Wednesday, May 25, 2016

I'm A Travelling Man

Summer makes me start to dwell on the things I haven't done  yet, like get a damn Airstream and at least camp in it, if not dwell in it. I live in a mild climate where I could technically do it. Maybe I will, then you can all come round for drinks in my parlour - just so you know, my parlour will be the area outside the Airstream, sort of an outdoor living room full of delicious cocktails, camp fires, sunshine, chips, dips, and joy. Don't I live in a nice world? I believe I do.

For now though, I'm just happy to be here, working on my design stuff and enjoying the shit out of living by the sea. Who doesn't love the smell of the ocean? A moron that's who.

Talking of morons, this was on Martin's site the other day and it made me almost choke to death on my coffee. Understand, I am not calling Martin a moron here... I suspect you knew that.



Recently, I took a trip to the U.S. and in an unprecedented act of unusualness (NOT!), I took some photos. Here are a few of them for your disinterest/enjoyment. Because why not? Please note, these are in no particular order as that would be sensible.


I posted a photo from Joshua Tree a couple of weeks ago. This is another as it's such a stunning place it would just be cruel not to. The little meander around that path there was one of the most pleasant walks ever. So beautiful. Man, I love the desert.


This photo is from a little place called Amboy, in California. It's pretty remote and lies on the old Route 66 on a derelict stretch pretty much neglected when the interstate appeared years ago. Roy's is a famous stop there and has been used for many Hollywood location shoots, including "The Hitcher" in 1986. It's a favourite for horror shoots due to its remoteness. I loved it. The photo is of the Roy's sign and the old, original motel which currently is just a shell.


This is an awesome little sunset in San Francisco, as seen from my hotel room. That's the Golden Gate Bridge silhouetted in the background. I just loved the colours. Apologies to those of you who look at my Instagram feed as you've seen most of this nonsense before only in crappier phone pic form. These are from my camera.



Another of the Golden Gate Bridge, this time from Baker Beach in San Francisco.


Another sunset, this time on the California coast, in Cayucous, near Pismo Beach. Pretty nice drinking an alcoholic beverage and looking at this, on the balcony!


You so purty, California!


In Death Valley there was an almighty sandstorm. This dude, seemed to be celebrating it though... Put your shirt on, guy!


Death Valley still looks like another planet. It's awesome. And this time, it wasn't 130 degrees for a change, just about 96. Pffft! For the record, every time I've been in Death Valley (Three times!) I have taken this exact picture in this exact spot. Why? Who knows?


I went to see (and drive through!) the tunnel from my favourite movie, "Duel" by Steven Spielberg. I was THIS excited! If you've seen the movie, it's the tunnel with the broken down school bus. Gave me the chills.


Death Valley's Ubehebe Crater. Or as I kept calling it, "Heebie Jeebie".


I photographed this old girl last time I was out in Nevada, but she's rusted a lot more since then. Pretty cool.

Here's the inside of that rusty old bucket.


I can't resist the rust!


The large alien outside the "Alien Research Center" near Rachel.


Early morning in Arches National Park in Utah. 


Another from Arches. Thelma and Louise country!


Some ex-nuclear bunkers in Atomic City, Idaho. Now used as barns it seems.


Love some old motels! This sign was in Wallace, Idaho.


Another of Atomic City's old, mostly derelict buildings. They used to house workers from the Nuclear Plant.


If you remember "Northern Exposure" from the 1990s, you'll recall this mural from the opening credits. In Roslyn, Washington.


Another serene day by the ocean in Washington State.

Hope you enjoyed my small, erratic selections. I like to bore people with pictures now and then. You just deal with it! 

Okay, I'm getting back to work now.

13 comments:

  1. Fantastic photos! I'd love to follow you on Insta if you're ok with that. I'm melphris on there.

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  2. It's like watching slides in my Great Uncle's basement when I was a kid.

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  3. Hay, you should update my link so you can actually see when I post anything, which I’m trying to do! Also, I’m quite fascinated by the nature but I don’t really like the desert. It’s just.. dry. But I’ve never been in one either, so I’m not saying all that much. Oh jk, I’ve been to Egypt. No, don’t like deserts. It’s fortunate that I live where there’s never enough time for things to be dry. *looks out on the street that has gotten two inches of rain today* Hrm. Well there could be benefits.

