We'll be underway in just over an hour. I'll shut down the iMac and be posting from the 14" MBP for the next month or so.
Packing for a trip like this remains a challenge, mostly with regard to camera gear because I have so much to choose from, and inevitably I'll wish I had something at some point while we're away.
I'm bringing the OM-1 and the E-M1X as the only two interchangeable lens cameras. For lenses, the 12-45mm/f4 as a small walkabout and the 12-100/f4 as a large walkabout. The 40-150/f2.8 for possible birds, bugs and astro, and the 100-400mm for birds (and the moon). Primes include the 8mm/f1.8 fisheye for star trails, Milky Way and wide-angle interior shots using in-camera de-fishing; and the 17mm/f1.2 for possible aurora. I'll also have the MC14 teleconverter, though I'm just now thinking I should add the MC20. Hmmmm...
I have the Cotton Carrier G3 for the big zooms, and I'll use a sling with the 12-45 and the FE.
I went a little nuts on compact cameras. Into a small bag I have stuffed an XZ-1, XZ-2, Stylus 1s, TG6 and LX7. Three of those will charge in-camera, the other two (LX7 and Stylus 1s) required bringing along a charger, alas. It was mostly a case of I couldn't make up my mind, so I brought all of them. Left behind are the XZ-10, Fujufilm XQ1 and Pentax MX1.
A few filters, a flash, a couple of tripods, well, four tripods including the little ones, and an assortment of USB-C, micro USB and Oly proprietary USB cords.
I remembered this morning that I'm going to want to wear a light, long-sleeved shirt today. Driving north in the afternoon will have the sun beating on my left arm and it gets quite uncomfortable. I'm happy I remembered that.
The car is nearly all packed, just the perishables we're taking along and a few items I've just recalled.
I wish I enjoyed travel more. That is, I wish I enjoyed getting ready to travel more. In the days leading up to a trip, I'm just a mess. I feel like I can't start anything because there's no time to finish it before I have to leave, whether that's for a weekend or a month. There's just this overall feeling of dread. Once I'm on the road or at our destination, I'm fine. But I really struggle in the days before departure.
We're visiting friends and family for the first week before we arrive at the Finger Lakes. Because the prices have spiked so much for rentals, we're not spending the whole time with a view of the lake. The first two weeks are at a rural home with a creek running alongside it. I'd hoped for clear horizons, but it looks surrounded with trees. The last week is in a small cottage on Seneca Lake, which should be charming but I'm definitely going to miss the views we had from the places with more elevation. Florida is claustrophobic, and elevation is a cure for that. I'll have views driving around and hiking, but it was always just so refreshing to wake up in the morning overlooking a lake. Expansive. Like the world isn't closing in.
But, despite our relative wealth and privilege, those sorts of things are increasingly exclusively available to the more wealthy and more privileged. I suppose we could have rented a place with a view for a shorter period. Maybe that's the answer if we ever do something like this again.
And, of course, we're heading up north to escape the Florida heat (and insanity).
It's cooler in Florida as I write than it is in New York.
So it goes. Next stop, DC. Wish us safe travels.
Originally posted at Nice Marmot 05:03 Thursday, 20 June 2024