I don’t usually write my trip reports like this one but I thought it might be interesting to share what my typical photo trip costs.

The purpose for this trip was to procure a truck camper in Texas. This is something I had been talking about doing for almost 15 years and I was finally doing it. If I had paid to have it shipped, it would have cost me about $1,000. The total cost of this trip, including fuel, lodging, food, and access fees ended up being $988.98, plus I got to visit 6 national parks, 5 of which I had never been to before. This trip schedule was very aggressive. If I had to do it over, I’d add a few more more days so I could spend more time at each of the locations I planned to shoot.

Here’s trip report with cost break down and a few humorous tales.

To see the full trip gallery, go to: Full Gallery

Day 1: Home to Death Valley National Park

I drove from Sacramento to Death Valley and arrived just in time to scout a spot for sunrise then head over to Devil’s Golf course for sunset. I was hoping to spot some wildflowers but I was too early. This was a relatively uneventful day with decent sunset shots, but nothing spectacular.

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Day 2: Death Valley National Park to Saguaro National Park

I started this day with sunrise shooting at Old Stovepipe Wells. It was a less than exciting sunrise and I was anxious to get going because I knew I had a long drive ahead of me.

This day of driving proved to be more exhausting than day 1. I had a number of freeway changes, road construction, and traffic that put me an hour behind schedule. By the time I reached Saguaro NP, I jumped out of the car and frantically shot as much as possible with the 30 minutes of light remaining. I truly underestimated how much I would love this park and barely scratched the surface during my short visit.

After my speed sunset shooting, I drove to the one campground in the area hoping there would be some campsites left. Nope – totally full. So I did what any logical person would do; I parked on the side of the road and hoped no one would kill me. I’m here, writing this so it worked this time.

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Day 3: Saguaro National Park to Guadalupe Mountains National Park

I started my day pretty much how I ended it, frantically rushing around to take sunrise photos at Gates Pass. Because I arrived so late the day before, I didn’t have time to scout for sunrise, which is stressful because it means I am driving to an unfamiliar location to scout in the dark. That never works and my pictures show it. I also had to leave before the visitor center opened so I didn’t get my passport stamped. Insert frowny face here.

After I left Saguaro, I was determined to get to Guadalupe Mountains NP as early as possible so I could scout the locations I had researched online. I bet most people reading this have never heard of this park. It wasn’t really on my radar until this trip. I planned to visit Carlsbad Caverns NP and this happens to be about 40 minutes away. It’s a small park but contains the tallest peak in Texas: El Capitan. I arrived in the afternoon and had time to scout, get my passport stamped, do a little shooting, and learn that the one campground in the area was – you guessed it – completely full.

I spent the evening shooting El Capitan from a boulder field that I accessed by climbing a fence that was probably installed specifically to keep people like me out. Then I parked in an open parking spot at the campground that was full and crashed for the night. Most people who know me would say I’m a rule-follower but sometimes. . . no.

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Day 4: Guadalupe Mountains National Park to Round Rock, Texas

Guadalupe Mountains NP is small park that is best seen through its hiking trails but based on the online research I did, there wasn’t any trail that was going to be photo worthy until autumn so I planned to shoot in the boulder field again at sunrise. I like being able to shoot the same location at different times but I’m often tempted to shoot something new each day because I want to cover an area. I’m glad I was forced to concentrate on the boulder field because I slowed down the next morning and tried some different shots. Plus, I got to hop that fence again!

I scheduled a hard stop for myself at 7:20 am so I could be at Carlsbad Caverns by the time the visitor center opened. I wanted to make sure I got my passport stamped and was one of the first people into the cave so I didn’t have people in my shots. Well, I didn’t realize that the time changes back one hour between Texas and New Mexico (even though these locations are 30 miles from each other) so I arrived a full hour early. As a result, I was one of the first people into the cave and enjoyed 2 hours of shooting in almost perfectly quiet conditions. Carlsbad Caverns was another park that just blew me away. The main cavern is 800 feet below the surface and the cave trail is 1.25 miles long. The photos don’t do the park justice but they give you a sense of what it is like.

