May 12, 2005
Evening
Salton Sea, California
Amazing place this Salton Sea, can’t quite figure it out. Drove around the entire lake today all xxx miles of shoreline. Amazingly the road leaves the Sea for most of the drive and other than a few small towns and dirt tracks down to the shoreline you really are driving miles away from it. As far as we could tell, the only real access on the East Side is the sate recreational areas and the town of Bombay Beach. Bombay Beach is a trip and should not be missed Made a few images at the Bombay Beach Marina and RV Park. Not to be missed on your trip here.
Big disappointment was the three RV Mineral Spring “Resorts” almost at the southern tip/ Extremely unfriendly “white people”. Although they seemed almost empty and rundown the folks didn’t seem to want our money and we were happy not to give ‘em any. All the “springs” were incased in cement and the RV’s and planted mobile homes were almost as run down as the baths.
At the southern most tip is The Red Hill Marina. It’s down a small access road about 11 miles from the main road- again remember the roads do not go along the shore line. You turn north in the Town of Westmorland. Speaking of Westmorland you gotta stop for Mexican at Tacos El Jaliscience at the north end of town on HWY 86. Don’t worry about the time their open 24 hours and make about the best Mexican food either of us have ever eaten. Their little tacos are out of this world as are their bean and cheese burritos. If your brave try the Lengua (tongue meat) or the cabeza (head meat) be sure to let me know how it is…. For drinks their Horchata and their Jamaica, is the best bar none!
Anyway just past the huge hydro electric plants and past the mud bogs, which smell so bad Henry hid his head under his pillow, you come to The Red Hill Marina. Quite a place, the road disappears into the sea and there are four or five old wooden docks suspended in the salt water. Made a few interesting photographs and was about to leave when up drove Mr. Tommie Chambers of Los Angeles and Bombay Beach. As I watched Tommie set to cat fishing in the river (?) that we had driven over just before the end of the road. Now this river is moving water but there is a huge culvert that dumps into the river just above where Tommie was fishen. About every 15 minutes a huge amount of yellow green water would gush out at an alarming rate for about 10 minutes then stop until the next onslaught of water came from God knows where. My guess, the hydro eclectic plant. Anyhow Tommie and his wife, Alice swear by both the size and the taste of the catfish they haul outa that water. After making a photograph of Tommie and saying our goodbye we were on the road again.
Made it up the West shore to Salton City just before dark and got to see some of the massive unfinished housing developments that seem to litter this side of the lake.. Roads in total disrepair, but with lot lines and fire hydrants in place, that seem to go off into nowhere. All laid out in a neat little package that time forgot and no one ever opened.
Headed back to our camp with the intention of returning to the West Side in the morning to do a bit more exploring.
Salton Sea Camp
Alice and Tommie
Sage swimming pool
May 10, 2005
Desert Springs
Near Barstow Ca.
Stuck, wedged, trapped, caught, jammed, immovable, having difficulties, at a complete loss….
After Lake Isabella we headed over to Big Bear Lake, in the mountains just above San Bernardino. Plan was to stay by the lake (sic) and head down to the big city to stock up on supplies and see a bus. The bear won again. The bus really was not for us and the RV park was over priced and under, well under everything. Snow, sleet and cold with wind gales that shook the trailer. The drive up and down the mountain ws kind of cool so much fog you could not see more than 4 or 5 feet in front of the truck. At night it was even worse. But we made it safely each way.
This morning I had a phone interview with a Polish Photographic Magazine about the upcoming show. One comment they had was that it seems that almost all the new work, from the trip, is of rural america and the question of whether or not I was going to include urban landscapes and people came up. Seems like I am drawn to the rural landscapes as well as the People who inhabit them but I do hope to include more urban work in the project. The lifestyle does lend itself more to the rural landscape though. A bit of a problem to park the Airstream in New York City.
Anyway we headed out this morning toward the Salton Sea but discovered as we started down the mountain that the trailer brakes were out. So it was a very slow trip down the backside of the mountain. Once on level ground it was straight to the biggest town around, that being Barstow.
In Barstow we found Larry at B&B Plumbing and RV fixer upper. What a God send. Larry got right to work on the brakes and by 5:30pm we’d replaced the plug and trouble shot the problem down to the right brake, but 5:30 is quitting time (Larry mentioned something about an Oriental disease “Dragon Ass”)so Heather and I headed off to Desert Springs and Larry off to dinner or whatever cure for “dragon ass” he had in mind.
Tomorrow we’ll pull the wheel and try to figure out what’s what. Mostly likely the magnets are bad and the closest place to get them is 70 miles away so I will be heading out in the truck to pick up new ones.
Seems like the last few months all we’ve done is Airstream repairs. Perhaps the Land Yacht is annoyed that we are out looking at busses? Since January we’ve spent more on air stream repairs than on what the paint job would of cost on that old Flx we wanted.
