i’ve said it before; i don’t share my sacred places.  there are a select few places that i go multiple times a year to get away, clear my head, and recharge my batteries.  big bend national park is one of those places.

wyoming is as well.  and as it was, i entertained company (my brother) in october.  it was a new experience.  and a good one.  i’d even say refreshing.

so again, a few weeks ago, it was time to share.

my girlfriend elle had a birthday coming up.  i wanted to do something special for her…

“let’s go backpacking!” she said.

and so it was.  big bend, here we come!

elle had a great birthday, she said.  and i had more fun than i ever imagined… sharing one of these places that i thought was mine.

i think i’m beginning to like this “sharing” thing…

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2009

i went to monterrey, mexico with my church again over halloween weekend.

after our first trip a year ago, my church, providence presbyterian, decided to support a small church in the township of san nicolas.  la casa de dios serves a small middle class community on the outskirts of monterrey, specializing in counceling.  there is a great need in the city for biblical counceling, as many of the folks of this neighborhood have deep scars from drugs, violence, prostitution, and the many ills that life in general can bring.

so, last week, ten members of providence and i visited la casa de dios to encourage and serve.

pastor reyes has much work to accomplish here to bring the message of grace and repentance to a hurting people.

we went to dinner the first night to experience true northern mexican cuisine, a surprising far-cry from the heavy tex-mex influence we have in dallas.

after dinner, we visited the famous giant flagpole complex that sits above monterrey, to pray for the needs of the city.  it’s a place for families and lovers.  a romantic oasis.

the next morning we awoke early to serve the community of san nicolas by applying a few fresh coats of paint over the graffiti in their neighborhood park.

amber, crawford, michael, sam, and i decided to form a band after i shot these photos of the group…  they were very band-like photos, sam said.

a stray cat took a liking to us and followed us around all day.  it became our mascot for the weekend, though no one had the courage to pet it.

local kids came out to see what the gringos were up to, and quickly asked if they could help.  we were excited because they seemed to really take ownership of the new look in their park.

andrew, one of the local missionaries’ sons is quite the ham.  and i have to say, he has a pretty cool name…

amber loved on the kids…

while the guys wrestled with them.  funny how the two sexes differ in relational styles…

some of the neighborhood teens came out to play american football.  we couldn’t help but join in.  they beat us.

after the football match, we held a barbeque in the park to make friends with the folks in the area.  it was a great success.

on sunday, we attended la casa de dios to worship with our mexican brothers and sisters…

after church, we went downtown to sightsee and enjoy the river walk.

the closest thing we have in the states is the riverwalk in san antonio.  the one in monterrey is much nicer, in my opinion.

tamales!  we were treated so well by the folks at la casa de dios.  they cooked fantastic meals for us every day.

monday, we finished painting and enjoyed playing around on the playground.

tuesday morning before our flight, we visited casa hogar, the local orphanage.  it was a moving experience for us all to remember God’s heart for the orphans.

the sign above the door reads, “God promises to be your father,” a fitting reminder for the role of the church…

though our time in monterrey ended on a bittersweet note at casa hogar, we all left with a greater sense of urgency to help carry the burdens of our neighbors to the south, as well as our community back home in dallas.

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2009

when i lived in wyoming in 2005, i didn’t have many friends.  but don’t feel sorry for me.  it wasn’t because of the excessive whiskey drinking, or the lack of bathing.  no, it was mostly due to the simple lack of people in the great state of wyoming.  a numbers game.

you see, the entire state boasts a smaller population than the city of austin, tx.  i believe the last count was around 750,000.  and it didn’t help that i lived in a town of only 2000.  so the few friends i had were very important to me.

among those few friends were two of my closest; anna and kim.  we called ourselves the “three musketeers”.  original, huh?

this last trip up to my former home partially happened because i had a good excuse.  well, two.  the first was that anna, who now lives in new york city, had planned her first trip back to pinedale since she had to leave in ‘05.  and the second reason was that kim, who is from the area and thus stayed, had a baby a few months earlier.  kate.

kate is a darn cute kid.  so the three musketeers, plus one, set out for a reunion hike.  we decided to hit up sacred rim in the wind river mountains, just outside pinedale.

it was a great time to be with my ladies again…  and i must say, kate is quite a nice addition.

i was raised by a family of grizzly bears in a former life (or so i tell people), so we reenacted a scene from my past when i used to attack unassuming hikers…

it seemed as though we hadn’t skipped a beat.  and truly, i guess we never did.  i’ve been going back up to wyoming a lot since i left, and almost every time, i get to see kim.  i also have had the opportunity to visit anna up in philly and new york, and we tend to email, talk on the phone, and mail each other music mixes every so often.  so really, the unique situation here is that we were all together again in the very place we met and became friends…

sacred rim is a pretty amazing place….

but it seems that we wore little kate out.

more bear attack scenes…

by the time we made it back to the car, kate was out.

it was really special for all of us to get together.  we all live thousands of miles from each other, and our lives have all gone their separate directions.  i hope we can reunite again before time gets away from us.

regardless of how much time passes in our busy lives before we’re all together again, it was evident with this short reunion, that we will always stay connected.  these are the type of friends you keep for life.

