Paddock Bowl Neon

Before I post yet another series of Monterey Bay sunset photos -- see the last two posts -- let's do something different. Above is a marvelous neon sign found near Concord, California in the East Bay area. I was driving home from Martinez in April 2010 and spotted this bowling alley next to Interstate 680. The ball "rolls" into the pins thanks to a cool lighting sequence. Love those colors! (click to enlarge)

Sunset at Rio Del Mar

Sunset views at Rio Del Mar, January 4, 2012 (click photos to enlarge)

One of the nice perks about working with HRmarketer is our office location: literally one block from the Pacific Ocean at Rio Del Mar, California (south of Santa Cruz). Even though I only drive to the office once or twice a week, it's pretty sweet to work near the beach! This comes in handy during the winter months when our sunsets are especially fiery. Last week I emerged from the office and was greeted by a magnificent sunset; thankfully I had a Nikon in the car. A large crowd was on hand aiming their iPhones and admiring the spectacle. Not a bad way to shoot the first sunset of 2012!

Come Sail Away

The Lady Washington sails into Moss Landing Harbor in November 2011. (click photos to enlarge)

2011 is hours away from ending as I write this post, so here are a few photos to finish off the year. Moss Landing Harbor hosted a classy lady in November when the sailing ship Lady Washington arrived for a weekend and took admirers on cruises around Monterey Bay. The tall ship has appeared in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and even the film Star Trek Generations, so I made time to catch a sunset arrival after an early evening cruise. Happy new year!

Tourists make for a fine photo as they watch birds and sea life in the harbor.

An otter munches on a crab snack while lazy sea lions could care less about the Lady Washington.

Chasing UP 844

UP No. 844 in all her glory, climbing Donner Pass in April 2009. (click pics to enlarge)

Union Pacific's goodwill ambassador, 4-8-4 no. 844, is barnstorming the southwest to celebrate the centennial anniversaries of Arizona and New Mexico. In a surprise move, UP extended the tour to include California, and as I write this, the big Northern is on display today in Fontana, Cal. Tomorrow she'll steam up Cajon Pass (following Route 66) and spend the night near Barstow; on Sunday, she'll continue on to Las Vegas and points east. The remaining schedule can be found HERE.

It was hard to resist a steam chase, especially when 844 is storming up Cajon on my birthday! So my family kindly let me loose for a road trip. To get in the mood, here are a few photos from the last time I followed 844, an April 2009 trip over Donner Pass.

Crowds are part of the modern steam experience. I'm expecting about a zillion people on Cajon Pass tomorrow.

Then again, people are what make these chases fun. Above, fans snap pictures of 844 departing Truckee in 2009.

Changing of the Guard

Twilight at East Oro Grande, Cal., in June 2010: the headlights of an eastbound BNSF train illuminate old Santa Fe signals and their replacements. (click to enlarge)

 Over the past several years I've made a habit of photographing the signals I grew up with as they're retired in favor of modern replacements that resemble silver erector sets. When I was a teenager, photographer Dave Busse pointed out that when he was on vacation he could easily identify any railroad he encountered based on the unique signals that guarded the line. That won't be the case for much longer. Just like the classic semaphores succumbed to progress, so too are veteran searchlights and cantilevers coming down in favor of high-tech but largely lookalike masts and towers. A few California lines still make use of these aging classics, but the population is dwindling. On my recent trip to the Salton Sea, we encountered a scene in transition along the old Santa Fe (now BNSF) mainlines at East Oro Grande, east of Victorville and beside Route 66. We spent much of the "blue hour" shooting BNSF and UP freights as they blasted by the doomed target signals. The shot above was part of a favorite sequence, and a nice farewell to the old guard.

Salvation Mountain

While preparing for our June visit to the Salton Sea (see last post), I learned about a desert attraction that we just had to visit: Salvation Mountain, a three-story tribute to God near the tiny railroad junction town of Niland. Salvation Mountain is the creation of 79-year old Leonard Knight, who came to this place in 1984 and has been expressing his intense love for God ever since.

The theme of "love" is apparent up and down the mountain, from biblical scripture and the Sinner's Prayer to neon-colored flowers, waterfalls, and the Sea of Galilee at its base. A winding "yellow brick road" leads visitors to the summit, where they can stand beside a towering white cross and gaze across the Imperial County desert. Leonard himself still keeps regular hours at his masterwork to welcome guests and spread the word of God's love, although decades of toiling in a harsh environment are taking their toll on his stamina. But his passion and kind heart are still as vibrant as the colors that adorn his mountain.

