Dries Buytaert

Newest photos

This page shows my latest photos, newest first. They offer a glimpse into my personal life. I have over 10,000 photos on my site. For older photos, check out my photo albums. You can subscribe to my photo stream using RSS or sign up for a monthly email with curated photos.

Person stands on a wooden dock at Lake Annecy, facing the water at dusk, with mountains in the background.
Axl standing on a dock at Lake Annecy.
A person rinses muddy rain pants under a tap at a stone fountain.
Axl rinsing the mud off his rain pants at a fountain in Montmin.
Wooden refuge kitchen with old moka pots and worn pans hanging on the wall.
The rustic kitchen at Refuge de Praz D'zeures. I loved the moka pots and pans in the background.
A narrow hiking trail runs along a grassy ridge toward rocky peaks, then drops into the forest.
The ridge from La Tournette toward Refuge de Praz D'zeures. If you look closely, the trail winds all the way into the woods.
From inside a tent, an ibex with large horns stands a few meters away in the grass, looking toward the campers.
When we opened the tent in the morning, a bouquetin (ibex) was standing right outside, watching us.
A green pyramid tent stands on a grassy meadow below a steep rocky mountainside, with camping gear scattered nearby.
Our tent pitched in the high meadows near the old Refuge de la Tournette.
View from the trail near La Tournette: mountain ridges and forested slopes, with a small chalet in a grassy clearing below.
The view on our way up to La Tournette, just past Chalet de l'Aulp.
A hiker with a backpack adds a small rock to a stacked cairn on a rocky ledge.
We paused to add a stone to a cairn along the trail.
A paraglider glides high above Lake Annecy, the blue water curving between green hills with small towns scattered along the shore below.
Paragliders circling above Lake Annecy.
Two people sit in a Cessna cockpit, watching navigation screens and gauges.
In the cockpit of Ben's Cessna en route to Annecy.
Small Cessna plane in a hangar with its door open, while a person in a safety vest loads backpacks into the cabin, preparing for departure.
Loading our packs into the plane before departure.
A person scooping ground coffee into the filter basket of a moka pot.
Scooping fresh grounds into the moka pot while on the road with the van.
A person playing a chess game at a table.
I'm still playing chess, though my rating has hovered between Elo 1700 and 1800 for the past year. It's a reminder of how progress can stall, even when you put in the effort. This photo is from a game against Axl.
Close-up of uncooked corn on the cob resting on aluminum foil, with a person in the background husking more corn at a picnic table.
Nothing says summer like fresh corn on the cob.
A woman and child stay dry under the awning of a black camper van, parked next to a blue Ford Bronco on a rainy day.
Lunch in the parking lot, rain pouring down, but still smiles and a sense of adventure under the awning.
Person in a sunhat pours water from a bucket during sunset.
Soaking up the golden hour at Cape Cod.
A woman in a sunhat sits on a beach blanket with a smiling toddler, surrounded by sand and grassy dunes.
Sweet moments together at the beach.
A young girl does a cartwheel on the beach, with a shaded picnic area and a calm bay with boats in the background.
A summer afternoon filled with cartwheels, sandcastles, and jumping off the dock.
Three hikers starting down the Navajo Loop Trail past a trail sign in Bryce Canyon National Park.
We started at Sunrise Point in Bryce Canyon National Park, hiked down Queen's Garden, through the hoodoos, and climbed back up on the Navajo Loop. Beautiful views and pure magic all the way.
A woman with trekking poles hiking down a switchback trail among tall orange hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park.
Vanessa making her way down through the hoodoos on the Navajo Loop in Bryce Canyon.
A young adult wearing a hoodie overlooking the hoodoos at sunrise in Bryce Canyon National Park.
Up before sunrise to watch the hoodoos glow at Bryce Canyon in Utah. Cold and early, but unforgettable.
A young adult sitting by a fire pit, taking a roasted marshmallow off a stick and placing it onto a cookie on his knee.
Ending the day right with s'mores by the fire.
A family sits around a fire pit at a campsite in the high desert outside Bryce, Utah.
Glamping in the high desert outside Bryce, Utah. Even in summer, the high elevation brings cool evenings, and the fire felt perfect after a day on the trail.
A young adult carrying a large Connect Four board on a desert trail with another young adult behind him.
Stan carrying a giant Connect Four set along the desert trail to our tent. I still can't believe how skilled he is at the game. He won almost every match, and I'm still smiling thinking about it.
A person carefully walking along a narrow sandstone slot canyon in Zion National Park.
Making our way through the narrow slots in Zion.
A teenager wearing a helmet lowering himself down while holding onto a large boulder inside a canyon in Zion National Park.
Dropping down carefully, using the boulder for support.
