Seattle so far

--8-29-08-blog_Seattle so far--

So, I'm here. Seattle, Washington. I've come the 2,300 hundred miles to intern for the Seattle Post - Intelligencer as a photojournalist. ( I'll fill you in more about the internship after it begins )

I arrived in this wonderful city Sunday, August 24, 2008. My first day of work is Tuesday, September 2, 2008. I will be most likely be leaving this place sometime between January 5 and January 15, 2009. It seems like it will again just be a brief flirt with a city I have grown to love even though I have only spent a total of around 4 months here total.

It's already going fast. I've only been here for six days yet it feels like I just arrived last night. If the next four months continue to go this quickly I'll be packing up for the 2,300 mile drive home before I know it. I am going to make the most out of the short time that I have here, shooting everything, updating my portfolio, and bettering my skills as a photojournalist.... with a little fun on the side of course.

I hope to update as much as possible while here so hopefully everyone can follow along with myself as I hope to grow and expand my skills as a photojournalist.

Here is just a small taste of such a visual city from my first few days within its emerald walls. Some of which was the first day which Pat was still here, it was sad to see him go after such an epic cross country road trip. But it seems he has already gotten back into full swing of Midwest Photojournalism covering a recent house fire in the quad cities, luckily the house was abandoned. http://cuzpatsaysso.blogspot.com/

best ~ brad

--Last leg--

-last leg-
Belated writings again. However this time it was not entirely all my fault. As some of you know I arrived in Seattle last Sunday, the twenty-fourth. So I have been in the Emrald City for six wonderful days.

But this is just a quick post with the last leg of the trip west. Pat and I took of from Sheridan Montana on Sunday and pushed all the way through to Seattle to round out the final 8 hours or so of driving. It was a beautiful drive with a few great stops along the way, well at least one GREAT stop, Missoula Montana.

What a town. I am definitely sending out internship applications to papers in Missoula for an attempt at a spring in a little known, liberal, outdoorsy city in Red State stronghold of Montana. We came into Missoula on maybe the perfect day anyone could as for, a little marathon / street festival was happening downtown and the weather was phenomenal.

Either way, we came into Seattle at around 7:30pm and stayed with a great friend of mine, Susie. She just happened to be having one of her Sunday night vegan Potlucks. It was a great way to introduce this city to pat and continue where I left off with my brief affair that was the summer of 2004.

So here are a few photos of the final leg of the trip. From here on in pretty much every post will be from in and around Seattle... that is until I feel nostalgic in which case I'll probably post a few updates from things that happened at home or with friends.

Here's to new beginnings in a relatively familiar place.

-cheers

''wild animals''

--"wild animals"--

Here are some photos of the wild animals we saw along our way west. They are wild animals yet they are not really afraid of humans at all... Which makes them seem like zoo animals just without cages. We also saw a grizzly bear in Yellowstone but he was really far away and unable to be photographed.

--Yellowstone--

--Yellowstone--

On Saturday Pat and I started out in Sheridan Mt. We were hoping to push through to Billings the night before, but got ended up staying in Sheridan after stopping for dinner at a dinner named after a lynching, Hangman's 5.

Either way. We pushed off out of Sheridan in the morning, a little later that what we hoped for, but it was nice to actually get a great sleep. We were indecisive about whether or not to just push all the way through to Seattle on 90 or to make a side track trip through Yellowstone. Glacier national park was our initial plan, but after the trip was taking longer than assumed and glacier was just unreachable.

We did end up deciding to head through Yellowstone, and that was a wonderful decision. We got of 90 in Laurel Mt and pushed west on highway 212. If you ever have a chance I highly recommend taking highway 212 west from Laurel, it is an amazing sub alpine road that peaks out at around 11,000 feet before plunging back down the mountains towards Yellowstone. We stayed on 212 through Yellowstone, then up 89 and met back up with 90 on the West side of Yellowstone at the small town of Livingston. It is a great stretch of road if you have extra time and want something much more scenic than I90 West.

We were in a pretty big hurry so we couldn't stop and take to many photos or hike in Yellowstone. I drove through, so Pat has most of the photos from the trip through the park. His blog is listed on the right named 'There was jello in the fingerprints.'

So here are just a few of the 212 highway and Yellowstone.

--There are faces in the mountain--

8-22-2008_rushmore

--Faces in the Mountain--

On the same day as the Badlands we also hopped down to Mount Rushmore.

Not to much to say about it. It's a place everyone has to go at least once in their lives. Just to look up at the mountain and wonder how amazing it is that they carved 4 heads into it with the technology at the time is amazing to think about.

I wish they allowed you to climb right up to underneath the faces, but alas no can do.

(there were big horn sheep there, I have photos. I will be doing a post later on with all the different animals we saw on our way west)

cheers

Malas Tierra

--Malas Tierra--

On the way to Seattle Pat and I stopped by the Badlands national park. It is a pretty amazing place. Barren, dry, crumbling, yet full of life.

We did a like of off trail hiking and also did a tad of rock climbing. We attempted the whole time not to become a statistic by falling or getting bitten by a rattle snake. We succeeded in avoiding both of the hazards.

Either way, here are just a few photos from the Badlands.

I am currently posting from Seattle, we arrived on Sunday and Pat just flew back to Illinois yesterday. To bad he couldn't stay out here for the fall, it would have been crazy.

best

epic road trip, the beginnings

--Epic road trip, the beginnings--

Currently I am located in a seedy motel 6 with pat, my friend and road trip ally, in some small Montana town I can only vaguely remember being named Rocker.

It has been a pretty amazing trip thus far. About 1,600 miles down, about 500 or so to go. Maybe a tad less.

I'll try and update a few more posts further on including Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, and Yellowstone photos. But for tonight I think I will just give you a small taste of the beginnings of the 2,300 mile trip from Dekalb Illinois to Seattle Washington.

These photos are from somewhere in South Dakota just off of I-90 in one of the many giant sunflower fields. I wish Illinois was covered in sunflowers. They make for some good photos and great background. The flowers turned with us as we drove west in some sort of the same animal/plant instinct to go into the sun.

Also, a picture of the legendary josh birnbaum. We met up with him for a drink and dinner in Omaha Nebraska. It was good to meet up with him in such a different city.

Thanks for looking.

- brad

So Long Mr. Capone, Hello Emrald City

-So Long Mr. Capone, Hello Emrald City-

My last time in Chicago for at least the next 5 months. It's sad to be leaving but exciting to be going where I am heading, Seattle. I'm leaving this Thursday for the 4 day relaxing and aw-inspiring drive out there with one of my good friends Pat.

I think we are going to try to swing through a couple national parks on the way out, be it the Badlands and Yosemite or the Badlands and then Glacier. I am thinking the Going to the Sun road would be a pretty life fulfilling experience. Not to mention that I'd like to see a glacier before they're all gone, I know sad right>?

--------If you want your kids to see a glacier, not to mention have a better life, vote Obama--------

The last time I was in Chicago consisted of rooftops and great friends. First I hung out in Wrigleyville on a rooftop and caught the end of the Chicago Air Water show with my brother, his girlfriend mo, and a few other friends. Great place, if you like the cubs, I guess I could settle for it though even though my baseball heart resides on the south side.







Then later that night we moved farther up north to my buddy Sasha's place. He lives pretty much right where Lakeshore starts. Great views from his 8th story rooftop. It was pretty adventurous getting up there using the fire escape.

best ~ brad

Reading: Hawke ( not the most prestigious of books, but a great quick adventure thriller )

Listening to: A few older David Gray songs.













Goodbye Chicago, I'll see you again soon.