At this point, it’s clear something strange happened on the server.

The HOV Lane. A blog barely alive. We can rebuild it. We have the technology. We can make it better than HOV was before. Better…stronger…faster.

However, it has left little time for anything else. Blogging and blog-reading both fell by the wayside. I’m slowly starting to squeeze in a little time for both again. So, I look forward to hopefully reconnecting with you. You’ve been missed.

Today, I was able to hopefully get my Wordpress install up and running again. The HOV Lane remains as a mere shadow of its former self, but at least I can access the admin panel now. With spam protection having been down, there are now over 14,000 spam comments laying in waiting for review. Neeyice.

Hope you’ve been enjoying your life!

It turns out the HOV Lane either got hacked or something else went terribly wrong over the weekend. I’m guessing it occurred last night because that is when my notifications started to go awry.

This morning, I came to the site in order to start doing a series of posts about the people I’ve met and gotten to know better via this blog and their respective blogs. To my dismay, I found that the top main navigation bar that listed half a dozen pages/sections to this site IS GONE. All the material and links that used to be in the side bar navigation ARE NOW GONE. Luckily, all the past posts are still here and available via the list of links that are now listed in the sidebar.

Wow, I have a lot of work to do in the HOV Lane to get it back to its original self.

I’ve learned a lesson here today. For all your bloggers out there, please learn from my mistake. Keep your blog install up-to-date. Either my database was out-of-date or the Wordpress install was out-of-date. I’m going to try to solve that one some time after work today.

I’ll still post the series about the great people and blogs during the rebuilding effort. The posting of photographs will start back up again soon, too.

Normally, we leave considerations of the housing and financial markets to the pundits for their pondering enjoyment. However, something caught my eye on my way to work this morning and it seemed to be a good sign.

I’m currently working on-site with a client in Washington, DC. This morning, I took the metro into work. The train was filled with people listening to their iPods and squeezing in quick reads. Well, this one couple was standing in the middle of the train reading out of the same book. I could not help but wonder, how do they stay in sync to make their page turns simultaneously? Was anyone nearby listening to the 1983 hit, Police’s “Synchronicity” on their iPods?

After a while, they lowered their book. It was called, “How To Buy Your First Home.”

However small, it took it as a sign of recovery for the ailing housing market. May it also prove to be a sign of prosperity and many good times to come for this random couple. To the couple, thank you for sharing this morning’s metro ride.

To all of you, thanks for riding with me in the HOV!

This is a shot taken while taking some readings for the “shadow man” shot. It seemed fitting to look like a bandito, since I was standing in the “The Devil’s Golf Course” of all places.

For those who celebrate the Chinese New Year, a new year is also upon us. It is the year of the rat!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Well, it’s that time again. Have you made any New Month’s Resolutions?

My New Month’s Resolution… Blog more. Live less.

The above shot is one from my fine art photography work. Despite what my good friend, Maddie (5 yrs. old), believes, I didn’t cause the above crime scene. I happened upon it while driving through Anniston, Alabama. The scene is photographed as I found it.

I hope that your 2008 is filled with great times and good health for you and your family.

Thanks for joining me in the HOV! It has been great fun having you ride shotgun via this site.

View last year’s New Year’s greeting.

We have arrived upon the close of the year. Let us harken back to our hopes for the coming year, a year ago. For a reminder, please click here for last year’s New Year’s greeting.

Well, did you stand tall & make the difference you seeked to make in 2007?

How was your year? I hope it was all you had hoped for and more.

It seems two thousand ate two thousand seven.

Much to my surprise, my goose is getting fat.

I started yesterday by going out to buy a gallon a milk. Upon arrival at the dairy section, what seemed to be a dozen cows started a’ loudly mooing at me over a loudspeaker. I must admit, this selling tactic often works on me because I lunge at the desired dairy products in order to escape these mad cows.

But, this day was different.

I was entranced by the expiration date strewn along the top of my choice of gallons - Dec. 26th. I tried to catch my breath as the cows screamed. It’s true. My milk wouldn’t lie to me. Christmas IS right around the corner. Christmas is coming and my goose is getting fat.

