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I hope you enjoy the new photos from my recent trip to Kamchatka! Bears of Kamchatka Kamchatka Love, Larry

Hi Everyone  This is it. The last day of this adventure. First the day as it unfolded and then my wrap up.Woke up at 7 and then went through the dining room for my normal ritual of starring into nothing and drinking lots of coffee.  We all met at 8:45 to go to the Petropavlovsk Harbor to take a Catamaran ride and have lunch on the Catamaran. The Catamaran was very roomy and off we went. Most of the wildlife we saw were various kinds of birds. There were lots of Puffins. The puffins I had previously seen in Iceland had black bodies. These puffins had brown bodies. It is hard taking pictures from a rocking boat. Just imagine trying to focus as the boat is rocking. We finally stopped for lunch. We were served hot soup with a boiled potato and piece of salmon in it. Quite tasty. They also served cured salmon. How I love it. Could not eat enough. After lunch we went back to the harbor and disembarked.  Dmitry then took us to the local fish market and to buy souvenirs. I bought five Russian dolls for my five granddaughters and two other gifts for two of my grandsons. Poor Eli was left out. He is only one.  We then drove to downtown Petropavlovsk. A large statue of Lenin was overseeing the public square. We walked o a rocky beach while people were fishing and enjoying themselves. Got some great people photography.  It was then off to visit the largest Russian church in Petropavlovsk. Very impressive and beautiful. We went inside to witness Mass. The inside of the church was so impressive. Mass was given in Russian. A beautiful way to end this great adventure. We then went to a great steakhouse for our farewell dinner. I sat next to Sonya. She told me I should feel proud of myself for enduring many of the difficult conditions that we faced.  I leave Petropavlovsk at 1 PM and land in Moscow at 12:30 PM. That’s impossible. Not really. The flight is nine hours and there is a nine hour time difference. At 2:30 I board Aeroflot for a nonstop flight to JFK and land at 5 PM. Jet lag here we come. Pray for me to endure.  Now to summarize my trip. This trip created so many memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Camping out for ten of the fifteen days. Crawling into a one person tent. Going to the bathroom wherever. Doing both one and two on the side of an active volcano. How many people can brag about that? Seeing the dead forest. Absorbing the mood and aura of the dead forest. Raising the level of my ability to see by observing Vladimir. This ability is the trademark of a great photographer. I am constantly working on that ability. Looking at a location and creating an image before the shot is taken. The bears. I could not describe the connection I developed after observing these beautiful creatures at such a close range. How beautiful they are. It seems like two days was not enough. I am so happy that they are protected and cherished in their natural environment. These creatures do not belong in a zoo. This is were they belong. I hope my grandchildren get to see them one day here. Climbing up an active volcano to get to the crater. Being dragged by Dmitry as I reached total exhaustion. Seeing what I saw. The pulse of the earth. Beating and alive. Smoke coming out of it as I watched this amazing spectacle. All trips are eventually about the people. The Russian people who took care of us were incredible. They got such joy of seeing my photography. Photography is truly the international language. Dmitry dragging me up and down the volcano. He wanted me to see this incredible sight. Sonya watching after me and making me coffee. Natalia and her amazing cooking. The other staff members creating our tent camps and then breaking them down. The drivers of our Kamaz. How great they were. Vladimir, such a great photographer. How much I have learned from him. This trip is not for most people. At seventy, I was by far the oldest one of the group. I endured and as Sonya said “I should be proud of myself”. I am sad to leave the country of my grandparents but I will always have my memories and pictures.  The next adventure starts in early November. We are off to Tanzania and the Serengeti.  Love Larry

