Changes on the Winding Road of Life

Photo #1: Cyclists riding on twisting curves on road through grassy hills and oak trees, Mount Diablo State Park, California

Changes on the Winding Road of Life

Once upon a time… — professionally speaking — there was life before the Pandemic, then there was life during the Pandemic, and now there’s life after the Pandemic. As it goes along the winding road of life there are often changes, and now for the first time in over two decades, I’m again a real-life employee.

About a year ago, one of my pre-pandemic consulting clients asked if I could help them with a few more projects. The only hitch: I would need to work in the office on their computers — which doesn’t fit the role of an Independent Contractor — so I was brought on as a part-time temporary (seasonal) employee working only a couple of days a week.

I often said the thing I missed most about working at a real job was simply the banter of being around other people on a regular basis, and the thing I missed the least was the commute. After decades of commuting 10 feet to my office and working alone nearly every day, this was a welcome change in both regards.

Fast-forward over the course of the year following several seasonal rollovers, expanded responsibilities, and working more days a week, I’ve now been ‘upgraded’ to a permanent employee as the Photo Editor at Backroads. For those who don’t know, Backroads is an Active Travel Tour company based here in Berkeley, specializing in Biking and Hiking trips around the world.

I’m working with a great group of people, for a wonderful company, and in the same general neighborhood as my previous employment from several decades ago. My commute home, even though it takes 50 minutes, is one of the most relaxing parts of my day. I get to travel some of the most beautiful backroads in the Bay Area, often without another car in front of me. (No pun intended.)

I couldn’t be happier having this fabulous opportunity bookend my career in the photography world, which included managing the image library for famed photographer Galen Rowell, and my two-decades of freelance photography highlighted by seven books and seven USPS FOREVER Stamps.

Below are a few images I thought I’d share to go along with this post: Back in June we had a small company outing in Marin to hike the Cataract Falls trail on Mount Tamalpais, followed by some Honey Mead tasting at Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes Station. (Absolutely delicious, btw, and well worth a visit if you’re in the area.) And although I’ve never been a cyclist myself, I’ve occasionally had a few bicycles pass in front of my camera lens over the years, so I figured this would be a good time and place to share them.

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Picture #02: Hiking the Cataract Falls Trail, Mount Tamalpais State Park, Marin County, California

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Picture #03: Enjoying a tour of the Heidrun Meadery in Point Reyes Station, Marin County, California 

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Picture #04: Biking on the crest of Briones Regional Park, Contra Costa County, California

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Picture #05: Cyclist on the Central Coast near San Simeon, San Luis Obispo County, California

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Picture #06: Bicycle rider going uphill on road past elevation marker sign, Mount Diablo State Park, California

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Picture #07: Woman relaxes next to the ocean during a bike ride at Butterfly Beach, Santa Barbara, California

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Picture #08: State Highway One Bike Route Marker near Cambria, San Luis Obispo County, California

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Picture #09: Long-distance cyclist riding on the Big Sur coast, Monterey County, California

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Picture #10: Mountain bikers on dirt trail through the Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve, San Diego, California

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As always, thanks for looking… and listening.  😁👍

 

Cheers,
~ Gary.

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Gary Crabbe is an award-winning commercial and editorial outdoor travel photographer and author based out of the San Francisco Bay Area, California. He has seven published books on California to his credit, including “Photographing California; v1-North”, which won the prestigious 2013 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal Award as Best Regional title. His client and publication credits include the National Geographic Society, the New York Times, Forbes Magazine, TIME, The North Face, Subaru, L.L. Bean, Victoria’s Secret, Sunset Magazine, The Nature Conservancy, and many more. In 2018, The USPS selected a nearly-unprecedented seven of Gary’s photographs to become U.S. Postage ‘Forever’ Stamps as part of the O Beautiful collection. Gary is also a photography instructor and consultant, offering both public and private photo workshops, as well as being a professional Photo Editor and Content Creator.

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