Saturday, July 04, 2009

A Healing Journey and a Trek Tour 2009

During the last of May, and all of June, I was on the road again, for the first time in many years. travelling across America by car, from California to Upstate New York, then from there to NYC; Washington D.C.; the Florida Keys; Muscle Shoals, Alabama; St. Louis, Missouri; and Santa Fe, New Mexico, before returning home.

WHEW!

The purpose of this trip was twofold: first, because after losing Eva, I needed to get away, out on my own for a while to heal and recharge. It was thanks to the generous help of my lover (husband?) Darryl that I was able to do this. Second, I was invited to perform in a guest-starring role in the latest episode of STAR TREK: Phase II (aka STAR TREK NEW VOYAGES) in the episode KITUMBA, which I jumped at.
Well, the road trip was wonderful, albeit a bit gruelling. Did a lot of "bucket list" things I've never done before, such as see the Florida Keys and Kennedy Space Center and EPCOT; eat a dog at Tony Packo's in Toledo; hit a baseball at the Field of Dreams; see Niagara Falls, etc.
But the big part was working for two weeks aboard the Starship Enterprise with Captain Kirk (James Cawley) and meeting (as well as working with) the cast and crew of the show, all of whom are wonderful people, and I'm thrilled that so many of them have asked me to be their friends on Facebook.
Unfortunately, I can't show you any of the cool pictures I shot during the filming until much later when they are approved for release, so as not to spoil any surprises.
But, I do have a lot of other great shots, so here they are!




More shots, and video clips, will be added to this post over the next week or so....


Lookout tower at Grand Canyon.


Time-Lapse video of sunset at Grand Canyon.
Music is by Bill Conti, from the IMAX film Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets.









Locomotive of the Grand Canyon Railway.

Bright Angel Trail at night.

Little Brown Bat flitting under the porch light at Kolb Brothers Studio, Grand Canyon.




Eva's dragon wand at Grand Canyon.

Bright Angel Trail at night.

Eva's spirit rides Route 66 in Northern Arizona.


Eva's dragon wand at Monument Valley.



Me at Goosenecks of The San Juan River, southern Utah.

Mexican Hat, Utah.

The Durango & Silverton Railroad at Silverton, CO.

Treasure Falls, Wolf Creek Pass, CO.



The Field of Dreams, Dyersville, Iowa.


"People will come, Ray." The Kinsella farmhouse from Field of Dreams.

Tony Packo's, Toledo, Ohio. Just as good as Klinger said!

Niagara Falls, Canadian side. Nigara Falls, American side. Those rocks are 175 feet straight down!


Aboard the Enterprise.


The cabins in Vermont where cast and crew lived during shooting.

Fort Ticonderoga and Lake Champlain.

Dawn over Lake Champlain.

Moon over Lake Champlain from Fort Ticonderoga.

Old building somewhere in Vermont or Conneticut.


Hard Times Chili Cafe, Alexandria, Virginia. One of me and Randall's favorite eateries!


End Of The World at Mile Marker "0" in Key West, Florida.






Eva's spirit watching over the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

Me at Cayo Hueso (Key West).





I was surprised to see that Key West could handle deep-draft ships!










Why does the chicken cross the road? To get to the beach in Cayo Hueso, of course!









At Hemingway's house, you can still see descendants of his cats, like this kitty at the porch.






Me enjoying the warm waters at Cayo Hueso. And I do mean WARM!






Lighthouse across the street from Hemingway's house.














This pelican actually let me pet him!







Cayo Hueso is very Gay-friendly, and they have this beautiful AIDS Memorial right on the beach.







Sunset in The Keys.






Me and my old buddy Mike Sparks, on the road again!



The IMAX Projection Booth at Kennedy Space Center, capable of running 3D IMAX fillms. Today they were showing MAGNIFICENT DESOLATION by Tom Hanks, and STAR TREK!

In the Firing Room for Apollo missions.

Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida.


My dear friend and mentor, Ken Smith, piloting his boat just off his house (in BG) in a slough of the Tennessee River.







Ken out front of his building in Leighton (pronounced LEE-ton), Alabama






Streets of Americana, Leighton, AL.






Leighton, AL.






Ken and Noelle's dance studio, next door to his house. Noelle holds belly-dance sessions here.







The atrium over Ken's bedroom.









Ken tries to pop whips in both hands!






Ken and me on his boat.


Ken's patio at dusk in the early summer.





Eva's dragon wand at Graceland, on the day Michael Jackson died.





The St. Louis Arch.