TRAVELS with  the SOUTHWEST DUDE
  • Welcome to the West
  • Blog and Trip Reviews
  • Travel Archives
  • Contact Me
  • Music & Literature
  • Defense of the West

Blog and Trip Reviews

My Beloved California

12/5/2019

2 Comments

 
Picture
For several months my two pals, Steve and Marty, had planned on meeting in Big Sur in November at good old  Plaskett Creek Campground. I surrounded that trip with short stays in Morro Bay and Allensworth State Park (my new favorite) for a pure California trip. Sadly, Marty got sick and couldn't make it.  I hope he's reading this so he'll realize how much he was missed. I know he was bummed about not going so we'll just need to schedule another trip soon.  


I share lots of photos of Morro Bay on this website so I will only share a few more. I am on a "health kick" these days ('bout time, don't ya think?) and I did go on a ten mile walk one day while I was here - from the State Park to the Rock and then all around town.  This time of year things are quiet in this sleepy beach town - reminds me of California past...
Picture
The next photos are from the hike near the State Park and into the estuary. Posting the photo of the Turkey Vulture online got a lot of responses. It reminded me when I went to a "talk" on them at the Grand Canyon two summers ago the Park Ranger put a photo up on the large projector screen and a kid yelled, "Oh, GROSS!" Cracked us all up and you may see what he means...
Picture
Picture
Here are a few more photos from magnificent Morro Bay. 
After two nice days I drove the short distance to Plaskett Creek Campground which is south of Big Sur and north of Ragged Point on the California coast. Nearby is Sand Dollar Beach. It is one of the few remaining places that has ZERO cell reception which at first is strange and then worrisome and finally - so relaxing. I think we all need an electronics break and it's hard to take one so I suggest camping at Plaskett Creek as soon as possible!  The first photo is a view of the sun and the marine layer from a stop along the Coast Highway. It reminded me of my days, long ago, driving across the Rim of the World Highway near Lake Arrowhead...the good old days. 
Picture
Here are some photos of and from Sand Dollar Beach. 
Picture
A few more photos of the area near Plaskett Creek. 
Picture
My dear friend Steve arrived for the weekend.  Recently he and I lost someone who we both loved very much. We spent time together connecting in the way that only people who have shared a mutual loss can. We walked and talked and remembered.  It was a poignant and meaningful time together.

Luckily Steve brought his guitar and so we serenaded our nearby neighbors with songs of Slaid Cleaves and Jason Isbell. We also loudly proclaimed our thoughts on the band, Queen. One of us is a fan and one of us is not (me).  

​I didn't focus much on photography. That will be for another time. I'm grateful that Steve and I had that time together. 

Here are a few black and white photos from the area. 
Picture
You may recall that last spring I visited a State Historic Park in Central California in which I fell in love. On this trip I returned and my love affair deepened. I do have a request though -this place is off the beaten track and I'm worried that I talked too much about it online. So, let's keep this a secret just for us? 

When I arrived at Allensworth I was only the second camper. The Ranger came by and wanted to talk about my Casita - while we did that she shared more about how I might be able to support the Park. When I came home I joined the "Friends of Allensworth" and made a small donation. I don't necessarily believe in reincarnation but I certainly feel at home here in some strange and reminiscent way. 

Each day out there was glorious and I did get out to the local Wildlife Refuges as well. 

Picture
Here are some photos of the buildings at Allensworth which have been faithfully restored. 
Picture
Trains roll by on the regular. I love the sound of horns and the hum of the clickety clack as the freight trains roll slowly by. It lulls me into a calm  and contemplative state like nothing else. I breathe easier. 

On one particularly fine day I got up early and walked 6 miles all around the Park - made a lunch to go, jumped in the truck and drove to the Kern Wildlife Refuge.  After meeting with the Ranger I took a few photos and then headed to Pixley Wildlife Refuge which is close to Allensworth for sunset. It was one of the very best days.  I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them...
Picture
Picture
Many of my favorite photos of the last few years are of telephone poles and solitary  roads. This place was heavenly in that regard. 
Picture
I will leave you with a few photos of my last sunset in my Central Valley paradise. Thanks for coming along on my western journeys. I love to travel alone knowing I get to share with you on my return. 
Picture
Picture
2 Comments

On the Road Again...

