Escaping Winter

I will remember the Winter of 2014 as a brutal, cold, icy, cruel three months. Yes, there was lots of sunshine, and plenty of snow plow runs to shoot, but eventually I just wished it would end.

Happily, we escaped to the southwest, where it was sunny and warm and cheerful.

We made two stops to see people – first, staying with my aunt Anna Rundle in Glendale CA; then, driving to Laguna Beach for a wonderful visit with our friends Greg and Maureen.

Anna took us to the Autry Museum – highly recommended, and to the beach in Santa Monica. In Laguna, Greg and Maureen spoiled us rotten with food, drink, and touring.

Then, we flew to Las Vegas for a quick tour of the town. Before coming home, I rented a car and drove south to Kingman Canyon in search of kicks on Route 66.

Here are lots of shots of our first two stops, and my driving excursion. Sorry, most of what happened in Vegas stays in Vegas. (Translation: I mostly left the camera in the room while we were there!)

Checking out the Beaches

With Anna, we explored Santa Monica and Venice Beach in Los Angeles…..very earthy. The end of the Santa Monica Pier is the official (and practical) end of Historic Route 66…..so now I have been at both ends of the highway. Just have some gaps in the middle to fill in!

Venice Beach is an earthy but fun collection of head shops and beach restaurants….not every street musician plays the grand piano!

After three nights we Anna, we headed south to Laguna.

Laguna Beach is simply enthralling….rocks, beach, tides, hills, and ocean. And art. Artists, and things artsy, are everywhere. We were lucky to be there for the monthly Art Walk event, spending an evening scarfing free wine while exploring some amazing galleries.

We wore ourselves out walking on the beaches. The seashore teems with wildlife. We even encountered a sea lion rescue in progress….this poor creature, severely malnourished, had washed up onto the rocks and couldn’t get back to the water.

Laguna

 

Cue the Surfer Music

I can’t remember….is it reverb or tremolo that gives those surfer song guitars their gutsy edge?

There were dozens of people trying to catch waves. Apparently if you point your lens at a surfer, they immediately fall down. All the same, I did catch a few at work.

  

Those marvellous sunsets

There are some pretty photogenic palm trees between Greg and Maureens’ balcony and the ocean. We used them well, and ventured  down to the water’s edge for more great views. Pacific sunsets are marvellous, and they change by the second.

The Vegas Strip

By the time we left Laguna, we were pretty well wined and dined and generally full of contentment and good cheer. Vegas was a whole different shade of life.

Jan points out that Las Vegas is simply the world’s biggest theme park…..geared to adults with impulse control issues. My take: it’s a cruise ship without a destination, or even an ocean.

The strip was spectacular, but after a day we’d seen it all. We were looking for a good night’s sleep, and not an all night party.

Vegas is where women will apparently do anything for money…..even stand motionless pretending to be a Venetian statue. Women of the world, take note: for every feminist on the planet, there are two scantily clad young waitresses in Vegas, giving men all the wrong ideas.

Doesn’t take a lot of photograpy to tell the story of this town. Just stand there doing nothing, and people will pile money at your feet…..’nuff said.

We did take in the Donny and Marie Osmond show, and (to my surprise) it was excellent. Marie’s voice has far better range and versatility than you’d ever appreciate from watching her on TV. These are two talented, and experienced, performers with decades of stage experience. A good show, and good clean fun…..an odd counterpoint to everything else in town. 

A final day of kicks on 66

On our last day, Jan and I each pursued what we craved most….in her case, rest, and in my case, trains.

I drove south to Kingman, and eastwards on Route 66 towards Seligman, following the AT+SF main line. It took me until well past noon to figure out the sun angles and discover that with trains running up to 70 mph, chasing was not in the cards. By that time, westbound traffic had dried up and a fleet of eastbounds came at me out of the sun. There was variety, and quantity. If I missed a few opportunities, it didn’t matter.

I knew from the scanner that a business train was on the road somewhere, but when the sun shifted for the last time I no longer had a shot. My only option was to drive towards it…..sure enough it immediately appeared, passing me at 70 mph, paced by a Hirail truck and a railroad police vehicle. Overtaking it wasn’t in the cards. I managed to stay with it long enough to get a couple grab shots. A rather plump honcho stared at me officiously from the power chair.

As the sun dropped, I staked out the long grade east of Kingman, on the side of old 66, and soaked up the action.

I am no fan of selfies, but I am awed by the work of Vivian Maier, who perfected the selfie technique ‘way back in the sixties. When it became impossible to keep my shadow out of the shots, Route 66 lore and Maier’s art took charge. I shot my shadow as the last eastbound passed, and that was the day….a perfect cap to a great trip.