After the caverns, I had to get serious and start my drive to Round Rock, where I planned to retrieve my camper the next morning. This was another long day of driving with road construction and two lane highways that were heavily traveled by semi’s. I finally made it into Round Rock at 8:15 pm. I splurged for a motel this night so I could shower as a courtesy to the folks at the RV dealership.

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Day 5: Round Rock, Texas to Fort Stockton, Texas

Instead of shooting at sunrise, I spent this morning restocking food supplies and getting gas so I could hit the road as soon as my truck camper was secured to my truck. I’ve been reading articles, blogs, reviews and watching YouTube video about truck campers for years but as soon as he did my walk through I felt like a kid who had studied for 2 weeks only to forget the material when I started taking the test. Actually going through the rig with the knowledge that I have to remember how to work and maintain everything was a little overwhelming. Of course, this is why they invented the internet – so you could google how to empty a black water waste tank without getting crap blasted in your face. Google it. I dare you.

It ended up taking until 5:30 to complete the work so I left the dealership right smack in the middle of rush hour traffic with a 6 hour drive ahead of me. I made it to my overnight location, the exotic Walmart parking lot in Fort Stockton, Texas at 11:37 pm. I needed to purchase a step ladder so I could reach the clamps that allow the camper top to be “popped up” but at this point, I was so tired, I just threw the cushions on the floor and passed out for the night. It was surprisingly comfortable. By the way – I was one of 25 RV’s in that parking lot. People really do sleep overnight at Walmart’s across America!

Day 6: Fort Stockton to Big Bend National Park

First thing in the morning, I ran into Walmart, bought the step ladder, and headed to Big Bend National Park. This was an easy breezy drive compared to the previous day, at 3 hours. I had a fair amount of time to investigate one section of this massive park and I chose the Castelon area. I was mostly interested in Elena Canyon but I also wanted to shoot Cerro Castellan, Dorgan house, and wildflowers.

It was pretty hot there during the day with hazy skies and very few clouds.  This is unfavorable conditions for daytime shooting but I made the best of it. I arrived at Elena Canyon early so I could get a good spot for sunset but as it got later, the clouds completely enveloped the area, killing any chance of a decent sunset. I waited it out until after the official sunset, hoping for some miracle, but no such luck.

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Day 7: Big Bend National Park to White Sands National Monument

During the night, there was a pretty big thunder and lightning storm and I awoke to cloud cover. I had an hour drive to Grapevine Hills to hike to Balanced Rock and I hoped I might get some break in the clouds by the time I arrived. No luck. With a less than stellar sunrise, I quickly hiked back to my car and headed to White Sands National Monument in New Mexico.

I arrived with just enough time for some afternoon scouting and shooting. Running around like a ferret on crack was becoming a standard practice on this trip. The monument locks their entry gates 30 minutes after sunset so you have to plan accordingly and it’s easy to get disoriented with all the white sand dunes and no landmarks. So what did I do? I got lost. I was able to find my way to the main road but I could not figure out which direction to walk to find my vehicle. The park rangers were super nice and offered to drive me around if I could not find my truck. Luckily, I figured it out and managed to exit about 10 minutes before the gates were locked.

I had another glamorous evening in a Walmart parking lot in Alamorgordo, which I am pretty sure was not the safest place in town but it ended up being fine, so thank you again Walmart. 

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Day 8: White Sands National Monument to Bisti Badlands

This day was a doozy. I met a park ranger at the gates for White Sands at 4:45 am so I could get in before sunrise. I was hoping for some nice clouds but mother nature was not cooperating. I was the only person in the monument though and that was pretty awesome. After I wrapped up my morning shoot, I was focused on getting to Bisti Badlands in northern New Mexico. This location is in the middle of nowhere with no hiking trail so I was relying on GPS coordinates and visual landmarks provided by strangers on the internet to locate the features the area is known for. I was anxious to get there early so I’d have time to locate some of the features before dark. 

