Hiking the rockies in Colorado, we got real close to some amazing wildlife.
Just some photos from my cross-country vacation.
Funny how different vacation photos sometimes are from how you remember things being. Guess I should have used a camera instead of an AI.
Still, some of them really are surprisingly accurate to how things really were.
~ Click any image to enlarge ~ AI image copyright info Under current US copyright law, unaltered AI-generated images are not copyrightable. However, all AI-generated content on this site has been subjected to a subsequent creative process of manual human edits and alterations, bringing them back into the realm of human authorship. All original content on this site, including AI-assisted images, is ©2024 Michael Kupietz. Beach bunny. I wish they all could be california girls!
Lol, somehow this californian couple strolling on the beach reminded me of "american gothic". Not sure why.
Fun in the sun, but don't forget your sunscreen!
Even on cloudy days in norther california you can find a few crusty locals strolling on the beach.
I spotted this famous fashion model and her retinue on the beach outside of santa cruz. Do you recognize her? (hint: passed away less than 25 years ago.)
Marin county. The famous san francisco area coastal fog doesn't keep the local sun bunnies from enjoying a day of sea and sand.
This ultrahip modern girl sipping a latte was the last sort of person I expected to meet strolling a remote beach in humboldt county, but there she was.
This father honestly didn't seem too keen on being at the beach at all, but just the same he kept a careful watch on his family as they played in the evening surf.
The amount of arts in the northwest is incredible. I came upon this impressive, whimsical sand sculpture on a remote beach in the san juan islands in the puget sound.
Some artist(s) Just built this huge sculpture all by itself out in the woods on the olympic peninsula. This was about four miles from the nearest road. Obviously they'd just been there, the candles were still burning! Sorry I missed them, I'd have loved to find out what they were about.
I met these religious freaks camping in northern nevada. Kind of into their own thing, but nice people. I don't know what they put into their soup but it was delicious.
Oregon country fair, a huge annual gathering outside of eugene full of art and music.
Out in the cascades. You meet a lot of these people who seem like they've been on the road a long, long time.
This little kid from the next campsite befriended me, kept trying to give me gifts.
Camping in the ozarks. The insects were unreal.
Outside of santa fe we met this local artisan family when we stopped and looked at the local crafts at this family's stand on the pueblo.
This fellow camper in yosemite insisted on saying grace before every meal.
Hiking the rockies in colorado, we got real close to some amazing wildlife.
Resting for refreshment on a day hike down into the grand canyon.
The canyon tour guide made a mean cup of "cowboy coffee".
One of the women in our hiking group pauses for a portrait
The only downside of the hike was this little kid kept bugging me.
A tourist asked me to snap his picture on the rim of the grand canyon.
These kids were playing awfully close to the edge in the canyonlands.
Up by the columbia river in oregon, I shared a campsite for a few days with this vagabond. I've never seen someone make such great meals with so few resources.
A bought this charming mug from a local craftsman in the sierras. While I was taking the picture, this little critter alighted on it!
Lunch time at joshua tree.
A young hippie couple picnicking in colorado.
This fella would only give his name as "a traveler". He was selling his folk art to survive on the road.
The few people who live year-round in the high sierras are a hardy breed.
The eastern sierras are full of these crusty old hippies still living out there.
Out in nevada we visited this crusty old local at his homestead. He made the best cowboy coffee I've ever had. This was serious ufo country but he told me he'd never seen anything odd.
We stopped to eat at this rest area outside death valley. It was so hot out that this woman forgot all modesty and stripped nearly naked.
We met this old desert dweller out by the salton sea
Stopping for a home-cooked meal outside of ensenada, baja, mexico
My friend and his family pose for a portrait on their hilltop spread in northern california
Picnic out by my friend's cabin up by clear lake in northern california.
The good people of hurdle mills, nc.
My buddy took me to lunch at his friend's place up by hurdle mills, nc. This man has worked this land his whole life.
Jawing with a local at a rest area in eastern colorado.
Picnic time! Have some bug juice! Who's ready to make smores?
Tubing on the esopus creek, phoenicia, ny
Down in arizona we did some tubing.
We did some rafting in yosemite, too. The yosemite river was pretty swollen.
These folks passed us doing some more whitewater rafting, outside boulder, colorado.
More folks we met rafting outside of boulder.
Getting ready to canoe with some new friends we met at lake george.
My friend's neighbor came and visited the cabin with his dog. He brought good food but didn't say much.
A few friends gather for brunch on the patio of a cabin in the adirondacks
A lot of the houses in the woodstock area are proud of the area's artistic heritage.
Overlook mountain, saugerties, ny. Looks like some new agers had just had a healing ceremony here.
We stayed up at my friend's place in oneida lake
Having an evening beverage, at dusk at a niagara falls overlook
We had a nice meal on this terrace overlooking the falls
Local merchant selling tourist wares at niagara falls
Waterfalls at watkins glen.
I found this cool coffee mug someone left by the falls. It was hard to hold on to, it kept wriggling.
Tourist relaxing and the view at some waterfalls up by watkins glen
Early morning bather relaxing in a creek in the catskills
This person wore extra protection from the rocks and branches in the water
That cold creek water is revitalizing
This family was bathing at these falls we hiked in to
Another early morning bather relaxing in a creek in the catskills
This concession stand sold cute tourist trinkets
These people had a loft with a killer view.
Typical fabulous ornate new york architecture.
Some tourists find the heights unnerving
The empire state building observation deck has these binocular devices where you can drop a quarter in and for two minutes it lets you peer into the depths of your soul.
This young tourist girl was unimpressed with the view from the empire state building observation deck.
Hipsters at an afternoon rooftop party in manhattan, nyc
One of the locals down in death valley
The only problem with california is the overcrowding. Tourists are everywhere.
California girls are the cutest in the world
Young professionals on their way to catch the monorail to work, seattle
Another local relaxing near the space needle, seattle
Local hipster by the space needle, seattle
The crowds take in an unmoving "human statue" busking down in union square.
San francisco's architecture is remarkable.
Dolores park gets crowded on a sunny saturday afternoon.
A crusty old boat captain by fisherman's wharf. I bet this guy has some stories.
This is "defenestration", a downtown public art piece in san francisco by artist brian goggin designed as a welcome to the techies who arrived during the dotcom boom.
I found this delightful little waterfront cafe.
Some local street performers at fisherman's wharf
Tourists out by fisherman's wharf
Looks like somebody's housepet escaped
An old-timer out at fisherman's wharf
This funny character was out enjoying the surf and the rocks by land's end
A san francisco native out by fisherman's wharf
I met this young couple up in the hollywood hills. I think they were on their honeymoon.
A family living out in the desert offered me some hospitality
An old gentleman I met hiking out in the desert. You're not gonna believe this, but he claimed jim morrison left him there!