Author: Lisa

Time for another road trip!

This trip has had many – and I mean many! – iterations.  In fact, plans are still in flux, especially with the heat dome sitting over the west and south of the United States.  The anchor of the trip, though, is Bryce Canyon National Park.  Nanine:  “Hey, you want to meet me at Bryce Canyon the end of July?”  Me:  “Sure!”

With reservations for three nights, that’s where I’m headed.  Following Bryce, today’s plan is Colorado, northern Utah, and Elko (NV).  From there, Nanine – and her wonderful pup Bossa – will peel off back home and I’ll continue onto Seattle, Portland, and Bend.  🙂

This morning, I woke up relatively early – for me! – and finished cleaning my home (friends will be staying there for some of the time while I’m gone) and packing up Addie.

Then, we hit the road.  Thank goodness for air conditioning! Temps got up to 113 degrees, the wind blew hard in the desert, and Addie and I kept moving.  We made only two short stops – gas, food, bathroom – all with Addie’s generator and house air conditioner blowing. Otherwise, drive on we did.  (Spoken as Yoda would…?  Thanks a lot, Greyson!  Haha!)

Tonight’s destination:  Boulder City, NV Elks.  Just south of Las Vegas, I chose this location for tonight’s stay since I could make a reservation, and I knew I wanted to plug in so I can run my a/c.

I only took a few pics I took today, all taken at the Elks Lodge…

 

 

This morning, I received an interesting email from National Geographic.  With a very exciting trip coming up, they forwarded a digital book from one of their photographers with tips for taking great and personally meaningful photos.  Although I had learned about many of the suggestions from the photography class I took, the book served as a great reminder of what to do – and not do – when capturing photos.

On today’s walkabout, I put some of the tips to use…and landed on shooting benches in different locations from different perspectives.

Although it started off foggy with wind gusts up to 40 mph, I loved hiking the Point Buchon Trail out of Montana d’Oro.  With a good friend, terrific conversation, and beautiful views, what could be better for taking some beautiful photos?

What?  Not having some dust on my camera’s sensor!  I got home from capturing magnificent views…only to find a “spot” in the upper edge of all of my pictures.  A bummer…yes.  After processing in Adobe Lightroom, I like the photos shown below.  AND it was a good experience for me as I learned how to blow the dust off of my camera sensor!

What an amazing festival! Since 2014, I’ve enjoyed the music and community at Live Oak Music Festival, attending about seven of the last ten events.  Last year and this year, I volunteered on Construction Crew, strapping on my tool belt to help erect fences, walls, and canopies.  This group of dedicated builders works over 30 hours, pre- and post-fest, to put up and take down infrastructure allowing participants to enjoy the terrific music available on the three stages at the festival. I am proud and honored to be a member of this phenomenal crew!

A few times during the festival itself, I grabbed my camera to capture some photos of the musicians and the crowd.  Below are my ten faves.

Musicians

Las Cafeteras

 

 

 

 

Rissi Palmer

 

Joe and Hattie Craven

 

Boot Juice

 

The Crowd

 

 

Although I love my new toy – a 70-300mm lens – I decided to return to some basics today.  On my walk around the neighborhood, I used my “old” lens (18-55mm) to capture trees, primarily focusing on their bark.  Since I haven’t shot fully manually recently, I decided to do a “Tree Study,” using only manual settings.  I’m pleased with the textures, colors, and varieties in these photos.

Today’s adventure took me to Saguaro National Park.  The ranger at the Visitors Center suggested a couple of trails, gave me a paper map, and directed me to my destination.

The road, Bajada Loop, is unpaved, so Addie went bumpity bump for several miles.  My bike and bike rack held up fine, although they are both quite dirty.  The first parking lot was full, so instead I parked at Signal Hill, saw petroglyphs, and hiked the opposite direction for my out-and-back.

My biggest bummer of the day: no ice cream! Haha!  While hiking – in the desert heat – I kept thinking about ice cream.  However, the nearest ice cream location is over a half hour drive each way… I decided it wasn’t worth it.  🙂

Petroglyphs

 

 

View of Addie from Signal Hill

 

Blooming saguaro

 

One of many shade structures built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) in the 1930s

 

Golden Hour selfie – Gilbert Ray Campground

 

“Alpine Glow” on the nearby mountains

 

Sunset

I started with 200 photos!  Culling them to something manageable challenged me.

So…I’m breaking up today’s post into three sections!  This section has general photos…and the next two will have flora and fauna.

Leaving Catalina State Park relatively early – for me! – I drove some of the back roads to the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Luckily, their Lego display, set to stop on May 1, was still active.  The detail and size of these sculptures surprised me!  Also cool at the Gardens: a photography group, led by a talented woman, snapped photos alongside me.  I enjoyed talking about photography with various members of the club.
After the Gardens, I had a delicious ice cream – and bought a scone for later – at Decibel Coffee, a shop where a good friend’s daughter works.

My next big stop was the oft-recommended Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.  Before this trip, everyone I asked for trip suggestions mentioned the Desert Museum.  And they were right!  Vast, varied, intriguing.  A simply amazing experience!

Here, then, are what I call my “general” photos…

First up:  A word from Robert Frost

 

Next: Lego sculptures – lots of detail and color!

 

 

 

 

 

A woman sketching Lego sculptures…

 

Cave at the Desert Museum!

 

Butterfly Project: Remembrance and Hope
https://thebutterflyprojectnow.org/

 

After two long driving days, today was a big hiking day.  I hiked over seven miles throughout Catalina State Park, seeing saguaros, dry river beds, mountains, a creek, birds, flowers…so much to see in this Sonoran desert!