9/19/2019

10 Comments

 
Picture
My health improved enough for me to get my backside back on the road at the end of August. Yee haw! The physical therapist, diet and daily exercises have really helped. Of course at my age the Dr. keeps finding things he wants to test and it looks like that'll continue for awhile but in the meantime... let's take a quick jaunt to a couple of my my favorite central coast haunts. 

First, without pain, I took my little trailer up to Gaviota State Beach where my camping pal, the inimitable, entertaining and hilarious  Marty, met me. I wasn't quite as mobile as I will be but I did take a few photos of the pier and Gaviota Creek. 
Picture
After Marty left I drove up to Morro Bay State Park.  That drive is spectacular and has been a favorite of mine since childhood. Highway 101 from Santa Barbara along the coast and then, when it turns inland into the California Oak savannah country, inspires me for a number of reasons. It's beautiful, of course, but it always feels like I'm finally leaving Southern California  behind and moving on to a new and wonderful place.

And I am...

The weather at Morro Bay was alternatively sunny and foggy.  I did a few touristy things this trip. I took the "Sub View" tour which is a lot like the old glass bottomed boat in Catalina.  You only go out a little way into the harbor and they chum for smelt. It was simple but still fun.  The next day I decided to go on the whale watching tour and, for only the second time in my life, I got sea sick. There was a large swell and it got to me. Sigh. That wasn't expected or welcomed. I was miserable and since I wasn't feeling great I only took a few photos.  

​The whales though...magnificent. 

Here are some photos of my first day on the water. 
That afternoon I drove over to one of the last remaining old fashioned California beach towns, Cayucos, and make a few photos.  As I was parking I noticed many pelicans on the water.  Some old guy, seeing my camera, ran up to me and shouted, "Get some pictures of the storks!". Cracked me up. I did take his advice.  
Picture
Here are a few photos from the rest of the trip. 
Picture
The black and white images. 
Picture
Thanks for coming along on this short trip. Tomorrow I leave for Corvallis, OR as I take my daughter's things to her dorm room. It's bittersweet. I'm so proud of her but I'll miss her like crazy. 

My hunch is I'll take some photos of the countryside.

​We'll talk soon!  
10 Comments

Ten Favorite Photos 2018

12/20/2018

17 Comments

 
Picture
I've been fortunate in the last few years to meet some really fine photographers like Lori Carey, Joe Smith, Tracy Schultze and Rachel Cohen (among others). Something that most of these photographers participate in is a year end list of their "favorite (or best) photos".  We submit them to a well known and well regarded Bay Area photographer, Jim Goldstein, for his annual "Blog Project- Your Best Photos"annually.  So this is my list. 

I had the good fortune to maintain my regular routine of monthly travel (except October  because of the Dodgers - dem bums).   I started off the year with two trips to Red Rock Canyon in the Mojave, visited Dodger Spring Training and Homolovi State Park in Arizona, took two trips to the Central Coast, went to Utah and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, went to each California League stadium, Petco Park, San Francisco (AT&T Park) and environs with Lupe,  and took a fabulous Four Corners trip, which included Mesa Verde, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Hovenweep National Monument and a quick jaunt to Joshua Tree to see my buddy, PJ Finn. Whew! Who said retirement was boring?!  I made about 8000 images this year and 7,990 were pretty bad. Well, not really, but these photos represent my personal favorites. 

The first photo (above) was taken in the fading light of a September afternoon at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park from the south rim near Chasm View.  To me, it seems to capture the "up close but oh so deep and mysterious" look of this magnificent canyon. 

