Continuing on the journey, we decided to take a hike along the Appalachian Trail in the Delaware Water Gap.  Although it was very cold, it was nice to get out and hike.  It’s a spot we’ve been to before, where I’ve done some fly fishing with a good friend.  The trip mainly consisted of a fairly short hike, in which my dad and I took many pictures and then hustled to catch up with the others, then to turn around and head back to the car due to the cold.

Here is a great shot of where a lot of my photographic inspiration came from as I grew up (above).  We were mainly taking pictures of a small fall in the rocks, which had icicles hanging on the under side of a huge boulder.

As there was a very observant comment in the previous post about the absence of my face from the photos, I have included this shot to affirm that I was indeed present and enjoying the company.

After a good day of hiking it’s best finished off with doing some hammering.  We all sat around very amused, every once in a while dozing off into the cracks of the couch.

The other big trip we made was into NY.  We decided to go up the Rockafeller building for the view, as it was the same price as the Empire State building, but from the Rock you could see and take pictures of the Empire, as well as have a much better view of Central Park.  At the base where the famous ice skating rink used in o-so-many movies is located, we ran into some good friends from Idaho.  Now we’ve experienced it all, having ran into someone we know in the city of millions of people.  Crazy.

The elevator that takes you up the Rock goes dark when it starts up, then these really cool lights shoot up the elevator rails above you through the transparent ceiling, and images and words are displayed in a laser-light show tradition.  It was very entertaining, and Espen smiled the whole way up.

One of the great things about the observation deck is that they have 2 inch plexiglass around the whole area.  This is great when you’re concerned about a rambunctious 2 year old.  They proved more than useful, as the moment we stepped outside he started running around and ran face first into the glass, giving him his best bruise yet!  It really surprised him, but it was great to know they were there as the edge dropped off about a foot past where he had been running full steam!

Upon touchdown we found it necessary to instill within ourselves a sense of food.  We hiked around to the nearest stands and experienced the NY street vendors.

From there we went to time square, where we enjoyed a very friendly horse, and the stimulation of marketing on steroids to the 10th degree.  It’s really hard to grasp the atmosphere until you visit it, and it’s worth visiting to see what they hype is about, and whether you feel it’s truly worth it or not.  After all, this whole area (NY city) is considered by many to be the “heart” of America, so it’s worth taking a trip to see where the blood is being pumped from and decide whether it’s your blood type or not.  Below you can see Espen in his new hat that his grandpa (and life long Yankee fan) bought.  He kept looking at himself in the reflections of the buildings because he somehow knew that wearing it backwards made him cool or something.

We finished off the trip with a walk through Central Park.  We saw some open green areas, got some ice cream, watched some youth climbing around the structures of arches and stairs, and enjoyed a couple of trips to the bathroom when the little one was blowing the whistle.  All in all it was a great trip, and a good balance of touring and resting.  I regret forgetting my circular polarizer at home for our trip to the top of the Rock, but I am grateful for the chance to be with family and explore a bit.

Wow, this was a long time coming!  But here it is, and I really enjoyed posting all these photos.  I know there’s quite a few, but it was hard to skimp due to an over saturation of stellar images.  Thanks again, Chris and Theresa.  You guys rock, and it sure was a great day!  Blessings on the days to come.

I loved Chris’ boots!  Theresa had some pretty sweet ones that she wore later as well.

Ah, Bryan.  How many times can I say thanks for shooting with me…and when will we ever get boutonnieres as photographers again?!  That was awesome!