I've got couple of shoots planned in the LA area (for me, anything south of Bakersfield is LA) The last location happens to be in Camarillo and if I finish early, are there any LF "targets" on my way between Camarillo and Fresno (sadly, this leaves out the Channel Islands, which are certainly on my list) which I should consider exploring? And is there anything left from the St Joseph Dam tragedy?
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Oh heck yeah, John ... I can think of a lot of reasons to avoid Bakersfield & LA (and Fresno too!). It's obviously starting to get hot. But those backroads that meander the coast range over toward Santa Maria, Paso Robles toward Parkfield, then back over to Coalinga ... getting dusty and dry, but heck, you're used to
the heat (dust might be a different issue). Or the opposite direction toward Kern Riv Canyon then back down the Kaweah River. .. old flumes and
powerhouses... lots of nice potholes in the River... back up thru the vineyards, maybe a loop in Sequoia... Or just do Hwy 1 and cut across at Pacheco Pass back
to Oven-land. There is also a cutoff at Lucia into the Hunter-Ligget military reservation plus a lovely Mission (beautiful old bldgs), then over to King City on 101 (near Pinnacles).
... or if you want something a little more apocalytic, Hwy 33 to the west of Bakerfield, with forests of oil rigs. Right over the Elkhorn Ridge from there is Soda Lk and
the Carrizo Plain. The lakebed will be drying up and the fabled wildflowers low this dry year, but still a stunning quiet place, even as things are getting dry. Of course, everywhere near the "Armpit of the West" the air is thick enough to cut with a chainsaw - but even that can be photographically interesting.
I got mixed up---it was the St. Francis Dam tragedy of 1928 I was thinking of.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Yeah there is the Painted Cave at Ft. Hunter Liggett---I actually have permission to shoot there but the post archeologist in charge told me I need a 4WD to get to it---and I'd hate to drive momma's 'burban all over Southern California and burn all that expensive fuel just for a 40 minute drive in the dirt (since the route crosses a live range, I can't make like the infantry, eitherOriginally Posted by Drew Wiley
not that I'd want to)
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Hmmm .... wasn't there some talk about an impending Millerton Dam collapse?
That was Shaver they drained and put up a membrane.
My Uncle Albert was one of the dam builders at Friant.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
King City? Hmmmmm.....I could start a portfolio of really bad Mexican taco joints!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Did you catch that PBS episode by the late Huell Hauser on the Big Creek project? Had some pretty good reminisces and home movies of the early days of Florence Lk, plus view of the new big underground Chawanakee Powerhouse between Big Creek and the river. Now that would make an interesting LF project. My dad took
the leftover 1-1/2 dia rebar from Millerton to make the house foundation, and used the same concrete mix (he was the concrete inspector) - man was that hell to
make any alterations on! ... but I'm rambling ... trying to decide whether or not to do my traditional Mem Day overnite on the summit of Kaiser Pk. Did it in my 50's, but not yet in my 60's... so might be a nice opportunity if a lightning storm doesn't move in (which it seems to about 75% of Mem Day weekends!). But at least the chute below the face won't be much of an avalanche hazard this year.
Not sure if it's the mission Drew is referring to, but La Purisima near Lompoc, just south of Santa Maria, is very camera friendly.
Lots of the rooms set up "as they were" back in the day and the docents/vol we ran into were very cool. One of the better missions to photograph in my opinion
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