Home Pool salmon.

Yet another short post today; I will have a long post running soon on Chi Wulff; you can read more about the past day there.

Ryabaga Camp dock.

Suffice to say I made it down to the river for a few minutes and my soul is much happier.

Cheers.

Tags: Ponoi Project

Guides relaxing at the Ponoi River Company's Ryabaga Camp. From left: Matthew Solon of Ireland, Boris Mamontoff of Argentina, Kiki de la Canal of Argentina, and Rory Patterson of Scotland.

Short post today.  One of my first projects in camp has been to track down all members of the staff and take pictures of them.

It’s been an interesting task as I don’t know who is who and don’t speak the same language as most of the people here.

It has turned out to be the best way to learn who everyone is and to make some new friends.  I’ll post some more portrait images later, but here’s a candid of a few of the guides I got in the downtime.

Tags: Ponoi Project

The flight into Ryabaga Camp.

I’ve arrived in Ryabaga Camp!  We left Murmansk yesterday morning and took a three and a half hour bus ride through the tundra to the little town of Lovozero.  Then a group of sixteen of us loading onto an Mi-8 for the two hour ride across the Kola Peninsula to Ryabaga.

 It was my first flight in a helicopter and certainly seemed like a fitting one.  Sitting on bench seats surrounded by a team of people speaking Russian and piles of various luggage and supplies at my feet, I was struck by a sense of surrealism.  A week ago I was walking the harbor in Olympia, Washington.  Now I’m in Russia at a fly fishing camp working with what seems to be shaping up to be a fascinating group of individuals.

Inside a Russian Mi-8 packed with sixteen people, luggage and supplies.

The river is astounding.  After being in Texas in the desert for the past year, seeing this much water in one place brought a big smile to my face.  It’s up; around 800 cubic meters per second, and should drop to around 400 through the season.  This is rich, dark water.  Darker water than I’ve seen before.  The guides have been out setting up river tents along the way – basically lunch stops for clients – and come back bundled up, cold and wet.  Temperatures were around 45 F yesterday with clouds and wind; today looks to be dawning still and partly sunny.  Mentally, at least, that should help keep it a bit warmer.

 We are prepping the camp today and tomorrow with the first week’s guests expected to arrive Saturday.  I have no doubt it will prove to be a mad first few weeks as I learn the camp, learn the job, and get to know my new teammates.  Much of the camp staff doesn’t speak English or has a very limited knowledge; I look forward to learning some Russian but for the moment we’re getting by with hand gestures and pantomiming.

Internet connection is a bit slow (satellite) so posting may be a bit infrequent.  Rest assured, though, the updates will be coming.

Tags: Ponoi Project

A blustery afternoon in Murmansk, Russia.

My first day in Murmansk is coming to an end.  It’s been a good one; got through the first round of medical tests this morning and will finish them tomorrow.  It’s windy and cool with rain blowing in over the Kola Bay.  The air carries mixed scents – the cleanliness of the tundra, the crisp saltiness of the water, and the acrid tang of industry.

It’s been fascinating to run around town and spend some time amongst and with the locals.  I’m with five of the Ponoi guides and we make a rather conspicuous group speaking various dialects of English and wearing our outdoor gear.

You can read more about today’s adventures over at Chi Wulff; they’ll be publishing a weekly ‘From Russia with Love’ series while I am here in Russia.

Tags: Ponoi Project

View from my room in Murmansk.

This will be a short post and more than likely not terribly coherent – so, my apologies in advance.

I’ve just arrived in Murmansk, settled into my hotel, and washed off the grime of 30+ hours traveling.  My body has no idea what time zone it’s in so I’m taking advantage of the wakefulness to throw this post up.

Flights went well; immigration was smooth.  I have two days of medical testing in the hospital here in Murmansk, starting bright and early tomorrow morning.  Can’t say it’s something I am looking forward to.  Necessary evil.

It’s bright and sunny outside despite it being after 9 PM here.  The view from my hotel overlooks the Kola Bay and I can see and hear a variety of shipping action down at the water.  The temperature is comfortable somewhere around fifty and the tundra looks fascinating.  Can’t wait to get out and explore it.

More to come over the next few days.

Tags: Ponoi Project

A half year's worth of living.

Well, about thirty-six hours before I hop on a plane for a few day’s worth of travel to Murmansk, Russia and then on to the Ponoi River Company’s Ryabaga Camp.

