Richard McGuire Photo

Sadhus are Hindu holy men or ascetics who renounce their worldly possessions and wander in search of moksa, or spiritual liberation. There are many of them in the Indian holy city of Varanasi on the Ganges River. (Richard McGuire Photo)

When you climb (or take the funicular) to the top of the hill where El Pipila statue stands, you’re met with a spectacular view over Guanajuato, Mexico. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Brightly painted buildings and colourful banners make for a feast of colour in Guanajuato, Mexico. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Customers enjoy a conversation over coffee at one of the coffee shops located on Plaza del Libertador in Jardin, Colombia. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Many old timers socialize outdoors on the streets near Plaza del Libertador in Jardin, Colombia. (Richard McGuire Photo)

A woman reads a paper while tending a snack stand in the old city of Cartagena, Colombia. (Richard McGuire Photo)

A man wearing an Aguadeño hat takes a smoke break outside a colourfully painted house in Guatapé, Colombia. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Guatapé is a colourfully painted town east of Medellin, Colombia. It is known for its cobbled streets and “zocalos,” icons on walls of buildings just above the sidewalks. (Richard McGuire Photo)

A family gets into the spirit of Carnaval in Mompox, Colombia. In preparation for Ash Wednesday, some people put ash on their faces. (Richard McGuire Photo)

A musician beats out a rhythm for some lively rumba music on a Sunday on Havana’s Callejon de Hamel. This alley is a colourful celebration of Afro-Cuban culture and Santeria religion. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Market day in the Cakchiquel Mayan town of Sololá, Guatemala is a colourful hive of activity. Although men are more likely than women to wear western dress, you do see a number of men in traditional clothing, like the man in the centre. Note his wonderful multi-coloured pants. (Richard McGuire Photo)

A Hindu priest performs the evening aarti ceremony with fire beside the Shipra river in the holy city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, India. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Every evening there is an aarti ceremony with fire at Har-ki-Pauri ghats on the Ganges River at Haridwar, India. (Richard McGuire Photo)

The City Palace of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India is lit with lights at night that reflect in Pichola Lake. (Richard McGuire Photo)

A camel driver leads two camels across the sand dunes at sunset near Kanoi, an hour from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, India. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Men enjoy lassi and other milk drinks at a stand at night time on Main Bazar in the Paharganj neighbourhood of New Delhi. (Richard McGuire Photo)

As the sun goes down, lights come out along the Malecon, Havana’s sea wall drive that runs from Old Havana to Vedado and Miramar. (Richard McGuire Photo)

A man bicycles home as the setting sun casts its glow on a ruined church in the Cuban colonial city of Trinidad. The city was built with fortunes from the sugar industry, and is now a tourist centre. (Richard McGuire Photo)

After sunset, you can look down from El Pipila statue over the lights of Guanajuato, Mexico. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Lake Atitlán in central Guatemala is ringed in volcanoes. I got up early one morning to take a bus to a lookout point above the lake to watch the sunrise. (Richard McGuire Photo)

I went out with several guys from the Osoyoos Photography Club to photograph the Perseid Meteor Shower. I was too early for the best meteor show, but as a photographer, I found the combination of moonlight and expressive clouds to be more interesting. (Richard McGuire Photo)

As night falls on Osoyoos, B.C., a thick fog still blankets the town, the result of a thermal inversion. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Cow Bay in Prince Rupert, B.C. used to be a somewhat ramshackle fishing port. Now it’s a harbour for boat tours and private recreational boats as well as more upscale bars, coffee shops and boutiques. (Richard McGuire Photo)

On a warm, summer-like evening in early spring, Montreal’s Latin Quarter comes alive. This area along rue Saint-Denis is near UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal). (Richard McGuire Photo)

The Parliament Buildings are lit up at night in downtown Ottawa. Below them are the Supreme Court of Canada (in green light) and the Canadian War Museum. This shot was taken from my former apartment balcony with a long lens. (Richard McGuire Photo)

This image looking down from a pedestrian bridge onto Highway 417 in Ottawa was a 20-second exposure at f/20. The long exposure shows the trails of headlights and taillights and the small aperture causes the starburst effect on the lights and it keeps the chain link fence almost in focus as the background is sharp. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Ottawa’s Rideau Street is a bit rough around the edges. It’s a haven for panhandlers and addicts of various substances, and it’s a major truck route. Still, lights reflected on the rainy pavement give it a certain beauty on an autumn night. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Lights come on as darkness descends in Ottawa’s Chinatown. (Richard McGuire Photo)

From my apartment balcony at night I see the eerie green lights along the roadway to the Lemieux Island water treatment plants reflected like green candles in the Ottawa River. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Several members of the Ottawa Street Exploration Flickr group did a photo walk at Carleton University on a mild November evening. Years ago, I spent many, many hours at the MacOdrum Library shown here. Carleton’s architecture has a 1950s Stalinesque quality and the library’s windows remind me of cell blocks. (Richard McGuire Photo)

