D
denoir
Guest
In a couple of weeks I'll be going to the US on a road trip from Denver to San Francisco. I've made a preliminary plan but I wanted to check that I have missed something important and ask for some general advice.
It's a bit complicated as there are actually two trips involved. One shorter round trip from Denver, Colorado to Yellowstone and back (one of the party has to fly back to Sweden) while the remaining three of us continue on to California. So it's essentially Denver->Yellowstone->Denver->San Francisco.
Here's a map of the planned route numbered with the days:
Day 1: Denver (arrival)
Day 2: Denver->Salt Lake City
Day 3: Salt Lake City
Day 4: Salt Lake City -> Yellowstone
Day 5: Yellowstone
Day 6: Yellowstone
Day 7: Yellowstone->Denver
Day 8: Denver->Grand Junction (Colorado national monument)
Day 9: Grand Junction -> Bryce Canyon
Day 10: Bryce Canyon
Day 11: Bryce Canyon -> Grand Canyon
Day 12: Grand Canyon
Day 13: Grand Canyon->Las Vegas
Day 14: Las Vegas->Death Valley
Day 15: Death Valley->Yosemite
Day 16: Yosemite->San Francisco
( “A->B” indicates travel between A&B)
The people that I'm traveling with are, not photographers but they are pretty tolerant as far as my photography goes. Due to the relatively tight schedule and the company I’ll be in the visit to the national parks will of course be very superficial.
So what I’ve been trying to optimize to get the most given a very limited time in each place. I’ve also limited it to place where there is lodging and where there are restaurants etc. As much as I’d want it, this can’t be a ‘into the wilderness’ type of trip. I have also very selfishly tried to plan to spend the night at interesting locations so that I can get the benefit of the good light in the evening and in the morning.
So my questions are: Does this itinerary make sense? Have I missed something important on my list or have I included something that makes no sense? For instance, given the tight schedule, does spending a whole day at Bryce Canyon make sense or would the time be better spent elsewhere? Also, is there anything interesting near Salt Lake city? We’ll be spending a day there on the way to Yellowstone. Speaking of Yellowstone, would one day be better with the other spent at the Grand Teton?
Those are just some random questions, so I’d be grateful for any general advice and suggestions you can give me.
As for camera equipment, I basically only have one question – do I need a longer tele lens?
My primary camera will be a Leica M9 with a set of primes - probably 18mm, 25mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm & 90mm. The lenses are generally tiny and light so there’s no problem bringing a bunch of them. I’ll complement it with a 5DII + probably the ZE21, 50 & 100 lenses, primarily for tripod based shooting. I’ll also bring a (film) Leica M6 to use as a P&S for personal documentary photos. I’ll bring a light tripod (Gitzo 1541T) as well.
That however means that the longest lens I’ll have is 100mm. Will that be a problem? I could bring my Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS II, but as it’s big and heavy I’m reluctant to do so.
Thanks!
It's a bit complicated as there are actually two trips involved. One shorter round trip from Denver, Colorado to Yellowstone and back (one of the party has to fly back to Sweden) while the remaining three of us continue on to California. So it's essentially Denver->Yellowstone->Denver->San Francisco.
Here's a map of the planned route numbered with the days:
Day 1: Denver (arrival)
Day 2: Denver->Salt Lake City
Day 3: Salt Lake City
Day 4: Salt Lake City -> Yellowstone
Day 5: Yellowstone
Day 6: Yellowstone
Day 7: Yellowstone->Denver
Day 8: Denver->Grand Junction (Colorado national monument)
Day 9: Grand Junction -> Bryce Canyon
Day 10: Bryce Canyon
Day 11: Bryce Canyon -> Grand Canyon
Day 12: Grand Canyon
Day 13: Grand Canyon->Las Vegas
Day 14: Las Vegas->Death Valley
Day 15: Death Valley->Yosemite
Day 16: Yosemite->San Francisco
( “A->B” indicates travel between A&B)
The people that I'm traveling with are, not photographers but they are pretty tolerant as far as my photography goes. Due to the relatively tight schedule and the company I’ll be in the visit to the national parks will of course be very superficial.
So what I’ve been trying to optimize to get the most given a very limited time in each place. I’ve also limited it to place where there is lodging and where there are restaurants etc. As much as I’d want it, this can’t be a ‘into the wilderness’ type of trip. I have also very selfishly tried to plan to spend the night at interesting locations so that I can get the benefit of the good light in the evening and in the morning.
So my questions are: Does this itinerary make sense? Have I missed something important on my list or have I included something that makes no sense? For instance, given the tight schedule, does spending a whole day at Bryce Canyon make sense or would the time be better spent elsewhere? Also, is there anything interesting near Salt Lake city? We’ll be spending a day there on the way to Yellowstone. Speaking of Yellowstone, would one day be better with the other spent at the Grand Teton?
Those are just some random questions, so I’d be grateful for any general advice and suggestions you can give me.
As for camera equipment, I basically only have one question – do I need a longer tele lens?
My primary camera will be a Leica M9 with a set of primes - probably 18mm, 25mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm & 90mm. The lenses are generally tiny and light so there’s no problem bringing a bunch of them. I’ll complement it with a 5DII + probably the ZE21, 50 & 100 lenses, primarily for tripod based shooting. I’ll also bring a (film) Leica M6 to use as a P&S for personal documentary photos. I’ll bring a light tripod (Gitzo 1541T) as well.
That however means that the longest lens I’ll have is 100mm. Will that be a problem? I could bring my Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS II, but as it’s big and heavy I’m reluctant to do so.
Thanks!