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2009

fall is my favorite time of year.  wyoming is my favorite place in the states.  so you may be thinking, “i know where he’s going with all of this…”

well, i really wish i could say, “not so fast!”  but i can’t.  you’re right.  i’m about to get all mushy on my favorite time of year in my favorite place.

the proximity of all the wildfires this year to all of my favorite spots, added a drama to the landscape that i never experienced.  it was great for pictures.

mount moran towers over the fire on jackson lake with the moon and stars illuminating the night sky.  maybe my favorite shot from the 2 week trip…

my good friend mike and his girlfriend ellen let me tag along on a quick pack trip into the wind river mountains near pinedale.

mike knows the winds and teton wilderness like the back of his hand.  seriously.  he has lived in the area since he was a little tyke, and he guided elk hunters through this maze of a landscape for over twenty years.  he knows the land, it’s history, and it’s wildlife, but more importantly, he knows the ways of the wilderness.

there are certain unspoken rules one must follow when traversing the backcountry.  it’s a matter of respect for the elements.  someone like mike would have never survived so many years in the wilderness without acquiring such knowledge.  he’s a great guy to have with you out there.

ellen is a great personality, and not too shabby with horses.  she was breaking a young colt on this trip, and considering the nature of the trip, the horse did quite well.  a testament to her abilities.

being texan, i’m naturally inclined toward firearms.  we are all born with sidearms tied to our umbilical cords down here.  so of course, mike didn’t hesitate when i volunteered to carry our protection from bears and lions (or worse… crazy people).  later, as seen above, i showed the two what i would do if we encountered an aggressive bear.  not all that intimidating, i must say…

the wind river range from soda lake.  i go here a lot.  it’s only a 5 minute drive from pinedale, but the views are spectacular, and i frequently get to see pronghorn, bald eagles, and sometimes moose and elk.

the golden hills and sky surrounding soda lake never cease to inspire me.  i’ll never get sick of this place…

the magic of the alpenglow in the winds.

this is pinedale.  no stoplights or fast food.  just beautiful surroundings, friendly people, and my favorite beer in the world – the wpa (wyoming pale ale), from wind river brewery.  hoppy and extra strong.  the way i like ‘em.

i’m kind of glad i can’t get it back home.  i’d be just a little less likely to have a good excuse to go up to wyoming as frequently as i do.

the winds on a clear day from soda…

some of the surrounding hills between willow and soda lake looked as though they were on fire.  the colors this year were spectacular.

my last night in the tetons was frigid.  the first snow had come and gone.  the clouds were moving out of the area, and thus, the heat from the sun generated during the day was vanishing from the land quickly.  i awoke early to the sound of wolves.

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2009

wyoming is not a place i share with other people.  i do it alone.  that may sound like a prick thing to say, but it’s true.

i go up there to experience solitude, peace, fear, loneliness.

this trip was a little different though.

i arrived to jackson hole airport late on tuesday afternoon.  i was supposed to be there by 3 that day to pick up my brother.

the inbound flight from austin arrived on time, so he took a taxi into jackson to get a beer.  i told him i’d meet him there as soon as i could.  the traffic coming down through the parks was miserable.  it seems they always scramble to make improvements to the roads just before the ground freezes.  thanks.

i finally made it to snake river brewery, after dark.  but the alone time in wyoming didn’t seem to bother my brother.

after a hug and a few beers, we were off.  it was dark, and i have a spot in teton park that i always go to camp when i arrive late.

we woke up the next morning to a cool autumn breeze, and my brother’s 34th birthday.

two months ago he called me.  ”there’s a fare sale to jackson hole.  $89 each way from austin,”  he said.  ”you planning on going soon?”

“well, yeah.  i was planning a fall trip.  september or october.  why?  you wanna go?”

i started to get excited.  no one had ever expressed this much interest or determination to go to wyoming with me since my mother visited 5 years ago when i lived there.

i was excited at the prospect, but then nervous.  could i share this place with others?  would they understand it?  no matter.

most guys have the idea that if they’re spending any time in wyoming and montana, they better have a fly rod or a pair of skis.  and i think they’re right.  it is world class skiing and fishing, after all.  no snow yet, so my brother brought a friend’s rod.

we took a drive one evening up the beartooth highway outside of cooke city, montana.

regarded as one of the most spectacular drives in north america, the beartooth runs from red lodge, mt to the northeast entrance of yellowstone national park.

the beartooths are one of the highest elevation and most rugged areas in the lower 48 states, with 20 peaks over 12,000 feet in elevation. the road itself is the highest elevation highway in wyoming (10,947 feet) and montana (10,350 feet), and is the highest elevation highway in the northern rockies.

we fished the lamar, the snake, the yellowstone, among others.  to no avail.  it may have been too late in the season, i guess.

