It’s winter at the end of 2020. We have had a hard year of Covid-19 lockdowns and general high levels of anxiety. Christmas and all it’s associated bits and pieces are now behind us and the New Year commences at the end of this week. 2021 looks to be shaping up to be a better year as the vaccines are now ready to roll out in order to stop the spread of the virus. Let’s hope so, then we can all get on with our lives and passions.
I’ve been out and about with the camera, I’ve not bothered with mask and covid portraits but just a few normal landscapes and a bit of general around town bit’s. These images are not titled, may get round to itemising them in a few days or so maybe.
More Photo’s of my recent trip through Death Valley. I find this amazing landscape captivating in the extreme. Just wandering and driving through this massive area uncovers unmissable photographic gems. – Here is a description taken from the National Park website – Death Valley, the very name evokes all that is harsh, hot and hellish – a punishing, barren and lifeless place of Old Testament severity. Yet closer inspection reveals that in Death Valley nature is putting on a truly spectacular show: singing sand dunes, water-sculpted canyons, boulders moving across the desert floor, extinct volcanic craters, palm-shaded oases, stark mountains rising to 11,000 ft and plenty of endemic wildlife. This is a land of superlatives, holding the US records for hottest temperature (134°F/57°C), lowest point (Badwater, 282 ft below sea level) and largest national park outside Alaska (more than 5000 sq miles).
Click on any image to enlarge………………………
The back road to Vegas through Pahrump
Longstreet Casino
On and around Zabriskie Point, Death Valley National Park
Golden Canyon on foot
Death Valley in the distance
Badlands Road curves through the base of the Valley
Here is a random gallery of images from this trip without any of the descriptions or blurb – click on any picture you like to enlarge it then you can run through a manual slideshow. Next trip to Phoenix and whale watching in California scheduled for later this year, I can’t wait, so roll on November.
Just a little thought from – The Dalai Lama
Old friends pass away.
New friends appear.
It is just like days.
An old day passes.
A new day arrives.
The important thing is to make it meaningful.
Make meaningful friends.
Make it a meaningful day.
Nevada by Lake Mead
Down in Death Valley along Badlands Road, tourists walk the salt trails.
Another long exposure of the creek at the canyon base
Above the Hoover Dam
The Hoover Dam
Lake Toho covered jetty and relaxation area
A squirrel busy collecting by Lake Toho
Golden eagle at the entrance to the Memorial Park
The boardwalk
An intriguing wall mural in Kissimmee
Deserted in the Mohave Desert, Southern California
A humming bird drinking nectar from bird of paradise in the gardens
Towards Death Valley from Zabriskie Point
Freight train by the Salton Sea, Southern California
The junction at Primm, Nevada
A view from Zabriskie Point down to Death Valley
The Goldfield Saloon – a rough, ready and just a bit seedy establishment.
Main Street Mesa at dawn
Bird of Paradise in full bloom
The Pacific Ocean near Oceanside
Sunrise on the canyon walls at Zion
A California Quail at the Sonny Bono Wildlife Refuge
Zion landscape, just before Springdale after Hurricane
Wild hills and fog on the road to Phoenix near Globe
Keeping an eye on the bordello from the saloon windows.
In the park – first stop……………..
Inside the Saloon by the stairs to the first floor
Amargosa
Lake Mead from the dam….
The towering canyon walls at Zion National Park
Lake Henshaw reflections
The creek running along the base of the canyon
Bad Water Springs – I love the ‘BUTTS’ receptacle
The shootin range at Old Town
Badlands stop for relief !
In the Cypress Swamp, a unique habitat and landscape
Lake Henshaw boat jetty
A reconstructed Bordello from the 1890’s
A rest area with a goods train passing by Yuma to Tucson
Lake Toho through the open restaurant.
Looking out from Zabriskie Point, Death Valley
Mohave salt lake landscape
You just have to look up
On top before the descent to Anza Borrego and the Salton sea.
Outside Whiskey Pete’s Casina and Hotel
This is the life – Apache Trail Flea Market proprietor.
Along Main Street, Downtown, Kissimmee
A rather badly chewed leaf….
A very small emerald green hummingbird
In the Cuban coffee shop on Main Street
Indian country landscape
A humming bird drinking nectar in the gardens
Strange Californian fruits, not for eating!
Weird stuff by the Longstreet Casino car park
A sense of scale from Zabriskie Point, Death Valley, California. Can you find the three intrepid walkers, rather them than me at 82*F
Snow Geese over Sonny Bono, Southern California.
Canyon Lake on the Apache Trail
A dolphin taking a dive
Whiskey Pete’s striking entrance signage
Dana Point and the Memorial Park on the cliffs
An Alligator and a few Ibis
Photo’s on the external walls at Whiskey Pete’s
Through the first floor window of the saloon
Must be a 1000 odd Ibis in the tree’s – Wow!
I love the graphics and Rolls Royce plate of this van at the Mesa fleamarket.
The Salton Sea, Southern California. Tranquil, Hot and very beautiful in it’s own way.
