Postcard from Lassen - Scenery and Sulphur

The vast majority of my life was spent in California. I spent much time exploring all the National Parks and Monuments that the state offered...but never had I visited Mt. Lassen National Park. In planning my walkabout, I wanted to make sure I visited this small, but scenic park as much of this trip is targeted to go places where I had never been.

If you look on a map, you will see that Lassen is almost due north of Yosemite in what looks to be the same mountain range. However, while Yosemite is most definitely part of the granite-based Sierra Nevada Mountains, Lassen is more properly part of the Cascade Mountains...the same range that include Mt. Ranier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, Mt. Shasta and many others. You see, Mt. Lassen, like the others, is an active volcano.

It last blew its top in May of 1915. I saw photographs of the eruption taken from 50 miles away and let me tell you, it was as big, if not bigger than Mt. St. Helens. I don't know where the dividing line is between the two mountain ranges, but once you have visited both parks you will see huge differences in the landscape and geology. Mt. Lassen's peak sits at around 10,500 ft. and is quite visible from Interstate 5 for many, many miles. It was odd that after viewing the mountain so many times while traveling, I had never been there. That was about to change

I approached the north entrance of the park, about a 50 mile drive due east from Redding. From the park entrance you can't see the mountain, but you do get beautiful views of Manzanita and Reflection Lakes (Photo #1). At this point, you are at about 5,500 feet. The road goes north for a short stretch, then south through some beautiful forested country. Finally, the mountain reveals its north face, which still has snow on it (Photo #2). There are also several places along the road where you can see the results of the 1915 eruption.

After a while the road starts a long climb upward,eventually taking you to 8,500 feet, just 2,000 feet below the summit. By this time, you are facing the south slope of Mt. Lassen, which was completely devoid of snow when I saw it. As you start down the mountain, you are confronted by the hydrothermal features of the park, similar on a smaller scale to those found in Yellowstone. There are boiling mud pots, steaming ground, roaring fumaroles, and sulfurous gases...all evidence that this is an active volcanic area.

The highlight of this area is the Bumpass Hell region, which can be easily explored on foot. Later, the road takes you also pass some very active sulphur vents (photo #3) as your nose will soon tell you. Then before you know it, you are at the park's south entrance. As I said, it is a very small park. There are trails throughout the park that will take you to some beautiful and interesting places, but I chose not to do this.

In the end, I am glad I saw this interesting national park even though I only spent 1/2 a day there...but it is doubtful I will ever visit it again. I find the Sierra Nevada range and its parks far more interesting than the Cascades. But, I am also prejudiced as I spent a lot of my childhood in those gigantic granite mountains.

From Lassen, I headed east to the small, but very cute town of Susanville, then south on Highway 395 to Reno, for two nights in luxury hotels. Stay tuned.

Postcard from the Road - Catching Up

One of the things that never occurred to me when planning this walkabout adventure was that I could be without an Internet connection for days at a time. I had planned to write a postcard nearly every day...but the last five days I have been without any Internet or cell phone service. So my next few blogs will be quite a bit behind where I am now. So, I thought before I wrote those, I would tell you where I am, and where I have been...then write the catchup blogs.

I write this blog from Oakland, CA on the dining room table at my brother Dave's home. I arrived here last night and will stay in the Bay Area several days here and at my friends the Millers in Walnut Creek. Then I will head south for Yuma to see my son and his wife.

Now...how I got here. When I wrote the last blog about Mitchell, OR, I posted it from Reno. I was already behind in my blogging at that point. So how did I get to Reno? After I left Mitchell, I drove to Crater Lake National Park with the intention of staying there overnight and doing some photography. When I saw the lake for the first time, I was sorely disappoint in the light and the fact that a terrible haze covered the lake, making decent photography impossible. And to make it worse all the park facilities were shut down, including all campgrounds. Even the road signs were taken down.

It took me only a few seconds to figure out that I didn't want to stay there. So I left for Klamath Falls, just 20 miles north of the California border on Highway 97. I had intended to stay there, but it was so early, I changed my plans and headed further south to Redding CA. Got their about 5:00 PM with the temperatures in the high 80's, then took off my warm clothes and checked into a hotel with Internet. The next morning, I was up early and headed for Lassen National Park. That is such a small park that I was through it with many photos in half-a-day.

From there, I headed east and south, mostly on Highway 395. While in Redding, I booked a luxury hotel room ($32 on Hotwire.com)...then decided that I was tired of driving and would stay two nights in Reno before heading south. My two nights there were interesting and fun and will be a blog all by itself.

