STUTENGARTEN

When I started this tumblr I was advancing from a once a week mobile picture upload guy to a more serious photographic journal. Since then I have created hundreds of posts and even more pictures and stories for you to participate on.

Stutengarten is dead, long live Stutengarten

While traveling around the world I created even more content and felt the urge to output my stuff to this place. This time is over now.

The tumblr motivated me to get up and take pictures. I feel this period is finally over and I will say farewell to this place.

However I will not stop to take pictures but the outlet will move once more. I have opened shop on oliverjoest.com and prepared some new stuff for you. 

I have done this before but this time it wasn’t as easy as importing everything and getting the site out into the wild. Due to the higher requirements in design and consistency I could only move the most recent content (the last year essentially) to the new website.

This tumblr will remain only to document the efforts over time. It will become read only from today and new posts will only be published on oliverjoest.com

Isla Mujeres - Museo Subacuático de Arte In 3000 psi Out 1200 psi Max Depth 9 m Dive time 46 min Temp 29 C AVG N/A Visibility 15-20 Start 14:30 Guide Fernando / Pocna Dive Center Comments: A lot of rain at the morning. Weather got better during noon so we could go out for a 2 tank dive that day. Calm and crystal clear sea. Gear was below average and I thought the first stage could be leaking. Captain fixed things before finally going down. Interesting and very shallow dive. A lot of different sculptures form an artificial reef and got more and more covered by corals. Saw lobsters, turtle and barracudas.

Isla Mujeres - Manchones 2 reef In 3000 psi Out 1400 psi Max Depth 9 m Dive time 45 min Temp 29 C AVG N/A Visibility 15-20 Start 15:00 Guide Fernando / Pocna Dive Center Comments: Reef in very good condition. Nice dive around a segment with lots of fish and intact coral. Not too ambitious dive but good to train breathing and buoyancy.

Complete inventory

Drivers seat - All natural sheep skin drivers seat cover. Keeos you nice and comfortable - Cold blowing Air Condition - Sturdy CD slot holder for your smartphone (magnetic attachment) - Belkin High Quality Aux connection for you listening pleasure - Small Broom for daily cleaning - Fidget Spinner! Living room - Ikea Super Comfortable deluxe size mattress - 2,00 x 2,20m blanket - 3 comfortable pillows - Covers and sheets - Sturdy platform with breathable foundation Kitchen - 2 x 2 Gallons (8 Litre) water containers with hose - Small and Big Pot with Lid - 2 individual Butan stoves - Cast Iron Pan (perfect for Steaks) - 5 Rubbermaid Storage Containers with sealed lid - Grater - 2 Enamel Plates - 2 Enamel Jugs - 2 Stainless Steel Vietnamese Coffee Filters - 3 Stainless Steel Bowls (Large, Medium, Small) - Cutting Board - Different Cutlery and 2 sharp knives - Other kitchen Tools - Electric Blender (works on the Inverter) - 40 Can Coleman cooler with extra tablet for sensitive storage - Condiments - Table - 2 x Camping Chairs - Cleaning and drying Towels Bathroom - 3 x Towels - Bowl for Washing Tools + Accessoires - Gorilla Tape - Scissors - Blades - Measuring Tape - 9 x 12' (2,7 x 3,6m) Tarp - Reflective Bubble Foil Window Blinds for the main windows - Magnetic Fibre Glass Mat to keep Bugs out - Bamboo Poles and Cord for building a simple tarp - Storage Bar to hang clothes (never used this one) Gym - 5kg weight for daily workout

Great adventures are made by teams

While I was crossing Canada on my own I was looking forward to the moment I’d meet my old friend from Germany at the Toronto International Airport for another week of shared road trip experience. Despite a small delay I picked him up without any problems and we checked in for a assimilation night in one of Torontos hostels. I felt estranged from the concept of walls and always available hot showers after being on the road for almost 2 months.

After a good night out and a good ration of sleep we went off to drive the Georgian Bay loop. The first leg of the trip was a little cumbersome. But soon after we arrived to the South Bruce peninsula things changed to the better. Being distant from any civilization is the reason to come to Canada. We drove along the shore, had a couple of drinks and then some more. Prepared dinner, made fires and had great talks and precious time spent together.

Being with someone always has its own dynamic. Even more so if you know each other since almost a decade of time. I truly enjoyed this part of the trip and am looking forward to travel back to these days in my memories at another point in my life.

