But when we got back from vacation, we were greeted with our first big harvest. We had several cherry tomatoes, large tomatoes, chard, and the biggest zucchini I’ve ever seen.

At first I was thinking of a very light Gitzo carbon fiber model. Carbon fiber materials are expensive, but I figured it was worth splurging a bit to get something light that could take abuse. The Traveler series appeared to be perfect but was out of my price range at US$600+. I then figured the GT0540 was worth a look, being one of the smallest in the Gitzo line. I bought one from B&H Photo, and found immediately that it was too small and flimsy for my purposes. The thing was well made but barely adequate for a point-and-shoot camera. I sent it back.

After doing some research, I became intrigued by the Benro tripod series. They are a Chinese-made Gitzo imitation, and they got some really good reviews online. B&H stocks a few models, and it wasn’t at all clear to me which one would be right. So I bought both the Benro C-158n6(US$240) and Benro C-258n6 (US$270), both carbon fiber models with similar specs, both on the lower end of the Benro line, and tried them both out, with the intention of returning the one I did not like.

They are both well-made tripods, quite the engineering marvels. Both are pretty much identical, except the 158n6 is slightly smaller and the legs are slightly narrower, and a bit lighter in weight. Not smaller by much in any dimension. They are both 4-section tripods with built-in compass and bubble level. The leg grips are nice and large, easy to turn, and the leg sections do not rotate, so it’s easy to, say, unscrew the bottom grip when the other sections are extended (which is impossible with tripods in which the leg sections rotate freely). One nice feature, there’s enough friction on the leg sections when collapsed that I don’t need to lock the grips when the tripod is in storage. Both tripods come with a nice carry case, and one leg is padded with a foam grip.

Of the two, the smaller version (C-158n6), which I expected to prefer, appeared significantly less stable. It didn’t give me much confidence in terms of holding a DSLR camera steady. Also, the extended height of the C-158n6 seems really too short to be of much use.

The larger version (Benro C-258n6) on the other hand, while it does not seem much bigger, seems in my opinion to cross the threshold of usefulness. While the C-158n6 seems flimsy, the C-258n6 seems quite adequate. I have had good results mounting a 5D DSLR with 70-200 f/2.8 lens on it and 1.6 extender. Similarly, the height seems quite usable. When fully extended, it is nearly as tall as my Manfrotto. True, it is not quite as sturdy as my Manfrotto, and it fails the “twisting test” in which you try to twist the tripod while it’s standing. Yet, it performs well in the field for my purposes. When collapsed, it’s significantly smaller than the Manfrotto, small enough to fit in my suitcase. I have since carried it while bicycling both on my back and on the rear rack, and it is barely noticeable. I have carried it strapped to the back of my Lowepro backpack, and it is uncomfortable in tight spaces but not much of a problem when hiking in the outdoors. And it travels well in my luggage.

So, in my opinion, the Benro C-258n6 seems like a very good choice for travel tripod. Without a head, it fits into my smaller luggage. With my old Manfrotto ball head (the 3262QR Ball Head, which is not particularly precise, but small), it fits into my larger luggage. It’s probably the smallest tripod that I would consider using. As a travel tripod for taking on airplane flights and hikes, I recommend it.

In Seattle we decided to forgo renting a car and instead got around by public transportation. As some sort of compensation, the Wife rented us a nice fancy limousine ride from the airport. The limo even had free wine and beer. The limo took us to our guest apartment at Seattle Pacific University, which was our way of economizing on lodging. The apartment did not have a lot of amenities nearby, but it was in a safe area and it was right on a bus line. We generally made breakfast in the room, took lunch with us in the mornings, spent the whole day in the downtown area (which is well-served by public transit) and did not return to our room till evening. The apartment was right near a canal and bike path. We didn’t use the bike path, but there were wild blackberries growing on the path, which made for some nice dessert.

Our first full day started at the Center for Wooden Boats. We didn’t arrive early enough to reserve an actual boat trip, so I found it a bit of a letdown. Next we headed for Seattle Center, where we bought a CityPass and explored the Pacific Science Center, which is a huge science museum, and the Experience Music Project (EMP). Son enjoyed trying out some real instruments.