Are you ready for your Holidays (the one(s) you celebrate)?

Let us look back upon the Garden of Artists one final time before heading out of the great state of Utah.

Bringing up the rear, here’s a straggler shot from Wyoming.

Gail, thanks for your help!

Please search this place out when in Milford, Utah. It is not named, Garden of Artists, that is merely the place it has in my mind.

I hope all of you enjoy a safe & happy Thanksgiving!

Here’s a picture of this holiday season’s first snowfall in the HOV Lane for all the e-mail subscribers.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, even if you don’t officially celebrate the Holiday. A day to give thanks (and, to eat a great meal) is always welcome.

Hope you enjoy the snow.

Today - Mostly cloudy. A slight chance of snow.

Tomorrow - Rain and snow likely during the evening…then snow likely. Snow accumulations 1 to 3 inches possible. Otherwise cloudy and brisk. Lows 30 to 34. North winds 10 to 15 mph…becoming northeast 15 to 25 mph late. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.

I am embarrassed to admit that I do not remember his name.  Stumbling upon this wonderful home was a highlight of the trip.  It included the pleasure of meeting his widow, who gave me a tour the grounds.  She was so incredibly nice and friendly.  I can’t believe their names are eluding me.

When shooting, I usually cover a great deal of material and ground over a very short period of time.  To keep things straight, I verbally tag image files with details regarding the shots.  For some reason, I have yet to find the audio files for this day.

I sincerely apologize for not being able to give credit to the artist and his wonderful wife.  If you happen to read this and know more about this artist’s work, please contact me.  I am a great admirer and had intended to properly showcase his work.  The thumbnail (can click for larger version) is one of his grandfather clocks that’s for sale.  Not much of a photo, but the magnificence of the clock hopefully makes up for it.

Shortly after crossing into Utah, happened upon this scene of surreal beauty.  More about it in the next post.

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, this post might be of interest to you.

Many of us enjoying our photographs with others, especially when the photographs are of a mutual memory that means a great deal to all the people involved. To do this, a growing number of people are using Web-based photo-sharing services, photo printing services and submitting images to media outlets via the Web.

There is a dirty little secret you should be aware of before uploading your images to any server other than your own. In many cases, you transfer ownership of YOUR photograph to that service/company. This transferral of copyright and/or granting of ownership rights is often buried within the Service’s Terms & Conditions, which almost no one ever actually reads before they click “yes” and agree to be contractually bound by them. Photographic rights related to these web-based services is one of the few times I’ve actually read the fine print. I’m glad I did years ago. I’m also glad I’ve recently been reminded of this potential pitfall so I could share with you.

A dear friend just sent a link to one of these services. She had uploaded photographs from a recent party a bunch of us attended. It was an incredibly fun birthday party for her Mom. We all dined on delicious food, visited with fun, friendly folk and danced to the songs of an Elvis impersonator. I digress. Let’s get back to the serious issue of uploading your photographs to a 3rd party’s service.

My friend was writing to let us know that some of the photographs from the party were now uploaded to a service which will remain nameless. This service, like many others, helps make it easier for you to share your pictures with your friends for them to then order the prints they’d like to have. One would think that, at least, in this case you’d remain sole owner of the images, but here is the exact wording from their Terms & Conditions (I removed the company’s name):

Accordingly, as a condition to your Membership, you hereby grant [the photo-sharing service] a perpetual, universal, non-exclusive, royalty-free right to copy, display, modify, transmit, make derivative works of and distribute your Content, solely for the purpose of providing the Service.

In this case, the transferral is limited to use “… solely for the purpose of providing the Service.” But, you do still give up your exclusive ownership of the image.

As a professional photographer, I avoid uploading my photographs to a service such as this. In the case of these pictures, my friend is probably okay with it.

Here’s my feeling on the matter. Whether an image is worthy of being sold as limited edition fine art or it turns out to be a personal snapshot that’s not worthy of any sort of sale, it is my photograph, not their’s. For any of you reading this who took the photograph, the image is your’s, not their’s. Please be careful with the rights afforded you under copyright law. Copyright law not only exists to help legally protect artists and enable them to reap the fruits of their labor and their, often times, significant financial investments made into learning and deliverying upon their crafts, it also protects anyone and everyone from having their image (pictures of their likeness) from being used without their permission.