Old and deserted land with gates going seemingly going nowhere
Near Zion National Park – Utah
A desert bird with the perfect camouflaged plumage
The snow capped mountains from along the road to Hurricane Utah.
The badlands, many a western hero or fugitive travelled here to hide in the canyons.
Snow Geese on holiday from Canada and what a honking racket they make………….
An abandoned squad car along the 373 in Amargosa Valley
Yacht and Island at Lake Mead
Staying at St George, Utah with the Snow capped mountains of Zion in the background
The 85 Mile Marker above Anza Borrego
Looking out to the Pacific which is behind this bush and trash bin
On the outside of a wall at Whiskey Petes, Primm, Nevada
Apache country near Tucson, Arizona
Down to Borrego and the Salton Sea in the distance
Old mining equipment looking a bit worse for wear.
Its back to dear old England today, back to loved ones and friends, to the good old British weather, familiar food and surroundings. This trip has been a bit of an epic from my point of view. I have driven over 4,000 miles and will have flown a further 13,400 miles by the time I get back. The landscapes, food and friendly peoples have been wonderful throughout the 5 States travelled and I can’t wait to return in the not to distant future. It’s been a bit trying at times travelling with an ‘old’ pal, sharing rooms, toiletries, costs and general space. I admit to being a bit of a loner and set in my way’s as is he, however, in general we have got along and shared some great visual experiences which will be remembered for years to come.
Just a few of my favourite images from the trip through Nevada, Utah, California, Arizona and Florida that did not make the blog as we went along.
Freight train by the Salton Sea, Southern California
The Salton Sea, Southern California. Tranquil, Hot and very beautiful in it’s own way.
Snow Geese over Sonny Bono, Southern California.
Snow Geese on holiday from Canada and what a honking racket they make………….
On the outside of a wall at Whiskey Petes, Primm, Nevada
Deserted in the Mohave Desert, Southern California
A wander through Old Town Kissimmee, then along Main Street and finally the sidewalk by Lake Toho. The majority of tourists visit this area in order to visit the theme parks in Orlando and of course for the weather. This is the sunshine state after all. If you look carefully there is a lot more to this area than Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. The City of Kissimmee was originally a small trading post on the northern bank of Lake Tohopekaliga known as the community of Allendale. After the Civil War, this area was included in a purchase of four million acres of marshland and plains by Hamilton Disston.
The shootin range at Old Town, Kissimmee
An intriguing wall mural in Kissimmee
Along Main Street, Downtown, Kissimmee
We usually pop in at the Cuban coffee shop on Main Street. The Cuban proprietors have got to know us over the years and a welcome hug is always nice. Just a coffee for me today, I fancied a wedge slice of the home made banana bread but it was to soon after breakfast.
Although the Osceola District Schools Environmental Study Centre is only open to the public on weekends, its trails provide an up-close look at more than a dozen old growth cypresses and wildlife along Reedy Creek. With its headwaters in what is now Walt Disney World, Reedy Creek flows sluggishly southward through cypress swamps into pristine Lake Russell, and is one of the northernmost sources of water for the Everglades.
The most obvious of the park’s three short trails is the 0.5-mile long boardwalk starting at the parking lot. Don’t miss this trail, as it provides your best opportunity for wildlife watching. Here are a few images from today, Sunday 02/02/2020 following my walk along the boardwalk.
In the Cypress Swamp, a unique habitat and landscape
Must be a 1000 odd Ibis in the tree’s – Wow!
The boardwalk
A rather badly chewed leaf….
An Alligator and a few Ibis
Lake Tohopekaliga Tohopeka; Tohopekaliga [from tohopke /to-hó:pk-i/ fence, fort + likv /léyk-a/ site], also referred to as Lake Toho, West Lake, or simply Toho, native name meaning “we will gather together here”, is the largest lake in Osceola County, Florida.
Leave Las Vegas heading North on the 95 and you’ll find some unexpected points of interest on route. Just north west of the city is the towering snow capped Mount Charleston which looms ahead forbiddingly note the signs enticing you to ski on it’s slopes and hike in the foothills. Around 30 miles up the road an amusing road sign reads ‘Do Not pick up hitchhikers in this area’ as you pass by a rather large Correctional Facility way out in the high desert. Funny thing though, Google maps shows this facility doesn’t exist, it’s just an empty desert. At Creech AFB in Indian Springs a further few miles ahead you will most likely see Military Drones taking off and landing as you pass by, appears to be a training base for these unmanned flying machines. Continue a further 50 miles through desert and rocky terrain, then turn left at the Amargosa Valley towards Death Valley Junction on the 373. The Nevada/California State Line at the Longstreet Inn and Casino. A total road journey of perhaps 90 minutes through barren high desert landscapes, unmissable.
Amargosa
An abandoned squad car along the 373 in Amargosa Valley
Weird stuff by the Longstreet Casino car park
Looking out from Zabriskie Point, Death Valley
Towards Death Valley from Zabriskie Point
Down in Death Valley along Badlands Road, tourists walk the salt trails
This little chap was scurrying around below the feeders at the Sonny Bono wildlife refuge in Southern California. The California quail, also known as the valley quail, is a small ground-dwelling bird of the New World quail family. These birds have a curving crest or plume, made of six feathers, that droops forward: black in males and brown in females; the flanks are brown with white streaks.
