Last Site Update... Dec 26, 2011
My Favorite Action Shot
On Buckskin Pass in a storm that arrived about 1 PM. It came from over the top of Snowmass Lake which is at the left side of this photo. I hiked in
the rain, sleet, lightning and thunder for about 6 hours to get to Snowmass Lake. Normally the trip would be much shorter time wise, but I did stop to
take photos and I tried to help some other people on the trail find a creek crossing for their lamas. In the end, they turned back, I waded the creek and
headed on to Snowmass Lake. Hiking all afternoon and setting up camp in this kind of weather is quite the experience. Check out the complete series of
photos on this trip in the Adventure Gallery.
the rain, sleet, lightning and thunder for about 6 hours to get to Snowmass Lake. Normally the trip would be much shorter time wise, but I did stop to
take photos and I tried to help some other people on the trail find a creek crossing for their lamas. In the end, they turned back, I waded the creek and
headed on to Snowmass Lake. Hiking all afternoon and setting up camp in this kind of weather is quite the experience. Check out the complete series of
photos on this trip in the Adventure Gallery.
My Site
Projects in work:
1. Cruise photos from San Juan to Aruba and back, Jan. 2008.
2. Cruise from Mexico to Hawaii in April 2008.
3. More backpacking images from 2007
4. Fall colors(aspens) in Colorado, Sept. 2007 and 2009
5. Canoe Adventure on the Current River, July 2009
6. Backpacking in Colorado, August 2009
1. Cruise photos from San Juan to Aruba and back, Jan. 2008.
2. Cruise from Mexico to Hawaii in April 2008.
3. More backpacking images from 2007
4. Fall colors(aspens) in Colorado, Sept. 2007 and 2009
5. Canoe Adventure on the Current River, July 2009
6. Backpacking in Colorado, August 2009
2008 Colorado Adventure and two week solo backpack trip. CLICK HERE.
Click here to see me as a model for a camera test.
Two Week Canoe Trip on the Current River in Southern Missouri. July 2009.
Click here to experience this 14 day, solo adventure.
Click here to experience this 14 day, solo adventure.
The trip started at the upper most point on the Current River and ended in Arkansas shortly
after the Current River crosses the state line. The trip was planned to take two weeks and
cover 140 miles. The photos here are from a practice trip in early July. I paddled the canoe
shown in these photos. The personalized canoe was provided by my long time friend and
outfitter, Anita Van Steenis, owner of Two Rivers Canoe Rental in Eminence, Missouri.
Her website is: 2riverscanoe.com.. Her office is located at the confluence of the Jacks
Fork River and Current River. There is a small camping area near her office with a great
bathroom and shower building, for cleaning up after canoe trips.
I had a GPS and SPOT satellite transmitter so my support group back home could track me
via messages from the river. This is a big improvement over the old days of people only
guessing where I was and how I was doing... Cell phones do not work on the river yet, but
that too will happen some day in the future. The pictures and story for this trip are now
ready for viewing. There may be a few bugs yet to fix, but lets try it and see what happens.
Hope you enjoy the story and the memory photos I brought back. In 2010, I soloed the
length of the Buffalo River in Arkansas. Was a GREAT adventure. I am working on the
full story.
after the Current River crosses the state line. The trip was planned to take two weeks and
cover 140 miles. The photos here are from a practice trip in early July. I paddled the canoe
shown in these photos. The personalized canoe was provided by my long time friend and
outfitter, Anita Van Steenis, owner of Two Rivers Canoe Rental in Eminence, Missouri.
Her website is: 2riverscanoe.com.. Her office is located at the confluence of the Jacks
Fork River and Current River. There is a small camping area near her office with a great
bathroom and shower building, for cleaning up after canoe trips.
I had a GPS and SPOT satellite transmitter so my support group back home could track me
via messages from the river. This is a big improvement over the old days of people only
guessing where I was and how I was doing... Cell phones do not work on the river yet, but
that too will happen some day in the future. The pictures and story for this trip are now
ready for viewing. There may be a few bugs yet to fix, but lets try it and see what happens.
Hope you enjoy the story and the memory photos I brought back. In 2010, I soloed the
length of the Buffalo River in Arkansas. Was a GREAT adventure. I am working on the
full story.