Hi Everyone It seems like I have been in Kamchatka for much longer than two weeks. Trips of this length tend to cause you to loose track of time. Time does not mean anything. If you spend more time somewhere it doesn’t matter and when your meals are served is not important. Breakfast was served at 8. I did not have a good rest last night. Kept on waking up and trying to stay warm. I have become tired of sleeping on the ground. My trusted bathroom bottle has served me well throughout the various camps. I would highly recommend them if and when you are crazy enough to camp out. Natalia made an extraordinary final breakfast. Her porridge was made with small pieces of dried apricot. I will miss her porridge. All the others were going on a final hike to see if there was an ice Cave in the vicinity and even if there was, it may not be safe to enter. I decided to not do the hike. My legs and shoulders are crying out for relief. I will be waiting for everyone else to return in the Kamaz. Our return trip to the hotel will take approximately three hours and then we will spend it there for the last nights of this journey. We arrived at the hotel at about 3 PM. Had lunch and we all decided to chill out and do nothing. I spent some time on the internet and then took a great swim in the natural hot springs pool. The water was so soothing to my aching body. Then I took a long hot shower and felt refreshed. How beautiful a normal bathroom is. We take so much for granted. Dinner was at 9 in the hotel restaurant. I am starting to miss Natalia’s cooking. We are going on a boat ride tomorrow and then a farewell dinner. LoveLarry

Hi Everyone How can I describe today? Will try my best and hope I convey my experience. The day started when I woke up at 6:30. Slept in my one man tent. I know I do not have many more days camping out. I am glad I experienced this way of living but it is not for everyone. Met Kip and Kevin in the dining tent for some coffee. At 8 breakfast was served. I will truly miss Natalia’s amazing breakfast. She is a true magician. I specifically love her pancakes and put caviar on it. The only way to really enjoy pancakes. At 9 will left for a very bumpy ride to the trail head of the trail to the caldera. It took about thirty minutes of bouncing up and down to arrive at the trail head. We were told that each way would be three hours or three miles to the caldera. I did not know what to expect. The first question is where do you find a caldera? It is the crater of a volcano and you have to hike up the volcano to the caldera. We started at the trail head. The Kamaz could only go so far. Up we went. Over ice fields and areas of large volcanic rocks and boulders. We were constantly rising with some flat areas. I followed Dmiitry like a mother bear and her cub. He helped me go up some areas that had forty five degree inclines and were full of sharp rocks. I began to shed my clothes. First the gloves, then the woolen hat and finally the winter jacket. The more we walked the sweatier I got. I grabbed Dmitry’s hand often as we climbed an endless series of inclines and ice fields. Finally Dmitry pointed to an area where I saw smoke rising from the earth. That was our final destination. We finally reached the last segment of the hike. Straight up. When I saw it I wanted to just sit in a big boulder and cry.Dmitry grabbed my hand and pulled me up. We finally reached the crest. I had done something that very few people my age would ever do. My heart was filled with accomplishment and joy. What I saw was truly amazing. We were facing an active volcano. Smoke was constantly coming out of the earth creating different patterns. We were up close and witnessing this amazing spectacle. I just starred at what I was looking at and grabbed my camera. I could not stop clicking. How fortunate I am to witness the strength and beauty of nature this way.Dmitry and some staff set up lunch on the ground. I just wanted to absorb all the beauty I was witnessing. After resting and taking pictures for about one hour, we decided it was time to make our way back. I could tell you that the return trip was worse. We were going downhill many times and it was much easier to fall. Also, my quads and knees started to ache. Dmitry constantly grabbed my hands and helped me down. It seemed like the hike would never end. I fell twice during the hike. Got one scratch on my leg, but otherwise did not hurt myself. I could tell you that this was one of the most difficult things I have ever done to take unique pictures. As I descended down I started to dream of the Kamaz and sitting down. Without Dmitry I would have never made it and witnessed something that will always remain in my memory. I finally saw the Kamaz in the distance. That beautiful Kamaz waiting for me. When I arrived at the Kamaz I gave the driver a big hug. I forgot to mention we were all using two walking sticks each. Without these I would not have been able to accomplish this feat. My pants were filthy, my shirt was full of sweat and my feet were swollen as I climbed onto the Kamaz. The drive back was bumpy but I didn’t care. I was dreaming about a tent shower and a chair. We arrived back at Camp and Natalia had done her magic again. Hot borsch was served. It was so good. I just sat and consumed Natalia’s borsch and felt spent. Dmitry set up my tent shower. I took off my dirty, sweaty clothes and let the hot spray of water consume me. I got dressed in clean clothes and barely made my way back to my tent for a nap. It was 7:30 PM when I awoke. I was stiff and it seemed like every part of my body was screaming. Dinner was served at 8. I could not eat. Had some wine from Georgia. That’s in Russia. Tasted quite different. A campfire was then started outside and I starred into the flames thinking of how I had challenged myself and what I had seen today. LoveLarry