From Reno, I drove back into California via Highway 395 and headed to the small town of Lee Vining, right on Mono Lake. I intended to photograph the Tufas there the following morning (I will explain that in another blog). Lee Vining is also the junction point for heading into the high country of Yosemite via Tioga Pass, which was a major destination for me from the beginning. My only concern was that I get there before the first snows when they shut down the Tioga Highway. Well, I made it.

I camped out for two nights in the mountains above Lee Vining, with temperatures around 25 degrees at night. From there, I explored the Yosemite High Country for two days before breaking camp and moving into Yosemite Valley and much warmer night time temps.

There, I found Autumn in full swing and camped there for two nights with my camera in constant use during daylight hours. On Thursday, I broke camp and headed west to Oakland, where I am now, with a stop at Hetch Hetchy.

So now you know where I've been...and the next few days you will know a little more about what I saw and experienced. The two photos shown here are obviously autumn photos as I have been following autumn as it makes its way south also.

Of course, when a person like me goes walkabout, the first thing you want to ask them is have you found yourself yet. To anticipate your question, the answer is no. But some interesting thoughts have already popped into my head about where I might be headed...some things that I might never have thought of before...and when you spend 12 hours in a sleeping bag trying to stay warm, you have a lot of time to think.

This is already an interesting and exciting trip, and I spend most of my time taking life as it comes. I am not thinking about finding answers, which means they will probably find me.

Postcard from Mitchell, OR - Welcome to the Twilight Zone

The first two nights of my walkabout were spent in Mitchell, OR, a very small town of 160 people that sits down in a small canyon right along Highway 26. Mitchell's history resembles many small towns in the Northwest...a thriving community (with two houses of ill repute) that suddenly died when the logging industry went away. It's only alive now thanks to the tourists who visit the nearby Painted Hills.

The town, although only two blocks long, has a very sharp division between the East Side and the West Side. The west is in a very visible state of decline, while the east side looks healthy. The reason, according the Hugh, a big bear of a man who owns the gas station, is because he invested money in land and businesses on the east side to bring up the quality of his hometown, which he loves. He took over the Little Pine Cafe and the Oregon Hotel, and built the gas station right across the street. While others now own the first two businesses, Hugh still owns the very unique gas station.

You see, this may be the only gas station anywhere that has its own resident bear. Henry the Bear, a full grown black bear, is the town's most famous resident and lives in a large cage at the station. If you every need gas in Mitchell, be sure and stop to see Henry and Hugh...you may find it difficult to tell them apart.

I stayed in the Oregon Hotel for two nights...for the first night I was alone except for Laura, the hotel's new owner, and her three kids. Two more guests showed up the next night. When I first arrived, I remarked that the town has no cell or Internet service. Laura's reply..."Welcome to the Twilight Zone." She was more right than she knew. I gathered from the pictures on the wall that the Oregon Hotel has been around for many, many years...probably close to 100.

I asked if the hotel had a TV so I could watch Monday Night Football. My room on the 2nd floor, she replied, didn't have a TV, but I could watch it in a nearby room which was not made up. So I sat on an unmade bed and watched the game, until it became boring. When I went to my room, I found that Laura had run a power cord from across the hall into my room so I could have heat from a small portable heater. There was a light stand on my bed with a small lamp equipped with a 25W bulb. Overhead was a bare yellow bulb. The small reading lamp didn't work.

I looked for a socket to plug in my laptop so I could work on photos and do some writing. I quickly found that there was only one outlet in my room...and it didn't work. It was where the table lamp was plugged in. So, in order to read, I had to unplug the heater. Then I had to take the shade off the lamp so the 25W bulb could provide enough light. Forget the computer.

Out of curiosity, I looked in all the rooms and found a distinct lack of wall plugs. I did find one that worked in another room with a small desk that I could use for my computer, which I did for a little while. In truth, my life was spread across three rooms on that first night. As for sleeping, I actually did very well.

On the second night, I couldn't spread out as there were two new guests. I stayed in my room and read until I fell asleep. During the night, I know I heard snoring and other such nighttime sounds. As we all shared a bathroom, I always new when someone was using it. Sound was a major problem here. I was glad to leave, but still, strangely delighted for the experience.

By the way, I did have three meals at the Little Pine Cafe and enjoyed them all. They treated me well. In fact, all the people I met in Mitchell were friendly and accommodating. They all had a penchant for telling me their life stories...even though I didn't ask. Only Henry maintained a very dignified silence.

On Wednesday, I was back in the real world with cell phone and Internet connections. It felt weird to emerge from this small town and all its quirks back into our modern world. I hope the town will survive. And it just might...according to one of the ladies at the Little Pine, they may have cell service in a year.

