Category Archives: Travel Blogs

Photos, Troy's Blog

Rebuilding a Camera

After our family Spring Break road trip, where our camera stopped working, I thought it had taken it’s last picture. Doing a little research I found that the most likely issue was my shutter no longer worked correctly causing the camera to stop working. To have it fixed would most likely be expensive and rumors had Sony releasing a new camera with some better features sometime in the next few months. That money was probably better spent on a new camera instead of fixing the current one.

One Saturday morning I decided to tear apart my Sony a6300 camera, since there was nothing to lose, and see if there was something blocking the shutter from opening or closing. Maybe it would be fairly obvious and the camera would be back in business.

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I started by gathering the tools needed and dishes to put screws and parts in to keep all of the pieces in. I’ve taken the back off of this camera a number of times previously trying to fix a sticky shutter button so I had some experience with how to get this far. To keep the screws straight I used a paper plate with sides and drew a diagram of the camera and location for each screw. While I know most of them and which screw goes where, a few are easily switched with all of the pieces that need to be disassembled so better to be a little more detailed.

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Soon the back of the case was removed along with the top. Now it was time to dig in further. Slowly and methodically removing each screw and eventually each cable, I also photographed each layer with my phone before taking it off. That way I had a reference if there was something unfamiliar as I put it back together. It’s amazing how many electronic components there are packed so tightly into this camera body. Eventually I removed the sensor and arrived at the shutter. The shutter is at the front of the camera but you have to get to it from the back which requires taking off everything behind it. This is quite a lengthy and slow process. Examining and testing the shutter I couldn’t find anything keeping it from working. Still I moved the shutter open and shut several times looking over each piece. Without really finding anything I re-assembled the camera and tried it. Still giving me an error message and not working. This whole process took about 4 hours and no improvements.

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Later in the day I researched parts for the camera and found them available at Encompass.com. While reassembling the camera earlier I tore one of the ribbon cables so now needed to add that to the list of parts. Finding what I needed it would be a couple of hundred dollars for these. Was I willing to chance it and try a repair risking that I may end up taking it into a facility or buying a new camera?

Deciding to move forward I ordered the parts. They would be at my house in a couple of weeks. I actually receivd them later that same week ahead of expectations. I began to tear apart the camera completely Friday night. This time I had it completely into pieces as I wanted to replace a piece of the front case which had been damaged during one of the times my camera fell as it crashed from the seat of my car to the floor on more than one occasion as I had to slam on the breaks for one reason or another. Carefully removing each piece before calling it a day. I was ready to put it all back together the next morning. Saturday morning I began reassembling with the replacement parts. While doing this I cleaned the pieces, especially the sensor since I now had great access to it. A few hours later it was time to see if all this work would pay off.

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Now for the moment of truth. Putting the battery in and turning it on. No response. A little disappointed I once again began to remove screws and search for issues. A ribbon cable was not connected. Fixing that I put it back together and tried it again. Still nothing. Getting into it again I found a different piece not quite lined up correctly. Once again I put it together. Putting the battery in I turned it on and it came back to life but I couldn’t see anything on the screen, only in the view finder. Shutting it off I re-checked the connections for the screen, taking them apart and putting them back together and tried it again. This time it all came to life requiring set up as if it was new. Excited and relieved I adjusted settings and inserted a memory card heading outside to test it. The photo below shows the first photo I took which you can see at the top of this article. I was exhilarated that the camera once again worked. All in all it took more than 8 hours for this repair. Over the next few weeks I discovered my flash still doesn’t work but I don’t use that often enough to justify the risk of breaking something else to take apart the camera to fix it. For now it lives again and I’m ecstatic.

I don’t recommend doing this unless you’re willing to risk the camera never working again or taking it into an authorized repair shop. Knowing the risks, I decided to continue, being fully prepared to buy a new camera if it didn’t work. I probably will buy a new camera in the near future anyway but that has nothing to do with this one working. It has more to do with how much I use it and abuse it each year.

