Free to stop where I want

When driving on this trip I am always actively looking for something worth photographing – lakes, tree-lined streets, old barns and old buildings, atmosphere and environment, all whizzing by at 75 mph or perhaps strolling by at 45. And often I am inspired to stop, rather suddenly, at an unexpected and uncharted location. This, to me, is one of the most liberating things about traveling solo - the ability to stop wherever, whenever, and with as little planning as possible.

This is such a change from the way I usually do things - with intention to reach my end point as quickly as possible. No more. My new approach is to embrace the freedom to change direction, discover new things, be unplanned and allow anything to happen.

Below is the result of just such a moment. It was very near to sunset when I came upon a lake, quite unexpectedly. I made the instant decision to find a place to pull off and, after several passes, I found what I needed. And so it happened that I was there to watch and capture as the sun sank low and deep in the sky.

So try it some time. Try stopping once or twice when you’re on your way somewhere rather than being in a hurry to get where you’re going. You never know what you might discover if you live the journey rather than the destination.

















Before Sunset, facing away from the sun