Part Time Vagabond » SNAPSHOT

Travel Photography on the Smartphone

ChrisCavs — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 14:00:55 +0000

These days, smartphones and travel go hand in hand, just as cameras and travel have for years. Now that smartphones have some pretty decent cameras built in, travelers are ditching their SLRs and Point & Shoots to just carry the phone. While I don’t think that’s a great idea — smartphones still can’t, and probably never will — match the quality and flexibility of a proper camera, they are pretty convenient ways to get some decent travel photos. Twitterer @EverywhereTrip posted a link to a pretty neat photo essay taken on the iPhone 4. Not perfect, but pretty nice.

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Friday Snapshot: Castle Craig, Meriden, Connecticut

ChrisCavs — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:55:18 +0000

Growing up in Connecticut was not what you think. We weren’t wealthy people living in giant mansions surrounded by gold and red leaved autumn trees, living an idyllic lifestyle in the lap of luxury. We lived in a blue collar city, living the traditional middle class lifestyle. We couldn’t always afford fantastic vacations around the world, so we explored our home state. One of my favorite spots was here, at Castle Craig. The tower was a gift of Walter Hubbard, for whom Hubbard Park — which surrounds the tower — is named. I love the view from the tower, which overlooks the Connecticut landscape. From it’s 1002 foot elevation, the 32 foot tower affords views to Long Island Sound and The Berkshires. If you pass through Connecticut, make this one of your stops.

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Friday Snapshot: Acadia National Park

ChrisCavs — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 16:00:40 +0000

This is probably one of the most iconic views of Acadia National Park, but it also happens to be one of my favorite. I know I write a lot about Acadia, but it’s really one of the main reasons my life has changed for the better. Here, people sit in Adirondack chairs at the Jordan Pond House after enjoying popovers and chowder in the crisp autumn air on the Pond House lawn. Life don’t get much better than this.

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Friday Snapshot: Greenville, ME

ChrisCavs — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 22:04:46 +0000

This weekend is what’s called the “International Fly-in,” where hundreds of sea planes will land on Moosehead Lake for a last hurrah before winter overtakes the region. This view of Moosehead is looking north from downtown Greenville, Maine. Already many pilots have been braving the pretty breezy conditions to land on the lake.

Time to sign off…

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Friday Snapshot: Fort Edgecombe, Maine

ChrisCavs — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:21:07 +0000

My lovely girlfriend and I are on a mission. The state of Maine has implemented a fun and challenging game for their 75th Anniversary this year. It involves collecting stamps in special passport books, available free at all state parks in Maine. Challenge 1: get to a state park and find the passport station. Challenge 2: look up the park in the passport book, find the code to unlock the station box. Challenge 3: Stamp your book. After you’ve collected some stamps, you gain a prize, ranging from stickers to park passes. If you collect all 48 stamps, you get a free season parks pass! It’s really a fun way for the family to see what Maine’s state parks have to offer.

Anyway, one of our stops this past week was to Fort Edgecombe in Edgecomb, Maine, just across the Sheepscot River from Wiscasset. The fort was a built in the early 1800s as part of the U.S. second system of fortifications to protect Wiscasset. The fort did see action, though it’s cannons were never fired in battle. It’s a fun little site on Davis Island, with beautiful views. Check it out if you’re in the area, then stop in to Red’s Eats for a lobster roll.

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Friday Snapshot: Farmington, Maine

ChrisCavs — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:00:44 +0000

click the picture to see full size

This past weekend, my girlfriend and I took a day trip to western Maine, to the town of Farmington, where she attended college. On our way out of town to scope out some waterfalls (which must be amazing during spring meltoff), we came across this fantastic vista. To the right, you can see Mount Blue in the far distance. When you see a lookout as stunning as this, even on a cloudy day, you have to stop, snap a picture, and then…just look.

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Friday Snapshot: White Manna, Hackensack, New Jersey

ChrisCavs — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:00:49 +0000

One of the best parts of a road trip is food. And the eating of that food. And food related facilities. White Manna Hamburgers on River Road in Hackensack, New Jersey has all three. And they are so worth it. Hop inside this tiny building and sidle up to the counter to order the best sliders you will ever wrap your mouth parts around. Order up 4 or 5, with cheese and onions, and watch as the cook behind the counter skillfully grills your order to perfection along with the 6 people ahead of you and 7 behind you. Fresh ground beef, paper thin onions, local cheese, and locally baked potato bread rolls come together into a greasy but oh-so-satisfying sandwich of the gods. Eat them there or get them to go and watch the staff wrap these little slices of Heaven in wax paper and drop them lovingly into a brown paper bag that you’ll be able to see through in less than 2 minutes. Whatever you do, get there early because there will be a line, and be ready with your order. There’s no hemming and hawing at this burger joint. Forget Five Guys or In-N-Out. This is more than eating; this is a true American experience.

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Friday Snapshot: Ocean City, New Jersey

ChrisCavs — Fri, 28 May 2010 13:12:53 +0000

I have another guest post today, this time from my friend PurpleCar (a.k.a., Christine). Christine lives in Philadelphia, PA. I asked her to send me a photo of some of her travels, and she sent me about 15! This one stood out though. Read on.

Ocean City, NJ Summer 2008

I should live at the beach. Fewer allergies, more sunshine, peaceful sounds of waves crashing. Alas, we live and work in Philadelphia, so our shore exposure is limited. We take the standard week-long beach vacation everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) from Philly takes, and we have the occasional hey-why-don’t-we-drive-down-the-shore-today insane jaunts that the kids love (before kids it was the crazy hey-why-don’t-we-drive-down-to-Atlantic-City-tonight jaunts… *sigh*). But in the summer, who can get enough of big ol’ beach chairs, fresh ocean breezes and feeling the soft sand between your toes? Certainly not me.

What beach is “your” beach?

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Friday Snapshot: Grand Teton National Park

ChrisCavs — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:00:48 +0000

This week, my neighbor & fellow beer lover Matt, a.k.a. Hokie, submitted a great snapshot from his trip back to Maine from Colorado.

While moving back to Maine from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, we decided to take a detour. My mother and I chose to head north and go through both Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. The picture above was taken at one of the many stops in GTNP. While on a quick hike around Jenny Lake, the trees parted enough for me to take this snapshot. I’d highly recommend a visit to the Tetons to anyone, both in the summer and the winter.

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Friday Snapshot: Sedona, Arizona

ChrisCavs — Fri, 07 May 2010 18:51:51 +0000

I know, I know, I keep posting Arizona pictures. But seeing as I just returned from the area, I thought it’d be nice have a new image to show you. This was taken on a hike a few miles outside downtown Sedona (the trailhead was right behind my hotel, in fact).