Grandma's Middle Name

I remember when I was young my Momma told me that my Grandma's middle name was "Go." It seems that Grandma loved going places. She always had that old grandma-looking purse hanging from her arm and she always had a list of things she needed from town. If someone was headed out, Grandma was a willing partner.

I think I'm a lot like Grandma. I love to go. Last October I went to Idaho and Wyoming with a friend. At Christmas, I took the family to South Carolina to visit Clemson University, where Jill and I graduated back in 1988. Last month I took my daughter to Ruston, Louisiana, to visit Louisiana Tech where I got my undergrad degree.

One of the things I love about traveling is being able to pack a camera along. Travel photography can be almost anything you want it to be. You can shoot all the old places you've seen before. You can go to all the scenic vistas. You can sit on a bench in a town that is not your own and take photos of people you don't know. (For this I recommend a LONG lens!)

In about a week my son and I are taking another roadtrip. We'll head northwest from Fort Worth on the first day with our sights set on Laramie, Wyoming. It's only a 15 hour drive if you limit your fluid intake! Day two will take us across Wyoming to Jackson Hole where we will mount the Tetons at Teton Pass. Our trek will end just past the stateline in Teton Valley, Idaho, where we plan to spend a week. There will be skiing, possibly some snowmobiling, and of course, a lot of photography.

I've made the trip from Texas to Idaho several times over the last few years and I have to admit that in some ways it's a little frustrating. I'll be driving past 1300 miles of beautiful landscape and I'll be completely focused on getting to the final destination. As a photographer, I hate missing great photo opportunities. Perhaps I should make this a three-day trip and spend a little time along the way capturing the magic. If I did, I might have to change my middle name from "Go," to something like "Slow Down," or "Relax a Little." I hope Grandma won't mind.