(click photos to see full-size)

With plans to shoot trains along the Salton Sea in the late afternoon and evening, we settled for a midday visit. While the light wasn't ideal, we spent three wonderful hours touring the mountain and talking with Leonard and his friends who assist him with maintaining the adobe clay tower and keeping colors fresh . . . no small task, considering that summer temperatures can pass 120 degrees! Salvation Mountain was featured in Sean Penn's 2007 film Into the Wild, where Leonard appeared in a cameo role.

Leonard now lives in nearby Niland, but he can typically be found at the mountain during the midday hours (depending on heat severity). When we arrived on a 100-degree June day, he was being interviewed by a video crew but he quickly returned to his favorite role: happily welcoming visitors and answering questions. In the pictures above and below, Leonard is chatting with visitors from Switzerland; the lower image catches his trademark "thumbs up."

If you're touring the Salton Sea, Salvation Mountain is a must-see; it's located three miles east of Niland near Slab City. For more info, visit http://www.salvationmountain.us/. Below are a few assorted images from our visit.

Leonard's paint cans stand ready for touch-up work.

The winding "yellow brick road" that leads travelers to the summit.

 Viewed from inside the "museum," bluebirds soar across a skylight.

Trucks and other rainbow-colored vehicles add to the site's quirky character.

A final view of the Salvation Mountain mailbox. Thanks to Leonard and Daniel for their caring spirits!

Railfanning the Accidental Sea

Dwarfed by the Santa Rosa Range, UP 8121 leads a train of eastbound autos into Bertram siding beside the Salton Sea on June 11. (click pics to enlarge)

In early June, Mike Roque and I made a long-planned Southern California road trip to visit the Salton Sea and Union Pacific's busy Sunset Route. We spent the first day photographing nearby San Timoteo Canyon and Beaumont Hill, then motored east on I-10 and old U.S. 99 to Indio. For the next two days we followed trains through this stark and alien land in the Imperial Valley, with brief stops at some of the quirky towns that surround this accidental lake.

Created over a hundred years ago when Colorado River levees burst, the Salton Sea is California's largest lake. It covers more than 375 square miles and is 25 percent saltier than the Pacific Ocean. Overeager developers, hoping to duplicate the success of nearby Palm Springs, billed the Salton Sea in the 1950s and 60s as a winter playground for fishing and speedboat fans, but the breathless marketing never quite took hold: a changing shoreline, hurricane-driven floods, algal blooms and massive fish die-offs dashed those dreams. Fisherman and boating fans still flock to the saline lake, but Salton City, Bombay Beach, and other shoreline towns are shadows of their old selves.

 A westbound passes the state park entrance sign at Mortmar.

Surprisingly, the Salton Sea has emerged as one of the country's most important migratory bird habitats. Millions of birds representing more than 400 species can be spotted here, thanks to nearby fields, a prolific fish population, and the sad fact that there are few remaining wetlands in Southern California. Efforts are underway to restore this dying sea, but its future is by no means secure.

On the other hand, the future of the old Southern Pacific "Sunset Route" is brighter than ever; a key reason for our trip was to document the single track mainline and vintage searchlight signals before UP double-tracks the route. Happily, we pulled off the trip before the extreme summer heat kicked in -- 103 degrees is much easier to handle than 116!

One of my favorites from a great June 10 evening -- a nearly full moon casts the shadow of a searchlight signal at Bertram siding. In the distance lies the Salton Sea and the lights of Salton City.

Light and shadows dance over the Santa Rosa Mountains moments after sunset.

Southern Pacific lives . . . DPU no. 7442 pushes an eastbound doublestack train over the iconic SP bridge near Ferrum.

In rapidly fading light, two UP trains meet beside the sea at Bertram.

For more photos, visit my Facebook album by clicking HERE (you don't need to be a FB member). To learn more about the Salton Sea, visit www.saltonseamuseum.org or www.saltonsea.org. Watch for upcoming posts about our visit to Salvation Mountain and the restored North Shore Yacht Club.

Castroville Nights

Castroville street sign, 1/100 sec., f2.8, ISO 400

In late March I finally traded in my reliable-but-aging Nikon D70 body (six years' age is like dog years when it comes to digital!) and replaced it with a shiny new D7000. The difference was rather extreme. I'm still getting familiar with the D7K's dizzying array of features, but it's sure fun to handle. Best of all are the incredible low-light capabilities that allow handheld night shooting. Here are a few pictures from sleepy Castroville, California on a chilly March 25 evening, the first images shot by the new camera. ISO speeds range from 400 to 1250. It was amazing to wander Merritt Street, the town's main drag, and shoot at will with a 70-200mm lens and no tripod. (click thumbnails to enlarge)

Mariscos El Nayarita restaurant -- Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, Castroville style. 