A journey to the Falls

When I stopped at Aberfoyle Antique Market the other night I had some time spare and thought why not stop on a runner up for world wonders. So I steered the van towards Niagara Falls and arrived just in time for a nice sunset at that clouded day. After parking the car in an abandoned lot in the middle of the city I grabbed the camera and ventured not expecting too much.

The city itself is shabby and cliche like. One hotel aligns next to the other and there are cheap eats, Casinos and more upmarket venues all over the place. I kept my objective and with almost cruise missile style precision went towards the horseshoe falls.

The mist that is constantly blown up by the impact of the water was almost creating it’s own micro climate and covered everything in light and small rain drops. Keeping the lens of the camera clean and finding a spot close to the gallery kept me busy.

When the lights go out

After sunset the falls are enlightened by a close by LED lightshow and glow in all colors of the rainbow. The spot was almost too cheesy to stay and after hanging out for a while I went back to a hearty dinner at my car.

I slept superb right behind the main strip of the town. And the passing bachelor and bachelorette parties made my night even more interesting. The next morning I woke up at around 06:00 AM to have another look at the area with less people. My plan turned out just about right. At that time the boulevard and sightseeing spots were empty as expected.

I took some more shots, this time also taking into account the American and Bridal Veil Falls. The view from the Canadian side is said to be more spectacular than from the American side. I can’t prove this wrong but it was a great and completely free of charge adventure for one night before I made my way back to Aberfoyle.

For Bea Grigori

I was thinking about the milky way for a while now. Being outside olf cities in the wilderness of Canada means also having access to one of the darkest night skies I’ve ever seen. The sky is actually so dark you can see the milky way with your bare eyes if you just wait long enough for your night vision to set in. Sometimes it’s the same in life. Patience let’s you experience things that you didn’t expect on the first occasion.

The feeling of being so tiny in the vastness of the night overwhelmed me. Joy, pleasure, freedom, grief, despair and all kinds of fear may come and go. But one thing is certain. It all has it’s reason. The night sky reminded me of the fact that there are things that will outlast even the hardest times during our time on this beautiful planet.

I hope you will wander under the same stars as long as possible. This post is dedicated to you. Happy Birthday.

A turning point?

On my way to Toronto I came to Sudbury. At first it was a strange encounter with only a nickel mine and a huge science center to enrich my afternoon. But then I gradually fell in love with this little town 400 Kilometers north of Toronto. It is small enough to be easily accessible, but there are things going on up here.

The cityscape boasts a large variety of murals and an annual independent art and music festival that just unraveled itself in front of me for the start of a good weekend. On the other hand Sudbury seems to be a turning point in my travel. I have completed an epic road trip across this beautiful country. I’ve come a long way, baby. The next stop in Toronto will hold a meeting with an old friend from Stuttgart that comes to visit me for a week.

I am stumbling about the next steps. Will I sell the van after that yet? Start a new more serious photographic project with the goal to finally publish something or just enjoy the life of a backpacker on the beaches of this world for a few more months before the reality sets back in? So many options and yet I have to take a decision.

I truly enjoyed the freedom and vastness of Canada. This could be a country to live in. The weather might not be optimal but the people are liberal and friendly enough to compensate for all this flaws. Nature-wise it has it all. 

One thing became more and more clear to me during the last 2 weeks. Whenever I am with someone it is an option to outdo what everybody else is doing. Be more extreme, more adventurous, more knowledgeable or show more endurance. This used to be a huge part of my identity. But when it comes down to being all by myself I start to feel a new dimension of this. Could I be striving for all these achievements to mask my own fear of being insufficient? Am I fearful that nobody would accept me with all my flaws when I’d stop to outdo everyone else all the time? Or would that result in a more approachable and accessible me? New impressions and interesting thoughts that came up by living out of my comfort zone.

I think being all by myself in this somehow distant but yet lovely small town provoked more thoughts than I would have expected it to. This is not the end. But it sure is a turning point.

The Finnish shipbuilder

The first heritage village I visited was located in Moose Jaw. The village was huge and had over three dozen buildings that tried to reflect the reality and everyday life goods of a settler village at the beginning of the 19th century. It took me hours to see all of it but the highlight of the stop surely was the Prairie Ship of Tom Sukanen. This Finnish shipbuilder was settling in the prairies but after loosing his wife and kids he felt the urge to go back home. With his profound knowledge of construction and navigation this dude built a ship hull with his own hands. Some of the tools necessary were invented by him right as he was needing them.