A couple shares a moment under the steam clock in Vancouver’s Gastown. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Vancouver’s Granville Street is lit up in lights. The city’s abundant rain intensifies the colours of the light as it is reflected on the pavement. (Richard McGuire Photo)

I had 12 hours layover in Mexico City in late March on my return from Colombia. I got in around 5 a.m. and after a few hours sleep, there was time for a stroll through El Centro, where the jacarandas were blooming in Alameda Central and by the Palacio de Bellas Artes. They are flaming purple and could be seen as lilacs on steroids. (Richard McGuire Photo)

I had 12 hours layover in Mexico City in late March on my return from Colombia. I got in around 5 a.m. and after a few hours sleep, there was time for a stroll through El Centro, where the jacarandas were blooming in Alameda Central and by the Palacio de Bellas Artes. They are flaming purple and could be seen as lilacs on steroids. (Richard McGuire Photo)

I had 12 hours layover in Mexico City in late March on my return from Colombia. I got in around 5 a.m. and after a few hours sleep, there was time for a stroll through El Centro, where the jacarandas were blooming in Alameda Central and by the Palacio de Bellas Artes. They are flaming purple and could be seen as lilacs on steroids. (Richard McGuire Photo)

I had 12 hours layover in Mexico City in late March on my return from Colombia. I got in around 5 a.m. and after a few hours sleep, there was time for a stroll through El Centro, where the jacarandas were blooming in Alameda Central and by the Palacio de Bellas Artes. They are flaming purple and could be seen as lilacs on steroids. (Richard McGuire Photo)

I had 12 hours layover in Mexico City in late March on my return from Colombia. I got in around 5 a.m. and after a few hours sleep, there was time for a stroll through El Centro, where the jacarandas were blooming in Alameda Central and by the Palacio de Bellas Artes. They are flaming purple and could be seen as lilacs on steroids. (Richard McGuire Photo)

I had 12 hours layover in Mexico City in late March on my return from Colombia. I got in around 5 a.m. and after a few hours sleep, there was time for a stroll through El Centro, where the jacarandas were blooming in Alameda Central and by the Palacio de Bellas Artes. They are flaming purple and could be seen as lilacs on steroids. (Richard McGuire Photo)

I had 12 hours layover in Mexico City in late March on my return from Colombia. I got in around 5 a.m. and after a few hours sleep, there was time for a stroll through El Centro. I stopped at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, a theatre and cultural centre from the early 20th Century. (Richard McGuire Photo)

The equestrian statue of Charles IV of Spain now stands outside el Museo Nacional de Arte and el Palacio de Mineria in the Centre of Mexico City. Charles was the last Spanish ruler of Mexico. The statue was nearly destroyed during the stuggle for independence, but it was saved due to its artistic merits. (Richard McGuire Photo)

The Museum of the Mexican Army and Air Force is located in a former 17th century chapel. This is the face of the building facing Calle de Tacuba. The entrance is around the corner. (Richard McGuire Photo)

One of Mexican artist Diego Rivera’s greatest murals is Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central (Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central. It covers people from throughout Mexico’s history on its 15.6 metre width (51 ft). This detail from the centre shows Rivera as a boy left of the skeleton Catrina. Behind him is his wife the artist Frida Kahlo. The mural survived the earthquake of 1985, even though the hotel it was in was destroyed. It was moved to its own museum across the street. (Richard McGuire Photo)

North of Anahim Lake, the sky filled with an ominous, massive cloud of wildfire smoke. Beside it, to the left, the sky was clear. The sun casts an eerie orange glow through the smoke. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

Fog clings close to the ground as smoke from wildfires fills the air north of Princeton in cattle ranching country. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

Warning people not to pollute the air by idling their cars is a good message, but it will do little to improve air quality here — at a lookout next to Highway 20 west of Williams Lake. Wildfire smoke pushed air pollution levels to 10+ that day. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

After camping by Horn Lake in Chilcotin, I left my trailer in the campsite and took a drive down to Bluff Lake. There was some blue in the sky, but wildfire smoke cast a haze over the Coast Mountains. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

After camping by Horn Lake in Chilcotin, I left my trailer in the campsite and took a drive down to Bluff Lake. There was some blue in the sky, but wildfire smoke cast a haze over the Coast Mountains. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

Chipmunks are skittish too, but they will pose if you stay a respectful distance. Another use for the 600 mm lens. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

South of Nimpo Lake I drove through thick wildfire smoke, which abruptly ended as I drove out into blue sky. A helicopter passes overhead surveying the wildfire’s growth. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

North of Anahim Lake, the sky filled with an ominous, massive cloud of wildfire smoke. Beside it, to the left, the sky was clear. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

North of Anahim Lake, the sky filled with an ominous, massive cloud of wildfire smoke. Beside it, to the left, the sky was clear. The sun casts an eerie orange glow through the smoke. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

North of Anahim Lake, the sky filled with an ominous, massive cloud of wildfire smoke. The sun casts an eerie orange glow through the smoke. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

