Riding Arizona TV

 

The date's been set, September 1st.  Now all I have to do is research locations, write a script, learn film making and pack all my gear onto my motorcycle.

1989 Honda VL1100C Shadow - My Summer Ride

 

 L.Y.B.L. Live Your Best Life. It's the only one you get. And be nice to people, after all, you're a "people" too. Today's moment of Zen.

I'm Making a Movie! ... What?

 Rumors abound regarding the crazy idea that I could be planning to write, film, edit and produce a "straight to DVD" adventure travel documentary tentatively set for release in November of 2027. Could just be a rumor.

More to follow...

Why I love Arizona

 

Out with Fuji, Back with Canon.

After a shortlived trist with Fuji's mirrorless X-E3 camera, I've returned, hat in hand, to my digital soulmate, the DSLR Canon. Tiny mirrorless cameras with tiny view finders just didn't do it for me. Felt like I was using a glorified cell phone. I needed the full DSLR experience. So...

I  bought the following rig. Canon 7d and a Canon EF-S 17-55 f 2.8 lens. I bought both body and lens on eBay in excellent condition for a Grand total of $615.  Never been happier.

I guess you can go home again.

Wow, New Post!

I haven't posted to this blog since 2016. Wow, has it been that long? Here's a quick pic from Balboa Park in San Diego and a few of my camera friends.

Movin' On

After making a few changes, including building my own teardrop trailer, I've finally found the right travel rig for me. Follow the link below to find out what I'm doing now.
VanTrippin.com

Wet Dog, Happy Dog

As the temperature rises here in the California desert, Rita, an energetic Golden Doodle seeks relief in the cool waters of the Coachella Canal.
This image was processed with Lightroom PS for tablets, one of many tablet editors I'm testing.

Spring is here!

Hooray, Spring is here!  A season of new beginnings, a time of unbridaled optimism, and of course a chance to photograph wild flowers. This shot of a sunflower opening with the morning sun was made at Nate's Butt Farm, ..sorry... Bate's Nut Farm in 2014.

Solar Cows

This solar array provides shade for milk cows off Hwy 78, ten miles east of Brawley, Ca.

Sun, Sand, and Snow?

Hotel del Coronado ice skaters enjoy the warm weather while skating. The hotel had several employees pushing sqwigees around the rink  to handle the melting ice.

Tomato Festival- Niland, Ca

These photos are some I took during the 2015 Tomato Festival Parade. Follow the link below for more.

After The Storm

A few of my latest Arizona sunsets. Almost makes all the rainy days (and nights) worth it.

Mardi Gras is coming!

Mardi Gras is celebrated all over the world and it's no different in Slab City. Tuesday, Feb. 12th will find most of us "Slabbers" workin' for beads.
The photo below is one I shot in New Orleans a couple of years ago. I've reprocessed it for a totally new look. For more Mardi Gras photos, check out other posts on this blog.

East Jesus

As the largest art installation in Slab City, East Jesus, an artist colony, begs to be discovered.  It’s a little off the beaten path but well worth the visit.  The ever-changing group that works here are completely self-contained, relying on the sun to power their existence.  The late Charles Russell created East Jesus in 2006 and described his vision in this way.
Wedged between the Chocolate Mountain Gunnery Range and the Salton Sea in southern California's exotic Imperial Valley, East Jesus is an experimental, comprehensive habitat and artwork comprising vernacular architecture, technophilia, common-sense environmentalism, desert survival and sculpture/assemblage using predominantly recycled, re-purposed or discarded materials, sublimating the unwanted and ugly into the purposefully beautiful. The main structure is built around a 27' fiberglass shipping container, extended by walls composed of junk (lockers, computers, refrigerators, microwave ovens, bookshelves, tool chests, shipping crates, TVs and other electronics) and recycled, re-used lumber and steel.

My First Book

Slab City- Then and Now is finally finished!

It's 40 pages and has lots of pictures from Slab City's past (as a military base) and pictures of the way it looks now.  Here's an excerpt.

From the moment you pass the first guard shack on your way into Slab City, it’s pretty clear that you’ve left conventionality behind. Ahead of you lies a place where rules are few and individuality reigns supreme.  No plumbing, no electricity, and no running water and yet hundreds of people call Slab City home for part of each year. 

Despite the primitive conditions, Slab City offers visitors and residents alike, many amenities without the ever-present oversight of local government.  Enclosed within its borders, Slab City has a church, a library, a restaurant, art exhibits, a music venue, internet café, radio station, mechanical repair, pet graveyard, golf course, and barbershop.

