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Hi again and welcome to our newsletters.
- This month we're traveling to Bisti Badlands, a strange wilderness located in Northern New Mexico. If you like to explore the outdoors and have a sense of adventure, you need to add Bisti to your hit list.
- Next, my son, Jerry Kolber, published a cookbook online that contains an abundance of healthy, fresh and delicious recipes, all costing less than $3 a meal. Check out "The Three Dollar Dinner" cookbook.
- We're including a new travel tip to supplement the "20 Essential Travel Tips" on our website. The one in this newsletter is little known but helpful. <Did you know it already
- In May, Jerry and I spent 15 incredible days rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. We'll share the crystal clear nights under the stars and traveling two billion years back in time with you in the next newsletter. Watch for "It's Not About the Rapids".
- And finally, get out and visit your local Zoo. Attendance at zoos around the country have increased over 50% this year. It's a great day with friends or family, and you'll support your local community at the same time. Our local zoo in Miami, Metrozoo, is outstanding. So get out and enjoy!
Travel with us through our photography, newsletters and trip reports at kolberphotography.com.
Read on, and enjoy!
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 Travel Tip - Where's the door?
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Have you ever pulled into a gas station with a rental car and tried to figure out which side of the car the fuel door is on? (I know I'm not the only person who can never figure it out!) Here's an easy solution:
On most newer model cars, there's a small triangle next to the gas tank icon on the fuel gauge. That triangle points to the side of the car the fuel door is on. It's that easy! Check it out on your own car.
(in the picture, the triangle points left. So the fuel door is on the left side)
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| Bisti Badlands
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 Bisti Badlands is one of the little known gems of the world and
contains some of the most unusual scenery in the American Southwest. I learned
about Bisti from another photographer, and the images I saw at the time
immediately put it on my hit list to explore and photograph.
When I finally made it there a few years ago I
was not disappointed. It is an
incredible display of hoodoos, rock formations and petrified wood. But be aware and use care - this is a
treasure chest of fragile, delicate and unstable formations. One careless misstep can destroy in seconds a
formation that took thousands of years to form.
Bisti is an easy area to explore with little effort. But very few people visit; only 3,000 per
year, or about 10 people per day. This might be because of its remote location,
lack of facilities and no marked trails.
But whatever the reason, you can spend a full day hiking Bisti and probably not see more than three or four other people. It feels like
you own the place. The peace and solitude
of exploring a wilderness like Bisti without other people is remarkable. So please again, I trust that if you visit Bisti
you will use the care and respect that is required to keep it intact as a
pristine wilderness.
Bisti is located in the four corners region of the Southwest, just south
of Farmington, New Mexico.
The region is rich with oil and coal production and Farmington is the center of that production. In fact, there have been efforts to mine directly in Bisti, and some coal mining actually did occur years ago. Fortunately for our wild and natural lands, mining
was terminated when the badlands became federally protected. Coal slag, the remains after mining, is still
visible in some parts of the badlands.
Access to Bisti is along Highway 371, just 36 miles south of Farmington. A sign indicates a gravel road that leads to
the badlands. The gravel road runs from
the highway for about two miles until a "T" in the road where a turn to the
north will access the parking lot two miles later. After parking the car just start walking
east into the large wash in front of the parking lot. Eventually you'll want to turn either north
or south, depending on where you decide to explore.
A quick and easy area to explore is to the south, or right of the wash,
beginning about a half mile from the parking lot. This is a great introduction to Bisti and a
lot of fun in just a few hours. You cannot get lost in this area; the
wash is usually in sight from wherever you are. You'll need to climb the slopes and hills that dot the landscape in order to find the sandstone formations and
hoodoos that Bisti is known for. They're generally at the top of the slopes in this area.
