyon I drove on North and made it to the town of Springdale where I found a nice cheap hotel just outside the entrance to the park. The drive into Springdale was interesting as I dropped down into a canyon doing some sharp snowy switchbacks, followed by a tunnel that went on for over a mile long. I was happy to make it to the hotel room after the long day of driving.

In the morning I was up early to catch another sunrise. After, I chased a few deer around (or rather they chased me around), went on a few small hikes, then set off around lunchtime for Bryce Canyon. It was a short visit, but in December, Zion wasn’t as spectacular as I am sure it would be in the spring or fall. Here are some photos from my short stint in Zion.

The grand canyon is nothing short of magnificent. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and for good reason. I had a heard a lot of good things about visiting the Grand Canyon, and it didn’t disappoint.

I arrived at the grand canyon late, after wine tasting all day in Northern Arizona. I checked into a cheap hotel just outside the canyon and did my best to get to bed early so I could catch the sunrise at the canyon. Nerves, excitement, and the couple in the hotel room next door kept me up later than I had hoped, but eventually I got to sleep. The next morning I made my way to the park just as the sky was beginning to open up. I was a touch late, as by the time I made it into the park and at my first viewing area all the reds of the morning sky had dissipated. However that first glimpse at the over 4000 foot drop below was no less breathtaking. I stood still on the edge of the canyon watching as the sun continued to climb up the sky, and several photographers snapped happily away.

After I regained my composure from my captivation of the grand canyon, I wanted to get out and do some hiking. It was still early in the day and I wanted to do some exploring. I decided to hike the Hermit Trail, as I thought it would likely have the least amount of people hiking it, and I wanted to honour the late Canadian Louis Boucher who the trail was named after. I hiked first to Hermit’s Rest then made my way to the Dripping Springs, before heading back to the top of the canyon. All in all I hiked over 16 miles, in about 5 hours.

While relaxing after my hike at trail head I met a really nice couple from France. They both worked in England for a few years saving up, before finally setting off on an epic adventure that will take them from Alaska to Argentina, and eventually back to France. Fabienne and Arnaud are documenting their adventure on their blog at: http://www.elgringotrail.com/blog/?cat=12

I camped that night in the canyon with Arno and Fab, before setting off again in the morning to catch the sunrise. This time I was there in time, and got to shoot the canyon as the sky lit up to a blaze of colour. It was an amazing experience. After spending the morning shooting, I slowly made my way out of the park, checking out all the viewpoints on my way out of the park. I would have loved to spend more time in the park, however I still had a lot of country to cover and needed to make my way north into Utah.

I will definitely be returning to the grand canyon. I would love to do the multi-day hike into the canyon out to the Havasu Falls. Until then however, I will have to only dream of the beautiful green-blue pools.

Here are some photos from my hikes and of my sunset and sunrise shoots at the Canyon. Also here is the Google Earth KML file of my hike.

My first big drive of my trip was from San Clemente, California to Prescott, Arizona. After watching the documentary Blood into Wine I knew I wanted to make it into the Prescott Valley to taste the wines of Manyard James Keenan and Eric Glomski. Plus everything I had read about this part of Arizona was positive.

Prescott was a cute little town, with a really entertaining downtown. One of their main streets is dubbed Whiskey Row and has a good mix of bars and art galleries. I found myself at home at the Raven Cafe which featured over 30 beers on tap. My kind of hang out. Prescott dubs itself as Arizona’s Christmas city and it shown through with all the businesses being lit up with Christmas lights, as well as the big Christmas tree they have at their town hall.

In the morning I made my way north headed to Jerome, Arizona. Jerome is a town built on top of a mountain, that was founded as a copper mine camp. Apparently in the 1970′s the town was riddled a ghost town (and apparently it is haunted), however a few years later hippies and artists started moving into the empty buildings and revitalising the old mine town. Jerome is now a pretty touristy little art town, with lots of different shops and cute cafes and restaurants. Jerome was also the first stop on my wine tasting adventure, starting with Maynard’s Winery Caduceus Cellars.

Not knowing what to expect from an Arizona wine, I was happy to find after my first tastes that Arizona wine, does in fact taste like wine. The wines I tasted were all pretty dry, but very flavourful. After spending a good 30 minutes plus tasting I decided it was time to head on to the next tasting room on my list, Stronghold Vineyards. This is the combined winery of Maynard and Eric, and is located in Cottonwood a short drive just down the hill from Jerome.

The Stronghold tasting room is a lot more relaxed and chilled out than the Caduceus room. The guy who was pouring (Kevin) was quiet the character and pretty entertaining. He did a great job of letting me sample a bunch of the wines. Before long I was starting to feel a little tipsy after all the pours I was having so decided to hang out with Kevin for a while. They had a brand new PS3 in the room so we played that in-between customers coming and going. It was a pretty entertaining way to spend the afternoon, and Kevin was a great host.

Eventually after sobering up, I needed to get a move on. My plan was to still goto Page Springs Winery (Eric’s winery) and then make my way to the Grand Canyon. Page Springs was another quick drive away. Their tasting room was actually at their vineyards which was cool to see. I got there around sunset, which made the winery look even more impressive. Page Springs had a lot of different interesting wines. One of my favourites was the ECIPS, or spice spelled backwards. After shooting some photos it was time to get myself to the grand canyon. I headed off north, with a quick stop in Sonoma for a few photos, and then a stop in Flagstaff for some dinner, before making my final trek into the Canyon (my next post). Here are a few additional photos from the area.