A California Quail at the Sonny Bono Wildlife Refuge
Zion – Very cold at the canyons this morning, a beautiful sunrise but hidden behind the towering canyon walls on the park roads and lower viewpoints. I wasn’t really dressed for the cold but managed to take a few photo’s at strategic points in the park. Landscapes from the road back to St. George just as impressive although not easy to stop on the narrow road with passing places
Sunrise on the canyon walls at Zion
The towering canyon walls at Zion National Park
The creek running along the base of the canyon
Another long exposure of the creek at the canyon base
The snow capped mountains from along the road to Hurricane Utah.
This landscape is unique, and no matter how good the photo’s are and the titles are detailed, in my opinion you cannot portray the experience you get when you gaze upon your surroundings. The scale of the mountains, buttes, canyons and rock formations is mind boggling and you have to see it to believe it. This is my third visit to the park and it’s surroundings and I love it.
In the park – first stop……………..
You just have to look up
Zion landscape, just before Springdale after Hurricane
Staying at St George, Utah with the Snow capped mountains of Zion in the background
Mesa a sprawling suburb and city of Phoenix Arizona. Main St. runs from Tempe in the west to Apache Junction and the Apache Trail in the east, a distance of around 10 miles. A tram system operates for a short proportion of the street and shares the space with local buses, cars and cyclists. We travelled the length from our hostelry in order to drive the Apache trail and visit the Lost Dutchman and Borderland ghost town. Mesa Grande Cultural Park is home to a giant, centuries-old ceremonial mound, and artifacts of the ancient Hohokam people.
Main Street Mesa at dawn
Canyon Lake on the Apache Trail
Goldfield ghost town along the North Apache Trail just past the Lost Dutchman Mine, a bit of a tourist hub but actually seemingly quite realistic in it’s attempts to portray the history of the wild west in this area. Wikopedia : Reconstructed 1890s town including gold-mine tours, Old West gunfights, a history museum & more. Still it’s an interesting place to explore and a visit to the saloon is a must.
A reconstructed Bordello from the 1890’s
The Goldfield Saloon – a rough, ready and just a bit seedy establishment.
Bad Water Springs – I love the ‘BUTTS’ receptacle
Old mining equipment looking a bit worse for wear.
Inside the Saloon by the stairs to the first floor
Through the first floor window of the saloon
Keeping an eye on the bordello from the saloon windows.
The Apache Trail flea market, a place to wander on a Sunday morning to see the unusual. Caged canaries, great sign written vans, dogs being pampered and of course all manner of used stuff, crap and antiques for sale.
I love the graphics and Rolls Royce plate of this van at the Mesa fleamarket.
This is the life – Apache Trail Flea Market proprietor.
See more images that didn’t make the blog by going to the link ‘USA Trip 2020’ and clicking any image to enlarge.
A long and dusty road trip along i8 from Yuma to Gila Bend then onto the 85 towards Tucson with a few rest area breaks to stretch the legs and have a drink. The railroad line runs parallel for a fair few miles and the goods trains appear to be endless in length, they go on and on pulled and pushed by 2 or 3 massive diesel locos.
A rest area with a goods train passing by Yuma to Tucson
A part of an apparently endless good train
The terrain is wild, arrid and harsh but has an intoxicating beauty of it’s own. The endless stretches of bare sandy soil are interspersed with copses of strange leafless trees, massive cacti and thick brush where the birds sing and small mammals live in abundance.
Apache country near Tucson, Arizona
A desert bird with the perfect camouflaged plumage
A very small emerald green hummingbird
Wild hills and fog on the road to Phoenix near Globe
Down the Pacific Coast Highway from Dana Point through San Clemente then onto the i5, south and off at Oceanside north of San Diego. A couple of Pacific Ocean view points on the way before turning inland onto C76 by Camp Pendleton towards Lake Henshaw.
Looking out to the Pacific which is behind this bush and trash bin
The Pacific Ocean near Oceanside
Lake Henshaw on C86, a Reservoir in San Diego County, California at the southeast base of Palomar Mountain. Here a couple of images of this tranquil body of water, private boating and fishing but a nice walk down to the waters edge after a cup of coffee at the cafe and truck stop opposite.
Lake Henshaw boat jetty
Lake Henshaw reflections
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, located within the Colorado Desert of southern California, United States. The park takes its name from the 18th century Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and borrego, a Spanish word for sheep, although we didn’t see any baah! The view, approaching from Lake Henshaw upon high is staggering, the landscape of boulders, rock formations and sand into the badlands is akin to a moonscape.
On top before the descent to Anza Borrego and the Salton sea.
Down to Borrego and the Salton Sea in the distance
The 85 Mile Marker above Anza Borrego
Badlands stop for relief !
The badlands, many a western hero or fugitive travelled here to hide in the canyons.