Following my hike and lunch, I fixed a minor electrical issue with Addie and then took my bike for an ice cream treat at the park gift shop.

All in all, a terrific day!

Note: I love state parks!  I’ve been to many in several states across the country.  They are all gems!  The people are friendly, the facilities are topnotch (including showers), and the scenery is terrific.  National parks have an aura of magnificence – and the ones I’ve been to have met that standard – but as far as camping goes, I love staying at state parks.

The trails at this park are marked for hiking, equestrians, mountain bikes, and dogs

 

I took many photos of saguaros – this is one of my favorites

 

A big grove of saguaros

 

So much flora to see…

 

 

 

 

I saw the swirling “S” shape in the trail dirt, looked to the right, and saw this critter slithering away

 

One of a gazillion lizards

 

A river (well, a creek) runs through it

 

Mosaic at the trailhead

Day 2…another LONG day of driving.  It didn’t help that I had a tough time sleeping… I woke up early, made myself a cup of coffee, and started driving.  Once I got to Blythe, I pulled over, got gas, and made breakfast. 

On my way to Catalina State Park, I visited Biosphere 2.  What an engineering wonder!  Although the history of Biosphere 2 is a bit muddled, its current environmental lab the facility provides many opportunities for study and research.

Biosphere 2 – the tall part is the library, which was seldom used due to the tall circular stairs needed to access it

 

Staircase up to the library

 

Tropical plants

 

Rainforest with a “waterfall”

 

Tree reaching to the ceiling

 

More Biosphere space

 

Alpine glow, Arizona-style

 

Addie enjoying the sunset

Smelling the barn.  A phrase I had never heard before my BIG TRIP, the cross country trip I took nearly two years ago.  However, the closer I got to home, the more “ready” I was to be home – with my peeps, in my own home.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love traveling in Addie.  I relish exploring and traveling and adventuring.

AND by the time I got to Arizona, I was DONE.  I wanted to be home.  The smell of the barn acted as a magnetic pull.

So, I decided to take time this May to return to Tucson and its environs since I drove straight through this area two years ago.

I started by reaching out to friends who know the area.  Wowza!  So many fabulous recommendations!

Today, I drove from home, through LA (yech!), and into Joshua Tree National Park, where I camped at Cottonwood Campground.  I also bought my Senior Lifetime National Park pass!

After setting up camp, I ventured out for a hike – the Mastodon Loop trail.

Addie – happy to be on another adventure
Note my e-bike.  This is the first trip I have my bike with me.  It offers an additional level of mobility!

 

Totally cool rock formations

 

Flowering plants – the desert during springtime

 

Lost Palms Oasis

 

Abandoned mine

 

Moonrise – it’s almost full

San Luis Obispo’s rainfall this year topped 175% of average.  Although the rain revealed a roof leak necessitating a garage makeover, the precipitation resulted in a superbloom of wildflowers throughout the state.  Thrice, I ventured out to enjoy nature’s splendor.

I shot these first few photos on March 27 on Shell Creek Road when the superbloom was really just a bloom.

 

 

 

On April 19, I returned to Shell Creek Road where I found a virtual carpet of flowers.

 

 

 

 

On our way to Joel’s cabin on April 20, we visited the Carizzo Plain National Monument where I captured wildflowers and Soda Lake.

 

 

 

 

 

Portrait photography requires good lighting, calm background, and a willing model.  For the most part, I usually capture travel and hiking photos, interspersed with candids of family and friends.

Wanting to experiment with portraits – and enjoying spending time with my 13 year old grandson – I asked Greyson if he’d like me to take some photos of him with his saxophone.  He picked the location (beach), and I picked the time (golden hour).  What a delightful, creative, and fun time we had!

With his parents’ and his permission, I share these photos (all selected by Grey) and information about Grey, his love of music, and our photo session.

Grey is an amazing young man, quite accomplished for a thirteen year old.  (Hey, and I’m NOT biased!  🙂 ) He has been playing the saxophone for only two years, starting in sixth grade when, to be in band, he had to choose between the alto saxophone and the trombone.  With alto sax in hand, he honked out his first note, much to the disbelief and surprise of his band teacher.  Wanting to improve, he taught himself how to play sax, relying on YouTube videos to guide him. Fitting practice into his packed life demonstrates persistence and focus! 

Fast forward to seventh grade, when he picked the tenor rather than the alto sax, and Grey successfully auditioned for the County Junior Honor Band.  One of only four students from his school, Grey along with the other 60 members of the band rehearsed for only about one month to perform five songs at the honor band’s annual concert, held at Cal Poly’s Performing Arts Center.  The Honor Band was a terrific experience for Grey!  He loves meeting new people who share his appreciation for music while developing new techniques and growing his playing skills.  He hopes to play in the honor band next year and, perhaps, add baritone sax and trombone to his musical portfolio.  Music will forever be a part of Greyson’s life.

For Greyson, playing sax is an art.  Just as I feel about photography, it’s wonderful to learn something new, improvise, improve, create!

Music is not Grey’s only passion!  When not playing the sax, Grey enjoys basketball, baseball, LARPing, videogames, hanging out with friends and family (including his little brother – and his nana!), archery, Boy Scouts, fishing, backpacking, and many pets (such as a bearded dragon and hermit crab!). Wow!  I’m exhausted just thinking about how busy Greyson is!  So proud of you, Grey, for all you do and for who you are!