The 2009 Colorado Adventure was a great
adventure, but did not go as planned. The hills
were hard and the land was dry. More on this
when I get the images ready to share. This
adventure was also in the Weminuche Wilderness
in southern Colorado. On the July 2009 float trip I
used a SPOT satellite messenger to let people
know where I was as I moved along.. It worked
great.. It went with me on this trip so people could
monitor my trip for safety reasons and for fun...
I am working on the images and the story for the
2009 adventure.
adventure, but did not go as planned. The hills
were hard and the land was dry. More on this
when I get the images ready to share. This
adventure was also in the Weminuche Wilderness
in southern Colorado. On the July 2009 float trip I
used a SPOT satellite messenger to let people
know where I was as I moved along.. It worked
great.. It went with me on this trip so people could
monitor my trip for safety reasons and for fun...
I am working on the images and the story for the
2009 adventure.
Blooms in my yard............
July 29, 2009...........
As with most of my images, I
am just out running around
when I see something that
catches my eye. This is what
happened here. I was outside
for a bit to do a chore and
noticed the blooms on a
couple of the trees. There
were two trees, side by side,
in bloom and each was a
different color.. Really neat..
Besides the natural color of
the blooms, I found that some
of the images looked neat in
black and white, so I included
my experiments here as well...
To see the slide show, click
here......
July 29, 2009...........
As with most of my images, I
am just out running around
when I see something that
catches my eye. This is what
happened here. I was outside
for a bit to do a chore and
noticed the blooms on a
couple of the trees. There
were two trees, side by side,
in bloom and each was a
different color.. Really neat..
Besides the natural color of
the blooms, I found that some
of the images looked neat in
black and white, so I included
my experiments here as well...
To see the slide show, click
here......
Hiking in a heavy fog can be rather fun, if you are in a good
fog-viewing place. Creve Coeur Park near St. Louis, Missouri is
just such a place. On Jan. 20, 2010, I joined one of my hiking
groups for a brisk trek around the park. The GPS said we
covered 5.7 miles, which went around the lake, along the beach,
under the bridge, through the pasture, through the woods and
back to the car. The images I am sharing here were selected from
the many I took on the hike. Was fun. As always, many of my
images are similar, you get to decide which one you would have
kept and which one you would have tossed. These images were
taken with a Canon SX1-IS. Nikon and I are not getting along.
Their customer service is the worst I have ever seen.
fog-viewing place. Creve Coeur Park near St. Louis, Missouri is
just such a place. On Jan. 20, 2010, I joined one of my hiking
groups for a brisk trek around the park. The GPS said we
covered 5.7 miles, which went around the lake, along the beach,
under the bridge, through the pasture, through the woods and
back to the car. The images I am sharing here were selected from
the many I took on the hike. Was fun. As always, many of my
images are similar, you get to decide which one you would have
kept and which one you would have tossed. These images were
taken with a Canon SX1-IS. Nikon and I are not getting along.
Their customer service is the worst I have ever seen.
In my opinion, NIKON SUCKS.. Click "NIKON SUCKS" to read why I think so.
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2010 ADVENTURES
Cruise on the Celebrity Summit.. Completed
Tour/explore southern Florida.. Completed
Canoe the length of the Buffalo River...
Completed May 30, 2010!
Drive the Alaskan Highway, tour Alaska.
Completed
Ride mule into the Grand Canyon. Completed
Driving Criss-Cross of the USA. Completed
Tour Nova Scotia....Completed
Cruise on the Celebrity Millennum...
Completed
Tour/explore southern Florida.. Completed
Canoe the length of the Buffalo River...
Completed May 30, 2010!
Drive the Alaskan Highway, tour Alaska.
Completed
Ride mule into the Grand Canyon. Completed
Driving Criss-Cross of the USA. Completed
Tour Nova Scotia....Completed
Cruise on the Celebrity Millennum...
Completed
The Buffalo River Adventure, May 2010... I officially started at the Ponca low water bridge at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, May 18,
2010 in a brand new 17 foot Buffalo canoe, provided by my outfitter "Buffalo Outdoor Center", Ponca, Arkansas. One flood, many beautiful views, lots of
new friends, lots of photos, 130 miles and 13 days later, it was complete when the owner of BOC, Mike Mills, met me with a big "Mike Smile" and a
congratulations handshake at the Buffalo City takeout on the White River at around 12:15 PM, May 30, 2010. It was an awesome trip!!!!!!!!!