Here is one more example. It is from a user agreement posted by a well-known media outlet that encourages visiters of their site to upload images as reader submissions. To this company’s credit, the following is openly put out in front of you when you are to click “okay”, instead of being buried in the fine print:

“All material submitted to [the media company’s name] (the “Submissions”) become the property of [the media company’s name] and will not be returned. Without affecting any of your ownership rights to the Submission, by submitting your Submission, you grant [the media company’s name] an irrevocable royalty-free, worldwide right, in all media (now known or later developed) to use, publish, alter or otherwise exploit your Submission and to sublicense such rights to a licensee at [the media company’s name] discretion. You hereby forever release [the media company’s name] and any of its licensees from any and all claims you might have in connection with its use and exhibit of your Submission as set forth above. You also agree to sign (your parent or legal guardian if you are a minor in your state or Province) any necessary documentation to effectuate that license and release.”

Now, you may feel some solice in the clause, ” Without affecting any of your ownership rights to the Submission,” but everything following that phrase states to what degree you give up your ownership to the photograph — forever! This one even states that not only do you agree to waive any of your rights for compensation (indefinitely), but you also allow this media outlet to in-turn sub-license the image.

Is that really something you want to do? I’d NEVER agree to it, even if I were an amateur, enthusiast photographer. You might, or might not, decide to agree. This article’s purpose is to illuminate that this sort of choice is often part of your agreement with the service’s/site’s conditions of use. The fine print is not a fun read, but it is often a worthwhile one in the case of sharing your photographs via 3rd party sites.

Would love to hear your opinions. Please share your comments.

(Don’t worry, you may maintain ownership of any thoughts offered via a comment)

Headed West along I-80, I couldn’t help but think someone was watching me. To quote, Rockwell’s 80s hit…

Who’s watching
Tell me, who’s watching
Who’s watching me

Turns out, it was good ole Abe Lincoln watching over us all on I-80 as the sun said its goodbyes.

At least, that was the plan until an unexpected snow storm hit. Luckily, my 4-wheel drive Element was able to successfully play an impromptu game of slip n’ slide up I-25. Later that evening, I pulled into Casper just as the Interstate became impassable. North of Casper, the highway was closed. Several tractor trailer trucks had run off the road. I pulled into a truck stop parking lot and prepared for multiple days of car-camping.

Over the next couple of days, 2-3 feet of snow fell down upon my Element, making it a makeshift icehouse. I had taken a shot of the Element the morning after the biggest storm, but all of the images were lost due to an equipment malfunction.  A microdrive failed.  For anyone out there still using Microdrive technology, please go solid-state! I used to carry three 2 GB and one 1 GB microdrive on the road. I have since switched over to packing four 4 GB compact flash cards, which are faster and much more reliable. Even so, I’m hesitant to put more than 4GB of work on one card. As for my microdrive days, I’m happy to report none of the previous microdrive malfunctions destroyed any mission-critical shots.

But, it did leave me with only this photograph from camping through the blizzard in my Element. The most dramatic shots are forever gone.

This shot was taken on the third day, just before the road had finally cleared. By then, I was too far behind schedule and headed South back to catch I-80 into Utah.

“Good, but a number of typox in this one.”

Thanks for letting me know. And, thanks for helping me feel a little better about it.

The Luxury Diner was a serendipitous discovery on a road trip my Dad and I took in the Fall of 97. We were driving up from Denver through Wyoming to Billings, Montana. From there we headed West to Livingston, Bozeman and West Yellowstone. An early snow put the dampers on our planned jaunt into Yellowstone. Instead, we clipped through SouthEast Idaho and drove down to Salt Lake City. If I remember it right, the drive spanned 4 days, 5 at the most. We covered a lot of ground over a short period of time.

The road trip was incredibly fulfilling. Our heads got filled up with thoughts of incredible possibilities. Our memories got filled up with good times. Our rental car’s windows got filled up with spectacular scenery and our mouths got filled up on good eats… at the Luxury Diner.