Hi Everyone We left our hotel in Petropavlovsk at 9 AM for the drive to tent Camp 4. I slept well last night and felt somewhat refreshed in the morning. We left most of our clothing at the hotel and took only what we needed for two nights stay. I am hesitant about another tent camp due to the experience I had in tent Camp 2. The Kamaz picked us up at the hotel. There is another Kamaz that all of our food, tents etc. We drove for four hours over some of the roughest terrain I had ever experienced. The Kamaz bounced up and down. The distance was not far but you could not do any speed with the non existence of any roads. We made some toilet stops wherever. The terrain reminds me of Iceland. Lots of patches of snow between volcanic lava rocks and black sand. Very barren with some large snow streaked volcanoes. We finally arrived at our campsite. The staff set up our dining room tent while we roamed around. Then I saw it. From our campsite we are looking directly at a caldera with smoke coming out of the earth. I took a folding chair up to the end of the cliff, sat down, put my 100-400 lens on and waited for the smoke. Every time smoke appeared it created a different pattern and shape. From mushrooms to funnels I kept on clicking. I fell in love with the situation. Told Dmitry he needs to get me near the smoke. He smiled sat me. Finally the Camp was set up. Lunch was served. Natalia cooked meat and chicken balls. I had the strips of salmon instead with some caviar. Caviar is always served and the Russian people will put it on anything. The salmon is so good. The same salmon the bears eat. Now I can understand why they love sockeye salmon. The salmon I ate was cured a little. The best I have ever had. After lunch or about 3:30, the weather turned and fog rolled in and then some rain. Vladimir was going to take us to a waterfall to shoot late in the day. The location was about a thirty minute Kamaz ride over bumpy slopes and terrain. At about 6 PM we decided to drive to the waterfall since there was nothing to do at Camp and see if the fog lifts. By the way, each one of us has our own crawl in tent and one of the staff dug a hole in the ground, put a portable toilet over the hole and set up a small tent around the facility. No problem. I have used this type of facility in Mongolia for two weeks. The drive to the waterfall might have been the most bumpy ride I have ever taken. We bounced around the Kamaz and had to hold on for dear life. We finally arrived at the waterfall and could not see a thing. The fog was on top of us but we heard the sound of the waterfall. Vladimir put up his drone and told us that we were at the edge of the fog and should wait until 8 PM. We decided to wait and just as we were ready to leave, the fog started to lift and we started to click away. As the fog was lifting we got some good images of the waterfall and the surrounding mountains and volcanoes. After about one hour, we decided to leave since we did not want the driver to drive back in total darkness. Could be very dangerous. The ride back was also very bouncy. We finally arrived back in Camp in almost total darkness. Natalia had barbecued pork and beef steaks. A great meal. Tomorrow we have a three mile hike up to the caldera. This is where the smoke was coming from. My back is hurting all the time and I am living on Motrin. I will not miss this hike. A total of six miles with some up hill. I need to take pictures of this living thing. We were told that we need to carry our cameras in a camera bag or backpack since many of the gases are acidic and they could hurt the camera and lens if totally exposed all the time. We sat around a camp fire for a while and then each of us eventually crawled into our tents. Pray for me tomorrow. I need to make it to the rim of this crater. LoveLarry