1/80 sec, f3.2, ISO 1250

Street scene, 1/25 sec., f4.5, ISO 1250

Trolley Car Rotisserie, 1/20 sec, f2.8, ISO 640

Palenque Club, 1/50 sec., f2.8, ISO 400

Can't wait to give the D7K a serious shakedown cruise! A Salton Sea road trip is coming soon . . .

EL Print Show in Salinas April 1

If you live near Monterey County, you're invited to a local artists' reception in Salinas on Friday, April 1 from 4 to 7 p.m. I'll have a selection of 12 prints on display and available for purchase. Subjects include Route 66, railroads, roadside America, and regional landscapes. Above and below are two of the featured images: "Moss Landing Sunset, 2011" and "Close Encounters, Alray Tunnel, 2008" (click images to view full-size)

I will also have my two last copies of Route 66 Railway available for signing and sale. Food and drinks will be served.

The reception will take place at Russ Wilcox's cool new State Farm Insurance office at Creekbridge Village (in the Safeway Center) at 1532 Constitution Blvd. in Salinas; many thanks to Russ and Alice for hosting the event. For more information, call 831-443-1001 or e-mail me. Hope to see you there!

Central Coast Sunset

Sunset from Highway 1, January 28, 2011 (click photos to enlarge)

So far, 2011 has delivered an amazing winter. While much of the country is buried in snowdrifts, we're experiencing weeks of sunshine with temps frequently in the 60s and 70s (at this point I should duck to avoid the incoming fleet of snowballs). Since early January I've been driving to Kat's school near Watsonville to pick her up from drama rehearsals, and the timing for pictures couldn't be better: three times a week I pass through Moss Landing and neighboring Elkhorn Slough around sunset.

On one recent drive, the sky lit up with a dazzling show of color; the view was so hypnotic that I nearly drove into the slough! Coming to my senses, I pulled over to snap a few pictures (above). Glancing south toward Moss Landing, I spotted an exquisite scene in the gathering darkness (below). Layers of fog rose from the ground while a ribbon of cloud seemed to brush the smokestacks of the power plant.

Hmm, this winter thing isn't so bad in Monterey County . . .

 

Memories and Magic at Manzanar

In early October, the Lawrences piled into the Escape and took our first driving vacation down U.S. Highway 395. Amazingly, this California native had largely ignored U.S. 395 during the past four decades (many jaws have dropped when hearing this little factoid!). We started at Carson City, Nev., and ended in Hesperia, Calif, where the highway joins with Interstate 15. After driving the route from top to bottom in California, I stand at the roadside altar begging forgiveness. Highway 395 is a marvelous trip filled with staggering scenery and quirky towns, evoking many of the same thrills as Route 66. As time allows, I'll post mementos from our favorite stops: Bridgeport, Bodie, Bishop, Lone Pine and others.

Really, it's a no-brainer to choose the best day of the trip, the moment where U.S. 395 captured our hearts. North of Lone Pine, a deserted camp in the Owens Valley recalls one of the darkest times in America's history: Manzanar, a war relocation center where over 10,000 Japanese-Americans on the West Coast were interned during World War 2. Now a National Historic Site, Manzanar sports a visitors' center fashioned out of the old auditorium, along with replicas of the living quarters and a stirring memorial at the cemetery grounds, framed by the Sierra Nevada range (top photo -- click all photos to enlarge).

A rebuilt guard tower stands along the camp's eastern border, facing U.S. 395.

A stop at the visitors' center is highly recommended, but be ready to encounter a United States consumed by fear and racism. Be ready to face the raw emotions of a time when the Land of the Free singled out nearly 120,000 people, stripped them of their civil rights, and herded them into remote camps. Two thirds of all interned Japanese Americans were U.S. citizens by birth. But after Pearl Harbor none of that mattered. Political spin was as insidious in 1942 as it is today: survivors recall being told that the relocation was for their own "safety" . . . then upon arrival, they saw guard towers manned by military police with submachine guns, pointed inside the camp.

If the visitors' center doesn't move you, take the driving tour around the remains of the camp. Stop at the memorial and walk in silence as shadows spill across the Sierras. If you're lucky you'll encounter living history, as we did that October afternoon.

Grace Nakamura, Manzanar survivor

In a stroke of serendipity, we stumbled upon two replicas of the barracks buildings, reconstructed in 2010 to represent the living quarters of Manzanar internees. While exploring the barracks, we noticed a park ranger touring an elder Japanese couple. To our delight, ranger Carrie Andresen seized the moment and introduced us to her VIP guests: Grace and Yosh Nakamura, both survivors of internment camps.

