2021 Year in Review
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| Snow and Moon on Jan 1 |
In many ways this year was like living in Groundhog Day. It seems it was a repeat of 2020 and most days seemed the same. Pandemic, no plane travel, no eating out, social distancing, driving trips and only camping. But I persevere.
I started 2021 in Big Bend and just returned from there on Dec 31st. Big Bend was actually my go-to place this year. It's driving distance, has great stuff to see and despite now being discovered (another way of saying #Instaruined) it remains a favorite location.
2020 ended for me in a blizzard in Big Bend. I woke up there on new years day for my January 1 images. As I state in this yearly review every year, greeting the new year sunrise is my long running tradition. Jan 1, 2022 was my 23rd year in a row of this. In 2021 I awoke to clear sky, snow and a full moon hanging over the desert. It was a long drive home on icy roads. What is normally a 10 hour drive to me close to 18 hours.
January and February brought two winter snow events to north Texas. One morning I was able to go out in the snow and explore the area as fresh snow fell. The other was our world famous Feb ice storm where our power grid collapsed. I was without power for 3 days. Then without water for 10. I think it was actually easier having water but no power since as a camper I have warm clothing and a camp stove. The storm cost me a trip to Big Bend 😞 But I was able to walk from home and photograph winter on the Trinity River. All in all it was fun.Frozen Trinity River
As spring progressed I chased bluebonnets locally and then went out to Caprock Canyons. A great park where hiking the canyons of the Red River and dark sky make for a good weekend.
As spring went into summer we kept cancelling the travel plans we had made as we just did not want to get on a plane. So summer was spent locally and mainly on my bike. I bring a camera along and occasionally get an image.
September arrived and I began to hit the road for driving destinations. Started with a week spent going to the Davis Mountains and then the Chisos in Big Bend. It is hot in the desert but it is also the rainy season and rain on a few days help cool the place down as well as bring interesting skies. I even got a chance to get in some night sky images.Window in Big Bend
Late September I left town for two weeks exploring the Great Plains and drove to North Dakota! Having the time and seeing how over crowded many national parks were, I went where others do not. I was able to see places I have always wanted to get to go but never been able to make the time. Now I made the time and my destination.
Driving across Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska South Dakota and into North Dakota was a great drive. I camped in the Sand Hills of Nebraska where you can find great dark sky and a lonely overlooked corner of the Midwest. I saw Badlands, Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills in the down season to avoid the crowds. When I made it to Theodore Roosevelt NP in North Dakota it was everything I hoped it would be. As a bonus there were less than 15 others camping there! Practically had the park to myself. Truly an amazing park. Originally I had planned on 2 days in the north unit and 1 in the south but I liked it so much I rearranged some thing to stay an extra night in the amazing north unit.Theodore Roosevelt NP
My trip home was through Montana and Wyoming. I got to see the Yellowstone River in fall color as it winds across the prairies and then camp two nights at Devil's Tower. This was another bucket list destination and well worth it. I can see how it would be overwhelmed in summer but camping here in early October was great! I got to make several nice images in day and night and found a lot of compositions for such a small spot.
I was only home a few weeks before heading back out on the road. I went to Guadalupe Mountains for fall color, another night at the Davis Mountains and McDonald Observatory and then back to Big Bend. What a difference from my Labor Day trip. Temps were much more mild and the nights were longer. I was able to hike and explore different areas in both national parks. Desert canyons with fall color, dark skies, old faves and new things found. Fall color was running late in the Guads but we found a few trees in color.Fall Color in Texas
I returned home for our local fall color season which starts in November but the colors were lacking somewhat this year. We also rarely had the foggy conditions I can often find on November mornings.
In December I did a long weekend trip back to Caprock and got a few good night images and explored a slot canyon.
Then I ended the year going back to Big Bend. Quite a bit different this year as it hit 85 on several days. No snow this time. Managed to visit a few of my favorite hikes, explored two new areas I had scoped out for possibilities and then did three hikes I have always passed on finding two of the three were really impressive. I finally did Chimneys and Dog Canyon really liking them both. I also did Devil's Den and was very disappointed to find it clocked with stickers.
I had hopes of seeing the comet but could never find it. May have been below the nearby mountains. I settled for the Milky Way over the Rio Grande.
I made it home on New Years Eve and wrapped up my year.
Rio Grande and Milky Way
All in all, I tried to make the most of what travel I could do. As a camper I was able to drive places, socially distance and feel safe. I got to revisit some of my frequent locations and spent time exploring an area of the country most do not.
I am planning my 2022 travel now. For now I am going to presume it is driving trips only and working out what I might see. Big Bend is definitely on my radar but I am also looking further afield at what other off the beaten path spots I might explore.
Here is to a brighter and better new year!!
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