Local Travel Tip

Along with the hot springs theme, are Mystic Hot Springs in Monroe, Utah.  After the last of the Grateful Dead shows Mike Ginsburg was heading home and stumbled upon these hot springs and purchased the land.  He has sense created a very hippie friendly kind of resort place.  The springs have created some beautiful red rock formations and Mike has placed several old bath tubs around the springs that you can also soak in.  The place is a lot fun you can even rent a teepee or an old hippie bus to sleep in.  They occasionally have bands come through, so call ahead and find out when the next show is going to be.  When Ive gone there’s always plenty of nice laid-back people to meet and have interesting conversations with.  Because they are able to maintain warm water temperature year round there are even some pools full of tropical fish.  Mike is also is a glass artist and makes some really cool jewelry, ask him to do a demo, its really amazing to see the process of shaping the glass.  If you are going to stay over night there is plenty of camping space, I would recommend bringing your own food because Monroe is very small town.  Probably one of, if not the best place I have found so far in the Utah area.

Photographs are the post highlight of a vacation. They are the best way to share your new experiences and memories with your closest friends. They are a catapult for remembering what you did years later. Here are a few tips on good vacation photography:

1.  Move it from the middle. Sometimes the best photographs do not have the main subject directly in the center of the camera frame. The offset can help give the photo an extra dimension.

2. Sun shadows. Use the flash outside even when it is bright and sunny. This will help to eliminate shadows due to the sun behind it.

3. Posing is not always perfect. Often the best photographs of people are when they are themselves and relaxed doing their own thing. People who are posing are often stiffer. Memories will be more connected to in-the-moment shots. Try to make photos interactive so that the vacation will come back to life when the photos are looked at.

4. Items of interest. Look for items that are unique to the area. Some examples might include people on the street wearing a specific kind of clothing, ethnic decorations, or specialized food.

5. Picture overload. Take a lot of photos for a lot memories, but don’t make the camera the vacation.  I remember my excitement when I recieved my first digital camera  for my birthday as a gift from my grandfather. It was a thrill and I took pictures of everything! I do have thousands of pictures, and a couple of really good ones, but I can’t remember anything about the rest of that birthday except taking pictures. Pictures are there to help memory recall-but the memories have to be created too!

6.  Intuition for the incredible. As the photographer, you have intuition as to what would make a good photograph. Follow it! I have found that intuition can be the best tool for capturing the best photographs.

Here are four tips that will help you vacation like a local:

1-      Eat like a local. Avoid eating at swanky hotels and restaurants. If sanitation permits eat from street vendors, local restaurants and bakeries, and really get a flavor of the unique culture.

2-      Talk to the people. If you are visiting a new a place where you don’t know the language just pretend like you do. Learn a few phrases and just start talking to people. If you don’t know what something is called, ask. When you get to know some people it will make it a much more rewarding and all around better experience.

3-      Be open to new things. The best part of vacationing is entering into other peoples everyday realities. There is nothing like seeing the way that others live and shifting your perspective of your own reality. Be open to new experiences, foods, and people.

4-      Find time to just wander around. When you travel from tour to tour you hardly have time to just soak in the everyday things. Take the time to just chill, relax, and hangout. Go walk down the street at look at the shops, go to the market, go hangout in a little café and people watch, or go for a walk in a nearby park.