Located next to the tracks that run alongside the Lincoln Hwy, the Luxury Diner is the real-deal. It sprouted in 1896 as a trolley car and had quickly grown into a diner by 1926. On our first visit, the Luxury Diner’s seating area limited to to confines of the original dining car. Since then, it has been expanded. The original exterior front wall and neon sign that beckoned us in from the road is now part of the diner’s interior. Unfortunately, the Luxury Diner’s exterior is somewhat nondescript nowadays. I’m happy to report, what matters most is still here.

The inner atmosphere is still here just as it was. The killer cooks and friendly wait-staff are still chugging along, promptly pulling up to your table to deliver great eats. The old dining car is remains as half of the dining area. It sports a breakfast counter lined with a railroad rail. The walls are littered with train memorabilia. The food is always served piping hot. Every dish I’ve tried over the years has been delicious. The friendly, high-spirited waitresses also make you feel at home. I would to thank one of them, Devon. Thank you for your tips on the local area and for letting take a few shots of the diner.

Driving through Wyoming working on the Send Me A Sign Project, iThe Luxury Diner was a must-stop. Then, had to hit it again a few months later on the drive from Idaho back to my studio. If you’re ever in the area, give it a try!

The statue atop the cliff depicts Chugwater’s lazy, enterprising son of an Indian Chief. Local residents say the statue used to be accompanied by one or two buffalo statues a few years ago, but they were stolen.

Let us all hope they are returned to roam some day.

As soon as my GPS unit served it up, I knew I had to be a part of the Chugwater experience.

The town is situated a stone’s throw off if I-25, just North of Cheyenne. It is a small, sleepy town of approximately 224 people (2000 U.S. Census).

From where does such a great name hail? The town was once nourished by Chugwater Creek, which some say is the town’s namesake. Those namesake sayers must be Chugwater Legend naysayers.

The Legend of Chugwater

Once upon a time, this land was looked over by an Indian Chief who begot a lazy son. Couches had yet to be invented. Potatoes had yet to be planted (around here). So, the lazy son didn’t grow up to be a ripe, old couch potato. Instead, his destiny was to become known as “The Dreamer.”

Laziness often proves to be the mother of invention, “There has to be a way to do this without working so hard.” The inception of Chugwater was no exception.

Pining away another lazy day, “The Dreamer” dreamed up a scheme for transforming his never-ending need to “hunt & gather” into a proverbial walk in the park.

“Rather than hunt down and gather up buffalo, what if I were to set a trap conveniently located at our tribal village’s doorstep?” he purportedly pondered. The lazy, tribal inventor then set forth to dream up the seemingly impossible scheme, “I’ll stampede buffalo to, and over, the chalk cliffs that tower over our town.” Eureka! It worked. The resulting rain of buffalo led to the town’s being known as “Buffalo Jumps.”

When a buffalo falls off a cliff, it apparently raises quite a rukus. The Dreamer’s buffalo trap eventually became known for the unique sound buffalo make when they hit the ground from a relatively high altitude, “water at he place where the buffalo chug.” But, at this point in the town’s history, we still didn’t have a great name for this place.

Then, there was a lucky strike!

Pioneers arrived and adopted an abbreviated version of the Indian Name. “Chugwater,” they called it.

This seems so roomy when compared to my Element. All things considered, think I’ll stay in my Element.

This was someone’s home… home on the range. Being a miner’s trailer, it was probably more like someone’s home… home on the mountain range.

It would make for an eclectic office space today, don’t you think?

You know, there is a need for me to get better juggling life on the road and life back at the homestead. You’d think I’d have it down by now. A few trip-ups this time around drove it home… still need to improve.

Well, all is finally settling down back down now. It’s good to be pulling back into the HOV Lane with more regular posts from Wyoming.

“Where’s The Beef?” Good question. Where have all the cattle gone?

Having been fortunate enough to live in a Minneapolis for a few years, I have a great appreciation of and affinity for the city, the people and for the wonderful midwestern spirit of the place. I also have many dear friends who live there.

Our thoughts are with you all.

Decided to pull off the road to stretch my legs and take a brisk walk on the roadside of life. The retrospective view of my Element provided a stunning sky-works show.

