This is what it looks like on US Hwy 50, “The Loneliest Road in America” across Nevada. Actually, there are longer, emptier stretches elsewhere in the state. US Hwy 93 south from Majors Place to Pioche, NV, is one of them. The open road beckons. [All photos 
Max Vollmer, Click on any image to enlarge]
Always a dramatic view from the chimneys at Ghost Ranch in Rio Arriba County, NM. October, 2024. I can’t wait to get back there. [All photos Max Vollmer, Click on any image to enlarge]
I made this bed frame out of black walnut, Juglans nigra, for myself. The corner posts are solid 4″ x 4″ walnut. The headboard and footboard feature panels joined together with tongue & groove. [All photos Max Vollmer, Click on any image to enlarge]
I completed this commission for a couple in Wallowa County, Oregon several years ago. The piece is solid oak throughout and includes a full hanging file drawer in the return. The interior was built to accommodate an Apple computer tower and hidden wiring channels that led to a color printer on top of the return. [Photo Max Vollmer, Click on image to enlarge]
[Photo Emily Vollmer, Click on image to enlarge]
[Photos Max Vollmer, Click on iany mage to enlarge]
I heard this Nocturne No. 21 in C Minor for the first time in Joseph, OR, with a small gathering of friends for a private recital given by the daughter of the founder and publisher of the Wallowa County Chieftan. There’s a story that goes with it.
The snowy owl has been my avatar since I was a kid. It’s home range is the arctic, but is occasionally seen as far south as Oregon. [Click on the image to enlarge]
My brother, Terry, recently brought my attention back to a 25 mile stretch of highway, U.S. Route 550, from Silverton, CO, to Ouray, CO, that I traveled and photographed in the Fall of 2012. The name, Million Dollar Highway, refers to the rumored cost of $1,000,000 per mile to build it in the 1920’s when a dollar bought a lot more than it does now. https://thenatureseeker.com/million-dollar-highway/
The route was originally surveyed and built as a wagon road in the 1880’s to carry incredibly rich silver ore from the Yankee Girl Mine located on the north slope of Red Mountain down to the smelter. While narrow gauge railroads were built to serve mines all over the Colorado Rockies in the late 19th century, defying gravity and the elements to extract gold and silver, the geography surrounding the Yankee Girl defied the best railroad surveyors and engineers of the day and no tracks were ever laid
I drove the high altitude 25 mile stretch, 11,000 ft. at the highest, from Silverton to Ouray behind a Colorado Highway Patrol cruiser, keeping me from being overly aggressive. The speed limit was, and no doubt still is, 25 mph because of the steep grades and narrow pavement with no guardrails. [All photos Max Vollmer, Click on any image to enlarge]
Welcome to 2026! Instructor POV is starting off the new year with one of our own. Karl Vollmer: level 2 sea kayak instructor trainer, advanced river kayak instructor trainer, chair of the PCC (Program Coordination Committee), chair of the river kayak program development committee, database manager, and general paddling powerhouse.
Paddle Canada: Hey Karl, thanks for taking the time to be a part of our Instructor Series. We’re excited to hear all about your experience as a Paddle Canada Instructor so let’s dive right in. Give us an intro about yourself – what do you do and where do you do it?
Karl Vollmer: Thanks, I’ve been in Nova Scotia for almost 20 years now. I have an IT desk job by day, but spend my weekends and evenings on the water, and in the water. I work for Ontario Sea Kayak Center, Cape Lahave Adventures and Cloud 9 Adventures as a sea kayak guide and instructor. My true love is river kayaking. I run https://whitewaterns.ca and https://whitewaternb.ca. I have spent the last 15+ years trying to aggregate and make available all of the river beta and water level information for free to the community as a way to remove barriers to whitewater paddling in the Atlantic provinces. I’ve also recently picked up River SUP’ing which is a new challenge.
PC: What was your first paddling experience and what inspired you to become an instructor?
KV: My first paddling experience in memory is going over a lower overhead dam in a canoe as a small kid with my father. That experience has inspired me to have a better understanding of water and how it works. It has also driven me to help other people understand so that they can be safe, and have an amazing, positive time on the water. Being on the water in a Canoe, or Kayak or on a Sup should be a safe, positive and fun experience. I work as an instructor and guide to help make that happen for people.
