Camera Trekking Hedo's Sai On Conservation Park

Forest Therapy for the Soul

It was one of those "no-sunshine-expected" November Monday mornings, yesterday.

Doc was picking me up at 9 AM and, I started packing the camera bag.

The big lenses were ignored because it didn't look like a bird-shooting day.

A little know attraction named, Saion Pine Trees Conservation Park became our mission.

Sai On is a famous scholar in Ryukyuan history. He advised the king during the 1700's.

Land conservation, tree planting, irrigation, and agriculture were some of his specialties.

It would take about an hour to photograph this portion of the trail, for viewers.

Families might want to pack a lunch, some drinks and, drag the children along.

So, my plan was to give them views from different angles, with a wide-angle lens.

This is a hollowed-out tree, lined with stones and utilized as a bridge, to cross a stream.

Way back when Sai On outlawed the making of dugout boats.

Large trees were being cut down, faster than they could be replaced.

This "tree" happens to be fabricated out of concrete, the same as all the handrails in the park.

The scene below contains a trickle of a stream, shrouded by jungle vegetation.

During peak rains, it very well may be a raging river. Unimpressed, I didn't bother with it.

Deep Woods Insect Repellant was waiting somewhere in my office. Maybe, next time.

It's a good little hike, to get your calf muscles burning and maybe, sweat a bit.

Athletic travelers might want to try jogging up and down those hills.

Autumn foliage in Okinawa is mostly brown and green, as you can see.

This photo wasn't taken for the "WOW" factor. It was unique.

The purpose was to show, the trail comes back to civilization and, crosses a country road.

Somewhere nearby must be Route 58. Call it Early Redneck English. I understand.

Look both ways for traffic, cross the street and go up the stone stairs.

If you were getting weary of civilization, you'll be back in the woods soon.

It was a disappointment coming across this tree stump. The tree was removed.

More than likely, it had become infested with pine beetles and, had to be destroyed.

Traffic cones and a roped-off area contain some other felled pines.

Cross the clearing and the trails continue through Saion Park.

This is another concrete, imitation, dugout tree, bridge, paved with stones.

Everywhere I went, was flip-flop safe but, I kept my eyes open for snakes, anyhow.

It wasn't too wet or dry so, walking on the fallen leaves, didn't make much noise.

The path was fairly level in this location so, my knees stopped creaking.

All good things must come to an end. I knew more huffing and puffing waited up ahead.

One of my favorite scenes was this circular stairway. It kind of fools you.

Doc headed up the right side and, I thought he reappear coming back to the left.

After composing this photo, I waited and, there was no more Doc.

The trail keeps on going until you come to another clearing.

It took a few seconds after arriving at this shrine, to realize I had been here before.

Rituals for the Sacred Water of the New Year, take place here.

One day, blue skies will appear above those mountains and, I'll get a better photo.

It'll give me an excuse, to show you the rest of Sai On Conservation Park in Hedo, Okinawa.

Wordless Wednesday: A Hungover Tree

Closer to the Night Heron: Another Bird Photo

Extremely Shy Adult Night Heron

 

 

Tonight, I got close enough to capture a fairly decent shot.

The bird heard the camera clicking and, flew off leaving me with 3 snaps of the shutter.

This heron lives back near the end of a stream flowing towards the sea.

A few more meters of, cutting a trail through the jungle and, I'll be in there with him.

Not that, I want to shake hands or, anything like that.

Just to be peeking over his shoulder when he grabs a fish, is all I want.

This photo was taken with the Pentax K3 and a 300mm with a 1.4 converter at

f/ 5.6   1/160   ISO 200

 Focal length 420mm 

Location: Kin Town, Okinawa, Japan

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Bird Photo: Black-crowned Night-Heron Juvenile

Bird Photo: Black-crowned Night-Heron Adult

Special Trees and Another Sacred Grove

Natural Monument of Okinawa Prefecture

 

 

Today day was spent searching for the special trees in the Ryukyu culture.

A little hike up a hill, led to Kami-ashagi, in the Hiji area of Okinawa.

The goal, for me, was to locate this tree, called an Akagi (Bischofia) that's on my list.

The large trees in this grove are over 250 years old.

The trail, leading to the top of the hill was well maintained.

It was warm enough for the mosquitoes to come out so, we used some repellant.

The autumn leaves around here, don't crunch under your feet.

In the forest, they compost real fast and, smell woodsy.

When, I get home maybe, I'll hose my feet and flip-flops down over a flowerpot.

Tell the missus, I'm fertilizing her plants.

The trail, led to this place of worship, Kami-ashagi.

It is extremely important to know, you never enter one of these structures.

I maintain my distance and photograph them but, would only enter one by invitation.

They are used for cultural rituals and, in many villages, only women may enter them.

A sign, nearby, gave some history about the area.

A photo of the English portion, will come in handy for future reference.

Having taken photos of the trees, I was after, the return trip began.

Going downhill was much more enjoyable.

We were blessed with warm weather and blue skies, all this week.

So, I made sure to capture as much with the camera as possible, during the descent.

People, living in snow country, might appreciate all this greenery.