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Lake Superior, National Parks, Troy's Blog

Picture Rocks

Earlier this spring my family took a road trip to the Central Michigan over Spring Break. On our way back home we wanted to do a little exploring in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Rising at about the same time as the sun, we left the Traverse City area and headed north. Several hours later we once again reached the Mackinaw Bridge driving over it for a second time in only a few days looking out at Lake Michigan on one side and Lake Huron on the other. Continuing north in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan we arrived at Pictured Rocks and now had to figure out what we wanted to see there. Unfortunately the visitors centers were closed so all that were available were the maps they had put on display outside their visitors center and those on our phones. Our first hike was to see the Munising Falls near the visitor center which is a pretty little waterfall only a short hike from the nearby parking lot. The sun had broken out making it comfortable with only a sweatshirt on this early April morning. It was a nice hike as plants were beginning to come back to life after many months of rest during the winter surrounding the water flowing over these sandstone rocks.

Munising Falls

Unfortunately the only camera I had now was the one on my phone since my other camera had died earlier in the trip, which you can read about in the previous article. Phone cameras do a nice job but they have limitations compared to better cameras with interchangeable lenses. Still I accepted this challenge to take interesting pictures with the camera available recording our time in this beautiful National Park. Leaving the waterfall we headed to nearby Sand Point Beach were we gazed over our third Great Lake of the day – Lake Superior. I didn’t realize there were sand beaches around Lake Superior. I thought they were all rock beaches. The sand was beautiful and held all of these dead trees which had been weathered for years creating beautiful sculptures. In the photo below I liked how the log laying on the sand directs you to the multiple stumps surrounded by the tan sand and getting taller as you look towards Lake Superior. The last stump touching the soft, white cloud dotting the blue sky. We enjoyed some time climbing around some of these decaying trees and walking along the shore of this cold, large lake. In places the sand had a pink hue to it and the only thing that made sense was a nearby park building had red shingles which released sand particles during strong winds ending on the beach. As I looked into this a little more it would seem there’s a different reason for these spots of reddish pink sands. Apparently little garnets are washed up here from nearby sandstone cliffs creating this coloration on the beach.

A weathered tree on Sand Point Beach

Ready to explore some of the cliffs, we packed back in the car and headed to another area of the park. It was now lunchtime so we made a detour to head into Munising for a little nourishment. Once our hunger was satisfied, it was time to see some of these pictured rocks the park is named after. With only a short time before needing to continue our journey home, we decided on seeing the most popular of these cliffs – Miner’s Castle. There’s a nice overlook here with trails winding through the woods allowing people to see the Miner’s Castle up close. Reaching the first viewing area overlooking Lake Superior and the coastline you could see beautiful turquoise water that should only be in the Caribbean. The view is enhanced by the reddish sandstone rising out of the water and then topped by beige stone above, which can be seen in the top photograph. From here we wandered along the shore to another viewing area allowing people to see the castle close up and study the beige/white coloration along with the interesting formations creating this sculpture. During our time at Miners Castle, we interrupted a wedding party taking pictures. They were very nice and understanding allowing us to step to the platform for a better view of these rocks.

Close up of Miners Castle

Needing to continue on our journey home, we left the castle viewing spot heading back to the car. Along the way we crossed the North Country National Scenic Trail. What a beautiful location to hike! This is a trail I’ve researched some and thought how fun it would be to backpack on. At least portions of it.

While walking back to the parking lot, fog was blowing over the trees above creating an interesting, if not eerie, landscape.  Loaded back into our car I entered directions back home in the GPS, both a little sad our time here was over and looking forward to getting home. But first, Miner’s Beach is on the way and we may be able to see more of this fog drifting into the trees. How about a quick stop here to see a bit more of the landscape and walk on a sandy beach one last time for Spring Break? Entering the beach we could see the fog forming on Lake Superior with the wind blowing into the shoreline. Satisfied with the views from this final beach, we hit the road going west towards the horizon.