Those who know me well know that I have a somewhat maniacal tendency to seek out adventure.  I know the decision to take a job above the Arctic Circle in Russia was as big a surprise for me as for some of you.  The past two months have been a whirlwind of visa preparations, paperwork, late-notice moves and road trips across the country.  Something of a warp-speed experience.

I have a feeling the next five-plus months are going to make the past two seem like a walk on the beach.

I’ve been packing today, chasing down my final immunization (five clinics later, finally found the one I needed!) and programming new tech gear.  Magically everything looks like it will fit and I’ve discovered that as long as I have the camera gear I need, I’m perfectly okay living in three pair of pants and six shirts for half a year.

A shiny Russian work visa is printed in my passport and staring me in the face.  Story and photo essay ideas are already swimming through my brain much like a migratory salmon.

Thanks so much for the support you’ve all shown as I get ready for this adventure.  It’s been heartwarming to see folks from all over the world – and especially some acquaintances in Austin – come out of the woodwork and wish me well on this venture.  You’re all amazing and very, very much appreciated.

Well, yee-haw, let’s do this thing.

For those trying to reach me from now until the end of October, email will be the way to go.  I’m leaving my U.S. phone in Seattle and – hopefully – should have reasonable internet access in camp.

Time to access that internet, however, may be another issue entirely.

Tags: Ponoi Project

The fly tying section of the Gig Harbor Fly Shop.

Here are a few more shots from last week’s shoot at the Gig Harbor Fly Shop.  I don’t do many interior shoots, but always seem to enjoy  them when I do.

Gurgle Pots at the Gig Harbor Fly Shop.

The Patagonia section of the Gig Harbor Fly Shop.

Less than five days until I fly out to join the Ponoi River Company.  Trying to get everything situated here… I’m so ready to go!

Tags: Assignments

Thread spools at the Gig Harbor Fly Shop.

Yesterday I wandered over to the Gig Harbor Fly Shop.  Chi Wulff Mark had asked me to take a few pictures of the store and I happily pulled out the wide angle to do so.

The shop is awesome – Patagonia nirvana – and situated right down on the harbor in Gig Harbor.  Shooting inside always poses a bit of a challenge, but the colors and shapes inherent in a fly shop more than made up for it.  The majority of the back room is a fly tier’s paradise and the endless walls of dubbing, capes, and spools of thread made for a fun photo session.

And, no, I most definitely did not make it out of the store without buying something.

Tags: Projects

An old man walks through the mist along the Pacific Ocean on the Olympic Peninsula.

After three days of somewhat manic driving I’ve arrived in Washington…. and have come to the conclusion that sleep is overrated.

I’ve been too busy exploring the area, helping to host a party, and purchasing some final items for the Ponoi packing list to even give exhaustion much of a thought. Espresso beans have become my new best friend.

This morning Chi Wulff Mark and I made the run out onto the Olympic Peninsula and the Pacific Ocean.

A Pacific afternoon. Birds sun on the rocks; look for a seal head in the foreground.

It’s been well over ten years since I’ve seen the Pacific and, I must say, it puts the Gulf of Mexico to shame.  In the warm light of a rare sunny day here in northwestern Washington (it’s in the 60′s and locals have tank tops and shorts on – I’ve seen Texans sporting down jackets in the same weather) the ocean looked unusually inviting.  It was relatively calm and swells were kept to a minimum, though the cool water temperatures created a steamy layer of light fog along the shore.

The Olympic Peninsula is astounding.  Green and mountainous, the area gets more than ten times the annual rain than Austin receives.  The moss and ferns remind me of Glacier National Park, but the slight tang of sea salt in the air is a startling reminder that I’m not in Montana any more.

Quite a change from the desert of central Texas.

Tags: Oceans

The endless nothingness of West Texas. Nine hours of driving to get out of the state.

It’s official.  I’m out of Texas and starting this big adventure.

Fifteen hours on the road today and 1,000 miles.  I’m holed up in a little hotel in Farmington, New Mexico and hoping to make it to Boise tomorrow.  All the gear, clothing, and equipment I need for an indeterminate number of months is packed into the Subaru and I’m blasting across the highway at speeds that make me hope I can talk my way out of a ticket.

Gear on the road.

Three days on the road by myself is giving me a plethora of forced thinking time.  Some times it’s good, some times it’s not so good.  Life’s been so crazy the past month that I really haven’t had much time to sort through things… it’s been more like a triage situation.

Today was filled with lots of internal dialogue.  And creative planning time.

And maybe just a bit of on-the-road photography.  Driving and shooting iPhone pics simultaneously may not be the brightest move, but sometime’s you’ve just got to.

Tags: Road Trip