The next two favorites are also canyon photos and both from Imperial Point on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon at opposite ends of the day.  The first was taken while walking around with my amiga, Liz Kylin, in the late afternoon and a few days later I got up early to catch the sun as it just started to hit the point. You'll get a sense of how fascinating the light of the canyon can be from these two very different photos near the same vantage point (taken with the same camera). 
Picture
Picture
Let's move from canyon country to the coast. My number 4 favorite is a photo of Morro Rock - a place I return to year after year (since the 1980's).  I finally took a photo I liked of it. 
Picture
Next is a Mojave Desert photo taken after a steady 24 hour rain and the clouds were still lingering and creeping over the ridges into the valley below.   
Picture
The next photo is a long exposure of the pier, at sundown, in my beloved Gaviota State Beach. I'm not a fan of the ugly yellow boat hoist at the end of the pier - but, hey, that's Gaviota. 
Picture
My amigo Joe Smith has really encouraged me to use more black and white and the last 4 are in that medium.  The first is of Pacific Coast Highway north of Malibu on a late summer afternoon.  
Picture
The next photo is of Round Tower in Hovenweep National Monument.  This structure was probably built between 1150 AD and 1350 AD by Ancient Puebloans. 
Picture
This photo of iconic Spider Rock at sunset is probably my favorite of the year. Yes, I know its been photographed thousands and thousands of times but I like the simplicity and shadow of this black and white. 
Picture
Lastly, you wouldn't really expect the old Southwest Dude not to have a railroad track photo, right? Right. My last is from a favorite spot near Cantil, CA. 
Picture
Since it is the end of the year I want to express my gratitude to each of you who follow my blog and vicariously travel the roads of the West with me.  I hope you get some sense of how much I enjoy sharing my "traveling life" with you and I hope you know how great it is to have you along. 

​I'd like to also give a shout out to my pals and fellow inspirational photographers, PJ Finn, Craig Pindell, Scott Hays, Don Wendell, author extraordinaire, Chris LaTray and fellow travelin' fool, Scott Jones. I'm fortunate to have you dudes in my life (even if most of it is online). 

​Lastly, I also want to acknowledge the greatest blessings of my life which are my three children, my two daughters in law and my sensational wife.  I don't know how they put up with me - but they do and I'm so damn lucky. 

My best to all - let's have a brilliant 2019.  
17 Comments

Another California Coast Idyll

6/1/2018

11 Comments

 
Picture
Morro Rock

First Stop: Point Mugu

It's time for the beach. Each year, at least once, I head north up the coast.  Last year I foolishly went in June and was socked in with the marine layer for almost 10 days.  This year I had none of the "May Gray" and it was sunny and warm and, well, damn near perfect.

The trip started out at good old Point Mugu and Thornhill Broome Beach which lies between Malibu and Oxnard.  As a young man I lived in Ventura and attended UCSB but would work for my Dad in his typesetting shop in Los Alamitos on the weekends.  I didn't enjoy taking the 101 to the 405 so I took the longer, more leisurely and exceptionally scenic route through to Malibu.  That route went directly by Point Mugu.  I'd look down at the people camping literally on the sand and think, "Man, that's the life - one day when I don't have to work 7 days a week I'm gonna camp there." I made good on that promise to myself. I counted and I may have missed a trip or two but I believe this was my tenth trip.  

Even if you haven't been you to Point Mugu you've seen it.  It's featured on about half the car commercials these days. I adore the area.  On my first night my Brazilian musician and poet friend Mauro came to visit and we made a fire and and barbecued tri-tip.  We chatted and listened to music well into the night...

The last photo is kind of random but across from my campsite was a padlock in the fence separating the highway from the campground. I was fascinated by it - how long had it been there?  Why had someone locked it and left it? It's a dang oddity.  Love those...
Picture
Mugu Rock and the mighty Pacific
One of my photography influences is Dennis Stock.  Back in the '60's he took what I consider to be the best shot perhaps ever made of the Southern California beach scene near San Diego. There are a few spots on PCH I consider quintessential California but, alas, they're changing as development and other changes impact the landscape and the road.  Nevertheless, I did go looking for a few spots to make photos and was nearly hit by a small and swerving grocery truck.  You have to sacrifice for art, right? I like these photos anyway. 
Picture
Picture
The following photos are just up the road a bit from the campground and I've spent many an hour in that very spot.  I always say, "It feels a million miles away from LA". 
Picture
Picture

Second Stop: Gaviota State Beach

After 4 days at Point Mugu I drove North to my old standby Gaviota.  While there I went looking for some railroad photos and visited the first place I ever taught - De Anza Junior High School in Ventura as a long term substitute in Autumn of 1981. I also went to visit an old house - the house we were living in when my wonderful son, Jordan was born in April 1983. I enjoyed it.  I often wish I could transport myself back to that time - knowing what I know now - I'd do many things differently.  Regrets? I have a few...

The hills around Gaviota were lush and covered in mustard. 
Picture
Picture
The coast in Santa Barbara county is much different than the coast I grew up with in Southern California.  Shale dominates here.  
A train trestle runs across Gaviota and invites you to explore. So I followed the tracks north...
Here are some additional photos of my time at Gaviota.  I'll be back in August.  I can't seem to get enough of the place.  