Any day now, we will start getting temperatures in the 60's and I will be freezing !

Note to those who followed this far:

Tomorrow, I will be going to a hospital for a short visit and, will be offline.

Automotively speaking, I guess you could say, something popped in my exhaust manifold.

And, they have to open my engine compartment up, to put a patch inside.

Lucky, for me, it's an up front repair and not, a broken tailpipe.

See you next week !

Surprised While Taking Fern Photos in Yambaru Forest



Who Would Have Guessed: Insect Repellant ?

 

 

It's November and Christmas is just around the corner.

When we went north in Okinawa, I offered Map It Dude some bug spray.

He was hiking, to the highest peak on this island.

Not me. Been there before, a few times and decided not to do the 2 hour climb.

I said, bug spray and insect repellant are in my pack.

"Nah, there won't be any mosquitoes; it's too cold for them."

There wasn't any wildlife, being active so, I decided to shoot plants and ferns.

I, left the bug spray and crèmes in the vehicle.

Shooting images of ferns from different angles can keep me busy for a few hours.

It was so quiet, in the jungle, you could probably hear a snake slithering.

But, that wasn't the only thing that surprised me.

The weather warmed up and, it woke up the mosquitoes.

There were plenty of fern photos taken so, I headed back down the trail.

That's when I met these red ferns, alongside the highway.

Confirmation, on their names is pending, along with lots of other things.

Remember that movie star, Robert Redford ?

Well, he gave me an idea.

For the time being, I'll just call these guys the Redfern Brothers.

Does anyone else have a better idea ?


NOTE: The weather in Okinawa, Japan can fool you sometimes.

So, it's a good idea to always be prepared for tropical sunshine.

Insects don't follow the calendar; they follow the thermometer.

And, the weather on the Ryukyu Islands doesn't necessarily follow any calendar, either.

In years past, I recall going to the beach, to swim, during winter months.

The sun doesn't burn me and bugs won't bite me, usually.

Most of the repellants and cremes, I carry, are for others to use.

Something tells me, the secret ingredient, that protects me is in Orion Beer.

Well, the past few days I was on some strong medicine, trying to kick a cold.

Doctors orders:  No Alcohol

Those pesky bugs feasted on me, yesterday because my Orion levels were depleted.

The cold is all gone.  No more drugs.

Downtown, I have some catching-up to do.

Have a great weekend !

Off Island and Off Road with Map It Okinawa Dude

Ten Selected Photos

These photos were taken on March 28, 2013.

Our mission was to go to another island and talk to the folks in a village office.

Deciding to travel light, I just grabbed two Pentax cameras and lenses.  No backpack or, shoes.

Knowing I'd be riding with Map It Okinawa Dude, I left the office lights on.

That's because we get back after dark, sometimes.

Things went well at the village office.

Then, we decided to go explore another island.

Bingo!  Map It Dude found a mysterious trail through the jungle.

Not exactly flip-flop friendly, I took my time and shot lots of photos.

The place was unbelievably quiet. 

No wind, no birds chirping, no blown highlights from the afternoon sun.

 It was so quiet, you could hear yourself breathing.

Rocks, ferns, trees and plenty of jungle vegetation were there for the shooting.

The only sound to be heard was the mirror slap from the camera.

 Imagine a place without any motor vehicles, fast food joints or people yapping on cell phones.

If you soundproofed your house, it couldn't be as quiet as this jungle.

Something tells me, this is a sacred place.  It was eerily quiet.

It made me wonder.  How many people could survive in a place like this, nowadays ?

No convenience stores, no TV or internet connections, there's nothing there, but nature.

 Returning to the road and civilization, I saw the sun peeking through along the trail.

So, I went back looking for Map It Dude.

He's in one of these photos.  Did you see him up there ?

Travel Photo: Stream Scene from Okinawa

There's really no such thing as getting lost on the island of Okinawa.

But, you can become temporarily misplaced.

Follow any stream, trail or, road out of the jungle.

Sooner or, later you are bound to find the ocean.

What I do, when the younger dudes go climbing and trekking up slippery rocks is stop.

Then, make believe I'm doing something important.

That's how I got this scene of a stream flowing through the northern hills of Okinawa.

The Map It Okinawa dude must have thought I was temporarily misplaced.

After he climed every hill and waded through all the streams in the area, he came back and found me.

He helped me carry all my camera gear back down the mountain.

It's a good idea, after you reach a certain age, to have someone younger travel along with you.

He even has one of those GPS gadgets and, can probably tell you where this photo was taken.

The location isn't all that important to me.  I just like to take the pictures.

If we happen to head back up that way again I don't plan on going to this spot.

What I would do, is find another stream to checkout.

When the young adventurers get too far ahead of me, I'll do it again.

Just get myself Deliberately Misplaced  and shoot another scene in the jungles of Okinawa.

It's a blast !

Photo of the Week: Shades of Green in the Jungle

This photo showing shades of green in the jungle was taken in Okinawa, Japan along with the photos seen in WHEN IT'S WET IN THE FOREST.

That was October 15, 2011 and I'm just getting around to developing the rest of that month's photos.

Do you think I'll ever get caught up ?

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