TPF Across America - The Journey of One Lens Across the USA - Round 2

photocrzy · Feb 4, 2013

This is such a neat thread. I love to see the world through others perspectives.

Kazooie · Feb 5, 2013

RedVixen81 said:
Sweet...got the lense today..can we say that's a butt load of bubble wrap..and I love the STD brochure as extra padding in the lens case ..lmao ..made for a good read too. Oh kazooie..I know someone that lives in your town..what a cowinkiedink

Awesome, that was fast! Hey, I got your back against gonorrhea and all that! :lol:

Almost sent the Birth Control pamphlet, but that could be considered more offensive, and less informative.

ratssass said:
...any pics from alaska?

Yes, a couple, I just have to get them off my camera! Word of warning, homie don't do landscapes. But I did see a moose.

Kazooie · Feb 7, 2013

Of all the shots I took (maybe 30 total, super busy this time of year) I like this one best:

Midwinter Munchies by Sean_Titus, on Flickr

All the others I've kept I've posted here, any post since I got it.

Markw · Feb 7, 2013

Wuhoo! Our first photo of a critter, if I remember correctly. He's a wee little moose, isn't he? Look at those tiny antlers! Can't wait to see more.

Oh, and for everyone who's gone over the past few months, please be sure to add all of your photos to the flickr group, and geotag a few of them as closely as possible. Thanks alot!

Mark

Darko81 · Feb 7, 2013

Can't wait to see more pics. It's been pretty quiet in here.

RedVixen81 · Feb 9, 2013

Ok i got out this morning an took some photos...It was really overcast and muggy...i tried to do the best that i can but since it was my first time using a manual focus lens..so it took a while to get used to it. I am sure they are not the greatest since i an new to dslr cameras but i did my best.. I hope tomorrow is better cause i want to get some of downtown San Antonio... i will post some i took in a lil bit.. i am updating the flickr group right now

RedVixen81 · Feb 9, 2013

Here is one of the ones i took today. A lil history of Comanche Lookout:

Comanche Lookout Park is a 96-acre public park owned by the City of San Antonio. The site includes the fourth highest point in Bexar County with an elevation of 1,340 feet. The Cibolo floodplain lies at the base of this escarpment between the Gulf Coastal Plain and the Edwards Plateau. Vegetation on the hill includes native ash juniper, Texas and Mexican buckeye, chinaberry, graneno, Lindheimer hackberry, honey mesquite and huisache.

Native Americans used this hill as a vantage point for warfare and hunting. The Apache, and later, the Comanche Indians dominated the area as they hunted along waterways including nearby Cibolo Creek. The hill was also a prominent landmark for travelers in the 18th and 19th centuries. The old Spanish road (one of several routes of the Camino Real or Royal Road) from San Antonio to Bastrop and Nacogdoches in East Texas extended past the base of the hill. The road followed earlier American Indian travel routes, and today its remnants are known as Nacogdoches Road.

DSC_1854 by RedVixen81, on Flickr

Justman1020 · Feb 16, 2013

Where we at?

RedVixen81 · Feb 19, 2013

Justman. I shipped it on the 13th. Its headed to Winnipeg,Canada. I just checked the tracking and it says its in Minnesota right now as thats as of the 15th. I should get to our next person by wed.

Justman1020 · Feb 19, 2013

Ok. I was like Erm...silence.

Whos receiving? Can they check in?

sm4him · Feb 19, 2013

Markw said:
Wuhoo! Our first photo of a critter, if I remember correctly. He's a wee little moose, isn't he? Look at those tiny antlers! Can't wait to see more.

Oh, and for everyone who's gone over the past few months, please be sure to add all of your photos to the flickr group, and geotag a few of them as closely as possible. Thanks alot!

Mark

Well, I posted "critters", sorta--a bee and a duck. And sparky posted a cat. :lol:

But that's definitely the *biggest* critter so far!

Nice to see this going again, but some of you folks need to get busy taking pictures when it's your turn! It's been a year now since Mark first started the lens on its way, and there's only 99 photos on the flickr group? I wanna see more pics!!! :lmao:

Justman1020 · Feb 19, 2013

Just wait till I get my turn. There will be photos....

invisible · Feb 20, 2013

An update from Winnipeg: the lens was supposed to be delivered today before end of day. "End of day" for UPS is 7:00pm, so when the lens wasn't delivered by 7:30 I decided to check their website for updated tracking info (click here). I wasn't sure what "Destination Scan" at 17:43 was, so I called UPS customer service.

Long story short: they told me that the lens would be delivered tomorrow (which is acceptable) but also that I'd need to pay $95 on delivery (unacceptable). I asked them what those $95 were, and they explained to me that about $35 were taxes and about $60 were for brokerage. I explained to them that:
1) I can't pay taxes on an item that I didn't buy (I explained the whole "TPF Across America" thing).
2) Even if I had actually bought the lens, I would never ever pay about one third of its value in cash-grab monies.

Side note: Since Canadians don't pay duties on photography gear, I buy stuff from places like B&H all the time. I've never been charged the taxes, and usually the brokerage fees are a couple dollars. Of course B&H doesn't use UPS for their shipments! I told this to the UPS customer service person as well. I didn't mince words to express my dissatisfaction with their rip-off tactics. I even asked them if this tax+brokerage information was provided to the sender before they shipped and they told me that they didn't have to.

Due to some things going on in my life at the moment, I can't afford to pay the $95 so the lens will be returned to RedVixen81. I am saddened by this whole situation. Everybody please accept my apologies

ratssass · Feb 21, 2013

WOW!!!!I'm sure no apologies are required.$95 would certainly take the fun out of a fun project.That just plain sucks!!

invisible · Feb 21, 2013

ratssass said:
WOW!!!!I'm sure no apologies are required.$95 would certainly take the fun out of a fun project.That just plain sucks!!

It does suck. The apologies are required because Mark and RedVixen went out of their ways to have the lens shipped to Canada for us (me and another Canadian who I believe is in Newfoundland). I feel ashamed by the whole thing and don't want to be sent the lens again. This did take the fun out of this fun project for me, courtesy of the fine people at UPS.

That being said, whoever sends the lens to Newfoundland please make sure NOT to use UPS. FedEx is also in the business of charging stupidly-high brokerage fees so stay away from them. The U.S. Postal Service should do it (it's cheaper, and as fast as UPS), or Purolator if you prefer to use a courier that doesn't seem to be in the business of ripping people off. Also, when posting the lens make it clear that this is not something the recipient has purchased if you forget this step, the person in Newfoundland might be forced to pay taxes in order to receive the lens (and this may also increase the brokerage fees).