One of the things I firmly believe in, both about travel and life in general, is always moving forward and focusing on the next adventure. However, having said that, there is also nothing wrong with a little reflection sometimes. After all, every photograph is simply a memory, a frozen moment of time captured for our future re-examination.

So with that thought in mind, as we recently (in February) passed our second full year anniversary here at Prohltravel, I thought it might be a good time to look back and sum up a bit by posting a retrospective of some of my favorite photos from the site, and also toss in a few never seen before.

For the most part, I started this site with the idea in mind of writing some fun articles about my travels. While my journeys may not be not as extensive as those of other more seasoned travelers, the site still gives me a good excuse to flex the fingers and pound the keyboard in what I hope is not an entirely vain effort to keep the old brain cells from atrophying, and with a little luck, perhaps entertain my readers as well. In the beginning I figured I’d also throw in the occasional photo for illustrative purposes, but mostly I concentrated on the writing aspect.

As the site evolved and everyone kept telling me how much they loved the photographs – okay, some people also commented favorably on the stories, too – it began to dawn on me, albeit slowly, to concentrate as much on the photographic aspect of the articles as the writing. And a big thank you to my wife, Irina, who knew this from the start and kept telling me to put in more photos until I listened. Her only caveat is that I not use too many photos with her in them, which is sometimes difficult since she is my favorite model, after all!

I’ve had a love of photography since my teen years when I received a Yashica twin-lens reflex camera as a high school graduation present. There have been many other cameras since, mostly Nikons – I currently use a Nikon D3100, supplemented with a six year old Nikon Coolpix that slips in my pocket when I don’t feel like lugging along the camera case. Nothing fancy or too expensive but they serve me well.

Once upon a time, back in the photographic dark ages, I had my own darkroom and spent countless hours playing there and manipulating images and breathing toxic chemicals (hence the atrophying of brain cells I spoke of earlier.) But as much fun as that was, and as much as I resisted going digital, I have to say I don’t really miss shooting film. At all. I can sometimes be a bit of a troglodyte when it comes to embracing new technology – okay, more than a bit – but when it comes to photography, I love my digital cameras and wouldn’t go back to film for love nor money. There are simply too many advantages to using digital, not the least being how easy it is to share them with others via venues such as this one right here.

Okay, enough yakking, enjoy the show and come back often, we have great articles coming soon on Colorado, more on Washington, and a planned sojourn through several Eastern European countries this spring.

Happy Trails!

“Crimea”

(The Black Sea coast of Crimea near Yalta)

(Swallows Nest castle on the Black Sea coast)

(Cave town of Esky-Kermen, Crimean Mountains)

(The town of Balaklava and its harbor)

(Climbing through the ruins of Chembalo fortress in Balaklava)

(Alexander Nevsky church in Yalta)

(Livadaya Palace, summer home to the last czar, Nicholas II and his family, and site of the Yalta Conference, World War II)

(Atop Ai-Petri mountain looking east toward Yalta)

“Kiev”

(Statue of Bohdan Khmielnitsky and St. Sophia Church and monastery)

(Pechersk Lavra church and monastery complex freshly washed and gleaming in the sun after a rainstorm)

“Lviv”

(Monuments in Lychakivsky Cemetery, Lviv)

(The green peace of Lychakivsky Cemetery)

“Odessa”

(The world famous Potemkin Steps above Odessa harbor)

“Berehove”

(Bridge and trees in the town of Berehove, southwestern Ukraine)

“Letichiv”

(Early morning mushroom hunting in the forest near Letichiv, Irina’s hometown)

“Hawaii”

(Kee Beach on the island of Kauai)

(Hiking the Napali Coast)

(The spectacular Napali Coast)

“Utah”

(The San Rafael Swell, along I-70)

(Dead Horse Point along the Colorado River)

(Arches National Park)

“Colorado”

(Great Sand Dunes National Park)

(Great Sand Dunes National Park)

(Rocky Mountain National Park)

(Rocky Mountain National Park)

(Near sunset, clearing storm in Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs)

(Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak in background)

“Oregon”

(Heceta Head Beach, Oregon coast)

(Sunset on the beach, Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area)

“Washington”

(Mt. Rainier from Tolmie Peak lookout)