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  4. Girly, I love (*LOVE*) your pictures! Are some of those HDR?! Ooh!

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  5. I need to remember Baker Beach if I make it back SF. I've been at the park on the north end of bridge but didn't know there was nice beach so close.
    The multiple death valley pics - probably related to what those aliens implanted in you on your first visit.
    Nice pictures.

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  6. Score, yes I practically AM your uncle. Yesterday I grew a beard and everything!

    WYNN: I will update it when I'm on my computer, thanks! I don't know why I like deserts so much I just do so I don't fight it! I also enjoy desserts.

    Cora: maybe three or four of them, yes. I like to take a few bracketed RAWs to play with. :)

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  7. LISLE: yeah, the view from Baker Beach is just lovely. Weather wasn't the best that evening but on a nice night I'll bet it's fantastic. Or in the early morning maybe. Great views of the bridge.and yes, aliens explains a great deal about the stuff I do in general I think...

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  8. Awesome places and gorgeous photos! You are truly multi-talented...
    You also posted photos from some spots (out of California), that I now have to visit.

    We just got home last night from a couple of weeks on the central coast.

    Again, great great pics!

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  9. Post: hey Pat! Where did YOU go in California? Also thank you for the kind words, your check's in the nail. Wink.

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  10. This will be a bit lengthy, because almost all of the places I go to are in California. Here is some of the stuff we saw in the last two weeks (also, from last year).
    We parked our RV on the outskirts of Oceano. It's a little town a few miles south of Pismo Beach. This might sound strange to many, but we didn't spend any time at all in Pismo. http://patricktillett.blogspot.com/2011/11/central-coast-oceano.html

    Spent half a day in, and around a city park (Dinosaur Caves) in Shell Beach. The draw wasn't the park itself, but the AMAZING cliffs that it was perched on. Shell Beach has something else that is pretty cool. Here is a post I did on it earlier.
    http://patricktillett.blogspot.com/2013/09/spiral-staircase-to-nowhere-california.html

    Spent some time looking for a couple of abandoned bridges for the road that predated HWY 101. The one we found was made in 1909 me thinks.

    Hiked an AWESOME trail on Point San Simeon. It is near the wharf that they used to ship in the materials used to build Hearst Castle. Was looking for some ancient Indian habitation sites that may, or may not be there. Spent most of a day there.

    Stopped in Cayucous for a Brown Butter Cookie (famous for Brown Butter Cookies). I think they are highly overrated but the other flavors are good. It's an old town though, and has a lot of history there.

    Spent a day in and around Cambria (also looking for habitation sites. Not in town, but around it. I found one right off of the famous Moonstone Beach. I'm sure a million people have walked right by it, and didn't have a clue. My granny taught me well...

    Went searching around the little town of Avila Beach and found another Chumash Indian Habitation site. Also went on a nice hike there to a place called Pirates cove, that ended up being a shit hole. Right next to this town is a very old and pretty much unchanged commercial fishing wharf. Port San Luis.

    Went to an AMAZING place called Montana De Oro State Park. It is about 5 miles or so, south of Morro Bay. Next time you are in the area, it is a MUST see. Please check out this link from the first time we accidentally went there.
    http://patricktillett.blogspot.com/2013/10/spooners-cove-california-central-coast.html

    Much more, but this is getting pretty long.









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  11. Pat: All those places sound fab, I am so checking out Shell Beach and Montana De Oro next time. Noted! I actually stayed in Cayucous and it was lovely and like you I also had Brown Butter Cookies! I had a lemon one. Good cookie but no better than any other decent cookie but hey, a cookie's a cookie I guess. It was just such a nice, sleepy little town and it had decent Mexican food which I didn't expect. Also went to Morro Bay to see that big rock. :) Hey I bet we passed each other sometime during the trip. Eerie!!!!

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  12. Mel! Hey I added you on Instagram, say hi! :) You rule.

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