Two young adults reaching down to help a parent climb up a steep sandstone wall in Zion National Park.
Time has a way of flipping the roles.
Person rappelling down a tall sandstone wall in Zion National Park.
Dropping into the next section, never quite sure what is waiting below.
Three people wearing helmets standing at the bottom of a sandstone chamber in Zion National Park, looking up at the canyon walls.
Taking a moment to look up and appreciate the scale of Zion's canyons.
A woman wearing a helmet and sunglasses, smiling while rappelling in Zion National Park.
Getting ready to rappel in Zion, and enjoying every moment of it.
A small group walking through water into the Narrows, a narrow canyon with glowing rock walls in Zion National Park.
We hiked 7.5 miles through the Narrows in Zion National Park. Most of the hike is actually in the river itself, with towering canyon walls rising all around you. One of my favorite hikes ever.
A person standing on a rock in the Narrows at Zion National Park, looking up at the tall canyon walls.
Taking a moment to look up and take it all in.
Three people walking up the river with their boots in the water in the Narrows at Zion National Park.
Wading forward together through the Narrows in Zion.
A view of a wide, U-shaped bend in the Colorado River surrounded by steep red rock cliffs.
We visited Horseshoe Bend, a dramatic curve in the Colorado River near the Grand Canyon. A quiet reminder of what time and a patient river can carve out together.
Grand Canyon view from Navajo Point showing layered red rock formations and deep canyon walls.
The Grand Canyon as seen from Navajo Point.
A large concrete dam spanning a deep canyon.
When the Hoover Dam was built, they used an enormous amount of concrete. If they had poured it all at once, it would have taken over a century to cool and harden. Instead, they poured it in blocks and used cooling pipes to manage the heat. Even today, the concrete is still hardening through a process called hydration, so the dam keeps getting stronger over time.
A person leans forward to blow out a candle on a warm cookie topped with ice cream.
Stan celebrates his 16th birthday with a warm skillet cookie topped with ice cream.
Two young adults sit on a couch, smiling at each other as they clink glasses of beer.
Stan turned 16! I'm filled with pride seeing the young man he is becoming. We celebrated this milestone with a beer, a moment we both looked forward to. (In Belgium, the legal drinking age is 16.)
An older man stands at the sink, doing the dishes by hand under a warm light, while the kitchen around him is dark and quiet.
Vanessa's dad doing the dishes by hand, the way he always has.
A woman stands at the stove, stirring a pot and cooking dinner in a warm, softly lit kitchen.
Vanessa cooking dinner in her parents' kitchen, the home she grew up in. Her mom is going through cancer treatment, and we are here to spend time together. The house holds years of memories, and tonight that care goes the other way.
Two chefs in white uniforms create clouds of powdered sugar and meringue while preparing a dessert at a restaurant table.
I've been wanting to try Alinea ever since watching their Chef's Table episode. We finally made it happen! Dessert was wild: two chefs turned our table into their canvas, powdered sugar and meringue flying everywhere. The edible balloons that came next felt like the perfect finale.
Nighttime view of a 7-Eleven store on a street corner with people walking by.
Chicago by night from our hotel window.
A black camper van is parked in a forested campground surrounded by tall pine trees.
Parked at Camp Sherman Campground, next to the Metolius River in Oregon, USA.
Wooden "Dead End Road" sign covered in moss, with a yellow 15 MPH speed limit sign below.
Dead end, but the moss is thriving.
Rusty steering wheel and exposed seat springs inside an old, abandoned truck with cracked windows.
I can't help but wonder what stories this truck could tell.
Old rusted Ford truck parked on dirt, with faded paint and wooden flatbed in the back.
Our van's neighbor for the night was a beautifully rusted Ford. Retired but still stealing the spotlight.
Tall rock cliffs surround a winding river and hiking trail at Smith Rock State Park in Oregon.
We hiked the Misery Ridge and River Trail in Smith Rock State Park. The steep switchbacks and rocky terrain made it a tough climb, but the panoramic views were worth it.
Person sitting in the doorway of a parked camper van at a quiet, remote campground.
Arrived at Skull Hollow Campground. No power or water, but it's quiet and the sky is full of stars. It feels like we're exactly where we need to be.
Two chairs sit at a barrel table inside a rustic barn decorated with string lights and flowers.
We visited several vineyards while driving through Oregon, each with its own character. The Four Graces was our favorite, but Dominio IV came second. They celebrate new wine releases in a beautiful old barn.
Person stretching and smiling next to a laundry cart in front of dryers at a laundromat.
Laundry day in a small town in Oregon. We're camping in a van and stopped to wash some of our clothes. Life on the road!