Keep On Truckin’!

From Arizona, I headed back up through Colorado to Wyoming.

Let’s kick-off the Wyoming series with this shot from the American wild west!

Apache Junction KOA Campground. Remove a cactus’ needles. Make a comfy seat.

That raises an interesting question. When you remove your cat’s claws, it is declawed. Does anyone know what to call it when you remove all the needles from a cactus?

The only thing I can come up… A Prickly “Nair” Pear? Seems to sum it up for a prickly pear, but what about any and all other cacti? How best to describe the resulting “needle-less” state of being?

I was glad to oblige, but the trip home went by like a blur. The night after Lora’s comment posted, I arrived home as the Element quietly coasted into Decatur, Georgia in the middle of the night.

So, here’s a retrospective list of the states driven through on the way home:

• Idaho
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Iowa
• Missouri
• Illinois
• Kentucky
• Tennessee
• Georgia
• Back into… Tennessee (I-24 does this)
• Back into… Georgia (I-24 does this)

That was the hurried road trip home. Prior to heading home, new material had been photographed in: Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and Missouri. The “bold” states are the ones that have yet to be posted in The HOV Lane.

Photographs from the Great State of Wyoming will start posting tomorrow.

Closed?!! Drats!

As it turned out, I tried one of those roadside taco trailers while in Winnemucca, Washington. It was, perhaps, the best Mexican food I’ve ever had! More about that later.

That taco trailer does make me wish I had stuck around and taken a culinary dip into El Barrilito.

Off to catch a snooze cruise…

As of about 5 minutes ago, it was official. The Great Western road trip is a wrap with material photographed in every Western state.

Now, what to do? I feel like Forest Gump (as, I often do) when he stopped running and just went home.

Guess I’ll do the same thing. I’m going home to sit on my couch.

Okay, that’s not entirely true. I will hit the road back to Atlanta in a few minutes. Once there, this couch potato will grow no moss. Got lots more road trip photos and stories to post.  After a little time in the studio, plan’s to hit the road again to keep shooting.

The HOV Lane does not end here. Please keep moving. As a reader of the HOV, you already know there’s nothing to see here.

This sign is one of great character. It is fashioned out of old tires, pipes and fence poles.  Not only does it have a great deal of character, it is also a testament to innovation.

Timed Multiple-Exposure

Here’s a more detailed shot of the message posted on this palm tree, in case it not legible in the last shot. Unfortunately, there was now way to photograph the entire message since it wrapped around the tree. This angle best provided the gist.

A heart-felt thank you to our troops

Driving through America, I have the pleasure of experiencing many public displays of thanks for those who serve.  This one of the more inspirational displays of gratitude.

The photographs and stories being posted often lag behind where I’m shooting at any given time. Between aggressive deadlines and most posts consisting of photographs, it is usually prohibitive for posts to be made real-time.

Some of you asked for better ways to keep track of the trip. The HOV’s “Trip Tracker” has been updated to help better address this naturally & frequently occurring phenomenon. When shooting, the “Trip Tracker” is updated several times throughout a day & it provides:

• Location currently shooting in
• Direction currently heading
• Location of material currently posting to the HOV Lane

As it turns out, the “Rear View Mirror” was also “broken.” Thanks to some help from the team at 30 Boxes, it covers the last 5 months of posts now.

Thanks for your feedback! If you have any other suggestions, please e-mail me! hovlaneblog@mac.com

Oh, say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

This tattered flag proudly, defiantly stands against the harsh elements of the Northern Arizona desert. The flag’s battle-worn condition seemed reminiscent of the Star-Bangled Banner. I hope all enjoyed a happy and safe 4th of July.

Happy Birthday America!

Okay, time to get back to posting material from Arizona.

However, the stunning beauty of this country road is neither the most remarkable nor the most memorable thing about this drive. It is the humanitarian act of the American Legion Post #97 (Libby, Montana) that I will remember most.

The American Legion has posted white crosses at every point that someone has died along the highway. The white cross stands upon a bright red metal pipe base. In the case of an incident in which multiple people passed to the other side, the bright red pedestal displays 2, 3… etc. white crosses.