................. Below are a few fast memory photos. The detailed story will be added as I get the time to put all the info together, but there is one person to
doing this float trip. Approximately two months ago when I made the decision to go, I called BOC. Terri was the friendly voice on the other end of the line
and was my constant point of contact through the whole planning process. Then, she was my eyes on the ground to monitor the river and weather so I
would know when to go. She felt like my constant companion until I shoved off. She constantly stayed in touch, provided me with river and weather
reports, and then she was the one who sent me the email on May 16 that said the river is looking perfect, its time for you to start!!!!!!!!! I loaded my car
................. Below are a few fast memory photos. The detailed story will be added as I get the time to put all the info together, but there is one person on
May 17 and drove to Ponca. On the 18th, I actually got to meet this awesome lady who had gotten me here. I was very impressed. Then I got to that
has to be mentioned here because she actually made it happen. Terri Bernard is someone you should meet. For years I have been looking forward
meet Mike Mills, the owner and a legend in his own time, plus I met other office staff. Everyone was super friendly and eager to be a part of this fun
adventure. If anyone is ever looking to play on the Buffalo River, call Terri. Mike is also someone everyone should get to know, but catching him might
be trick, he is as busy as a cat on a hot tin roof, to use a country term.. Not only is he a renter of canoes, but he has cabins for rent that have million
dollar views!!!!!! Please check out his website, www.buffaloriver.com. It is very impressive and is managed and updated by his beautiful wife, Rhonda.
Mike, Rhonda, Terri, and the rest of the staff are outstanding people, you will love doing business with then. They love people, and they even have a
Cockatoo, named Lemon Drop, that loves people, loves to be petted, and will be there waiting to greet you when you arrive...
Click this BUFFALO RIVER ADVENTURE link to start reading about the trip, and seeing the photos. I am still working on the story and the photos.
2010 in a brand new 17 foot Buffalo canoe, provided by my outfitter "Buffalo Outdoor Center", Ponca, Arkansas. One flood, many beautiful views, lots of
new friends, lots of photos, 130 miles and 13 days later, it was complete when the owner of BOC, Mike Mills, met me with a big "Mike Smile" and a
congratulations handshake at the Buffalo City takeout on the White River at around 12:15 PM, May 30, 2010. It was an awesome trip!!!!!!!!!
................. Below are a few fast memory photos. The detailed story will be added as I get the time to put all the info together, but there is one person to
doing this float trip. Approximately two months ago when I made the decision to go, I called BOC. Terri was the friendly voice on the other end of the line
and was my constant point of contact through the whole planning process. Then, she was my eyes on the ground to monitor the river and weather so I
would know when to go. She felt like my constant companion until I shoved off. She constantly stayed in touch, provided me with river and weather
reports, and then she was the one who sent me the email on May 16 that said the river is looking perfect, its time for you to start!!!!!!!!! I loaded my car
................. Below are a few fast memory photos. The detailed story will be added as I get the time to put all the info together, but there is one person on
May 17 and drove to Ponca. On the 18th, I actually got to meet this awesome lady who had gotten me here. I was very impressed. Then I got to that
has to be mentioned here because she actually made it happen. Terri Bernard is someone you should meet. For years I have been looking forward
meet Mike Mills, the owner and a legend in his own time, plus I met other office staff. Everyone was super friendly and eager to be a part of this fun
adventure. If anyone is ever looking to play on the Buffalo River, call Terri. Mike is also someone everyone should get to know, but catching him might
be trick, he is as busy as a cat on a hot tin roof, to use a country term.. Not only is he a renter of canoes, but he has cabins for rent that have million
dollar views!!!!!! Please check out his website, www.buffaloriver.com. It is very impressive and is managed and updated by his beautiful wife, Rhonda.
Mike, Rhonda, Terri, and the rest of the staff are outstanding people, you will love doing business with then. They love people, and they even have a
Cockatoo, named Lemon Drop, that loves people, loves to be petted, and will be there waiting to greet you when you arrive...
