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Best of 2009

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My top 20 images of 2009 are below. Taken from Germany to Chicago, Aspen to NYC, it was a year of photographic journeys. Enjoy!











































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Took a evening stroll up elephant mountain. It was hot, there were huge spiders, stray dogs, and plenty of bugs. Good thing there was a view at the top. :) Night Hike Taipei City
After President Chiang Kai-shek died on 5 April 1975, the Executive branch of the government established a Funeral Committee to build a memorial. The design, by architect Yang Cho-cheng, was chosen in a competition. Yang's design incorporated many elements of traditional Chinese architecture recalling the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, China. (The Kuomintang (KMT) revered Dr. Sun as founder of the party and government Chiang had led.) Groundbreaking for the memorial took place on 31 October 1976, the 90th anniversary of Chiang's birth. The hall officially opened on 5 April 1980, the fifth anniversary of the leader's death. Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Spent the day on a personal guided tour of Taiwans northern coast. Truly a wonderful place! Taiwan's Northern Coast
Great weekend celebrating Jon Shub's bachelor party in Southern Colorado. We were supposed to run a section of river called 'the numbers' a very fast, very technical, run of incessant class iii and several huge class iv rapids. the water level rose over 1200 cfs overnight (to 2800cfs) and the numbers cutoff is 2500, so we couldn't run it safely. Instead we took advantage of a senior guide and a boat full of dude's who have been before and we gutted browns canyon. the water was epicly fast and epicly cold. Back through browns on day two, water rose 700cfs to 3500cfs...it smoothed out some of the bumps, but just made it bigger and faster and awesomer. day two was far more smooth - we were a well oiled team and really had a good feel for the guide's commands, the boat, and the water in general. Raft guide said we were the best, most coordinated, strongest boat he's had in years, and all the other guides were lining up to watch us hit the big stuff and high fiving him for the massive lines we were taking. It was an epic trip - congrats Shub!! (rafting pictures by echo canyon guides) 2 Day Rafting Trip
Checked into the hotel, then headed over to Sanjusangendo temple. At 120m (394 feet) in length, Sanjusangendo is Japan's longest wooden building. Simple and austere on the outside, the main attraction of Sanjusangendo is the inside, which is filled with 1,001 statues of Kannon, all beautifully carved from Japanese cypress. The temple centers on a six-foot-tall statue of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. She has 11 faces and 1000 arms and has been designated a National Treasure. The central Kannon is flanked by 1,000 more life-sized Kannons, who are covered in gold leaf and stand side-by-side several rows deep. These statues have 40 arms, each of which are said to have the power to save 25 worlds. Sanjusan means Day 1 : Kyoto Japan
A walking tour of Tokyo :: ginza, the imperial palace, tokyo tower, asakusa buddist temple, marunouchi lunch, shibuya station and crossing at night Images from Tokyo
Took the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto. We rode the 'super express' line, on the 300 km/hr trains. They are fast, smooth and unbelievably effecient. Don't be late for the train....you have about 90 seconds to get on. America needs a high speed rail.....badly. Shinkansen Nozomi Super Express
Spend the morning checking out Tokyo tower, and took some pictures later of the tower from a secret location. :) Tokyo Tower