 

 

It's listed on eBay and will soon be available on Amazon in both a paperback format as well as an ebook download.  Here's my website address:  www.slabcitybook.com.

 

Thanks to everyone that helped me on this project.

 

Back to the Slabs

Well, another summer has come and gone and I find myself chasing the sun again.  I'm in Slab City for the winter, hanging out with friends I met last year.  Nightly fire ring conversations, crisp, cool mornings followed by sun packed afternoons are the norm here. If you're in the area, look me up. I'm at 200 Fred St. on the south end of the Slabs.

Church on Wheels

Not far from my property in Concho, Az, I found this. After asking questions of people in my area, I found out that this miniature church on wheels was a parade float built by the Mormons for local parade use. The wheels and tires are missing but the frame and most of the float remains.

Concho Morning Walk

Here are a few pics from my morning walk with maci.

Arizona Sunset

Winter In Slab City

When the temperatures start to dip in the winter time, my thoughts turn to the warm, dry heat of the southern California deserts.  This year I wintered over in the famous (or infamous) Slab City, just east of Niland, CA on the eastern side of the Salton Sea.  There is plenty of room for everyone and "Snowbirds" from cold, snowy states arrive to stretch their feathers and enjoy days in the 70's and 80's.  The area has several club houses, a church, two music venues, an internet cafe, a library, pet cemetary and a couple of "restaurants", though I wasn't brave enough to dine in one.  Here are a few pictures from the area.

Yuma Proving Grounds

As you leave Yuma, AZ heading north on I95 toward Quartzite, the Yuma Proving Grounds will be on your left and offer a nice rest stop with tanks and guns from earlier wars.  All the photos in this post were process with nothing more than Picasa 3 (a Google product that is completely free to use).  The photos speak for themselves.

Salvation Mountain

As you leave Niland, Ca. and head east toward Slab City, you're greeted by one of the strangest sights in North America.  This amazing work of art (and spiritual mecca) has taken over 26 years to build and it's not finished yet!  The man that created Salvation Mountain, Leonard Knight,  still works on it a bit each day and talks with the many tourists that stop by to visit.  He has gone through hundreds of cans of paint (mostly donated) and adds to the mountain with straw bales and tree branches.  You can climb the stairs to the top of the mountain and take photographs of the surrounding desert.  Best time to visit is during the winter as the summer temperatures can reach 120 degrees F.  More photos Here.

Update:  Mr. Knight has recently been taken to a resthome in the San Diego area.  The area is still open for viewing and pictures.  I wish Mr. Knight all the best for the new year ahead.

Tower at Night

This tower stands next to the San Diego Old Globe Theatre in beautiful Balboa Park. 

Although picture-worthy during the day, the tower mesmerizes visitors at night.  High-powered spotlights bathe the tower with light making it stand out against the blue-black sky.  A great landmark, the tower is visible from almost anywhere in the park. 

This shot was taken from the Alcazar Gardens  and is a glowing example of the architecture found throughout the park.

Sax Man

This is another image made in Balboa Park near downtown San Diego.  Street performers entertain visitors most weekends and this gentleman graciously posed for this portrait near the arboritum.  I thought black and white was the right choice here as I wanted a timeless feel to the image.  I used an aperature of f/2.8 to blur the background and make my subject appear to float in the frame.  If I could change one thing about this shot it would be to make sure that his left hand was included in the frame.  Oh well.  I'll remember next time.  Just another beautiful day in the park.

Deep Purple

This image was made in Balboa Park in San Diego, CA during a groupshoot organized by the San Diego DSLR group.  Having shot there many times before, I went looking for unique photo opportunities and found this lilly near the edge of a very iconic pond in front of the arboritum.  What makes this shot unique is that is was shot after official sunset and I used my Maglight mini flashlight to "paint" the flower with light during the long exposure.  This light painting gives the lilly a ghostly, surreal feeling.  I then played with the white balance temperature and tint to render the overall image in purple.

A Friend for the Road

As I prepare to leave the San Diego area for the deserts of California and Arizona, I decided to find a travel mate with the same passion for travel as I have.  It hasn't been easy.

After an extensive search and countless introductions, I have chosen Maci, a 1-1/2 year old reddish-gold spaniel mix to fill the seat next to mine.  She has a keen interest in everything, tempered with a wide streak of caution.  I found Maci residing at the San Diego County Animal Control facility after she was picked up as a stray.  She is smaller than what I was looking for, only weighing in at 20 lbs, but what she lacks in physical size she more than makes up for in heart.  She loves truck rides, cuddling, and treats, not necessarily in that order.