Final Stop: Morro Bay 

Picture
I scheduled a Morro Bay State Park trip for last Fall but it was canceled by them after a freak storm brought down several trees in the campground. I love Morro Bay - have ever since I was about 12 and my grandmother brought me here to meet her old bachelor cousin who had lived here for 30 some odd years.  He was a poor, salty old  fisherman who lived in a small apartment about a block from the bay.  I never forgot him.  A bad ass, independent, crotchety, profane "pescadero viejo". My kind of guy. 

Normally, when I've visited the last several years it has only been for a few days and I haven't really explored the nearby wetlands or Elfin Forest which are close to the south end of town,  I made up for that omission on this trip. 
Picture
I was, finally able to visit the Elfin Forest which is near Los Osos, CA and just across the National Morro Bay Estuary from the campground.  I left for my hike about 2:00 in the afternoon and it was cloudy - by the time I hit the trail the sun had emerged and the light was not great for photography.  Of course, that didn't stop me from taking photos and I decided, then and there, that I had to come back in the Fall since this was such an extraordinary place.  
Picture
I hope, through these photos, you get some idea about how splendid Morro Bay is and that you will, if you find yourself on the California central coast (and you should find yourself there) , check it out.  Wait until you see how you feel there. 
Picture
Picture
I hope you enjoyed looking at these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them.  Next stop is the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  See ya on the road...
Picture
11 Comments

Steinbeck Country

3/20/2017

4 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
I am a John Steinbeck man.  I was introduced to him by reading, "The Red Pony" at the age of 12 and I've been reading him ever since.  I was lucky, in my senior year of high school, to play George in "Of Mice and Men" for which I won a small scholarship to the Drama Department of a small local state university. Make no mistake, I consider him one of the greatest writers of all time.  The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden are two of the most beautiful, meaningful and powerful reading experiences of my lifetime.  As a Nobel winner in 1962 it's clear that others have agreed.  John's work, of all authors, resonates in me deeply.

John Steinbeck was the first of the great writers with whom I fell in love.  There would be dozens and dozens of others over the years but he's the one I've stuck with - through all the the other "reading eras" of my life.   If you know Steinbeck's work then you that no other writer, perhaps ever, captured settings better than him.  The majority of his novels take place in what is commonly called "Steinbeck Country" in California.  The oak savannah of central California has always held a particular allure for me and I thought, last September, that I would plan a spring trip there.  

​I was hoping we'd have a decent rain year which can turn the rolling hills into a spectacular, verdant green.  Well we finally had a downright wet year.

 We had so much rain, in fact, that it threatened my trip and closed the campground at my first stop. Morro Bay State Park.  The campground there on the coast had suffered significant storm damage and photos showed dozens of trees knocked down onto the campsites and blocking roads.  I looked for an alternative and found pretty Cerro Alto campground off Highway 41 between Morro Bay and Atascadero.

(Quick digression - do you know what atascadero means in Spanish?  It means "sticky mess" and ranks high on the list of dumb Spanish names for towns along with Los Banos). 

The road to Cerro Alto, off Highway 41, is one lane and if you stay right at the Y leads you over a stream, and into a tiny dead end with 3 parking spaces.  Of course I took the truck and trailer right in there on the way in - you always stay right, don't you?  After some crazy yet dexterous maneuvering I got the truck and trailer turned around and made it to my campsite.   It was a picturesque place and my campsite had tiny Morro Creek running behind it. 

The following morning I drove to Morro Bay and filled up with gas, had breakfast and bought a few provisions.  Morro Bay is one of my favorite places on the coast of California and I've made dozens of trips there in my lifetime.  I do not believe I had ever seen it so quiet and serene. 
On the way back to camp I drove for a bit on Highway 41 to check out the late winter splendor. 
The following day I spent hiking around the camp and on the Cerro Alto trail.  
After a morning hike I came back for lunch and then decided to take a short nap.  As an aside, I met a woman a few weeks back who had warned me about ticks this spring being very bad in the area I was to be travelling.  She had contracted Lyme's disease about ten years ago from a tick and told me she had been sick ever since.  Scared the Hell out of me as I've had a lifelong fear of parasites (human and insect) but I was pretty sure that I'd scheduled my trip prior to the big spring "tickfest".   I mean, I'm a outdoors man, I wasn't worried.

