Mod Dog

Pasadena -- I used to be a Mod. I can "Spot" one a mile away...

Beautiful Central California

Pinnacles, CA -- During our seven-day road trip up to and around San Fransisco, we took side roads in search of worthy photo subjects. Amber and I stopped at barns, cows, rainbows, and even unique road signs. People are the coveted choice for subjects but we took what we could find. We were on a quest with no restrictions other than daylight.

One of our goals was to capture as many windmills as we could. After a while, the windmills started looking the same and lost part of their mystique, accept this one. Like most good photographs, the subject is nothing without an outstanding background.

One Man's Trash...

San Bernardino -- Recently, I was guilty of making an "alley dump" with an old sofa. Perfect for a college student or someone not interested in spending any money. Boats on the other hand are quite another story. The boys saw this old, discarded ski boat and had to take it for a test ride. The driver in the green cap kept a close eye on the passing truck while he pulled his skiing buddy behind.

Book of Dreams

Back in the mid 1980s, I found this book at a thrift shop. Published in 1977, the 2nd edition coffee table book inspired me to point my VW Camper in the direction of anyplace wild, scenic and mostly under-explored. The back road trips include LA local deserts, the Coastal Mountain Corridor, the Central Valley, Sierra and the gold rush territory of Northern California.

Recently, I rediscovered this treasure and began thumbing through it's rustic, hand-written pages (very 70s). Inspiration struck again--I must hit the highway for another road trip! Photos to follow....

Back Roads of California by Earl Thollander
Publisher: Sunset Books, Incorporated
ISBN-13: 9780376050151

Sign of Sun and Neglect

Unlike downtown Los Angels, the California desert is a place of mystery and open spaces. Though many view it as an unbreakable stretch of useless dirt, rock and an occasional tumble weed, it is not. Our deserts are fragile and ecologically delicate. That's what makes this place so special. Leave any foreign object out here in the sun and it will surely fade into the landscape, much like this traffic sign. However, one element refuses to fade: the California desert sky.

Kelso Depot (Continued)

One of my greatest pleasures is driving through the Mojave Desert. In the good old days, I had a VW Van--a Westfalia camper equipped with roll-down windows and a spray bottle as an air conditioner.

Every other weekend a small group of friends chose a remote desert location on a map and drove there. Back in '80s, Kelso was headed towards ruins. The 80s was all about New Wave music, building up cities and solving the Rubik's Cube. Old desert towns and buildings were used more for target practice and dirt bike destinations than being appreciated and left alone. Preservation was alive but struggling.

Today, Kelso is enjoying a revitalization. The East Mojave is now mostly a Preserve. Inside Kelso Depot, an old fashioned soda fountain greets visitors with turn-of-the-century charm and nostalgia. All the individual rooms in the train station are used as a museum and library. They even have original recordings of a 1950s radio show broadcasting from a nearby desert town.


Here, one finds a vibrant, living desert full of history and hidden treasures.

Today, I drive a car with air conditioning. But when I'm rolling through mirages on the sun-soaked highways of the East Mojave, you will often find me with my windows down and stereo playing Marty Robbins and the Sons of the Pioneers, singing,

"All day I've faced a barren waste
Without the taste of water,
cool water
Old Dan and I with throats burned dry
And souls that cry for water
Cool..., clear..., water...."

Living Aloha Under Da' Blue

Temecula, CA -- I would love to meet these folks. They seem to travel right. I also appreciate the "Live Aloha" written on the back of their bus. Looks like they are living it.

A Drive Through the East Mojave

Spring is a great time to visit the East Mojave National Preserve. This is Cima Road, south of Interstate 15. A beautiful, 22-mile drive takes you to the town of Keslo and Kelso Depot.

Today, temperatures only reached about 100-degrees Fahrenheit. But afternoon thunderstorms quickly cooled the landscape and desert air to a pleasant 90 degrees.