Just as I was leaving Alamogordo, I noticed I was out of propane so I stopped to buy a bottle. Wrestling that thing out of the side of my camper on a step ladder was an adventure. After I finally got it out, I lugged it inside and requested to trade it in for a new tank. The attendant was super nice and managed to find one tank that was new. I was so grateful because I really needed to get back on the road. I quickly went back and wrestled the new tank in place but as I was tightening the knob it suddenly loosened up and let out a loud “pssssssst”! I immediately thought, “that seems bad” so I sat there for a second thinking about what to do then I turned on the gas and checked for the smell of propane. It took about a half a second for that to smack me in the face and I said, “Nope. I’ll manage the rest of the trip without a refrigerator.” Thankfully, I had an ice chest,  so I just transferred my food over and went about my day, but nearly an hour behind schedule.

My second fun adventure was the search for a gas station in Crownpoint, New Mexico. It was like a really frustrating scavenger hunt that took 30 minutes to solve. I finally found one buried in the middle of town but the attendant was also very nice and I had a full tank of gas on my way to the middle of nowhere.

I finally made it to Bisti over an hour behind schedule and I frantically shoved supplies in my backpack since I planned to return after dark. A group of guys showed up as I was prepping to leave, which always makes me uncomfortable but I tried to play it cool – giving that look like I had serious weapon if they messed with me. About a half a mile out I realized in my rush, I had forgotten my pepper spray. Fantastic! At this point I was so ticked off at myself and the day’s events that I probably could have ripped someone’s face off with my bare hands, but I’m glad I didn’t have to test that theory.

To make things even better, I had to walk up a steep hill to spot a landmark that I was hiking towards. As I was coming back down, I fell pretty hard. I had rocks embedded in my knees and I was so mad I just yelled, “Son of a bitch!” and stormed ahead.

Then, it happened. I saw the first hoo-doo and my grumpy mood dissipated. I ran around for the next hour and half shooting these awesome sculptures, so grateful that I made it before dark. This is one place I would love to come back to and stay longer because there is so much to explore.

I made it safely back to my vehicle after dark and noticed one other visitor had arrived – a guy in a black van with no windows. Awesome. Creepy dude in a van. I shouldn’t say that. I’m sure he was nice and there were no dead bodies in there.

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Day 9: Bisti Badlands to Sedona

When I got up, it was dark but I knew the sky was clouded over because there were no stars and rain was in the forecast. I knew it was pointless to hike the 2.5 miles back out and shoot hoo-doos with gray skies so I started prepping to leave at a leisurely pace. As I stepped outside to lower the pop-up, I saw another sight that made me yell, “Son of a bitch!” The sky had completely lit up with pink and orange. It was stunning. It only lasted about 5 minutes; not nearly long enough for me to hike out to the hoo-doos but I was so mad at myself for not having just hiked out in the dark for that chance. I don’t think I’ve ever regretted going out and getting skunked nearly as much as I regret blowing an opportunity.

As I finished prepping to leave, I said, “Today has to be a better day.” That was a foolish demand. I left Bisti with the intention of driving to Sedona. I drove Highway 40 so I could stop in Petrified Forest National Park on the way. I had never been there so I thought it would be a good little detour. After I finished, I stopped in Holbrook, Arizona for gas. I will never ever stop here again. Ever. Finding a gas station was a chore and when I finally did find one, I sat for 10 minutes waiting behind a group of people taking selfies and cleaning out their mini-van while blocking the pump. I ended up leaving in search of another gas station. I found one and waited 10 minutes while a family visited with each other while blocking the pump. This time I decided to wait because I had no idea where the next station would be. While sitting there, minding my own business, someone backed into my camper. “Son of a bitch!” I jumped out immediately, and the woman was very apologetic and quickly said, “I did more damage to my car than yours.” Upon inspection, it did look like there was no damage to my vehicle. I let her go and got back in my truck, then continued to wait for the gas-pump family reunion to wrap up.