Hi Everyone How did my day start? Woke up at about 6 AM. Not too comfortable sleeping in a tent between two Russian bears snoring. Got my old tired bones up, dressed and went to the dining hall for coffee and to edit some more pictures. I can tell you I really got some great bear shots. Vladimir told me that I had gotten more quality bear shots than everyone else combined. One he is drooling over. Where else to go to see and do bear photography but to Russia and specifically to Kamchatka? The brown bear is a symbol of Russia and is one of their national treasures. I will always remember the beauty and grace of these magnificent creatures. How the mother bear protects her cubs and how they follow her around for three years. Talk about strong relationships. I hope my grandchildren get to see them one day in such an environment. Breakfast was served at 8 AM and we were supposed to leave via helicopter at 10. The problem is that there was fog all over. The helicopter could not take off from Petropavlovsk until 11:30 and we finally lifted off at 1 PM. The helicopter ride took about an hour. We finally landed in Petropavlovsk and saw our friendly Kamaz waiting for us. Our luggage was loaded and off we went to the same hotel we left on Monday morning. I was given the same room and immediately took a long hot shower and shave. How good it felt. Met everyone for lunch at 3 PM. Had fish dumplings. Very tasty. Some of the other photographers went into town for street photography. I need to mope and rest my tired legs and hands. Your hands and fingers get tired taking pictures everyday. Dinner is at 8:30. We will then go over tomorrow and our final tent camp. We will be sleeping again in single person tents for two nights. I have endured everything up to this point and will certainly plow through the remainder. LoveLarry

Hi Everyone Had breakfast and boarded our pontoon at about 8:30 for the ride back to our location yesterday. The location is so good that why go anywhere else. We arrived and set up for the day. With the armed guards on either side of us, we surveyed the bears. There were much more salmon in the water and you can actually see them. This should be interesting. The bears started to work their way down to the water. They are such slow moving creatures, but are very fast and quick when they have to be. The bears put on a performance for us catching their breakfast. Their ability to catch the salmon with their mouth is so unique. The bears learn this technique before they leave their mothers probably by watching other bears do it. My camera clicked away. By the way I forgot to mention what camera I was using for these shots. My Sony A9 did the job. This camera has never disappointed me. The speed and quickness of focus makes this camera my favorite. I had a 100-400 lens attached with a 1.4 teleconverter. We spent all day there or until 4 PM. My legs started to become rubbery due to getting up and down and walking around. The day got warmer and the Kamchatka sun was strong. After arriving back at Camp, I asked Dmiitry to set up a tent shower for me. He led me into an old wooden barrel like structure that also served as a sauna, put down my cylinder filled with hot water and I refreshed myself. After my shower I set up my computer in the dining area to be recharged, download and work on my images. There are lots of Chinese tourists here. They are the majority of tourists. I have not found any Americans visiting this remote place. We share the dining area with a large group of Chinese who will be spending the evening at the Camp. They wandered over to me and started to observe my work and images. They complemented me over and over. Photography is truly an international language. Many of them are traveling with cameras. After dinner we took a five minute walk to a bridge that was built over an inlet into the Lake. The bridge was quite long. We were going to go on the bridge to observe the bears. One problem, bears had climbed up onto the bridge and were using the bridge as a sort of playground. How interesting. The Chinese group arrived with lots of cameras and equipment and we decided to go back to the dining hall. I sat down and worked on my images. The Chinese eventually returned and a group of them surrounded me and were constantly giving me the thumbs up. Vladimir commented that I had become an international celebrity and had taken more great images than everyone else combined. Some members of the group are starting to become jealous and we have playful comments about this. At about 11 PM it was time to wander back into my tent and endure the two sleeping Russian bears on either side of me. Sleep came about 1 AM We are having breakfast at 8 AM and boarding the helicopter back to our hotel. How I can’t wait for a long hot shower, bed and the internet. LoveLarry