After I got comfortable on my bed in the trailer, ready for my afternoon nap, I looked up and, boom, a tick about 4 inches from my head.  Shit.  Oh no. They must be everywhere, right? I thoroughly checked my clothing and scoured the trailer.  I showered in my little trailer bathroom.  The camp host came by and I asked him about the ticks.   He told me, "yep, been around all winter and they're everywhere".  Thanks pal, thanks for the encouraging news. I spent the next several hours obsessively scratching and itching.  In the end, I never did see another tick.  After years of being outdoors I'd much rather deal with rattlers than ticks.  I can generally see and sometimes hear the snakes.  The ticks are sneaky little bastards. 

The next day I drove to Fremont Peak State Park.  I was looking forward to going there as it had been Steinbeck's last California stop in his wonderful and inspiring travelogue, "Travels with Charley".  It overlooks the Salinas Valley of John's youth and I felt that I would be walking in his footsteps during my visit.   I did stop at the Camp Roberts Rest Stop (one of the most scenic in California) and made a few photos of what I consider prime examples of "Steinbeck Country". 
Picture
The road to Fremont Peak is harrowing and the campground road was narrow, one lane, with fallen tree branches and steep cliffs on each side in places.  About halfway there I thought I was completely out of my mind for dragging a trailer to such a place.  After finding my campsite I didn't feel quite so crazy.  It set on a bluff overlooking the valley with a view all the way out to marine layer covered Monterey Bay.   I was, until a few nights later, the only person camping there.  Magnificent. 
I love that old picnic table in the photo gallery above.  It looks like it has been there at least since the time Steinbeck visited in 1960.  I imagined him there - peeling an orange and relaxing with faithful Charley by his side. 

I was now in full "Steinbeck mode" and decided to spend the next day in Salinas.  My first stop was at the "Garden of Memories Cemetery" where the ashes of Steinbeck are buried near his parents and last wife. 
Picture
 I met some workers at the cemetery who told me that 300 old growth oak trees had fallen in Salinas during the series of strong Pacific storms this winter.   It was a theme for the entire trip - so many old, stately, and beautiful oaks lost.  Heartbreaking. 

I then went to the National Steinbeck Center and spent a few hours  immersing myself in John Steinbeck.   The exhibits are wonderful and cover each major part of his life.  I had heard that Steinbeck's truck and camper from, "Travels with Charley" was there and I raced around until I found it.  It didn't disappoint. 
Picture
After spending a few touching hours at the Center I wandered down Central Avenue in Salinas to the birthplace and childhood home of Steinbeck which is a now a fine restaurant staffed by volunteers and fellow Steinbeck enthusiasts. 
Picture
The journey back to the campsite was not nearly as anxiety filled without the trailer and I did stop to take a few photographs of the drive. 
That evening was quiet and serene - literally no one else around.  
The next day, a Saturday, I decided to go ahead and truly follow Steinbeck's footsteps and hike to the top of Fremont Peak.  I awoke a little later than I'd planned and worried it might be crowded.  I needn't have worried - I saw a group of 3 women and a father and son on the hike.  There was a 360 degree view at the top of Fremont Peak. It was blissful and I thought of John and Charley the entire time. 
Picture
Picture
Fremont Peak State Park is an unheralded gem.  Not only  literary history  but California history abounds as well.  John Fremont and his troops ascended the peak during the Mexican-American war (1846-1848) and it was the first place that the American flag flew in California.  It is also a dark sky place of some renown in California according to the stargazers I met on Saturday night.  There is an observatory there and many folks just tote their telescopes to the park, set them up, and spend hours observing the constellations.  It's quite a place.  I'm pleased Mr. Steinbeck sent me there.

I planned to spend the last few days of the trip in Pinnacles and then visit the Carrizo Plain National Monument.  Unfortunately, Pinnacles  was overrun (the exact opposite of Fremont Peak) and I had a couple of minor issues develop with my Casita which necessitated coming home a bit earlier than planned.  Nevertheless I did make some photos of the two days around Pinnacles.  
I am a passionate person.  Guess I was born that way.  And the things I love? Like music and literature and the land? I love them deeply.  I love John Steinbeck and I love the topography of my home state.  I have my whole life.  This trip was one I'd desired to take for many, many years.  It satisfied a longing I had and felt as though I'd touched the heart of the golden state. 
Picture
Haven't read Steinbeck yet?  Start with, "East of Eden".  Like me, you'll probably never look back. 
4 Comments

The Camping Life

6/25/2015

6 Comments

 
Picture
I returned a few days ago from Great Basin National Park (see Trip Reviews).  It was awesome and I have decided to return there, in August with my daughter, Lilly.  One of the major reasons it was so fantastic is because it is uncrowded.  I can remember camping as a child and feeling like I was getting away from it all.  Now, a visit to Yosemite makes you feel like you've been at Disneyland all damn day with the hordes of humanity who descend on the place.

