Escape from LA

California Desert -- I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude.
--Henry David Thoreau

Bagdad Californy

Bagdad, CA -- Another California desert Route 66 ghost town best known for its name rather than its destination. Bagdad is also known for holding the record for the longest dry streak in the United States: 767 days without rain from 1912 to 1914. Something to be proud of....

This location was also featured on Daily Photo LA in December of 2009 with the Bottletree Man; a desert-dweller living out his artistic dreams amidst a forest of glass bottles, roadside junk and rusted, antique treasures. Welcome to the gateway to LA.

Desert Church

Barstow, CA -- A simple, cinder block building suffices for a house of worship in this weather-beaten, high-desert town. For some, the emphases is placed on God and each other rather than on architectural aesthetics.

Lucky 7 at The Rustic

My friend, "Scout" poses in front of Room 7 where the origin of many an untold story once took place.

This is the third post on the Rustic Motel along Hwy 395. The name speaks for itself but an even closer look makes any passerby more intrigued by its high desert charm.

Skywatch and Junior Gunslingers

Palmdale, CA -- Despite the heat and humidity, nothing beats an afternoon drive through California's Mojave Desert in the summer. We parked the car along side the road and walked among the Joshua Trees (featured above), the creosote, pickle weed and Mormon tea, looking for the Thistledown Velvet Ant.

Most of the critters and insects were well-hidden from the summer heat. However, we did find a half-buried Texan Jr cap gun under a tumble weed. The circa 1955 cowboy toy is a fitting artifact for the western desert landscape. Who knows, maybe a Hopalong Cassidy cadet lost it during a shootout with a bad guy? You never know what you will find out West.

Bitten by Nature

Our guide warned us of dangerous insects, reptiles and plants. One of the deadliest snakes in North America is the Mojave Green rattlesnake. You don't want to be bitten by a Green.

When I saw my friend quietly nursing her wound, I became concerned. Symptoms from snake bite are sometimes slow to show up, causing victims to underestimate the severity of the encounter. First, you feel weakness in your muscles then you experience shortness of breath and extreme pain. Antivenin is necessary for survival.

Of course, I--being trained and certified as an Emergency First Responder (EFR)--had to get a photo of the wound first! I have my priorities your know....

Thank God my friend explained that it was not a snake that bit her, but a yucca. Even a plant can bite you!

Go Figure

In Littlerock, California, along Pearblossom Hwy, a local windmill store has every reason to appreciate the wind.

Hollywood Movie Location Revealed

Part of Hollywood magic is finding film locations that make movie-goers believe the actors are either in a remote, far away land or even another planet.

Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park, however, is not all that remote; the park is minutes away from a major highway in LA. Viewers of films like Star Trek, Bonanza, Zorro TV series, Buck Rogers, Batman, Austin Powers, and hundreds more, might think the actors were in another world, but no, they were only on the fringe of “Tinsel Town” know as Hollywood in my hometown of L.A. Click here for more info on the movies shot at Vasquez Rocks.

Drifting Along With the Tumbling Tumbleweeds

Down the way from the Desert Lodge Market is an open stretch of highway begging to be driven on. These are the highways dreams, songs and movies are made of, and I'm glad to part of them.

Joshua Tree at Saddleback Butte

This photo was taken at dusk in the high desert town of Palmdale at Saddleback Butte State Park. The park has a campsite, complete with a camp host and a barking, four-legged sentry.

A sandy trail begins after a mountain lion warning sign at the camp and wanders past the human-like stands of Joshua Trees and thousand year old creosote bushes. After a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) hike up to Saddleback Butte at 3,651-foot (1113m), the desert sky opens up, offering spectacular views of the Southern California high desert as well as the snowy San Gabriel, San Bernardino and Southern Sierra ranges. More on this subject later....

Hard Times In High Desert

Palmdale, CA -- A short, 90-minute drive north from Downtown Los Angeles will land you in a most rural part of LA County. This high desert area is affectionately call Antelope Valley.

I listened to Blue Grass while rolling down Pearblossom Highway through Littlerock (Littlerock, CA). The music acts as a movie soundtrack while passing quaint diners like Big Al's Burgers or Billy Boy's Cafe. Unfortunately, many of the small boutiques and cafes along this lonesome two-lane have recently been shut down. Most likely victims of our troubled economy.

Pictured above is a mini truck stop, Desert Lodge Market. The only trucks I saw were passing by at 55 miles per hour. A lone Honda Civic, parked on the dirt was holding down the fort.

Pearblossom Highway

Valyermo, CA--As much as I champion Pasadena and all it's diversity, sometimes I drive up and over our mountains and wander the Pearblossom Highway through Vayermo. With gas prices down, the two-hour tour into LA's high desert no longer costs a day's wages.

By Googling Pearblossom Hwy, you can catch a glimpse of this scenic highway and all the quirky towns. My favorite time to visit is in the late afternoon when long shadows sweep across the desert floor and every abandond shack looks like a subject out of National Geographic.