Picture of the Day - Blue Basin

As mentioned before, the John Day Fossil Bed National Monument is spread over three locations. The main location is Sheep Rock where park headquarters and a very nice visitor center are located. Two miles north of the visitor center is the trail into Blue Basin. When you walk into the basin, you are stepping back in time into a small, very narrow canyon with steep walls that just keeps going and going until it ends in a box canyon.

The walls, as you can see from the picture, are blue/green in color all the way through the canyon. I did it in mid-day when you are getting pure direct white light. If you do it later in the day, the walls are even bluer. It is quite something to see and experience.

The fossils found here are about 40 million years old. This is long after the days of the dinosaurs and clearly in the early age of mammals. These fossils give a very good idea of what life and the environment were like long ago.

As mentioned in an earlier blog, the John Day Fossil Beds range from 5 to 40 million years ago. So different animals and plants are found, showing that a variety of environments existed over time and different animals and plant life thrived, then became extinct. Fossils are never dug for here. They only are taken from their natural setting when they have risen to the top because of natural erosion. After being exposed to air, sun, and water, they will eventually disappear if not removed by experts. All finds are carefully cataloged and documented to help unravel the puzzle of what life was like all those years ago.

It has been estimated that only 10% of the existing fossils have been found...the rest being buried in over 700 locations that make up the John Day Fossil Beds. Blue Basin is just one of them.

For much more info, visit their Web site.

Postcard from the Road - The Things You See...

Sometimes when you are traveling American's highways, you see some interesting and strange things along the side of the road...seldom on the Interstates...usually on the smaller, less traveled highways. I've only been out four days and I have already seen a few interesting things.

First and foremost is this shoe tree. I found it in the middle of nowhere on Highway 26, between Sheep Rock and the Painted Hills. I immediately thought of the movie "Wag the Dog" where trees filled with shoes were part of the story (too detailed to outline here...just rent the movie). I spoke to some locals in Mitchell, OR about it and nobody really knew that much about how it started...it just did. In fact, according to my sources, there are three of them in different locations in east central Oregon. I hope with this small of an image you can see just how many shoes there are.

The only thing I could learn for sure was that transients will often stop by and exchange their old, worn out shoes for a pair hanging on the tree. I hope they bring a ladder cause some are very high up.

The second photo was something I spotted today in northeastern California. I have no idea of its origins other than a house or some other structure once stood here and the fireplace was all that was left. I thought the flag was a nice touch.

I will keep my eye open for more good things along the roads I travel.

Postcard from the Road - The Painted Hills

My first day on the road was an ambitious one, to say the least. Leaving 16 years of memories and friendships behind, miles of driving on unknown back roads, explorations of fossil beds going back 50 million years, and finally getting to my first destination, the Painted Hills of Oregon. Most of the day was overcast, with short burst of sunlight followed by more clouds. But, by late afternoon as I arrived at the Painted Hills, the clouds cleared away leaving glorious sunshine with just a few well placed clouds to make my pictures better. I photographed like crazy as beautiful warm red light and wonderful clouds don't happen every day.

The first photo shows the large main section of the Painted Hills, but is only one section of many, all smaller than this one. This section is quite large as you can see. The colors come from different volcanic eruptions that occur over millions of years. It is a very complicated process, too much to explain here. This area is one of three areas of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. The other area I visited was called Sheep Rock and contains different colors of fossil beds, from green to blue to red to pink to white. I will have more photos of these in the future.

The second photo is a different section of the Painted Hills, about three miles away. It is the first ones you see when driving in from the main highway. Obviously, its primary color is a stunning red that almost takes your breath away. Throw in some other colors and you have a spectacular feast for the eyes.

The Painted Hills are a photographer's dream, especially in the right light. It is a good place for me to start my journey of self rediscovery. Still I felt the pressure of taking many photos from different angles while I still had the light. I went up and down different trails looking for that "perfect" image. I have lots to choose from.

I haven't quite figured out all this walkabout stuff and it really hasn't hit me yet what I am really doing. For now, I am just traveling, looking for great photo opportunities in strange new places, trying to beat out winter before it hits some of the locations I really want to see. But, I have on occasion, just sat down on a nearby bench to gaze in wonder at what I am seeing, like the Painted Hills.

Postcard from Leavenworth - Farewell to the Cabin

For five years, I have lived part time in my "Cabin," whenever I did an art show in Leavenworth. I affectionately called it The Cabin as I always wanted to own a cabin in the mountains. This was as close as I got...a 19' self contained travel trailer, with all the amenities of home in a very compact format But, looking at the picture, you have to admit I live in a terrific location, especially in Autumn. I had everything including cable TV so I could watch football.

