My July, by Joe Lorenzini...

[Joe_Lorenzini]

Well, I didn't exactly plan it this way and I'm not usually a person to throw out personal info without being asked but this July was something else and I'm going to share whether you want to read it or not...

First off, states I've visited since July 1st (in no particular order):
1. South Dakota
2. Virginia
3. Maryland
4. Montana
5. Colorado
6. Oklahoma
7. Kansas
8. Nebraska
9. Wyoming
10. Idaho

Things I've seen:
1. Declaration of Independence
2. The Constitution
3. Bill of Rights
4. Lincoln Memorial
5. Washington Memorial
6. Smithsonian
7. Mount Vernon
8. Mount Rushmore
9. White House
10. US Capital
11. The Hope Diamond
12. Graves of Americans before there was an America
13. The mountain tops of Montana and Idaho
14. The farms and fields of Nebraska, Kansas & Oklahoma
15. And some damn fine fireworks!

I've seen more of this country and its history in the last 30 days than I have in the last 10 years and I have two things to say about it:

First: In every instance, I made myself stop and soak in the experience of what I was seeing (before picking up the camera, if at all) and in the end, this "time" spent was key.

Second: We live in the most magnificent country in the world. Honestly.

Will upload images in the next post. Soapbox is now available.

Joe

[toverman]

Awesome! I hope you'll get some needed rest in August.

+1 on your second point. I've got so much left to discover about this great nation.

[KJ Smith]

Do not tell people about Idaho.

Kevin

[venchka]

1-12 are special. 13-15 are spectacular.

Don't tell people about Montana.

We aren't allowed to mention such things..........

I do hope that the folks making all the news in Washington these days don't loose sight of what you expressed.

[Roy]

Wow! You may of traveled more in a month than I have my entire life and I'm and old coot and there's still 6 days left in July. Looking forward to your photos from your travels.

[Joe_Lorenzini]

Here's a small sample...

Mount Vernon in HDR. It was fairly overcast and flat so I pushed the HDR envelope with this one. I'm still working on a version I like with less vibrant colors:


Mount Rushmore. Got some neat closeups of the faces that show quite a bit of detail. This place does not dissapoint. The security people there are still taking it on the chin for the July 8th stunt:


On the way to Mount Rushmore I went storm chasing:






And don't for a minute think I don't realize how lucky I am to be able to do this!

Joe

[mjdmike]

Awesome Joe, looking forward to more.

[mkothare]

Great posts. Like the 1st 'storm chasing' picture the best. Tonal range, colors of the rainbow and earth are just eye catching. Its nice to be out there, away from the day to day.

[Davidtxs]

DEAD on on your second point
awesome images I think its time for a Lorenzini Coffee table book lol im in for one.
I think the Rushmore security needs to employ a sniper next time for something like what happened. You DONT deface a national treasure like that.

[CaptainTom]

Originally Posted by Davidtxs

DEAD on on your second point
awesome images I think its time for a Lorenzini Coffee table book lol im in for one.
I think the Rushmore security needs to employ a sniper next time for something like what happened. You DONT deface a national treasure like that.

I'll take two copies please. One for me and one that doesn't have drool all over it, to pass on to my heirs.

[Davidtxs]

Originally Posted by CaptainTom

I'll take two copies please. One for me and one that doesn't have drool all over it, to pass on to my heirs.

GOOD POINT
and autographed too

[Teddington]

What a memorable month! Congrats on making the experience happen. I've been lucky that career moves have taken me to much of the western U.S. and in every place we've moved, we did our best to act like tourists on the weekend and discover the famous and not so famous sites of the area. In most places, we've "seen" more the of the area than people who were born there. Texas is a challenge because it is so big but we plan to be here a while so there's still time.

+1 on the 1st storm photo. I love the fact is is so full of light and warm colors - not the typical dark, ominous clouds more similar to your 2nd shot (which is good in it's own right!).

Pls, pls do a coffee table book. It's so much fun when Cap'n Tom drools ... of course, usually it's the morning after too much night before.

[d2creative]

Sweet pics, love the storm shots.

So what's the back story? How/why did you end up on this Tour de USA?

[fishcat]

Gorgeous shots.

[Joe_Lorenzini]

Originally Posted by d2creative

Sweet pics, love the storm shots.

So what's the back story? How/why did you end up on this Tour de USA?

My wife tells me she has 3 girlfriends coming to stay with us for 3 days and that I need to get lost. Sounds good to me.

I rent a car, take off without a clue where I'm going. Three days and 2,600 miles later, I'm back.

The other areas were summer travel and an anniversary trip.

I guess you can throw in transportation in there...
Large plane, small plane, helicopter, train, car, bus, boat, bike, walk (a lot!).

Joe