Hi Everyone How did your day go? I will bet anyone that they did not have a day like I did. I spent most of the day on a small mound of sand surrounded by thirty to forty brown bears all around us and protected by two Russian Park Rangers with large guns. Now that we know what I did, how did all this happen? We started our day by meeting for breakfast at 7:30. It was so nice taking a long hot shower and reestablishing a relationship with a bathroom. We then got on a different Kamaz for a ride to a local airport. I left most of my clothing at the hotel and gave then laundry since I will return on Wednesday. We all boarded a helicopter for the ride south to our bear camp. The helicopter ride took about one hour and we were able to open the windows to take pictures. The helicopter had no seats. We sat on the sides of the helicopter on one long bench with our gear in front of us. We flew by volcanoes and beautiful green slopes and crevices filled with snow. Eventually we landed in a small grassy area near a campsite. We got out of the helicopter and walked to our home for two days and nights. The tents are large and we were each given our own tent. There are two cots and two chairs inside. After dropping off our clothing and some gear, we all met in the front of a beautiful lake with a large volcano on the other side of the lake. The Camp is surrounded by an electrified fence to keep the bears out. We all met in the front of the lake and immediately saw our first bear. We were then given large boots that go above your knees to wear. A mother bear and two of her cubs followed. Bears give birth in January in their dens. The mother bear is very dangerous and will attack if she feels that her cubs are in danger. The cubs stay with the mother for three years. They follow their mother wherever she goes. The bond seems to be unique and very strong. We waited for the mother bear and her cubs to pass and then boarded a pontoon looking boat with our cameras wearing these weird looking boots and carrying one folding chair each. Dmiitry, Sonya and two guards with large shotguns joined us.Dmiitry brought snacks and beverages. We rode for about thirty minutes to a sort of sand bar near the shore. Along the way, we were pointed out a monument to a Japanese photographer who was eaten by a bear about ten years ago. Last year, a forest ranger was attacked and killed. This is serious stuff and could be quite dangerous.Dmiitry told us that Putin has visited along with dignitaries and he has seen some movie stars as well. We set up our folding chairs in a line with Dmitry and Sonya setting up in back of us. The guards were at either end. When we arrived there were at least twenty bears and more were coming. The bears were looking for sockeye salmon. We stayed on the sand bar for approximately six hours walking around the confined area and sitting down on our chairs. I had to understand and master the technique of taking pictures of bears. For you photography people, I set my camera in manual mode so that I could have control of both the shutter speed and aperture. I set ISO at 200 and eventually raised it to 400 as the day progressed. I found out that my shutter speed worked best at around 800-1000 and my aperture varied how many bears were in the image. In the middle of the day my technical stuff and the skill to anticipate the bears to create exciting images clicked. I took about 2000 pictures of these amazing creatures and was very happy with the results. The pontoon eventually came for us as the day was getting colder. It does not get totally dark here until about 10 PM and light starts to appear at about 4 AM. Upon the arrival at the Camp we were told to hold onto our monster boots since we we were going to use them tomorrow. Dinner was another creative and different feast created by Natalia in a big working kitchen. After dinner I went through my ritual of downloading and started to edit by bear pictures. They are outstanding and I am my worst critic. After talking with Kika for about an hour about this trip and photography, I worked my way back to my tent and tried to sleep. With two Russian bears snoring on either side of me, it became difficult and I got about two hours of shuteye. As Andy says, “You can sleep when you die”. LoveLarry

Hi Everyone  No bear snoring but howling winds and rain. Did you ever sleep in a one man tent during rain and howling wind? It’s not something I would recommend. The fabric of the tent kept on making noise as the wind and rain hit it. Some of the support staff stayed up all night making sure that our tents did not blow away and get unhinged from the ground. They would also put more black sand around our tents. I cannot say enough of the support staff and the work they do handling our needs and wants. The situation is so primitive that it makes it harder for both them and us. They all are true angels.  