Motorcycle Photographer Author Journalist Travel Adventurer BMW
There is nothing quite like witnessing a sunrise over The Great Smoky Mountains and this image captured a near picture perfect example of this miracle of Mother Nature. It was captured in late April of 2021 while on a 3,000 mile motorcycle adventure from New York; west to Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana; then south to The Foothills of The Smokies in Eastern Tennessee. The cool, crisp spring morning offered a perfect temperature for the formation of the banks of low-lying clouds that give The Smoky Mountains their name. Days of prior storms were moving off to the east and the last of the clouds lingered over the mountains, being illuminated from below by the emerging sun. I had left my motel in Marysville, Tennessee; some 30 miles west; in complete darkness in order to arrive at this overlook in time for first light. Arriving safely at the scenic overlook I set up my Peak Design compact travel tripod and my Nikon Z6II camera fitted with a 28-300MM Nikon zoom lens. There was nothing left to do now but wait for Mother Nature to reveal herself. As a traveling photographer one must keep their equipment kit small and compact. As a traveler using a motorcycle as their conveyance of choice, this is critical. There is only so much room on a motorcycle for the things you carry for an extended adventure. Necessities get packed first. Emergency gear such as first aid items, tools, a tire repair kit with a portable self-contained air compressor and a self-contained battery booster apparatus takes up one of the panniers (saddlebags) on the bike. Foul weather gear including a storm suit, electrically heated jacket, electrically heated gloves, their electronic controller and a neck warmer occupy the other pannier. All my clothing for the trip gets packed in a waterproof roll bag along with my laptop computer, chargers for my electronic devices, toiletries and a change of footwear. This just leaves the bike’s top case for my camera gear. Years of traveling on two wheels has allowed my gear kit to evolve into just one custom designed waterproof case of essentials that fits snuggly…perfectly…into the small, waterproof 27 liter top case. With a careful and purposeful design I manage to carry two Nikon mirrorless cameras, two Nikkor (Nikon) zoom lenses and my DJI Mavic Air 2 drone…all ready to be deployed quickly…all traveling safely and securely. After capturing the beautiful sunrise in front of me and created a second image with my trusty BMW F800GT motorcycle in the frame. It has been said amongst some of my close motorcycling friends that "without pictures, it never happened". That picture appears elsewhere in this section of my web site comprised of travel and motorcycle adventure images. This very photo appears at the head of a chapter of my Amazon #1 bestseller road travel book "Road Work: Images and Insights of a Modern Day Explorer"; a book whose first six chapters revolve around this amazing motorcycle adventure. I hope you enjoy this glimpse of some of Mother Nature’s beautiful handiwork and hope you enjoy reading my book as much as I enjoyed writing it.