Fog beginning to roll inland from the cold waters of Lake Superior on Miner's Beach

Michigan, National Parks, Troy's Blog

The Last Shot

During Spring Break this year, the family ventured out to the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. One of our stops was Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on a beautiful April day. While there we stopped at the popular Dune climb to take our chance at the steep, sandy climb to the top. While at the top I began experiencing problems with my camera. An error message would pop onto a black screen no longer able to take pictures. Messing around with it – removing the lens and reconnecting it, turning the camera on and off, and removing the battery – I eventually got it to work again. This turned out to be temporary though. A short time later the error message again popped up. This time I wouldn’t be able to get it back working.

Later that day I researched possible problems and came up with the likely issue being the shutter. The cost to fix it would be at least a third of the cost of a new camera. There had been some other problems starting to plague the camera such as a sticky shutter button causing the camera to be unresponsive as the button would keep the autofocus locked on preventing further use until the button became unstuck and released the focus. This was fairly intermittent so I dealt with it as much as possible. With at least 100,000 photos being taken with the camera and the shutter issues, I decided it is probably time to replace it. Besides, there are activities and adventures planned this year that I want to have a reliable camera available to avoid missing some pictures that will only be possible once.

With that decision, my camera had taken its last photo. Looking through them on the computer, this was the last one taken. It’s of my daughter and I running down the dune as the approaching rain continued to move towards us. If there has to be a last picture, I like this one to mark that event!

Monopoly Traveler Reflections, Rocky Moutain National Park, Troy's Blog

Monopoly Traveler Reflections–Falling in Love With Marmots

It was the first full day at Rocky Mountain National Park for my family including myself, wife, two daughters, and my dad in early July. Fireworks exploded high overhead the night before celebrating Independence Day, but this day was about exploring this vast, mountainous park. We had all day to wander through the mountains in search of picturesque landscapes, wildlife, and waterfalls. Since we had the full day, we decided to work our way up the mountain to reach the Alpine Visitor Center high atop these Rocky Mountains. On the way there are numerous overlooks each begging you to pull over and view the scenic landscape. Many of these succeeded in getting us to stop, rewarding with spectacular views of this wilderness. Eventually we began resisting the desire to stop at every opportunity, otherwise getting to the top may never happen on this day. Nearing the top we pulled into an alpine overlook. This was my first time seeing an alpine climate and was stunned at all of the beautiful plants in full bloom. What a remarkable environment! As we would soon discover, the miniature plants blooming in brilliant colors would not be the highlight of this overlook.

Overlook in Rocky Mountain National Park

While at the end of a short trail, created to view the mountains stretching on eternally, we began to hear an unusual sound. This sound was coming from somewhere close. What could be that close to all of these people meandering around this area? Finally we began to follow the noise and looked on the other side of a rock wall which had been built as a path for people enjoy this overlook. There was a creature running along side the wall darting in and out of rocks still laying near the wall. Finally capturing a good look at this rodent, it looked familiar to one of the signs we’d read earlier about some of the wildlife. It seemed to be a marmot. Watching it for awhile confirmed it to be a Yellow-Bellied Marmot. We had never imagined this would be a spot to come across such a thing. Wildlife typically is found away from a lot of activity. Not marmots apparently.

First sighting of a marmot

This little creature seemed to be going after minerals in the rocks, or possibly the concrete used to bind these rocks together forming a wall. We watched this critter for quite some time scurrying around the overlook, stopping occasionally in its quest for a meal. It became a major highlight of our adventure in the mountains. Now, whenever we’re in an alpine setting this becomes one of the animals we seek out to confirm we’re high up in a mountain. Since that first sighting we’ve returned to Rocky Mountain National Park to hike to some of the mountain tops enjoying the Marmots along the way. Only now we’ve discovered one of their companions in the alpine environment –  Pikas.  A smaller and friendly mammal of these rocky summits. Still, the marmot holds a special place in our memories and will continue to be a creature reminding us of the harsh environment we’ve entered.

