Horizons Unlimited – Virginia Travellers Meeting

The Horizons Unlimited Virginia 2019 event took place at the Holiday Lake 4-H Center near Appomattox from April 25th – April 28th. It was a record-setting event, with the largest turnout yet!

“Whether you’re a seasoned veteran with wisdom to share or a complete novice hungry for ideas and guidance, it doesn’t matter if you ride a motorcycle, a bicycle, or drive an expedition vehicle…
Horizons Unlimited meetings are for everyone who dreams of adventure along the road less travelled.

Some people value Horizons Unlimited events for what they learn from the unique line-up of presenters. Some people value the chance to discover new products and services at the trade stands. Some people value just kicking back with a beer among old friends and new.

Most people enjoy a little bit of everything, and everyone goes home fired-up for adventure with a smile on their face.”

Many thanks to Sue & Grant Johnson, for founding this amazing organization, to Steve Anderson for orchestrating the Virginia Travelers Meeting, to Steve’s merry band of organizers, including Linda Pearce, Jim Truesdell, Robert Stransky, Sharon Truesdell, Charlie Pearce, Lloyd Messner, and Annette Stout, to all the fabulous presenters including keynote speaker Sam Manicom, to Tom Asher for the off-road training, to all the camp staff, to the many fabulous volunteers, and of course to each and every awesome attendee!!!

Here are a few photos from this fantastic weekend for you to enjoy, tag, share, and download. Thank you so much to Sue and Grand for trusting me to be the event photographer again this year!!!

Horizons Unlimited North Carolina Event

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending and photographing the Horizons Unlimited traveler’s meeting at Iron Horse Lodge near Robbinsville, North Carolina. This is an event that I look forward to with great anticipation every year!

I packed my trusty Honda CB500X with my camping kit, camera kit, and a few day’s supplies. On the ride up, I made a detour to Givi USA in Charlotte to have replacement engine guards installed when my originals developed a defective hairline crack. I stayed with my friend Jenn and her awesome family for the night.  Jenn is a fellow TASOK student from our days growing up in Zaire. On the second leg of the trip, I took the scenic route down the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Iron Horse Lodge.

Horizons Unlimited was founded in the 80s by Susan and Grant Johnson during their RTW, or “Round The World” adventure. It’s a wonderful resource for overland travelers, especially those tackling grand trips on their motorcycles. But more importantly, it’s a fantastic gathering of kind, creative, and like-minded individuals who are full of life and passionate about this great planet we live on and the amazing people we share it with!  Horizons Unlimited has gatherings all over the world.  This particular one in North Carolina, hosted by Mike Kilpatrick, was celebrating it’s 15th Anniversary this year!

In addition to photographing the event, I also led a couple photography presentations.  I always enjoy sharing my love for photography with others!  Check out more details about the event at: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/events/north-carolina-2018. And check out the events page to see if there’s a meetup near you. Hopefully I’ll see you at one soon!!!

As always, it was a wonderful weekend. And I look forward to coming back next year. 🙂

Horizons Unlimited Virginia

Founded by Susan & Grant Johnson, Horizons Unlimited has been inspiring, informing, and connecting overland travelers since 1997.

Their events are all about overland adventure! Whether you’re a seasoned veteran with wisdom to share or a complete novice that’s hungry for ideas and guidance, it doesn’t matter if you ride a motorcycle, a bicycle, or drive an expedition vehicle…Horizons Unlimited meetings are for everyone who dreams of adventure along the road less traveled.

Each year Horizons Unlimited hosts 20+ events around the globe. I’ve had the pleasure of teaching photography workshops and presentations at the meeting in Virginia, and at the one in North Carolina. It seems adventure travelers are always keen on improving the quality of the images they take while they are riding around the globe on their epic RTW, or “Round the World” trip. This year, instead of presenting, I got to photograph the event in Virginia. The photos were so well received, I’ve already been hired to photograph the event in North Carolina this fall!!!

Here then are some of my images from the Horizons Unlimited VA event. I’ve also included a number of behind-the-scenes snapshots from my phone, depicting my personal experiences at the event, as well as my travels to and from. Enjoy!!!

Appomattox in Infrared

Last weekend I had a speaking engagement at the Horizons Unlimited event near Appomattox, VA.  It’s a fantastic group of adventure travelers from all over.  Here’s a link to the event, including a write-up of my two presentations: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/events/virginia-2017.

While I was there, a group of us riders took the opportunity to tour historic Appomattox Courthouse, where the surrender of the Civil War took place.  I brought my Nikon Coolpix A camera, which has been converted to infrared.  I thought it was a neat medium for such a historic location.

The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought on the morning of April 9, 1865, was the final engagement of Confederate Army general Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia before it surrendered to the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.

The signing of the surrender documents occurred in the parlor of the house owned by Wilmer McLean on the afternoon of April 9. On April 12, a formal ceremony marked the disbandment of the Army of Northern Virginia and the parole of its officers and men, effectively ending the war in Virginia.