The second day we spent at the waterfront including the Seattle Aquarium, a harbor tour, and a walk through Pike’s market and Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. Afterward we went back to Seattle Center for a dip in the fountain. Our third day in Seattle we headed for the Museum of Flight, which was quite enormous, with an impressive collection of vintage aircraft. The Museum of Flight was big enough to spend most of a day whole day exploring.

Below: Museum of Flight

That evening we went downtown the the very quaint and hip Pioneer Square neighborhood. I loved that neighborhood, it has a very Soho New York kind of vibe. Daughter lost her tooth on the bus back to the apartmtent.

Below: Daughter lost her tooth on the Seattle bus!

Day Four found us taking Amtrak to Portland, where we visited an old childhood friend of the wife and her family. She took us to one of Portland’s amazing public pools, which was located at a high school. The pool had a sizeable water slide, nice shallow kiddie area with water spouts, and a “lazy river” that allowed you to drift with a current into a round whirlpool. It was a really impressive pool.

Day Five we explored the Oregon zoo by day. It’s a large and impressive zoo, with a robot dinosaur exhibit that Son appreciated. I think it was actually the same robot dinosaur exhibit which we saw at our own local zoo a while back, but the kids were excited nonetheless. That evening we went to the Oaks Amusement Park, which calls itself “one of the oldest continuously operating amusement parks in North America.”

Below: Son is tall enough to ride, with some help

Day Six we headed to the coast, where we had reserved a weekend beach house rental. The house was just down a short road from the beach, and the kids took delight in getting all sandy and wet. The sand there is interesting, much grainier and chunkier than Eastern beach sand.

Below: Fun on the Oregon coast

Day Seven we spent exploring the coastal town of Depoe Bay, which is famous for its whale watching. We caught a glimpse of a grey whale or two off the coast, but did not spring for the whale watching cruise. Later we headed to Yaquina Head Lighthouse, which was my first trip to a west coast light. That evening I returned to Yaquina Head for a sunset shoot.

Day Eight was our last day in Depoe Bay, which we spent at Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area. The kids had a lot of fun splashing on the surf as the Wife looked for Agates in the sand. On the way home we stopped at some outlet stores, as Son needed new shoes.

Day Nine we headed north for Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument, a last-minute addition to our itinerary. It was a fascinating experience, to learn how the landscape was devastated by the eruption in 1980, and to see how life has slowly been returning. The volcano itself still ejects puffs of steam on a regular basis. The highlight, for me, was walking a short trail to the Johnston Ridge Observatory from a nearby observation point. It was a short hike and physically not difficult, but somewhat precarious because it was a narrow trail along a very steep ledge.

We stayed overnight in the small nearby town of Kelso, and I got up in the middle of the night to watch the Perseid meteor shower. We returned home the next day, basically flying all day.

On Governor’s island there was a big festival with food, artwork and music. JB and I pedaled all around the island and toured the beautiful little historic town where military personnel and their families had lived, back when the island was a navy outpost. We peeked at the old, abandoned high-rises behind the closed-off portion of the Island. Paddlers got free t-shirts, watermelon, sandwiches, and Izze fizzy soft drinks.

After a slight delay, during which we waited for a coast guard escort, we departed along with a larger group and headed back to Red Hook. This time, the water was choppier, and we were paddling against the wind. It was tough paddling, but it didn’t last long. An approaching water taxi was an added incentive to get across the river.

For a bit of extra fun, JB and I did not actually exit with the main group at Red Hook. We kept going with some Brooklyn paddlers (the “gowanus dredgers”) and headed to the Gowanus Canal via the Erie Basin. We passed by several enormous barges and container ships and passed by the new IKEA store. The Erie Basin was a sheltered shortcut, and we sneaked under a pier to continue past the New York Police impounding area (a pier loaded with hundreds of cars) toward the Gowanus Canal.

We paddled up the Gowanus, past an industrial urban waterfront landscape and under the BQE, the F-train, 9th Street, and Carroll Street. It was a surreal and fascinating experience. At one point we passed a huge barge which had a big tractor unloading gravel from it. We saw a junkyard with a tower of cast-iron bathtubs.

See photos in my City of Water Day Flickr set.

From this benefits administrator site.

There’s a few more on Flickr.