Wildfire smoke from a blaze to the north fills the sky at the eastern entrance to Tweedsmuir Provincial Park. This area has seen fires in past years, as evidenced by the burnt bark on dead trees and the abundant fireweed growing below. This pink flower is one of the first to establish after a fire. (Richard McGuire Photo)

The Heckman Pass in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park is the road access to the Bella Coola Valley. But it’s at 1,524 metres — 5,000 ft. — and the descent is very steep and twisty. It’s called “The Hill” and while it can be very dangerous in the wrong conditions, it’s not that hard with caution, a mechanically sound vehicle and no bad weather. The bottom of The Hill was around 325 metres or 1,000 feet according to my GPS. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

As I reach the first hairpin down, the road has been quite steep, but doable, and the road is wide, well graded and with a fair number of pullouts. Note the clear sky over the valley, but smoke clouds drifting in from the northeast. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

There are no railings or curbs beside the road anywhere on “The Hill,” but that’s not unusual in B.C. Beside this pullout, cliffs drop down to the next switchback far below. At the bottom is the Atnarko Valley. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

I stopped regularly at pullouts to take pictures. I’m towing a 1979 Triple E Surfside fibreglass eggshell trailer behind a 2008 Jeep Liberty with standard transmission. I’m well off the road, but I’m not parked too close to the steep edge. I also make sure I’m standing on stable ground. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Looking down from the pullout, I see the next switchback far below. This area has some steep descents and some narrow stretches. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

The road narrows neveral places around here where it skirts a cliff. It’s wide enough that two cars can squeeze past, but larger vehicles may have problems. Descending vehicles should yield to those making the climb. There are regular pullouts. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

I now tow my 1979 Triple E Surfside behind a 2008 Jeep Liberty with standard transmission. Last year I used an aging VW Golf diesel standard, which could handle more modest climbs, it could not have climbed up “The Hill.” (© Richard McGuire Photo)

Below “The Hill” is the Atnarko Valley. The rugged landscape made road building difficult when it was built in the early 1950s. Incredibly, the government rejected building a road as too costly, but locals banded together and built it themselves — calling it “The Freedom Road.” (© Richard McGuire Photo)

I decided to check out the Mccall Flats recreation site for camping, but the road was too rough with the trailer, so I didn’t go all the way. I did enjoy the views from the bridge over the Bella Coola River. They don’t allow tents because of the local bear population, so it looks like your best option would be a truck camper. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

This was the clearest evening I’ve seen since the beginning of July as there was hardly any smoke. You can even make out details of the half moon above the mountains around Hagensborg. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

With only the slightest amount of smoke, the sinking sun casts its golden light on the mountains around Hagensborg, where I camped. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

I was looking forward to getting up early and enjoying another clear day. But the otherworldy sunrise was because of the advancing smoke that moved into the Bella Coola Valley. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

Framed by many of the washed-up stumps on the shore, a big, hulking abandoned fish cannery sits out on the water next to the Bella Coola harbour. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

The Bella Coola Harbour is mainly fishing boats that travel out on the North Bentinck Arm to fishing waters. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

A big, hulking abandoned fish cannery sits out on the water next to the Bella Coola harbour. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

A bald eagle takes flight where Clayton Falls Creek empties into the North Bentinck Arm. There’s a recreation site there operated by BC Hydro. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

Although it’s past the middle of August, snow and glacier ice clings to the tops of some of the mountains overlooking the North Bentinck Arm near Bella Coola. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

Water has sculpted the rocks at Clayton Falls, just up the creek from the North Bentinck Arm west of Bella Coola. BC Hydro operates a recreation site here, and there is a platform to view the falls. A graphic sign shows what happens to people who get sucked into the undertow of the pool below the falls. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

Water has sculpted the rocks at Clayton Falls, just up the creek from the North Bentinck Arm west of Bella Coola. BC Hydro operates a recreation site here, and there is a platform to view the falls. A graphic sign shows what happens to people who get sucked into the undertow of the pool below the falls. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

I took a short stroll onto a mostly dried streambed, strewn with cut logs. I never saw a bear, but I had my spray just in case. Hint: you don’t use the spray on yourself like mosquito repellent. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

A sign indicates the steep grades descending “The Hill” from Heckman Pass. At one point low down the sign is posted at 15%, though the road is said to have part at 18%. Most is 10 and 11% grade. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

North of Anahim Lake, the smoke became especially thick on the return trip. Vehicles drove with headlights and visibility was very limited. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

These cattle posed a roadblock on a bridge near Kleena Kleene. I don’t know if they wanted me to pay a toll, but I inched around them and they inched to the side. Cattle and horses aren’t fenced in this open rangeland, so you have to drive carefully. (© Richard McGuire Photo)

I drove fairly non-stop on the return through smoke along Highway 20. Williams Lake was less smoky than on my way up, but after stopping for gas, I continued down Highway 97. I opted to camp at Green Lake Provincial Park near 70 Mile House. (© Richard McGuire Photo)