Unfortunately he was never able to water the ship. He toed the hull with oxen and a self constructed movement towards the water but turned insane before he was able to accomplish his goal.

A very interesting story that would probably double well as a plot for a movie. Just saying.  

Mennonites from Krefeld

The second village I set foot in was a Mennonite assembly close to Winnipeg. After staying up half the night with the Canadian singer Ryan Boldt on the occasion of a private house concert the stroll around the premises had a priority mission. Finding the German/Ukrainian/Russian inspired restaurant was successful after a few minutes. I was fortunate enough to have their full meal set. A hearty delight that revived my soul and gave me the power to explore the rest of the village.

These anabaptist settlers that originated from Krefeld and the Netherlands fled to Ukraine and Russia from where they fled to Canada once more. The settlements in the area all have genuine german names. A strange but rewarding encounter.

Attack in the middle of the night

One day I woke up the on the shore of the Agimak Lake after being attacked by hundreds of mosquitoes on the spot I chose before. I was preparing my dinner when the hordes came in and started their bloody attack. The only way I saw to get rid of them was eating my dinner while I ran circles around the parking lot to make sure these suckers could not stick onto me. This must have been a weird sight in itself.

After I finished my plate I just threw the remains into the back of the car and hit the road. I lowered the windows and opened the fans of the car to the maximum to create a stream of air that would keep me safe. Driving 2,5 hours into the middle of the night I arrived at the safe spot that Agimak Lake was. Sleeping close to flowing water is preferable to a true lakeside spot I learned that night.

What woke me up in the morning was the sound of a starting water plane. I glimpsed outside and could only see the yellow plane lift into the sky above the water. I thought I’d be on a plane like this as well.

When I finished my morning routine of breakfast, exercise and cleaning the van I pulled the car back onto the street and was ready to continue my eastbound route.

I said yes because no did not come to my mind

When I came across a building that looked like the airport of the water planes I took my heart in both hands and entered the premises. I went into the office to ask how much it would cost me to be a passenger on one of those flights. As I did not have a precise schedule or destination to fly to my question must have sounded more than vague.

A nice woman at the office named Karen told me about the business model of this company that consists of outposts and fishing huts on the lakes that can only be accessed by plane. When I met the owner Brad we sat down and had a nice chat about their place, my travel and life in general. Both of them did the perceived Canadian friendliness more than justice.

When it came to flying they told me they would take me onto one of their flights but couldn’t guarantee when and if it would work in the end. I was not having a schedule for the day so I told them I would wait at my car and have a coffee. They refused me to wait outside and instead invited me for coffee and introduced me to their awesome dog.

When they explained about the planes and that my fortune was based on the amount of gear that passengers would bring I understood why it is such a lucky situation that I would encounter not much later that day.

When Greg and Kathy, two nice fellows from the US showed up to board their flight at around 11:00 AM I was invited to go out with them. Go out over the beautiful landscape and the vast lakes of the area.

Exclusive flight

When we dropped the couple that would spend their next week on one of the lakes outside I came to recognize that I’d fly back with Brad all by myself. That man was such a nice host and I was so lucky to sit in the front of the 5 seated plane with him. While flying back to the origin of our travel we had a nice time in the air. We chatted over the planes own intercom system and when the topic turned to photography I learned his wife Karen would be an avid photographer of the night sky. One of the things I was thinking about during the last days as well. She sparked the last bit my inspiration, but this is stuff for another time.

I think the luck I had during this day is more that I would have expected when I woke up that morning. So sometimes the best alarm is the one that inspires you to think out of you box during the day?

When nothing distracts your view

As a harsh contrast to the mountainous area of the Canadian Rocky Mountains suddenly after leaving Calgary the prairies and badlands would start. This part of the travel is another period of time I am on my own. So plenty of time to look at the horizon and think about the essence of live while I cross hundreds and hundreds of kilometers on my way towards Toronto. There is only one direction these days. Eastbound.

Clouds and farms

The color scape changed another time. This land is covered with farm land and fields. You can see kettle on the side of the road and only briefly imagine how much effort is used to farm this land year after year for hundreds of years consecutively. The farms are huge and the trip is interrupted by frequent visits to heritage villages and old settler villages that give an insight to the interested traveller how life was in this area a few dozen years ago.

Getting inside the Epicenter

I bought my ticket to the Strathmore Stampede after I stood inline for almost a full hour. I just asked the vendor to sell me one of the best seats available so I could see most of the action. When I approached my seat on the infield of the rodeo grounds I came across the entrance to the area where the athletes would prepare for the competition. At first I was hesitant to enter the grounds. I was taking pictures with my camera behind a fence that separated the regular visitors from the backstage area.

