Running Wild in Olympic National Park

In 2003, I cycled across Alaska following the Alaska Oil pipeline with my buddy Greg McCormack. He's always thinking of creative and interesting outside play themes. In the past 4 years, he's been working a full-time job for NOAA at their offices on the Olympic Peninsula but that didn't get in the way of him concocting a plan for a grand-life adventure. What did he decide to do? Ohhhh just go out and trail run every mile of Olympic National Park. Given that there are nearly 1,000 miles in the Park to conquer and that it has the reputation of the most rugged and wild of our US Parks, this was not the dream of a softy.


It's taken him 5 years to complete (he remained fully employed the entire time). Last weekend, I was able to coordinate a photo-shoot with him in the Kalaloch Rain Forest as he was finishing up the last few miles of his adventure (which included mountain biking a closed access road for 10 miles, crossing a chest high river, followed by 30 miles of trail running through the night).

While I was there, I also hooked up with the Olympic Bird Watching master from the Audubon Society - Bob and a dude who helps make shoes for Patagonia (last photo).

What's Next?

*Taken from my most recent post at www.RibbonofRoad.com*

It's been 5 months since touching down on US soil in June.

I've posted this to answer some of the most common question that I've been asked since reaching the end of my Ribbon Of Road journey

1) What's Next for you Gregg?

About 9 months into the trip, I realized that my journey was no longer a temporary departure from my life back in the "real world" but that the journey itself had actually become my new "real world".

The momentum from this "understanding" has led me to become a full-time photographer with a focus on bicycle and human powered adventuring. In the 5-months since I've been home, my new career has continued to transport me and my bicycle around the globe. From another cycling trip down the Pacific Coast, to France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and most recently to some of our great National Parks, it has really been an amazing path for me.

You can see my latest work at:

www.GreggBleakney.com

and follow my ongoing adventures through my blog at:

http://gbleakney.blogspot.com/

2) How can I get prints of some of the photos from your trip?

I've partnered with Imagekind here in Seattle to provide professionally framed photos from my trip. I'm adding new prints on a regular basis. Don't see something you like? Email me with your request at gregg@ribbonofroad.com. Of course, a percentage of the profits from these prints will be donated to the Ribbon Of Road 501c3 Foundation to help find a cure for diabetes.

To order prints go to:

http://GreggBleakney.imagekind.com/

3) Rumor has it that you are writing a book, when is it coming out?

In the past few weeks I've been incredibly fortunate and have met some people in the publishing industry who have offered to help me put my book together. It will be a book of short photo-essays and will include many of the stories presented in the blog from this web site and new stories in a clean, well-edited but fairly raw format. I expect the book to be finished in 2008. To follow my book progress check out my new blog at:

http://gbleakney.blogspot.com/

4) How are you adjusting to life back in the States?

Actually, my adjustment period has been smoother than expected. I have a great network of friends and family who have helped get me up to speed on life on US soil. The truth is that I really haven't stopped traveling since finishing Ribbon Of Road. Last week, I rented an apartment in Seattle and have a home for the first time since June of 2005. However, with my new photography career, I think of it more as a high-priced storage unit with a bed rather than an apartment. There isn't a waking hour of my day when I don't stop to daydream about my travels during the past two years.

Ok - That's all for now. Thank everyone again for supporting and following this adventure!

P.S. - I've had a server crash and lost several email addresses from friends I met along the way. If you have made it to this point in the post and have not heard from me for a while then please email me with your contact info. so that I can stay in touch!

Gregg

Wyoming Sessions

I've just wrapped up a week of taking pictures in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The fall has hit full-on and the colors and weather have been perfect. I've been hanging with some amazing people this past week. Cory Rich, who is arguably the top adventure photographer in the world right now (and a super-cool guy to have a few beers with), James Balog, a National Geographic photographer who is literally attempting to help save our planet via his EIS Survey, National Geographic Photo Editor Sabine Meyer, and the guru who brought everything together, Rich Clarkson. I never imagined that I could learn so much about photography in such a short time.

To get here, I flew into Idaho Falls and biked for two days through the snow to Jackson. Fortunately, the weather cleared for our photo-sessions and we had a great week of shooting models in various locations around Grand Teton National Park.

Next up...meetings in Missoula, Montana and then back to Seattle to work on my book project.

I've uploaded my portfolio web-site with new images from this trip and my time in Europe.