More people than ever are camping.  This is great except that there are no new campgrounds opening and, in  fact, because of budget cuts (for everything except war), there are fewer campgrounds.  The last trip to the local San Jacintos brought home this glaring reality as, after an 8 mile trip on a fairly rough dirt road, the campground was full.  Moreover, the neighbors in the adjacent campsite were astonishingly loud and drunk and obnoxious. I had to give them my old principal's voice and say, "Please turn the music down! Thank you!".

This is a huge problem for those of us who look to nature as our solace and comfort.  

I've decided, in the next few years, to do what I can to get the appropriate agencies to develop more campgrounds.  In order to do this, of course, we must protect more public land.  Further, I am working on a book about camping in the new era of crowds- emphasizing camping etiquette.  A perfect project for a grumpy old man.

This next month takes Lupe and Lilly and I to crowded Point Mugu, crowded Pismo Beach and crowded Morro Bay.  While I'm looking forward to these trips I also look forward to the off season when the calm returns.

Peace.

6 Comments

Notes From Home- It's June!

6/2/2015

3 Comments

 
It's that time of year when an old Cactus Man's fancy turns from the desert to the mountains and sea. 

I have been trip planning for the last week while homebound.  Lupe and I have had some domestic issues like painting and appliance repair to deal with (I swear it feels like these damn things are never done).   As a result, I have nearly finished my trip plans for the next few months.  In addition, Lupe and I are looking at the possible purchase of a very small, affordable, versatile, high ground clearance travel trailer.  I need something that is homey enough for Lupe but I can take on my beloved dirt roads.  While I love my current setup with just the camper shell I must admit it would be nice to have a place to hole up in bad weather.  Anyway, we're not looking for something that resembles our home in any manner (why not just stay at home or in a motel then?).  We want a tiny hideaway to take us away to private and secluded spots as well as the National Parks.  The research continues...

In June- next week in fact, my son Kevin and I are headed to Boulder Basin in the San Jacinto mountains for a couple of days.   I've been trying to get him to go camping with me for a few years now and I'm really looking forward to it.  From there he'll go back to work (poor bastard) and I'll head to Nevada and Great Basin National Park.  It's my first visit there and it is one of the lesser known National Parks- which is right up my misanthropic alley.

Then it's time for Lupe and Lilly!  At the beginning of July Lupe and I are going to Point Mugu and camp right on the beach.   Then, at the end of July she and Lilly and I are going to Jalama Beach and Pismo Beach.  We'll spend a night in a motel in Morro Bay to wrap up (love that sleepy little town).

In August I'm headed back to the Southwest for a trip to the north rim of the Grand Canyon.  I've been to the south rim probably 10 times but I don't usually head there in summer when the north rim is free of snow and open.  I will probably camp a night or two at nearby Jacob Lake and look for future boondocking spots.  At the end of the month and just before Lilly starts high school (Good God!) I'm taking her to one of my favorite spots in this lifetime - Lassen Volcanic National Park.  I know it so well I can show her around!  As she grows older these chances will be come fewer and fewer (see Jordan and Kevin) and I will cherish this time together.  It will be an unforgettable trip.  

My next BIG trip is in my favorite month to travel - September.   I'll be heading to Devil's Tower National Monument in Wyoming and the Little Big Horn Battlefield in Montana. You've probably figured out my appreciation of and fascination with the indigenous people of our continent and this trip will focus heavily on Native American history and culture. 

In October I'm heading back to Big Sur area to stay at Kirk Creek Campground and boondock in the mountains that overlook the sea,  I'm gonna squeeze in a weekend back at Pinnacles National Park with my dear Bay Area family.

November brings me back to the desert...

I'll look forward to showing my pictures and narrating the trips as I return from each one. 

Peace.
3 Comments

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required

    The Point?