Crawling around and through a rock scramble

Adventures, Michigan, National Parks, Troy's Blog

Hitting the Beach for Spring Break

During Spring Break we (myself, youngest daughter, and wife) hit the beaches. But not like most people imagine. Our adventure took us to Michigan where a plethora of beautiful beaches exist. The first day brought us to Sleep Bear Dunes National Lakeshore where the main attraction is climbing these large hills of sand. Once we accomplished this feat we set out to explore other areas on the National Park on this beautiful April day. The temperature had reached the 70’s a little earlier but a cold front was now moving through bringing the threat of rain and definitely cooler temperatures. Along the shore of Lake Michigan are some beautiful freshwater beaches providing a shark free location to sink your feet into the sand or take a dip in the water. At this time of year the water is a bit too chilly to do more than stick in a toe or two but as summer arrives the water warms for a refreshing dip. Rain began to fall and it was time to head back to the car ending our first day at the beach.

On the beach at Sleeping Bear Dunes

The next day brought more rain keeping us indoors for much of it. Eventually the rain let up and we decided to take advantage with a trip to the nearby sand in Frankfurt Michigan. Only a few minutes walk and we were once again walking on the soft sand along the shore of this Great Lake. Since it was early in the year this beach was still recovering from winter as preparations were just beginning to move the sand from city streets and parking lots back onto the beach where it belongs. Winter winds blow strong shifting sand from the waters edge further inland. As the snow disappears and the landscape comes back to life, these winds calm allowing the beaches to keep their sandy shoreline bringing crowds to enjoy them all summer long. With another day on the beach, even if for a short time, we returned to the comfort of shelter for the remainder of the day.

A sandy place of respite in Frankfurt, MI

On our final day, while beginning the drive home, we stopped at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore along the way allowing us to see three of the Great Lakes in one day, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron while going across the Mackinaw Bridge with Lake Superior a short drive away. One of the first stops in Pictured Rocks was the sandy beach along this largest freshwater body of water. Again the sand was beautiful and soft for the third and final day of beaches during Spring Break. The landscape is amazingly beautiful to take in while strolling through the sand as it cushions each step. Another part of this park that was fun is the North Country National Scenic Trail runs along the lake. A trail I’ve read about and looked into portions of interest to hike. I could imagine spending a couple days hiking through this picturesque landscape enjoying waterfalls, beaches, and natural rock formations.

A sandy shoreline on Lake Superior

Having spent several hours exploring this area, it was time to continue on our journey home. One last stop at another beach before we go though. While taking one final walk on the sandy shore, fog began to roll off the lake and flow into the trees creating a different view of the landscape. This time of year, fog is common near Lake Superior as the water remains cold throughout the year so when temperatures begin to warm up and there’s a lot of moisture around, fog is quickly produced. It creates a more dramatic landscape for our final memory of Picture Rocks on this adventure. It was now time to re-enter the car to complete our Spring Break road trip.

Fog rolling in at Pictured Rocks

Adventures, Michigan, spring, Troy's Blog

Spring Break Road Trip

Several months ago, while looking over the calendar, we noticed our girls had time off for Spring Break about the same time. This seemed like something we should take advantage of since who knows how many more times we’ll have the opportunity for a family Spring Break adventure. The plan was to go for an extended weekend somewhere within 8 hours of our house. Weather would help dictated which direction we went. As the week arrived we looked at a few different options and decided going to Badlands National Park seemed like the best option during Spring Break. We would leave Wednesday morning and return Saturday afternoon. Tuesday afternoon I checked in with a family friend who has some property in Central Michigan and found out they would be there for the week. Originally they were expecting to be gone a few days before Spring Break but things had changed a little. Talking with the family we decided a change in plans was in order and that the next morning we should head east instead. Tuesday night the car was packed and ready to go to Michigan.

A foggy morning driving through Wisconsin

Wednesday morning we were on the road by 5:30am eagerly anticipating our Spring Break adventure. It was a rainy start to the day which was expected to follow us throughout the drive east. As we got into Wisconsin, daylight began to fill the sky. With increasing brightness we could see fog filling many of the valleys providing interesting scenery to start the day. By lunchtime we neared the Wisconsin-Michigan boarder stopping to stretch our legs and getting something to eat. Returning to the road we soon crossed into a different time zone where we lost an hour entering Michigan and began to follow the top of Lake Michigan. The sights in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan kept us entertained with the road trip beginning to get long and going on hour number 8. Another hour and we were at the Mackinaw Bridge.