After standing there for a while I thought: Fuck it, I’ll go in anyway. If I get thrown out be it so. So I stepped forward to find me inside the obviously action packed grounds of a Stampede backstage area. I was so excited and trembling I almost forgot to concentrate on my steps. The testosterone loaded and masculine cowboy athletes would prepare for their rides. Arms were tapped. Saddles were prepared, boots fitted and chaps rubbed with sticky glue to make sure the body sticked to the saddle area.

The Stampede itself is a three day long festival packed with agricultural shows. Rodeos, chuckwagon racing, bull wrestling and so much more. After 2,5 hours my coverage blew off. Someone of the staff members asked me to leave. Honestly I wouldn’t have be able to stay a single minute longer. My heart was racing and I took almost three 16GB storage cards of pictures with me.

This is a very picture heavy post, but I hope you enjoy the investigative reportage style. I truly did.

Lake Louise

A stop at Lake Louise was recommended to me by my fellow co-worker Christian. He said: “Go early” and right he was. We arrived to the parking lot of the Fairmont Hotel in the middle of the night to make sure we just had to take a short stroll to the center of action the next morning.

We got up at around 5:30 AM to walk the few steps down to the lake. The sunrise was about to lift off. Perfect timing for some long exposures of one of the more photographed spot in Banff National Park. Right after the sun finally lifted the people started to rush in and take pictures with selfie sticks in front of the lake. Time for us to leave after experiencing the place in almost silent conditions.

Lake Moraine

A few minutes later we cruised the parking lot of Lake Moraine. This place was so crowded already that it took a total of 4 or 5 rounds around the parking lot to finally find a car that was about to leave. Another few minutes later the car finally left and we were able to fill the spot. Lake Moraine was no less impressive, but the light had already changed so the reflections were no more as powerful as on Lake Louise. I guess the best would be to stay around in this area to dedicate mornings to each of those miracles of nature.

Game of tones

The tonal range of the sunset in Banff National Park is extraordinary. A few minutes after the sun went down the colors changed from oversaturated blues to beautiful light blues, oranges and even partial crimson skies. The roads were empty at that time. We were pretty much one of the last cars on our way to Banff. The trip took hour by hour because we pulled over every other kilometer to grasp at the marvelous scenes that lay in front of us.

North South passage of glaciers

The ice fields parkway is a highway connecting the Jasper and Banff National Parks. The road is as scenic as interesting. All lakes and streams are overly saturated with rock flour. The scene is getting more and more unreal and starts to look like extraterrestrial ground. The road is lined by a total of more than 6 glaciers sometimes even as close as a few hundred meters. I have not been able yet to walk up to the toe of a glacier but the sight was otherworldly.

The lake cruise

Whenever you’re captive audience at a certain place you don’t have many options instead of saying yes when in reality you feel more like saying no. This is even more so true for the Lake Maligne where the highlight of the lake is only accessible by a narrow passage and a 11 kilometer boat ride from the shore. We got up to the lake at 6:00 AM in the morning while our breath would still steam in front of our rosy faces to catch a place on one of the boat cruises that day. The attempt to book a seat online failed the night before so we had no other chance then showing up in person.

Luckily places were available at 11:00 AM. Oh what a luck if your ride is your bed at the same time. So after checking the tickets we used the opportunity to crawl back into the warm intimacy that a still warm mattress in the back of a car has to offer.

Well recovered and warmed by the alighting sunbeams we got up later that morning to board the cruise ship. A nice guide would talk about the lake and the surrounding mountains. But in fact many people were simply astonished by the sights and I think his audience was only partially interested in the explanations.

The spirit island

The secluded and holy island at the middle of the lake is a spiritual place for the first nation people of the area. For the tourists it is a spiritual sight that will make for some of the most beautiful pictures. Despite the warning not to step onto the island itself some people managed to show pure ignorance and wandered around the shores. Shouting and waving did only work to a certain extent. The holiness of this place must be tempted ever so often by human species of the ignorant type. But beautiful it was.

Simplicity of freedom

The van turned out to be a great investment. The travel through British Columbia is a very relaxed and plentiful ride. We stay overnight wherever we feel it’s appropriate to pull out. The car is well equipped and the comfort increased little by little towards a stagnating maximum. We come across forest fires in the distance and for a few days the smell of burnt wood creeps through every nook and cranny into the safe space of the interior. The road turns and with every covered kilometer the awareness of crossing through one of the most beautiful countrysides raised steadily.