Many of us have seen the handmade memorial crosses that friends and families some times post along side the road to remember loved ones lost to an accident. Each memorial has its own style and personality that provides a glimpse of the missed… the hearts broken… the dreams lost.

However, driving through this seemingly endless field of white crosses starkly different from these previous experiences. The consistent, frequent repetition of these stark, minimal white crosses posted along Montana’s Highway 2 were reminiscent of the tombstones of Arlington cemetery. Their stoic stature and sheer numbers haunt ones soul and truly drive home the point. Message received.

Although, it seems even this is not enough for some people. As I stood along the road photographing the crosses, many a reckless driver sped by me.

My work often leaves me standing on the side of the road. I usually take extra precautions in recognition to the danger posed. Nevertheless, I probably need a reminder from time to time. Thanks to American Legion Post #97, I have one for the Holiday weekend.

This 4th of July, over 41 million drivers will be hitting the road. I hope the story of Montana’s Hwy 2 is a timely reminder for us all. It certainly was for me.

Note: To celebrate the Holiday, I’ll be off the grid for the next few days. Posting will pick back up on the 4th. Happy 4th of July to those from America!

The award is to be given to a blogger who has gotten someone to think. I had heard that my blogging had gotten many a person to think about NOT coming back here again. Perhaps, that’s the reason it has been granted in the case of the HOV Lane.

Okay, I am now tasked with giving the award to more bloggers. Since the HOV Lane is primarily a photoblog, let’s do a few photobloggers. All newly added to the blogroll:

Beth Ellen Nagle of Eclectic Studio Cafe. Beth Ellen has a wonderful knack for pointing out the beauty that silently surrounds us in our daily lives, but often goes unnoticed. With her macro lens, she illuminates the micro lifestyle. It gets you to look at the world we live in a little differently…

Thomas Laupstad of Photos From Norway’s Arctic. Thomas shares beautiful shots of Arctic Norway on his blog. During my college years, I took the coastal steamer up to the Northernmost point of Europe, Norway’s Nordcapp. It was a fantastic voyage. Thomas’ blog gets me thinking of going back. His beautiful shots also inspire me photographically.

Trey Ratcliffe of Stuck In Customs. Trey is a master of HDR photography. His work is truly spectacular.

Adria of In Cinq. She has already received the Thinking Blog Award, but I could not go without mentioning her In Cinq photoblog project. It is a fascinating collection of self-portraits, each of which is an interesting act of self-expression.

Sandi, thank you again for the honor of the award. Keep those delicious recipes rolling at Whistlestop Cooking! Hope to see you & Bill soon!

AAA estimates that over 41 million people will be hitting the road this 4th of July weekend. That’s this coming weekend!

Uuugh. For me, its like 41 million people are coming to visit. Any suggestions on how to be a good host? Wonder what I should serve.

Following the dinosaur tracks, we came upon this scene. I’m told it is what it looks like.  Further evidence dinosaurs were here.

For our hunt, Cheryl was armed with a bottle of water. Once spotted, she would dribble water into the indented dinosaur track. The moisture darked the desert floor and seemed to spring the mighty footprints to life.

Ready to track these mighty beasts, I set out to source a guide.  My guide’s name is Cheryl.  She is a proud member of the Navajo Nation Tribe.  She was incredibly nice and knowledgeable.  If you make this stop, I hope you meet her.

Since Cheryl reluctantly agreed to let me take her photograph, the “Tracking Big Feet” shots were taken so that she appears “silhouette.”

Let the hunt begin!

Dinosaur Tracks Left 1/2 Mile

Let the pilgrimage to track down these mighty beasts begin!

Got…. to… find… water.

One summer when my family lived in Palos Verdes Estates, CA, we took a road trip through Arizona. This is one of the early experiences that got me hooked on road trips. It also got me hooked on the Sequoia National Forest. Driving through the Arizona amongst these desert dwellers is a surreal experience.

These cacti resemble petrified people standing around in the desert seemingly waiting for something to happen. Perhaps, they are waiting for me to leave so they can move again.

Like people, each sequoia has its own unique look and personality. Wish I could stick around longer to get to know them better.