This place, just outside Death Valley, is like the motherlode of roadside art. If you want to visit with no expectations, look away, get in your air-conditioned car and go. Find Rhyolite on the map and head there. However, for a much faster visit, take a peek below. And if you want more info try the website or … Continue reading Roadside Art: Goldwell Open Air Museum
Month: May 2017
Scooter-Man
During a camping trip to Lake Nacimiento over Easter weekend two years ago, a solitary camper caught and held the attention of our entire crowd. We nicknamed him "Scooter-Man," and we all enjoyed witnessing his independence as he came in alone, set up his campsite (pulling everything out of what we imagined to be a clown-car sized storage … Continue reading Scooter-Man
Roadside Art: Sunburst Sculpture
The above sculpture was photographed on an approach to the NW entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, at 71047 CA-62, a.k.a. the "Twentynine Palms Highway." A little research revealed the artist is named Simi Dabah, and that there is a nearby studio (near to the sculpture, that is), containing more than 600 sculptures! On the one hand, knowing the details … Continue reading Roadside Art: Sunburst Sculpture
Book Review: Legendary Truths
Reading through Ken Johnston's Legendary Truths: Peter Lassen & His Gold Rush Trail in Fact & Fable, I kept asking myself, "Who is this written for?" Sara Balmuth - in her review found here - addresses the same issue (and gives a fair summary of the book, a bit more than what is already covered in the title). Her conclusion … Continue reading Book Review: Legendary Truths
Roadside Art: Beautiful Death Fence
Take a morning stroll down a familiar city neighborhood - you're daily commute, for instance, unless you only travel freeways - and you'll notice details easily missed when speeding through (not only commonplace details like the numbers on the houses, but the stuff between the houses that gets overlooked at first glance): lush gardens, animals in their habitat, quirky … Continue reading Roadside Art: Beautiful Death Fence
Campfire Chronicles
One of the unique pleasures (some would say "torture") of camping - even less remarked upon than the phenomenon of how food tastes better outside - is the people-watching. A campground is like an apartment complex without walls, a workplace with all the cubicles removed. I believe the term is "fishbowl environment." About the only privacy a … Continue reading Campfire Chronicles
Wednesday Words on the Wild: Perfection
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence. ~ Vince Lombardi "Stop the car. I want a picture of the trees and the snow," I told my friend Royce, as we sped through Sequoia National Park last weekend. "All that snow is dirty," he replied, referring to the snow nearest to the side of … Continue reading Wednesday Words on the Wild: Perfection
Wednesday Words on the Wild: Balance
Since our Earth is not completely rigid, as it rotates on its axis, centrifugal force causes the equator to bulge. This is the same force that causes you to fling to the side of a giant spinning wheel in a theme park. The non-uniform gravitational force of the Sun and the Moon will pull on … Continue reading Wednesday Words on the Wild: Balance
May Day (2017): Words About Pictures
Although Campfire Tales can't afford the reprint rights, the good news is that there is nothing stopping us from sending you here to look at some of the most stunning wilderness photography you will ever see. That's a promise. (Or better yet, visit a Rodney Lough Jr. gallery in Las Vegas or Portland or elsewhere. As … Continue reading May Day (2017): Words About Pictures
Campfire Tales 