    This will mostly be a journal of my travels. I may include other items that interest me. Feel free to join in.

    Categories

    All
    Adobe
    Aguirre Spring CG
    Ajo
    Ajo Mountain Drive
    Alamogordo
    Aldo Leopold
    Alejandro Escovedo
    Alturas
    Amboy Crater
    Ancestral Puebloans
    Ansel Adams
    Anza Borrego State Park
    Arches NP
    Arizona
    Arkansas River
    Atascadero
    Awe
    Backyard
    Badwater Basin
    Bandelier National Monument
    Barry Goldwater Range
    Baseball
    Bassam Guard Station
    Bates Ranch
    Beartooth Highway
    Beck
    Bernie Sanders
    Big Bend NP
    Big Sur
    Bill Dickson
    Birthday Party
    Bisbee
    Black Canyon Of The Gunnison NP
    BLM
    Bob Dylan
    Bog Springs CG
    Bonita Well
    Borax
    Boulder Basin
    Bruce Springsteen
    Burro Creek CG
    CA
    Cabeza Prieta
    Cacti
    Calexico
    California
    California League
    Canyon De Chelly
    Canyonlands NP
    Capitol Reef NP
    Carl Sagan
    Carrizo Plain
    Cascades-mountains
    Casita
    Caspers-wilderness-park
    Cayucos
    Cedar-breaks
    Central-coast
    Cerro-alto-campground
    Cesar-chavez
    Charles-bowden
    Chicago
    Chihuahua-desert
    Chihuly Garden
    China Alley
    Chiriaco Summit
    Chiricahua National Monument
    Chisos Basin CG
    Chisos Mountains
    Chris LaTray
    Christiane Wolf
    Clark Dry Lake
    Clayton Kershaw
    Coast Starlight
    Cochise Stronghold
    Colonel Allensworth State Park
    Colorado
    Colorado Desert
    Colorado Plateau
    Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
    Coronavirus
    COVID-19
    Cubs
    Dad
    Dave Alvin
    Death Valley
    Desert Training Center
    Devil's Golf Course
    Devil's Tower
    Dodgers
    Dome Rock
    Dorothea Lange
    Dragoon Mountains
    Drive-By Truckers
    Durango
    Eastern Sierra
    Education
    Edward Abbey
    Election 2016
    Elfin Forest
    Elton John
    Elvis Costello
    Environmentalism
    Eric Flaherty
    Eric Temple
    Everett Ruess
    Fauna
    Favorite Photos
    Finley
    Fishing
    Flathead-lake
    Flora
    Fog
    Four-corners
    Fremont-peak
    Furnace-creek
    Gasworks-park
    Gaviota
    Gaviota State Beach
    George-patton
    Giant-sequoia-national-monument
    Glacier-np
    Glaucoma
    Goblin-valley-state-park
    Goffs-schoolhouse
    Grand-canyon
    Grandchildren
    Grandkids
    Grand-teton-national-park
    Great-basin-national-park
    Guadalupe-mountains-np
    Guitar
    Gunnison-river
    Half-dome
    Half-moon-bay
    Happy-isles
    Harris-beach
    High-sierra
    Highway-1
    Highway-101
    Highway-190
    Highway-395
    Highway-41
    Highway-99
    Highways
    Holbrook
    Hole-in-the-wall-campground
    Holidays
    Home
    Homolovi
    Hovenweep-national-monument
    Idaho
    Immigration
    Inland-empire-66ers
    Insight LA
    Interstate 15
    Interstate 5
    Jack
    Jack Kerouac
    Jack Loeffler
    Jackson Hole
    Jacob Lake
    Jalama Beach
    Jedediah Smith Redwoods
    Joaquin
    Johnny Cash
    John Prine
    John Steinbeck
    Jon Dee Graham
    Jon Kabat-Zinn
    Jordan
    Joseph Wood Krutch
    Joshua Tree NP
    Journal
    Kara
    Kartchner Caverns
    Kennedy
    Kern National Wildlife Refuge
    Kevin
    Kirk Creek
    Kodachrome State Park
    La Junta
    Lake Arrowhead
    Lake Elsinore Storm
    Lake Pleasant
    Lancaster JetHawks
    Las Cruces
    Lassen Volcanic National Park
    Las Vegas
    La Veta Pass
    Lilly
    Limekiln State Park
    Lisa Law
    Little Blair Valley