After I re-entered the freeway, I noticed I could see more of the rear part of my camper on the driver’s side than I noticed before. I pulled over and realized her bump knocked my camper off center. I couldn’t stop thinking about it so I decided I had to ditch my evening photo plans so I could lower the jacks and reset the camper. This required tools and time. After thinking more, I realized it was foolish to go down to Sedona because it required a bit of a detour and I wasn’t going to get to take pictures anyway so I decided to go straight to Las Vegas and fix the camper there. Big city, plenty of tools.

Highway 40 had other plans for me. If you have ever been on this freeway, you are probably familiar with what I refer to as “pothole city.” If you have not – avoid it at all costs. Despite my best efforts, I hit a few potholes which ended up knocking my camper back in alignment. Unfortunately, this was after my exit  so I had blown my chance for Sedona. I quickly adjusted again and decided to continue past Vegas, into Death Valley. This made for a long drive but it was my best option.

I arrived in Death Valley just after dark, with no time to scout for sunrise, and I was pooped. I procured a campsite and prayed the next couple of days would be uneventful.

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Day 10: Death Valley

When I left Death Valley a week earlier, I noticed actual water at Badwater. This isn’t common and I thought it would make for a nice sunrise but I had arrived after dark the night before so I couldn’t scout it. I just hoped it hadn’t evaporated. I headed out into the salt pans way before sunrise. I walked, and walked, and walked, but no water. Sometimes you gamble and win, sometimes you lose.

Having this lesson fresh in my head motivated me to scout for my next day’s sunrise shot. I wanted to get a landscape shot with cracked earth in the foreground but I didn’t have a good spot in mind so I stopped by the visitor center to chat with the rangers. Some rangers are incredibly helpful and others treat you like you interrupted their day. This day, I was lucky. The ranger was also a photographer and was very helpful, giving me a couple of spots to try out.

While I was out scouting, I was stopped by a group of young Japanese tourists, looking for directions. They were across the street from me and I heard the words, “Sir, do you know where the entrance is?” Really? Sir? I thought, “How bad do I look right now?” I grabbed my national park map and showed them where we were and the closest entrance to us. I asked them if they knew what direction they were headed. No. I asked them if they were headed to a particular city. No. I wasn’t sure what else to ask so I told them they should take my map. They did and were quite grateful. I wanted to ask them if they still thought I was a dude but it seemed in appropriate so I waved and told them to have a good trip, then I fixed my hair.

I ended my day with a hike into Golden Canyon – the most popular hike in Death Valley. I was hoping to get sunset on Red Cathedral. I stopped to take a lot of photos on the hike in and narrowly missed the sun setting on the rocks. It ended up not being quite the dynamic shot I was hoping for anyway but I did find a great spot for star trails the next time I am there. All in all, not a bad day.

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Day 11: Death Valley to home 

I woke early to hike out to my cracked earth sunrise location. I camped literally 5 minutes away and knew exactly where I was going and how to get there in the dark. That made for a much more enjoyable hike into the desert. Like most photographer’s, I always hope for some great clouds and color at sunrise. There ended up being a few low clouds. Nothing terribly dramatic, but now I have scouted this location and can come back when conditions are optimal.

Promptly after sunrise, I started my long drive home and it was (happily) uneventful. Just a day of highway driving, with the old cruise control set to 65, singing loudly and badly. You know you have been in the car too long when you have memorized the lyrics to Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t stop the feeling!”

Over the course of 11 days, I drove nearly 5,000 miles which took about 71 hours. My total trip cost was $988.98.

  To see the full trip gallery, go to: Full Gallery