We awoke at 4:30 for our morning shoot. I got up by myself at about 4 after struggling with my tent and the conditions. Had some coffee and off we went in the Kamaz. All morning we drove around to some truly unbelievable locations and opportunities. Vladimir is a real pro. His eye is amazing. He took us to locations where we just stared and I used my imagination and creativity to capture some great images. The question that keeps on going around my mind is how much I will endure to be put in situations like this.  We returned at about 8 for a great breakfast of pancakes, eggs, porridge and other assorted goodies. Natalia, the chef, is a true magician. After breakfast most of us went for naps but I stayed up because I was excited to see what I had. I first copied all my images to two external drives for safety. I always do this every night but this was the first time on this trip. I then imported the images to Lightroom and started to go through them. I am impressed by what I had captured and I had only gone through about twenty percent. I strive to take images that tell a story and I believe I got some good ones from this haunting and remote location.  I have been trying to hold it in, but finally had to surrender to nature. Took a hike and found some nice size lava boulders and made my mark. I then walked back to the dining room and asked Dmiitry if he would set up a shower for me. Dmitry cannot do enough for you. He and his helpers heated up a canister of water and in I went to the shower tent. What little water I had was hot and felt so good and refreshing. After lunch we all sat around and I continued working on my images. Both Vladimir and Kevin looked at some of my work and both gave suggestions and comments. Vladimir is an amazing photographer who can pick out a scene and Kevin is a professional photographer who I first met through Instagram. Kevin and myself have been having a great time kidding each other about the situation. Kevin has been filling in for Andy and doing a great job under such trying conditions.  At about 4 PM we all boarded our Kamaz for a ride to a hike up a volcano to its crater. One thing I noticed immediately, was that lots of people were arriving and setting up their tents. Why would someone want to come here under the current facilities is something I do not understand. We drove to the start of the hike up the volcano to the crater. The trail went straight up. The fog and mist had rolled in so we decided to wait and see if it lifted. If not, we would leave. We have another hike next week to another crater. I really want to do this and take pictures of the crater of a volcano. The fog never lifted and we decided to go back to the Camp. By this time more people had arrived and our tents were surrounded by lots of others. The one thought in my mind was that the chances of someone snoring had greatly increased.  Natalia, of course, made us a fabulous dinner out of these primitive working conditions. By ten I had decided to crawl into my tent and try to get some sleep. I was right. The snoring was back with a vengeance and two girls were talking in Russian near my tent. I tossed and turned hoping that this horrible situation would end. I had started an hourly countdown at 8 PM knowing that we were leaving by 8 the following morning. I finally fell asleep from exhaustion and woke up at 4 AM. I decided I had enough and made my way to the dining room. Made some coffee and just starred into space.  At 5 Vladimir, Dmiitry and Natalia arrived. Natalia started to prepare breakfast and both Vladimir and Dmitry had some coffee with me. I wanted to take a nap but decided I could not tolerate the situation anymore and stayed put. At 7 breakfast was served. I can state I will really miss Natalia’s porridge when this trip is over. Magnificent is an understatement. We finally boarded our Kamaz for the trip back. This was the moment I had been waiting for and then it happened. All hell broke loose in my stomach. I guess Natalia’s porridge had done its damage. I ran out of the Kamaz, grabbed some toilet paper and found a nice cozy place on the side of the volcano. How many people can say they did this on the side of an active volcano? An experience I will never forget.  I then boarded the Kamaz for the twelve hour trip back to our hotel in Petropavlovsk. What can I say about my five nights of camping and specifically the last three nights in this horrible place? I can say I survived and endured. At 70, I was able to put all my comforts aside and deal with the situation at hand.  Our Kamaz then started the long journey