 North, or left of the wash, is where the heart of the badlands begins
and where formations extend for miles. As I mentioned before, there are no
marked trails in Bisti but it's easy to know when to start heading north; a chain link fence runs parallel to the wash
and when the fence turns north (about three fourths mile from the parking lot) it's
time to head north. The fence also
serves as a landmark on the way back. This is important since everything can
begin to look the same as you wander deeper into the wilderness. So keep track of where you are, or bring a
GPS.
About a mile after leaving the wash and heading no rth you'll start
running into some interesting formations and probably, petrified wood. Hike up and around the rises for some great
views and to scope out canyons in the distance. Look at the ground also; there's
a lot of petrified wood and if you're not watching for it you'll pass right
by.
A special bonus at Bisti is the petrified wood. We've encountered piles of petrified wood and seen
logs that seemed to be freshly cut, even though they are millions of years old. Petrified stumps stick out of the ground along
with chips, lumber and logs throughout the region.
Bisti Badlands is full of wonder and rich with discovery. It is an incredible experience. If you visit be sure to tread lightly and
protect this fragile and delicate region. When you explore the outdoors and enjoy our natural lands leave everything
as it was when you arrived and it will be a rewarding experience for everyone.
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Photography Tips - Bisti
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At Bisti Badlands, I bring a full range of lenses from wide angle to
telephoto. I'll carry three zoom lenses: 12-18mm;
24-120mm and 80-400mm. Since I shoot with a Nikon D300 camera, the focal length factor is 1.5x, so I end up shooting at the 35mm equivalent of 18m m to 600mm.
A polarizer filter is recommended since the skies are bright and clear in the desert. Be careful not to over polarize though. With low humidity the southwestern skies can be a deep blue to begin with.
Experiment with wide angle lens on individual formations to create interesting and exciting images. One area in Bisti, the "Stone
Garden" (a/k/a "Cracked Eggs") is about a mile and a half directly
east of the parking lot (a straight shot through the wash). This area lends
itself to wide angle shots, especially shooting from ground level.  Watch the sunlight. Mid-day normally brings clear skies and a hot, harsh sun. First and foremost, get out early and shoot with the early morning light, or during late afternoon. But if your time at Bisti is limited and you are roaming the badlands during mid-day, set your ISO at the lowest value and watch your viewfinder and histogram for blown-out areas. Keep them to a minimum. Also, keep the sky to a minimum in your viewfinder. The sky will be several stops brighter than the scenery and adds nothingpositive to your image. Bisti is normally very dry and dusty, so be extra careful when changing
lenses. Keep your camera bag or backpack
zipped at all times, and check your camera sensor for dirt and dust.
Even with automatic sensor cleaners, dust can become an issue at Bisti. My camera pack includes the following: - LowePro MiniTrekker backpack
- Nikon D300 camera and flash
- Nikon lenses:
- 12-24mm f/4 zoom lens
- 24-120 f/3.5-5.6 VR
zoom lens
- 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 VR zoom lens
- Extension tubes
- Circular polarizer filters, memory cards, spare
battery and charger
- Gitzo tripod and RRS ballhead
- Poncho, shower cap and bandanas. Ponchos become tarps for the ground, shower caps are rain cover for equipment and bandanas become headbands or wipes for cleaning and drying anything!
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The Three Dollar Dinner
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The Three Dollar Dinner Cookbook is a compilation of healthy, fresh and delicious recipes authored by my son, Jerry Kolber. All the recipes cost $3 or less per meal and each one includes a shopping list.
Jerry, a Producer of Reality TV shows in New York City, is a leader of healthy lifestyles and cooking with fresh, chemical-free foods. The "Three Dollar Cookbook" is one of many projects he actively works on and supports for healthy lifestyles and good living in the City.
If you want fantastic and healthy meals without breaking the bank, check out the book and other information at www.threedollardinner.com.
Enjoy!
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Thanks for visiting. Be sure to explore the outdoors  and enjoy our natural lands. Leave everything as it was when you arrived and it will be a rewarding experience for everyone.
Cliff and Doris Kolber
email: kolberphoto@bellsouth.net
website: Kolberphotography.com
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