    Little House Customs
    Little Painted Desert
    Lizard
    Lizard Head Pass
    Liz Kylin
    Lori Carey
    Los Angeles Dodgers
    Los Osos
    Luis Urrea
    Lupe
    Madera
    Madera Canyon
    Malheur Wildlife Refuge
    Manzanar
    Margo Dodd Park
    Marty
    Mary Austin
    Massachusetts
    Maynard Dixon
    McGee Creek
    Meditation
    Merced River
    Meredith
    Mesa Verde
    Mesquite Springs
    Mexico
    Michael A. Singer
    Michael Gish
    Mindfulness
    Mitchell Caverns
    Moab
    Modesto Nuts
    Mogollon Rim
    Mojave Desert
    Mojave National Preserve
    Mojave Trails National Monument
    Mom
    Monarch Butterflies
    Montana
    Monterey Bay
    Montrose
    Monument Valley
    Mormons
    Morro Bay
    Museum Of Flight
    Music
    National Monuments
    National Parks
    National Park Service
    Nature
    Navajo Nation
    Navajo NM
    Neil Young
    Nevada
    New Hampshire
    New Mexico
    North Beach Campground
    North Rim
    NPS
    Oak Creek Canyon
    Ocotillo
    October
    Old Faithful
    Oliver Lee Memorial State Park
    Olympic National Park
    Oregon
    Organ Mountains
    Organ Pipe NM
    Ortega Highway
    Pacific Ocean
    Pagosa Springs
    Painted Rock Petroglyph
    Palo Duro Canyon
    Pch
    Peg-leg-smith
    Photography
    Pier
    Pinnacles NP
    Pismo Beach
    Pixley National Wildlife Refuge
    PJ Finn
    Placentia
    Plaskett Creek
    Point Mugu
    Politics
    Pozo Nuevo
    Prescott
    Puerto Blanco Road
    Quaking Aspen Campground
    Quitobaquito Springs
    Railroad-tracks
    Rancho-cucamonga-quakes
    Rancho-guadalupe-dunes-preserve
    Rattlesnake
    Ray Wylie Hubbard
    Red-rock-canyon
    Redwoods-np
    Refugio-state-beach
    Retirement
    Rim-of-the-world
    Rio-grande
    Rio-grande-del-norte
    Route-66
    R. Scott Jones
    Running-springs
    Ry-cooder
    SABR
    Salida
    Sam-harris
    San-bernardino-mountains
    San-clemente
    Sand-county-almanac
    San-jacinto
    San-jose-giants
    San-juan-mountains
    San-onofre
    Santa-barbara
    Santa-fe
    Santa Ynez Mountains
    Santiam-creek
    Scott-hays
    Seattle
    September
    Sequoia-np
    Shower
    Sierra Nevada
    Silver-jack-reservoir
    Skyscrapers
    Solo-traveling
    Sonoran-desert
    Southern-california
    Southern-sierra
    Spider-rock
    Spirituality
    Spring-training
    Steve
    Stockton-ports
    Sunset
    Superstition-mountains
    Sycamore-canyon
    Taos
    Tarantula
    Terry-tempest-williams
    Texas
    The-band
    The-beatles
    The Central Valley
    The Clash
    The Gourds
    Thornhill Broome Beach
    Ticks
    Tim
    Tit Rock
    Todd Miller
    Tom Thrash
    Top Albums
    Topics
    Top Photos
    Tracy Schultze
    Trail Of 100 Giants
    Trains
    Travel Trailer
    Trudy Goodman
    Tule Creek
    Twitter
    Ubehebe Crater
    UFW
    United States Border Patrol
    Upper Pines Campground
    Utah
    Valley Of Fire
    Vernal
    Victoria Mine
    Vin Scully
    Virginia City
    Visalia Rawhide
    Washington
    White Sands
    Wildflowers
    Wildlife
    William Eastlake
    Winslow
    Woody Guthrie
    Wrigley Field
    Wyoming
    Year End Review
    Yellowstone National Park
    Yosemite National Park
    Zabriskie Point
    Zion
    Zion National Park

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014

    RSS Feed

All content (C) Jeff Hubbard. No re-use without express written permission
  • Welcome to the West
  • Blog and Trip Reviews
  • Travel Archives
  • Contact Me
  • Music & Literature
  • Defense of the West