In my earlier blogs this year, I’ve shared some of the challenges that Mountaineer Photo Excursions has faced in 2020. I know many people have had a terrible time this year with the coronavirus, the economy and more. While Americans are still experiencing what may be the worst of the virus, good news of multiple vaccines is now on the horizon.
Having said all that, I would like to talk about the future. There’s some song lyrics, “The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.” We’re not there yet, but it’s a goal!
2021 will be mine and Amanda’s tenth year in offering photography workshops. As you may know, we started in 2012 with our “Spring Photography Workshop” at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park in Prestonsburg, KY. The next year, we did two workshops there! Last month, we led our most recent Jenny Wiley event. We’ve kept the same idea and have created a somewhat eclectic style of workshops. I don’t see that changing in the future, although we continue to look for new locations to visit and new people with whom to share our experience and knowledge.
2021 will be an exciting year for Mountaineer Photo Excursions. We have been planning and scouting and have some new locations selected for you!
In February, we’re returning to Florida but at a new destination…Sanibel Island! You need to reset your clocks…for Island Time! Sanibel Island, that is! The warmth and beauty of Sanibel Island is calling for you…let us take you there!
Sanibel Island on the Gulf Coast of Florida is home to an abundance of natural gifts. You will enjoy views of lush tropical vegetation, miles of beaches and hundreds of bird varieties. Interestingly, this is all outnumbered by the countless seashells you will find on Sanibel’s beaches. This has earned Sanibel Island a well-deserved reputation as one of the best locations in the world to collect seashells! Along the beach, we’ll also find Sanibel Island’s unique lighthouse.
Sanibel Island is also home to the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. This is a 7000+ acre home to over 50 types of reptiles and amphibians, over 30 mammal species, and more than 230 species of birds! Photographers will enjoy the observation tower as we travel the four-mile scenic drive.
These are just the highlights. This workshop is open for registration now and you can read more on our “Workshops” page.
For spring, we’re doing something a little different. Our second workshop for 2021 will be our “Nashville Sights and Sounds” event. Whether you know it as "Music City USA," "Athens of the South," or Tennessee's Capitol City, Nashville is full of sights and sounds of yesterday and today! Amanda and I have already explored the City of Nashville, and we’re working now to put our itinerary together to showcase all that we can in just one weekend!
There is so much to see and experience! Nashville’s Parthenon; the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum; the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park; the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge; and Broadway, also known as the “Honky Tonk Highway!” We’ll also be on the lookout for live music! Registration has just opened for this weekend workshop; see all the details on our “Workshops” page.
This coming summer, we have planned another special getaway! We’re heading north to the Great State of Maine! This was an amazing place to visit during our scouting trip and it will be a fantastic photography workshop in June. Humorist Will Rogers remarked, "Did you ever see a place that looked like it was built to enjoy? Well this whole state of Maine looks that way."
Moving into fall, we’re ready once again to visit our third new state in 2021, as we schedule our delayed trip to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia! Colonial Williamsburg is the world’s largest living history museum, with over forty sites and trades, four historic taverns and two art museums. Colonial Williamsburg takes you back in time to the dawn of America. This isn’t just a place where things once happened. They are happening now in 18th Century Williamsburg. This is where the idea of America was born, where our ideals we stand for as Americans were defined. Step back in time with Mountaineer Photo Excursions and meet the people who made America!
We’re still working on details, but we also plan to return to Jenny Wiley State Resort Park in Prestonsburg, KY, next year. We hope to have an exciting workshop during our 10th year where we started in 2012 with elk, a lake cruise and much more!
You can see we have big plans! Amanda and I hope you will make plans to share ours in the coming year. Please visit our website and our Facebook page to stay up to date. We hope to start local classes again, and also intend to restart our online classes, as well!
For now, we would like to thank everyone who has helped us get to where we are and helped us get through a difficult year. Amanda and I enjoy what we’re doing and we’re looking forward to enjoying next year. We want to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving, a Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!
Ron Gaskins
November 22, 2020