I moved it in May to Leavenworth, then back to Ephrata in the fall. It never went anywhere else. Which was fine with me. My location beats any RV park ever built as I was on private property way off the main road...and for a small rental fee way below any Leavenworth RV park fees. Many of my favorite autumn photos, a few of which have been shared here, were all taken just a few feet from my front door. It was a great place to live on weekends.

Yesterday, I sold the cabin. That was the last of my "things to do" that now allows me to leave Washington State to find a new life. It is sad in a way...I no longer have a house or a travel trailer to call home. In effect, I am homeless...living in hotels, tents, and occasionally, my van. But, its my choice and I don't regret it. Someday soon, I will find a new residence and a new place to call home. Only God knows right now where that will be. But I am bound and determined to have a great time along the way.

Saturday morning, the cabin gets towed off to its new home and I head down the road for good. When I can get a good Internet connection, you will know where I am. My first stop is scheduled to be the Painted Hills in Oregon. May spend a couple of days there as the weather looks good. After that...I don't know.

Farewell to the cabin and all its memories. In some ways, it was harder to part with it than my home. But, all things change and I will only look back in fondness.

Postcard from the Road - Goodbye Ephrata

After sixteen years in one place, in one house, I have left Ephrata behind me. I am alone now, on the road, looking for places I've never seen, photographing the beauty that lies out there, and recording my travels in my journal and on this blog. And that is the good news...you will be able to follow me on this journey whenever I find a Wi-Fi connection to send up my pictures.

For those of you that don't know, Susan and I have ended our marriage (very amicably) and gone our separate ways...she now lives in Pocatello, ID and I am on the road for a while. Eventually I will probably wind up in Tucson, AZ, to be nearer my son...and because I like the city very much. But, even that can change depending on what I find out out there on the highway. Nothing is set in concrete.

For the next few days, I am in Leavenworth finishing out the art show season. Then, I will head south, mainly because colder weather lies to the north and east. I have a few ideas of where I am going to start with, but after that it is wide open for change. If I like someplace, I may stay awhile to see more of it and capture it with my cameras. And, of course, blog about it on this site.

In many ways, this is a journey of discovery...a way for me to see things I've never seen before...to find out who I am as a person and as an artist...and to start this new brand new chapter of my life as a single man. A person changes when he or she is married and both parties become new people, each blending parts their former personalities into the marriage to accommodate the other in harmony...leaving other parts behind that may not fit.

Now, I am free from any restrictions (except my own morality), free to be a bit selfish, free to discover the new me, to bring back what was good about the previous me and to let it loose again. But, after so long, one forgets and sometimes it is difficult to remember.

In a way, what I am about to experience can rightly be called a “walkabout,” an Australian term meaning going on a journey that lasts until I meet myself. I look forward to it, but in some ways it is very scary. I leave the comfortable life of home and hearth behind, not knowing where I will be the next day. But, whatever happens, you will be along to share it with me...and the pictures alone will be worth it.

I hope we both enjoy the ride.

Picture of the Day - Fence Down to the Beach

I shot this image somewhere on the Oregon coast, but can't remember exactly where. These days, I am lucky to remember that it was Oregon. I like this image, mainly because of the shadow cast by the fence. But, the fence also leads your eye down to the beach.

The Oregon coast offers a wealth of photo opportunities as well as many places of shear beauty. I've done the whole coast a couple of times and, if you have never been there, you owe it to yourself to take a drive. I personally like the northern part of the trip, from Astoria down to Newport. The middle section is nice, but more difficult to get to as the highway goes inland. But the road come back to the ocean on the southern coast and there are some very beautiful sections there that are very different from the northern coast. It actually may offer more places for creative photography.

Picture of the Day - A Stellar Jay

I photographed this little fellow in Yosemite in the Spring of 2006. I wasn't real close, but I used my telephoto lens to capture him. These birds actually come pretty close to you, especially if you are eating or having a picnic.

They love to be fed and once you start feeding one, a few more will show up. I remember once many years ago in Yosemite, a girlfriend and I were having a picnic lunch which included potato chips. These guys loved chips. In a wild a crazy moment, I dipped a chip in a horseradish dip and gave it to one of the birds. He flew off happily with his new treasure.

A few minutes later, while we were talking about how the bird would handle horseradish, the little fellow flew back over me and dropped the chip right on me, just missing my head. I guess he didn't like it and he let me know. I never did that again.