Click this BUFFALO RIVER ADVENTURE link to start reading about the trip, and seeing the photos. I am still working on the story and the photos.
| In 2010, I criss-crossed the USA in a 2005 Honda Accord. This adventure included Nova Scotia, a 130 mile solo canoe trip on the Buffalo River in Arkansas, a mule ride to Phanton Ranch in the Grand Canyon, plus two Caribbean Cruises. I'm still working on the full story, but click on Alaska Adventure to see what I have shared so far! |
Tom Ballard Photography
| A window in Tom's universe. This is more than a website of photos, it is a place to share photos, adventures, stories, opinions, and information. I hope you enjoy the time you spend here. |
WOW, 2010, what a year!! It turned out to be a lot more than I would have ever guessed! In February I just happened to have started an adventure that would not stop until the middle of October. It all
started when I drove to Florida, flew to San Juan, cruised the Caribbean, flew back to Florida, went to Key West, then to Arkansas for a 130 mile solo canoe trip. From there I drove to Fairbanks, Alaska, via
the Alaskan Highway. Rode a tour bus to the Arctic Circle. Toured Alaska, rode the ferry south to Prince Rupert. Drove south to the Mexico Border. Then headed to the Grand Canyon. Rode the mules on
the famous over night trip into the canyon. Toured the area, then back to the home base in Missouri. Got new tires and headed to Madawaska, Maine, to complete a criss-cross of the USA in one calendar
year. But, I went on to the north end of Nova Scotia as well. Drove to the east most point of the USA, then headed home, just ahead of a nasty storm that come to the east coast. Was quite an adventure.
Will share the rest of the story and photos as soon as I get settled in for the winter...
started when I drove to Florida, flew to San Juan, cruised the Caribbean, flew back to Florida, went to Key West, then to Arkansas for a 130 mile solo canoe trip. From there I drove to Fairbanks, Alaska, via
the Alaskan Highway. Rode a tour bus to the Arctic Circle. Toured Alaska, rode the ferry south to Prince Rupert. Drove south to the Mexico Border. Then headed to the Grand Canyon. Rode the mules on
the famous over night trip into the canyon. Toured the area, then back to the home base in Missouri. Got new tires and headed to Madawaska, Maine, to complete a criss-cross of the USA in one calendar
year. But, I went on to the north end of Nova Scotia as well. Drove to the east most point of the USA, then headed home, just ahead of a nasty storm that come to the east coast. Was quite an adventure.
Will share the rest of the story and photos as soon as I get settled in for the winter...
Click on Celebrity Millennium to see the images I am sharing from my last cruise, which was December 2010.
If you are looking for the canoe trip to do in Missouri, this is it!! I have
canoed a fair number of streams in Missouri, and the surrounding
area.. So far, the Current is the best. And, the best outfitter is Anita
Van Steenis at Two Rivers Canoe Rental.. Call her, tell her I sent ya,
wait till she stops laughing, then tell her you are ready to do the Tom
Ballard Current River Trip!!! Actually, all you really want to do is the
section of the river inside the National Waterway. Once you get outside
the park, things get nasty really fast... I stayed on the river until I got to
the Arkansa line, just for the adventure, but for the real feeling of being
in the wild and on a river, take out after you finish the section of the
river inside the park.. I think the section inside the park is 105 miles in
length... Awesome float, DO IT!!!!!!!!!!
canoed a fair number of streams in Missouri, and the surrounding
area.. So far, the Current is the best. And, the best outfitter is Anita
Van Steenis at Two Rivers Canoe Rental.. Call her, tell her I sent ya,
wait till she stops laughing, then tell her you are ready to do the Tom
Ballard Current River Trip!!! Actually, all you really want to do is the
section of the river inside the National Waterway. Once you get outside
the park, things get nasty really fast... I stayed on the river until I got to
the Arkansa line, just for the adventure, but for the real feeling of being
in the wild and on a river, take out after you finish the section of the
river inside the park.. I think the section inside the park is 105 miles in
length... Awesome float, DO IT!!!!!!!!!!
Christmas Day, Dec 25, 2011.... Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis,
Missouri. The weather was perfect this day as I set out to explore the cemertery
and see the decorations on the graves. Seems this has become something of a
tradition with me. To see the shared images, click on JB Christmas.
Missouri. The weather was perfect this day as I set out to explore the cemertery
and see the decorations on the graves. Seems this has become something of a
tradition with me. To see the shared images, click on JB Christmas.
