Las Vegas, Day Two

People in Las Vegas don't seem to very happy with their jobs most of them seem to just go through the motions and would rather be some were else.

Money pit

Waiting

Heart Attack Grill, Over 350 lbs. Eats Free.

Examples from the neon museum, would be better at night.

lights

Big explosion.

The Venetian put a lot of effort in creating a faux Venice building only to hang a bunch banners over the facade.

Las Vegas, Day One

Monday.

I think driving the Interstates is harder than the back roads, you may get where you are going faster but it is not much fun. Heading East on 15 in the distance are some large buildings, at first I through they were some kind of mining operation but it was the state line and some casinos,come on in sucker. When I got to Vegas I was impressed with the Interstate 15 landscaping and art elements. It's a work in progress and very hard to take photos of but I will try tomorrow. On the strip they upped the ante on the amount of neon and video that can be displayed, state of art but gaudy. And there was a lighting storm around 7pm off to the East. It would have been neat to see a few strikes on The Strip. 

Above right
Mojave: This is the edge of downtown next to some rail road tracks. Mojave makes places like Orosi look upscale

Barstow Station: Just what everybody needs, ugly purses.

The Barstow Station shopping experience.

Barstow Station

These ladies, all smoking, at Circus Circus

On the Road

On the road to Marfa Texas for the Chinati Foundation's 25^th Museum anniversary weekend. On Saturday and Sunday the Chinati permanent collection and Donald Judd's Marfa home and his three studio spaces will be open to the public for free self guided tours. I don't know a lot about Donald Judd and the Chinati Foundation and in a way I don't want to know to much and let the element of surprise take over.

This trip will also be a dry run for a future project of photographing America. Instead of trying to photograph “The Real America” by searching the back roads and out of the way places of the past I want to travel the interstates which means I will probably end up photographing a lot of Fast Food eateries. First stop, Vegas.

The End

Arrived In Petaluma at a Motel 6, this is the worst place I've stayed in and the bathroom flooded and they make you pay for internet and the person next door goes in and out every minute or so and the door squeaks. The drive down the coast was quite nice it is  highly recommended
Added a day later. More bad news about Motel 6. After I wrote the above I went to bed and was woken up about a hour later by something biting me, it was bed bugs. I pulled back the sheets and saw these little dark things crawling around, I crushed one and it was bloody, it was my blood. I end up leaving and headed home at 3am, a six hour drive. I now have two dozen quarter size welts on my arms, back and face and they itch bad. Thanks Motel 6

Noyo Harbor, Ft. Bragg

Live aboard, Noyo Harbor

End of fishing

On the Coast

Garberville to Ft. Bragg

A short drive from Garberville to Ft. Bragg in two hours time. Missed Usal Road, no sign. I hit coast, overcast and cold, a nice change.

North of Rockport

This weird car passed me while I parked on the side of the road but I was able to catch it when they pulled off to the side of road. It is a converted DeLorean with some kind of strange motor. Learn more at: www.tothefuture.org

I thought it was going to shoot flames out the back.

Mendocino, to cute for its own good.

Catching up Tuesday - Thursday

 Sacramento to Redding

Headed to Knights Ferry which is the setting for Joan Didion's first novel River Run. I even drove on River Road which I believe is where she grew up. From there I was able to drive along the levees and near the River to Hamilton City. Then North to Red Bluff where I caught Jelly's Ferry Road in Redding. In Redding the computer would not connect to the Internet, it was a bad stay.
    Redding to Arcata
On to Dunsmuir and the town of Mt. Shasta where I found the head of the Sacramento River, see photos. Next I was off the Edgewood where I got off of I-5 to Gazelle the on the Gazelle-Callahan Rd. to State Route 3 over the Pacific Crest picking up the Trinity River to Weaverville, a town frozen in time. Then it was 299 and a push to  Arcata. Got my Internet back but was to beat to do much except to put up a couple of pictures.
    Arcata to Garberville
Arcata to Ferndale and on to Petrolia and Honeydew on one of the worst roads in California. Humboldt Public Works sucks. The drive was grueling.

 

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 The Sacramento River Channel. From Knights Ferry North to around Colusa there is no vegetation on the East side while the West side is fully vegetated

Fishing

The town of Afton.

Jelly's Ferry Bridge one of the scariest bridges in California. The surface is torn up and it shakes.

Class A road  kill on Jelly's Ferry Road. This road was one of the more interesting drives. Earlier there were a pair of Vultures picking away at a similar sized carcass.

Jelly's Ferry Bridge and why it is scary.

Sun Dial bridge in Redding, very cool.

View from Sun Dial bridge, the people in the boat are drift fishing.

The Sacramento River as it passes through Dunsmure.

The ever present Mt. Shasta

After several days of heat when I woke up in Arcata there was fog. This is the view from above Ferndale, a town that is to cute.

Ferndale Cemetery, the best thing about Ferndale.

The road through Humbodlt Red wood State Park, some places are so narrow only one car at a time can fit. The park which is a short drive from 101 is worth a stop.

dEMONS in Redding

Last night, Tuesday, I spent the night in Redding and was not able to connect to the internet so I am a bit behind and will try to get current tomorrow, Thursday. I had a long day. I did find the Headwaters of the Sacramento River.

This says it all.

The water comes out of group of rocks. While I was there several people came and filled up bottles as is this gentleman. It is clear, clean and cold, good stuff.