Driving over the Mackinaw Bridge

We had heard about this bridge from several other people but had never seen it ourselves. It’s certainly an engineering feet to see and drive on especially in an area that freezes during the winter. It’s interesting to drive on as one lane is metal grates which feel weird to drive over while the other is a cement deck. Crossing the bridge, we made another stop to explore Mackinaw Island which was mostly closed down since it’s more of a tourist place and it was too early for them to be open. Over the next few hours we continued south now that we were on the east side of Lake Michigan arriving at our destination. A little town on the shores of Lake Michigan in the central part of the state. It was a nice drive but we were happy to get out of the car. As a bonus, it was partly sunny with temperatures in the mid 70’s.

Our little town destination on the shores of Lake Michigan

Flowers, Troy's Blog

The First Spring Blooms

With snow still melting not far away the Hellebores began to bloom. These were the first flowers of spring which is very unusual. Typically pussywillows and maples start sending out their flowers as winter is receding with other spring ephemerals a couple of weeks behind. This year these beautiful blooms opened up on the first day of spring beating the pussywillows and maples by a week.

More flowers beginning to emerge

The first flowers opened up just underneath their leaf canopy while many other blooms continued to rise up from the leaves laid down last fall. Hellebores have leaves which stay green all winter long giving them a little protection from the cold which could quickly return. And for a night or two it did with little effect on this early blooming plant.

Most of the flowers now blooming

As the flowers continued to rise up from the ground, it became clear this would be one of the best spring blooms I’ve seen in the past 15 years of having these plants growing in the yard. Whatever conditions last summer led to such a beautiful display I’m not sure but it’s so nice to see as spring is eagerly anticipated. I look forward to enjoying many blooms over the next couple of weeks. Hopefully heavy snows steer clear of the back yard which could bring the flowering season to a quick end.

Catching some rays

Birds, Troy's Blog

Birds on the Beach

One of the fun things for me when retreating south for a reprieve from winter is to watch the many types of birds. Some of them are familiar since they migrate north for summer while others are unique as they stay in the south all year long. A bird that stood out for me was the Snowy Egret. This was the first time I’d ever seen one. The Great Egret is often spotted in Minnesota but, ironically, the Snowy Egret is not. It has some amazing plumage and not hesitant about displaying it. This is a smaller bird than it’s close relative the Great Egret but is just as striking in its pure white plumage. Both seem to have similar temperaments when competing for food. The Great Egret just has a longer reach.

Parakeets gone wild

A bird that I didn’t expect to see along the beaches of Clearwater, Florida, were parakeets. During one of the first mornings in this area, I heard a strange, but familiar sound. And then more birds chimed in with a similar sound. It wasn’t a call from a bird I was familiar with yet it seemed like I’d heard it before. Eventually I caught a glimpse of a flock moving from nearby palm trees that seemed to have a green coloration. Unfortunately these flew past without allowing me to really see them so I couldn’t identify them. Another day I saw this type of bird in palm trees overhead and was able to get a couple of pictures. They were Parakeets! Now it made sense. The sound was familiar because of pet stores selling them. I may not have heard these exact type of birds but similar enough making the calls familiar. They are a beautiful bird and fun to watch as they search for food among the palm leaves.

Grabbing Dinner

A bird that was fun to see was the Great Blue Heron. This is one I see in the North for summer nesting but was still enjoyable to be around in Florida during the winter. They seemed a lot more relaxed on these beaches allowing me to get closer than I would ever expect at home. What is the cause of this different behavior? I would venture to guess it’s a result of people feeding them as they fish. If the herons were fed in my area, I’m sure it would be easier to get closer to them also. Still fun to see them in great detail.