Did make one outstanding image today on the way over to Barstow of 8 old Palm Trees and hope to make a portrait of Larry and his wife tomorrow. I have a feeling that by the time the brakes are repaired we will know each other quite well. I already like him, he’s got me down on the ground working right along with him.
Camp at Desert Springs
First Encounter
Second Encounter
Encounter of the third kind Contact! DMK Larry and Heather
Bombay Marina and RV Park
Salton Sea Yactch Club (sic)
Heather painting her foot against the sky, Henry hanging out me working on the journay at the Salton City Spa and RV PArk, yep folks this IS the RV park
Sinking House Salton Sea Beach
May 5, 2005 evening
Fallen Nevada
Pull over to make a photograph and discovered the front window in the airstream was shattered and the rain was beginning to fall. Twenty minutes latter and a lot of gaffers’ tape and plastic and we were on our way. But to where. No towns in any direction for 60 miles and who knows who might have tempered glass, Reno? Headed that way and as we drove trough Fallen we passed Fast Glass then an RV Park so that was the town.
Stuck in Fallen waiting for the Glass Company to open up…..
Drive through Coffe Hawthorne Nevada
Flower Bomb Hawthorne Nevada
Henery Crow Dog Currant Nevada
Cloud Nevada
Road Nevada
Nightfall in Nevada
May 8, 2005
Lake Isabella, California
Whirlwind tour the last few days through many states. Heat, cold sun snow ice you name it we experienced in through Utah, Arizona and California. Mainly in pursuit of the bus. Saw a few but nothing that works. I begin to believe we are meant to continue to make the airstream the home/office each time we stop to work disaster happens. I know I could be so much more productive if we had a bit more space. But for now it’s time to stop chasing busses and get some images made before we head off to Poland. Having said that we do have one more to look at in Riverside California in the next few days.
Headed out to The Pinnacles at Trona California. Damn digital photography! Had seen a photograph of them and really wanted to go work there. We arrived in late afternoon and was I ever disappointed. They are quite impressive really, tens of thousands of years old Tuffas but not nearly as impressive as the photograph made me believe- additionally they had retouched out the parking and added what looked like roads up into them. One of the things that increased their size. I found the exact spot the photograph was made and they sure changed reality. Worked for a few hours and made a few images then it was time to move on.
The campground turned out to be 7 miles from the lake so our fantasy of Henry getting a swim and sitting by the lake went up in dust. Some days you bite the bear and some days the bear bites you. Ouch. Did see some Joshua Trees on the way though.
Pinnacles 1
Pinnacles 2
Detail Joshua Tree
DMK shooting Joshua Tree
Airstream and Joshua Tree
California Clouds
May 6,2005
Gooddale Creek Camp
Aberdeen, California
Arrived a bit before dark. Felt like the dudes in the covered wagons pulling up to the foot of the mountains and saying whoa, how we gonna get over this one? So camped beside a small trout creek and took stock of the situation.
Got the broken window fix this morning in Fallon, Nevada and headed south down Route 6 . Made a few good images of old building and pulled through some great old towns.
Made a stop at Janie’s Ranch just before the California boarder. Sign on the post said “Closed…Beat It.” We pulled in to 7 old deserted trailers hook up side to side to make one big building. It was quite a romantic setting out in the middle of nowhere just under the shadow of Boundary Peak. The highest point in Nevada. Well inside were rows of smallish bedrooms and one large reception room. Janie was ranching the oldest trade so we beat it and split.
Camp at Gooddale Creek
Barns at Mina, Nevada
Boundary Peak (we think) Nevada
California Sky
Hay dude and dudet it’s time to stop
Homemade RV 1
Homemade RV 2
Grandma’s Recipe
Red Hill California
May 5,2005
Ely Nevada
Arrived in Ely late afternoon yesterday to a snow sun sky. Felt too warm to snow but the sky is telling a story of snow and the peaks are still white with memories of winter. Anyway it’s been a bit of traveling.. Heard about a Flx bus in Fruita, Colorado and the pictures look good so… off we speed from Needles California to Colorado. But the bus just didn’t have the magic so headed west again Found different roads and ended up in Ely, Nevada as night fell. Now back to making photographs. Ran the film from California last night and made some good images. That is what the trip is supposed to be after all.
This morning is cold and windy and feels like snow. Can barely see the mountaintops as the snow cover blends into the sky. Not sure of direction yet. Do want to get back to The Pinnacles in Trana, California but Michael says going North on Highway 50 is great and has some hot springs. Will see which way the wind blows.
Heather shooting the road
Road Utah
Airstream Utah
Night Utah
Nevada Road
Nevada Road
Nevada Road
Road Nevada
Road Nevada
