Landscape/architecture between Camarillo and Fre-Fres-Fresno!

[John Kasaian]

I've got couple of shoots planned in the LA area (for me, anything south of Bakersfield is LA:rolleyes:) 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?

[Drew Wiley]

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).

[Drew Wiley]

... 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.

[John Kasaian]

I got mixed up:o---it was the St. Francis Dam tragedy of 1928 I was thinking of.

[John Kasaian]

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).
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, either :( not that I'd want to)

[Drew Wiley]

Hmmm .... wasn't there some talk about an impending Millerton Dam collapse?

[John Kasaian]

That was Shaver they drained and put up a membrane.
My Uncle Albert was one of the dam builders at Friant.

[John Kasaian]

King City? Hmmmmm.....I could start a portfolio of really bad Mexican taco joints! :rolleyes:

[Drew Wiley]

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.

[matthew blais]

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

[John Kasaian]

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

I've been to La Purisma--that's a State Park, IIRC---nicely done too, but that could easily take a full day on it's own. I'm looking for something to explore on my way home.
I'll hit Ft. Tejon on the way south. I did find one interesting monument to two motorcycle cops who warned communities of the flood coming from the St Francis Dam collapse that looks interesting.

[Leszek Vogt]

John, it's a total shame, Tacos Acapulco (closed down) and they were the best on the central coast. There is a great place in S. Barbara (off Milpitas), but it's no match :>).

You should be able o get a good one or two at Far Western Tavern (rest in Guadalupe)....I'd go for a rib-eye....and I hardly eat much meat. If you can get out to S. Antonio Mission at 'Liggett, particularly in the morning...you would come back with some nice b&w and color shots. The one in San Miguel is not bad either, but it's too close to 101 and you'll likely have to elbow tourists. Templeton used to be a tiny-sleepy town that had some character, but there too....it's lots of LA type folk.

The hotel at Los Alamos (20 miles So. of Santa Maria) may let you take some shots their rooms....looking very much late 1800's and early 1900. Their White shuttle car (might be steam powered) certainly adds to nostalgia. No doubt the model at Leno's garage is much more spiffy, but...

Anyhoo, if you can't find it...there is always Montana De Oro.

Les

[John Kasaian]

I've heard that San Antonio de Padua was in danger of being closed down--- at least that's what a friend of mine, who is shooting an intensive portfolio on the California missions told me (in fact he's headed over there this month) but we hear a lot of stories about Mission San Antonio de Padua such as being looted after that last earthquake, and oversight from the Diocese of Monterey passing to the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. It is such a delightful place though---cut off from the rest of the world by Ft Hunter Liggett. Darn it I may just have to tank up the Suburban and get a pass from the base archeologist and visit that cave!

[Drew Wiley]

The most spectacular Chumash cave you can generally get to with an ordinary passenger car, that is, within a mile hike, but it's officially off-limits between Mar
and July due to raptor nesting, and does have some pretty severe 19th C vandalism. ... still remarkable. But it's on the Carrizo. There should be a way to get the S.A.Padua mission maintained by the state and some docent organization (that is, if the taco stands in King City haven't killed off all the locals). It's worked for the other missions, despite state budget cuts, which have now rounded a corner anyway.

[tgtaylor]

La Purisima is very camera friendly and the cactus photogenic. I shot a roll of 120 with a 6x4.5 camera trying to imitate Brett Weston's black cactus images.

Thomas

[tgtaylor]

I've heard that San Antonio de Padua was in danger of being closed down--- at least that's what a friend of mine, who is shooting an intensive portfolio on the California missions told me (in fact he's headed over there this month) but we hear a lot of stories about Mission San Antonio de Padua such as being looted after that last earthquake, and oversight from the Diocese of Monterey passing to the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. It is such a delightful place though---cut off from the rest of the world by Ft Hunter Liggett. Darn it I may just have to tank up the Suburban and get a pass from the base archeologist and visit that cave!

It's been a while since I was last there, but I highly doubt that it has been vandalized or in danger of being closed down. Federal police man an entrance station on the road and make you show ID to proceed (there's an active military base just before the mission) and the mission is an active catholic church.

Thomas