Shorebirds are another ocean staple. So much so that for the first couple of days I didn’t see them and began to wonder why? At the same time it was extremely windy and cold during the first part of my stay in Florida. Once the sun came out and the wind subsided, there they were running in and out of waves combing the beach for food. They are interesting to watch as they dart around the waves washing up on shore searching for any morsel fit for consumption. It’ll be a couple of months before I get to watch some of these birds return to the north once the weather becomes more suitable again and lakes lose their ice revealing a bounty of food.

Combing the beach

Flowers, Orchids, Photos, Troy's Blog

Winter Flowers

As winter continues….drags on really, one of my favorite tropical orchids came into flower. It’s a Phragmidedium called Stairway to Heaven. Why is it one of my favorites? The petals surrounding the pouch of this ladyslipper droop dramatically compared to the overall plant. I don’t know why that’s something that’s intriguing to me but it really captures my attention. The unfortunate part is that they only bloom for about a month and then they’re done until the next shoot matures so there’s a relatively short window to capture these blooms.

Winter continues

With winter continuing and the ground in a deep sleep under a blanket of snow, a craving begins to grow to see the greenery of plants growing. For this orchid to produce it’s beautiful flowers at this time of year couldn’t be more perfect. It’s always a challenge to capture the long petals as they hang lower than the height of the orchid plant itself. I decided to work with illuminating the inside of these ladyslippers again much like almost a year ago and see what features these little LED’s could highlight.

Stairway to Heaven in bloom

Using these little lights brings an interesting look to the orchids but also presents a challenge trying to add them so they don’t distract from the flowers or alter their position on the plant. Additionally, trying not to damage the flowers or plant while adding the lights is a concern causing me to work more deliberately and slowly. Wrecking a flower would be very disappointing as I wait for a long time and spend a fair amount of energy growing these to get them to bloom and waiting until the plant is ready to flower again seems to take forever.

A group of orchids giving some nice winter color

Blooming at the same time as this ladyslipper were a couple of Phalaenopsis. One is a taller plant while the other is a dwarf adding more color to the winter windowsill. Fortunately these last longer than the ladyslipper so I concentrated my attention of capturing the many details of Stairway to Heaven which make it one of my favorite orchids.

The long petals draping down from a single flower

Besides the long petals what makes this one of my favorites? The pouch of ladyslippers is always a part of orchids that are fun for me with all of their different spots and patterns. Another part that’s enjoyable is the petals are fuzzy and very soft to touch bringing a relaxing sensation while rubbing a finger across them. They are so soft! Not a lot of orchids seem to have this feature. Now that this Phragmipedium is flowering, I’ve moved it into an area I see on a daily basis so I can enjoy it as much as possible. A nice distraction from the cold on the other side of the window.

Adding light to the pouch of this bloom

Monopoly Traveler Reflections, Rocky Moutain National Park, Troy's Blog

Monopoly Traveler Reflections–Playing in the Snow, But It’s July!

On our first Monopoly Traveling adventure, Rocky Mountain National Park was one of one of six National Parks we visited during a 10 day road trip. While there we were surrounded by beautiful landscapes everywhere we went including snow capped mountains. During one of our days in this large park with seemingly endless horizons, we drove up to the Alpine Visitor’s Center on the Old Fall River Road which is a narrow, winding gravel road that can only be driven up the mountain as it’s a one way road. While at the visitor center exploring, we walked near some large snow banks still melting in early July. We’re used to snow filled winters but rarely is there a snow bank to be found by Independence Day.  I grabbed one of the kids and threatened to throw her into the snow bank head first on this mid summer afternoon.

snowball fight

With her nervous laughter, I set her down but quickly grabbed a handful of snow and formed a snowball. Having a snowball fight with my kids at this time of year never, ever crossed my mind which is why it was something we had to do. Soon after I released the first one, my girls armed themselves with snowballs and returned fire. We continued this until our hands were cold from handling the melting snow without gloves. It was summer after all, why would we need gloves? Each of us having been pelted with snow, brushed ourselves off before continuing to explore the mountain tops nearby with smiles etched on our faces. It’s these moments that create memories making a trip like this even more special.

Returning fire