If you have room in your house and your heart, consider giving one of Maci's friends at the shelters a home.  You will get back far more than you put into your new relationship.

Please have your pet spayed or neutered and micro tagged.

Remember the Alamo!

Remember the Alamo?  I did, when visiting San Antonio this summer on my way back to California. It was hot, over 100 degrees both days I was there, but San Antonio is such a great place to visit, I really didn’t mind the heat. I woke early and drove downtown to the area known as The San Antonio Riverwalk. It was nice to walk along the river before most folks got out of bed. The “river” is really a loop off of the San Antonio River that is lined with concrete and landscaped with trees and flowering plants. Construction on the loop began in 1939 as a bypass channel for flood protection. Today, there are boats that navigate the river giving tourists the best views of downtown San Antonio and its shops and eating places. It has become the #1 tourist attraction in the state of Texas.


As I walked beside the river, I found my destination for my noontime meal but I had some time to kill, so I made my way a couple of blocks east to the Alamo. I decided not to take the guided tour, rather, I moved through the grounds of the old fort and mission looking for photo ops and reading history written on plaques along my route.

After lunch, I decided to visit a few of the other remaining missions in the area around San Antonio. Each was as different as the last but they were all carefully maintained and in some cases restored to most of their former glory. Texas loves its history and is proud to show it off wherever it can.

There are other attractions including Sea World and amusement parks, museums and art galleries. But my time here was limited. I will definitely return to San Antonio and the lone star state and will plan to spend more time here.

Travel Tip: Each year they drain the Riverwalk and clear trash and spare change from the bottom, so check before you go. It would be a shame to miss it.

More pictures HERE.

Oak Alley Plantation- Vacherie, LA

Oak Alley Plantation near New Orleans, LA is a National Historic Landmark and for good reason.  As you drive along Great River Road near the banks of the Mississippi River, nothing prepares you for your first glimpse of The "Big House".  This antebellum mansion was built in 1839 as a gift from a wealthy Creole sugar planter to his young bride.  The twenty-eight live oak trees had been planted by the previous land owner as a walkway from the banks of the river.

Today, you can tour the "Big House", walk the grounds, eat in the restaurant, stop by the Ice Cream Parlor or stay at the bed and breakfast.  Whew!  Weddings and receptions can also be held at the plantation.  This location is a little off the beaten path, but...most good things are.

More photos HERE.

New Orleans-Marde Gras World

When folks think of New Orleans, they usually think of Marde Gras and the bars and hotels along Bourbon Street.  I've been to the French Quarter (although not during Marde Gras) and enjoyed the french flavor and nice people that I met there.  This trip, I wanted to peek "behind the curtain" and see what it takes to put on one of the world's biggest parties year after year. 
Over 90% of the floats and costumes for Marde Gras are created by the amazing artists that work for Blaine Kern's Marde Gras World.  They build, restore, and house most of the floats used each year during Marde Gras.  The best part is that you can tour this wonderful company most of the year (not during Marde Gras for obvious reasons).  I enjoyed taking the tour and learned quite a bit.  For instance, each invited float rider spends nearly $2000.00 of his/her own money on beads and candy to throw to the crowd along the parade route.  Also, there are permanent float figures created out of fiberglass and less expensive figures made of styrofoam and covered in papier mache.  Each float can cost as much as a million dollars and no city or state funds are used for the parades with the exception of a police presence during the parades and street cleanup after Marde Gras.  I recommend a visit to Marde Gras World if not for the history, then for the awesome photo opportunies.

More photos HERE.

St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine Florida is a great getaway destination with something for everyone.  For kids (and adults alike), the Pirate Museum is the place to let out your inner pirate and explore the artifacts once owned by the likes of Black Beard and others.  This is also a cool distraction during the heat of the day.
Other attractions include the historic district filled with small homes and shops demonstrating how things were done in the 17th century.  There is also an Alligator Farm (and zoo) for those that like things a little on the dangerous side.  My favorite, and the reason I went to St. Augustine, was the Castillo de San Marcos.  This spanish fort (seen above) was built in 1672 to protect Spains interest in the new world.  It is the only surviving 17th century fort in North America. 
Best of all, all of the attractions (except the Alligator Farm) are located within a 5 block radius of each other.  Makes for an easy day of exploring. 

For more photos... Click HERE.