Grace had lived in Manzanar, arriving as a teenager in May 1942. She told us how the family scrambled to take care of their belongings when the government ordered all Japanese Americans to evacuate the West Coast. A week later, they boarded a Southern Pacific train in Los Angeles with hundreds of evacuees; shades were drawn on the windows and no food or drinks were served. Her lasting image from that day was of a young family, the mother juggling two toddlers and baby twins -- all four crying -- and the father carrying two oversized suitcases with blankets and diapers strapped to his back.

Yosh and Grace pause at the entrance to a barracks replica.

Gesturing around the barracks, Grace explained the flimsy design of the original living quarters. Wind and dust were a constant presence, slipping through the tar paper and floorboards. Before linoleum and benches were installed, schoolkids sat on the floors and strained to see their fellow classmates through the dust. Grace's seven-member family included her younger brother, 12-year old Larry Shinoda, who became a camp sensation when he designed reclining back chairs for their mother and grandmother. Larry grew up to be a world-famous auto designer, best known for the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. 

Grace also witnessed the infamous "Manzanar Riot" of December 1942, when internees learned that government employees were stealing their food. They formed a huge protest and tensions quickly escalated. Grace, a spectator, watched in horror as the military police opened fire on the defenseless crowd, killing one of her classmates. Two were killed that day and 10 were wounded.

While walking back to the auditorium/visitors' center, ranger Carrie Andresen and Grace pause while Yosh lines up a picture.

Grace, Larry, and the family finally left Manzanar in 1944, heading to Colorado where they joined relatives who had escaped the camps by leaving California. She eventually returned to her home state when she received a scholarship to the University of Redlands. Grace was the first Japanese American college student to return to California. After graduating with honors, she began teaching in the Pasadena School District and was the first Japanese American hired after the war. Two Masters' degrees later, she continued her teaching and fine arts career and welcomed three children with husband Yosh, a college art professor. As Grace writes in her "ID card" biography on NPS' Manzanar Web site, "I remain a teacher, learner, and helper to others."

A stubborn rut in the pathway spurs Grace to action, rising to help push her own wheelchair, despite Ranger Carrie Andresen's best efforts. Carrie: "Are you sure you don't have a little German in you, Grace? Because you're as stubborn as me."

For me, these two images capture the spirit of Manzanar and that amazing day. Above, the shadow of the cemetery memorial pierces the earth, symbolizing the wound that a nation inflicted upon its own people. Yet the monument rises into the sky, a spirit of forgiveness triumphing over hatred and fear. Below, Yosh guides Grace past the barracks, a study in love and optimism that endures nearly seven decades after Grace's first visit to the Owens Valley. Their visit was drawing to a close as the western sun eased behind the Sierra Nevadas, but the legacy they shared will last in our hearts forever.

For more information about the Manzanar Historic Site, visit http://www.nps.gov/manz/. To read Grace's "ID card" biography, visit http://www.nps.gov/manz/forteachers/upload/Shinoda%20G.pdf.

Moss Landing: Monterey County's Best-Kept Secret (Updated)

Moss Landing Harbor at sunset in January 2011. The distant "star of lights" marks Phil's Fish Market; behind that, the Pacific Ocean. (click to enlarge photos)

[UPDATED JANUARY 18, 2011] Halfway between Monterey and Santa Cruz is a little piece of California that time forgot: the quiet harbor of Moss Landing. Monterey Bay's best-kept secret is still largely undiscovered by tourists and longtime Californians -- people are typically outnumbered by sea lions and fishing boats -- but the word is getting out. A big contributor to that buzz is Phil's Fish Market, which had a starring role on the Food Network a few years ago and quickly landed on the "must-dine" list for Central Coast vacationers.

Colorful boats rest in the quaint harbor, set against the towering stacks of the Moss Landing power plant.

Phil's restaurant is only part of Moss Landing's charm. An amazing variety of birds and marine life call the harbor home; Elkhorn Slough also meets the Pacific Ocean here, so kayakers and pontoon boats are a common sight along the pristine old river and surrounding wetlands. Highway 1, antique stores, and a landmark power plant add to the photographic possibilities.

One of Moss Landing's resident pelicans relaxes in the shadow of the Highway 1 bridge.

 Seen from Highway 1, birds perch near the harbor entrance at sunset in January 2011.

Moss Landing has always been a favorite place to take the cameras, and with our move to Oak Hills we're only 15 minutes from the harbor! Gloomy Central Coast summers put a damper on picture-making, but the spring and fall months offer plenty of sun. Gotta run -- Phil's is calling. Mmm, calamari . . .

An otter munches on a crab snack (Spongebob fans would call it a real crabby patty)

Harbor glint, October 2009.

Near sunset, a research vessel departs Moss Landing for the waters of the Pacific.

For more information on Moss Landing,visit the Chamber of Commerce: http://www.mosslandingchamber.com/index.html