the fires in northwest wyoming were in full force this time of year though.  they even closed a few of the roads in yellowstone, preventing me from returning to the lamar valley.  very sad.

but the drama of it all was truly impressive.

the fire on the banks of jackson lake at dusk.  breathtaking.

the next day, there was an unavoidable haze that covered the sky and mountains.  but again, to the naked eye, it struck as a little bit of a downer, but the dramatic effect can be artfully employed with a camera.

it was my brother’s last day.  he had a flight out of JAC in the afternoon, so we found a section of the snake river, just 10 minutes from the airport.  he wanted to give it one last go.

he didn’t catch anything, but i was happy.  i think i got a few shots of him in this unreal landscape that will draw others in, and take him back…  anytime he wants to go…

i’ve never shared this place with anyone before.  but it was really nice to do so.  to see the look on someone else’s face the first time they see the sun rise over the lamar valley of yellowstone, or the moon as it hovers over the tetons before dawn…

the way the fiery autumn leaves shimmer in the cool breeze.  awaking in the cold to the sound of bull elk in rut, bugling.  or the sound of wolves.

it’s all so beautiful.  i’m glad i had my brother there to share it.

i hope there’s more sharing of this place in the years to come.  i’m ready for it.

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2009

three weeks ago, i left dallas for a 10 state, 5,000 mile road trip.

the vast majority of the two week trip would be spent wandering my old haunts in the great states of wyoming and montana.  however, the first night, having blown through oklahoma, kansas, and nebraska, i laid my head for the first time in south dakota at badlands national park.

it’s an eerie landscape.  i have to say that i have never really seen anything like it.

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2009

i was lucky enough to be invited back to vermejo last week for another shoot.

the hummingbirds were very social.

there are a few groups of ferrel horses on the property.  they don’t call them wild because at some point they were broken and used by humans.  but they are now ferrel because they have been released and are free to roam the 600k acres.

i came across a group of about a dozen on the road down to the main lodge.  i stopped the car and stepped out to snap a few shots.  two of the horses came right up to me and began sniffing.  they gently rubbed their long faces against me.

i had no idea what was going on, but it seems these powerful, wild creatures wanted to be friends.  perhaps they missed the strange bond that horses and humans share.

one of them seemed interested in tasting my camera.

i had a strong urge to hop up on one of their backs and see if they remembered what it was like to transport a human to and fro.  i decided against that idea.

it was really hard to get back in the car and leave my new friends…

but i did.  after all, we had lots of great wine to drink…

the next day, we set out for lower underwood lake to catch some trout.  i have never fly fished before, so i thought i’d give it a try…

with the help of a fantastic guide, and a lot of luck, i got to land a 3 lb brown.  good looking fish!

that afternoon, john and i headed for the streams.  fly fishing streams is a whole different game, and frankly, my confidence was high and i wanted to give that a shot as well.

the weather had different plans however.  the sky opened with reckless fury.  lightning and wind kept us from fishing the rest of the day.

we set out at 6 a.m. the next morning to catch our flight out of amarillo.  on the way out of vermejo, we were treated to a spectacular sunrise.

a great last memory to hold in my mind of this amazing place…

i sincerely hope i have the opportunity to return, some day.

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2009

i didn’t want to leave telluride and the cool, mountain air last week.  traffic, 100 degree weather, and “work” awaited.

luckily though, in between, i would have the chance to see the southwest u.s. through my windshield on a 19 hour drive back to texas…

i’ve never been to great sand dune national park.  it’s not the best n.p. i’ve ever been to, but it’s an incredible natural wonder.  i’m glad i made the side trip.

fortunately, i only have to be back in dallas for a few days.  then it’s back to vermejo park ranch, new mexico!

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2009

i drove bd to the airport in montrose thursday morning.  i decided to take the backroads on the return trip to telluride.

last dollar road traverses high mountain ranch land, prairies, and passes.  it provides some spectacular views of the southern san juans.

after last dollar, i grabbed a bite in town, and headed back out to drive lizard head pass.

on my way to lizard head, i noticed trout lake, which i had unknowingly visited some four years ago with another best friend of mine, trotter.

as i drove by, i thought to myself that this particular lake looked eerily familiar… like i had known it in some vivid, reoccurring dream.  and then it clicked;  years ago, trotter and i drove up to durango to visit his dad.  we drove remote mountain passes all week long, and at some point came across trout lake.  i wouldn’t have remembered this at all unless i hadn’t captured one of my favorite pics of the trip by chance at this tiny lake.  here it is…

and those same peaks, four years later, at a much worse time of day, choppier water, and minus the human interest…

regardless, it was fun to spend a little time at trout lake, remembering the great times we had just a few years ago.  hard to believe, my friend is now engaged and living in cartagena, columbia!

heading back in to telluride.  i always liked this view.  but i’ve never captured an image of this view that i’ve liked all that much…  guess it’s hard to do justice to such an amazing place.

all images © andrew r. slaton | photographer 2009