On Sunday I returned from a small trip down south. My good friends Venassa and Raphael were getting married in Colorado, so I decided to combine the wedding with a visit to my good friends Joe and Kasie in California, and a road trip across a few southern states to check out some of the national parks. It was a really epic trip, that started and ended with really good friends. The road trip itself was simply amazing. A dream come true from a photography standpoint, and something I want to do again soon. Over the next few days I will posting a few notes and photos from the trip as I make my way through my collection. Here is the first set, photos from San Clemente California, and the start of the drive to Arizona.

San Clemente was a great way to start the trip. Relaxed time spent with friends, with nice sunny weather (especially after the snowfall we were getting in Vancouver). I got to experience American Thanksgiving (twice), Weezer in concert, and see a hockey game in a non hockey market. On my finals days before leaving San Clemente I overdid it with the Mexican food, and my stomach fought back. I had visions of Montreal before my Europe trip a few years back, and was fearing my road trip wasn’t going to get off the ground. However I was lucky enough to have the wonderful Kasie around to nurse me back to health so that I was able to leave on schedule. Thanks again Kasie!

Last month I went to Montreal for my annual visit to spend time with my brother and his family. It was a fun two weeks in which I got to meet my new niece Azure, spend some quality time with my godson, as well as eat all those lovely foods I love so much in Montreal (poutine, smoked meat, macarons, crepes). I took a lot of photos of my azure and the rest of the family. Here are some of my shots.

I have been in Montreal for the past few weeks visiting my brother and family. It has been a really nice time of year to come, as the colours of the trees are all very vibrant. Here are some photos from a walk I did around the mountain and the city.

In 2005 I bought a Van with two guys I had only met twice in my life. Jason, Tak, and myself drove this van across Canada following Pearl Jam. Along the way we picked up fans who were doing multiple shows and gave them rides from city to city. Eventually we became known as the Touring Van within the Pearl Jam community. After the Canadian tour Jason didn’t get his fill of Pearl Jam, and went on to drive the Van across the USA. Finally he continued to follow the band through Europe and Australia, embarking on one epic journey.

Jason recently finished writing a book about his adventures following Pearl Jam. The book title This All Encompassing Trip will be release on October 31, 2010, however you can pre-order it now on his website at: http://www.thisallencompassingtrip.com. I haven’t read the book yet, but I am pretty sure it will be fantastic. So go out and pre-order yourself a book and help out a first time author.

A few weeks ago on a raining Sunday morning I ventured out to Abbotsford with Oliver to go pick some hazelnuts. I had found a farm online (Garside’s Fruit Farm) that did u-pick, and after a quick call to confirm they were open and had nuts we were off.

In less than an hour we were at the farm, a few short turns off highway one. The sign for the farm was a little small, but the very straight, very local road we were on made it easy for us to turn back around after we totally missed it. Once at the farm we went up and knocked on the door at the house. A nice elderly gentleman (Richard?) answered the door and pointed us in the direction of the hazelnut grove. He gave us a few rakes and some carpet to kneel on, which I thought was really nice of him.

Just as we headed out towards the hazelnuts it began to rain again, which was a little unfortunate, however we decided to stay and pick anyway. At first the picking wasn’t easy. There were a lot of empty shells from the past pickers, and it was difficult to spot shells that would contain any nuts. After about 20 minutes however I began to develop my eye for the nuts. My mom always talks about how she has to train her eyes every season before she goes pine mushroom picking, and I think this was much the same.

The hazelnuts at Garside’s farm were a little different than I was used to. My parents have a big hazelnut tree in our front yard, however it is much larger than the trees at Garside’s, as well the nuts at my parents were rounder and smaller. I imagine they must be different varieties. After a short time I had a full bucket of hazelnuts and had the technique down for removing the nuts from the skin. I continued to pick a few more as I waited for Oliver to finish up his bucket.

After we both filled our buckets we went back to the house and weighed our nuts. We each picked 5 pounds. At 60 cents a pound that cost us a whopping $3 a piece. We talked to the owner of the farm for a while about the farm and his other produce. We each bought a few apples (all organic) for again just a few cents a pound, and he gave me a bunch of free plums that were starting to go overripe.

It was really a pleasant way to spend a rainy afternoon, and was a real pleasure getting to meet the owner of Garside’s farm. That night when I got home I set out my hazelnuts for drying, and made one amazing plum cake (Pflaumenkuchen).

I highly recommend checking out Garside’s Fruit Farm. Not only is it easy to get to, but the owner is extremely nice, and the produce tasty.

Over labour day weekend Bernie and myself organized the 3rd annual Kitsilano Tennis Open. We had a good turnout this year of 10 players of varying tennis skill, and lots of new faces to the tournament.

Oliver had won the tournament the past 2 times, and was crowned champion once again this year when he defeated Dom in the finals. As for myself, I had a strong start going undefeated in the round robin, however lost my focus in the semi finals and got destroyed by Dom. Was good to get the tournament going again after missing last year. One of these years someone will finally take Oliver out as champion.

Here are some photos I shot of the day.