Mare Island visit

[John Kasaian]

Since Pt Lobos was closed, my son an I visited Mare Island next to Vallejo, CA.
Quite a bit has changed since the last time I was there. A lot of new tenants and it looked like a new boat was under construction in one of the granite dry docks! The new museum is well worth a visit but you can no longer drive to the cemetery as the road has been blocked off by the Nature Preserve, however the cemetery is a very short walk past the closure. Four of the Russian sailors killed while assisting during the Earth Quake received new head stones decorated with what look like St. Andrews Cross flags---perhaps these are Russian Navy Jacks? I'm not up on my flags

The causeway was blocked to Eastbound traffic so we left over the bridge and had a nice lunch at the Sardine Can at the marina, next to the Coast Guard station. All in all a rewarding day

[William Whitaker]

I miss the Sardine Can. They used to have a good cioppino. It's been a long time since I was there.

[nbagno]

I was just there golfing a few weeks ago. Haven't set foot there since around 1980 when I was assigned there for a few weeks while in the Navy.

[karl french]

Point Lobos was closed?

[John Kasaian]

Point Lobos was closed?

The storm. It was supposed to re-open today.

[Drew Wiley]

I had one calm warm afternoon out there two weeks ago, and got around the preserve area, which also contains the cemetery. As far as the old shipyard is concerned, a lot of it is closed off by high chain-link fences due to hazmat issues; so I've taken to a strategy of "seeing over" fences by simply backing way off
and using very long lenses. But actually, I've spent more time this winter printing Mare Island negs (among other places) than actually going out there. Got some nice ones. Hopefully the City of Vallejo won't get talked into building a giant casino out there and totally ruining the ambiance as well personal safety of the place. It's one area you can still walk around without worry, at least compared to parts of Vallejo itself, which has been a wretchedly mismanaged city - exactly the type of city that tries to saves it woes by resorting to a superficial quick-fix like gambling, which always becomes an economic drain in the long run. But the Navy, Army, as well as State of Calif still has formal control of most of the Island, since these are the interests which have borne the burden of the cleanup.
Seems like qauint ruins now, even though I once knew many people who worked there; and our company here sold many millions of dollars of supplies there
each year. Now it's rich in photographic opportunities. Pt Molate should come next - its cleanup is progressing well.

[Geary Lyons]

My SF Bay Area LF meet-up group shot on the Island two weeks ago. Yes, much is now fenced off or rudely "off limits" (Tuoro University, the old hospital). But the Island still offers a rich palette of potential images, especially if you like industrial decay. I miss the early days when you could pretty much roam where you wanted.

Cheers,
Geary

[Drew Wiley]

Nothing is "rudely" off limits. There are sections which are downright hazardous due to chromium, lead, PCB's, or even radioactive contaminants which still need to be kept in isolation. Some are budgeted for state cleanup, others for Navy hazmat funding, still others by the army. Some buildings might need to be perpetually closed. All this can takes decades and hundreds of millions of dollars. The worst threat to the Island is the city of Vallejo's plans to build a casino on it. Fortunately,
the other players there have pushed back on that idea. What I've personally done to get certain shots of fenced-off buildings is to either back off or get up a hill
a little and use very long lenses, namely either a 450C on my 4x5 or a 300EDIF on my P67. And while certain old Victorian residences are slowly being restored
with due hazmat concerns, and might eventually open to the public, quite a bit has already been done to open up more trails on the end of the island past the
cemetery and atop the hill itself. It's a good effort despite the fact the city of Vallejo has been a mismanaged mess in recent years and can't be expected to
contribute anything serious financially. I looked at the little railroad station for sale and thought to myself, what a nice gallery that would make.... But then,
being in the business I am, also instantly recognized it would take ten to twenty million private dollars just to do the hazmat on that single little building and
its parking lot. Anything railroad-owned and even the soil itself has to be replaced. Full of nasties. Plus layer after layer of peeling lead-based paint all over the
walls. You need big public budgets for that kind of heavy lifting. A bit of away, Pt Molate is further ahead in its restoration, and those buildings are on schedule
to reopen to the public in only two or three more years. The fact the military is funding it, and has it well fenced and patrolled, means that the tagger graffiti
idiots haven't gotten in there to ruin it all. I remember selling five dollar a square foot Cassegranian quarter-sawn walnut "wallpaper" for the little admiral's
quarters there, maybe thirty years ago. The Navy could waste money like crazy. But all those little row houses have been kept as is, complete with vintage
appliances and furniture, just like a movie set. Once in awhile they'll arrange tours to organized and supervised photo groups, but those are clumsy scenarios for
more methodical view camera users, so I pass them up, and will just wait till the buildings are formally open to the public.

[Drew Wiley]

(Sorry if I repeated some things from a previous post)

[Geary Lyons]

Nothing is "rudely" off limits....

Really? Perhaps the security guards at Touro University didn't get the memo?

Cheers,
Geary