The color palette is very limited unfortunately. Blue, green, turquoise and the sites of mountains. will repeat in the next few posts. There isn’t much more to say about the images except the feeling of wilderness, freedom and lazy days spent cruising all day.

Approaching the Rocky Mountains

After cruising all across the beautiful Vancouver Island it was time to take the ferry back to the mainland of Canada. While cruising all the way up north to Jasper we came across the Garibaldi Provincial Park where we thought to climb our way to Lake Garibaldi.

After we arrived late afternoon to the trail head parking lot we decided we’d go to see the lake the next day. An older man came back to his car in the late afternoon right next to ours and told us about a beautiful extension of the Garibaldi Lake hike to the Panorama Ridge.

He announced that his hike took 12 hours that day. He started at 08:30 AM and was back at the same time in the evening. We discussed this topic while having a nice stew for dinner and decided we could make it too. 

Early birds turned late movers

My initial euphoria to leave the car in the earliest morning hours at around 04:00 AM was stopped suddenly after the alarm went off. The cozy environment of the car and the warmth of sleeping bodies in the tiny space over the mattress felt to comforting to put on hiking boots and venture into the night. So after taking another extended nap we had a serious breakfast and started our adventure at 09:30 AM.

The first 6 kilometers of the day were just stupidly gaining elevation by taking the many serpentines up to the marker of kilometer six of the trail. After that the dense forest got brighter and we encountered the lava dam. A steep wall of a former landslide that gave the parking lot of Rubble creek it’s name. We brought water and snacks that were consumed for a first little break before we approached the sights of lesser Garibaldi lake. 

It’s all about rock flour and elevation

The water washed sediments from the stones and emerges into the lakes and rivers of the area. This so called rock flour gives the water a perfect turquoise color that is unmatched. I haven’t seen something as beautiful and pristine as the waters of British Columbia. The Helm Glacier at the end of Garibaldi Lake was not to shabby neither.

The hike continued from the camp sites at the lakes side towards Panorama Ridge. The way was less frequented and the amount of surrounding hikers rapidly declined. We got aware that bears might show up earlier. There wer warning signs at the parking lots and roadsides to warn visitors about this possibility of wildlife encounter. But we never took it too serious. From what we had researched it sufficed to make noise to make sure the unwanted visitors would clear path up front. When we met a group of asian tourists completely equipped with bells and whistles we recognized that simply chatting along would probably not help much. However we were that far into it that it wasn’t the time for concerns anymore.  

Icefields before the summit

After another 3.5 hour hike we were about to summit Panorama Ridge. This place had it all in our dreams. A nice view and a good place to rest. Time was approaching 04:45 PM already and we still were on our way up as we encountered the first snow patches. On the north side of the mountain the snow  withstood the summerly temperatures. To be honest the morale went through a little downturn at that time. The hike got more and more difficult and the snow slipped under our feet. The steep passage in front of the summit was only overcome by motivating each other calmly. A good expedition is teamwork. And so we finally reached the summit together with a furious high five and a broad smile inspired by the view in front of us.

Unreal beauty

The glitz of the lake beyond our feet. The pristine waters and surreal colors made up for all the strains we endured during the way up. A good spot to celebrate life and stamina in particular with some nice pictures of the lucky few who took the challenge and came all the way up to the sandy spot that gave the million dollar view over Lake Garibaldi.

The pictures can hardly describe the fresh air, the warmth of the sand and the feeling of the calming breath after the exhausting climb. A super wide angle would not have done this place justice. But the best was yet to come.

For the descend we were handed some ripped plastic bags by other wanderers that were already on their way down. These served a simple but fun purpose: Sliding down the snow patches in a fast and furious ride made the first part of the descend to an almost childish highlight.

Sta-Mi-Na

The 31 Kilometer climb and the 2.800 meters of elevation left their marks on concentration and physical condition when they eclipsed after our return. We started to descend around 5:15 PM and arrived at the van at around 9:30 PM. 

Our legs trembling from the constant pressure of walking downhill. Our heads distracted by the many sights and impressions we got during the day. Only a hearty stew and a long night of sleep could compensate for the investment that the day had taken. The last kilometer was spend singing out loud to prevent the wildest of all bears. The comforts of the voice singing songs on our way home and the feeling of accomplishment are enough to be remembered for a whole lifetime.