Hi Everyone Vladimir woke us up at 4:30 for the hike. I slept for about two hours and decided I just might kill the bear snoring. We all met in the dining hall for some quick coffee and then off we went. The hike was over lava sand and started to rise. We went up and up. I started to lag behind. Our Camp is 4500 feet up and we were hiking higher at a rapid pace. The group started to gain more and more distance from me. I saw some of them climbing a steep ridge and decided I had enough. I told Dmitry that I was stopping to take pictures and then would return to Camp. I took some great pictures of a volcano in the distance with a huge lava field in front. Dmiitry joined me to return to Camp. The others kept on climbing. I had reached my limit. I had never done this on a photo workshop. The environment, place and my age had all caught up to me at once. While walking back to Camp, my stomach started to churn and I came to the realization that I had to endure what was a toilet. We first went into the dining hall. I picked up a roll of toilet paper and off I went. I tried to make the experience as painless as possible, but to no avail. How far will I go and endure? As I previously said, more on that later. I then sat in the dining hall, had some coffee and waited for the others to return. While starring at my coffee, two men decided to talk to me. Just what I needed. One was a Canadian from Calgary named Derrick and the other was named David from the UK. They asked me what I was doing here? By this time I could not give them a sane answer. They then asked me my age. When I told them 70 1/2 they were amazed that someone my age would come to a place and environment like this. Derrick was 48 and David 45. They were here for hiking. They said that I give them hope that when they reach my age they could do this. I then wandered into the cooks primitive kitchen and saw her making some great looking porridge. I asked her if I could have some before the others. This really hit the spot. The others started to wander back in. They said that the remaining part of the climb that I missed was hard and very windy. I am so glad I listened to my mind and body. After breakfast I went back to my tent for a short nap and Dmiitry told everyone that the shower was ready. I decided to take the plunge. I needed to wash myself and change my clothing. The shower was nice and hot and fresh clothing did me wonders. The rain returned and I decided to hide out in the Kamaz to write and try to stay warm. Lunch was served around 1PM. Of course the lunch was amazing. Our cooks name is Natalia. To be able to create food the way she does, in such harsh conditions and working space is a true feat. At about two thirty we boarded the Kamaz for an afternoon of photography. We first went to the dead forest. We drove for about thirty minutes over black lava sand and then we saw it. A whole forest of dead trees in the middle of no where. Dispersed amongst the dead trees were small flowers and grass. The eruption that created this happened during 1973. You could see how nature was starting to be reborn and reclaim the environment. We all got out of the Kamaz and started to wander around. I started to take pictures and quickly realized that I was at a location that told such a powerful story from such a remote place. Every time I moved and looked through the viewfinder I got a different perspective. What a location. I wandered around constantly adjusting the camera and positioning myself on the ground and standing up. The images were unfolding from my mind as I let the location and story pour out of my creativity. I was one of the last photographers to board the Kamaz and sort of felt sorry that I had to leave such a harsh and beautiful place. On we went. Vladimir was sitting next to the driver. Marcela, another one of the photographers from Madrid, asked to return to the dead forest to fly her drone over a crater. Three of us have drones including Vladimir. I have been contemplating purchasing a drone, but have decided to hold off until I am able to free up more time at home so that I can master this different type of photography. We went back to the dead forest and Marcela put her drone on the ground and it lifted off. The drone was last seen hovering over the crater and then she lost its signal. The drone had disappeared inside the crater never to be seen again. Photographers are constantly loosing things. In the Galapagos, I lost a new underwater camera while snorkeling. The camera fell off my wrist and I saw it go down to the bottom. I know how Marcela felt. We then drove to an amazing landscape location. Two volcanoes were almost next to each other. There was snow streaking down their cones. The clouds here are quite different. They create large and sort of flat patterns. The only other place I have seen clouds that were different was in Patagonia. The clouds there were flat and looked like large pancakes. I couldn’t stop taking pictures of these two breathtaking volcanoes. I walked around constantly changing position as I took in this site. We then boarded the Kamaz for a visit to the lava fields. I had previously seen these lava fields in the