More California
I love you, California, you're the greatest state of all. I love you in the winter, summer, spring and in the fall.
I love your fertile valleys; your dear mountains I adore. I love your grand old ocean and I love her rugged shore.
“California’s been good to me. Hope it don’t fall into the sea.” …..Tom Petty
Lee Vining - aka Poverty Flat - Hwy 395 - California
Beautiful stop along Hwy 395, historic small town California. Don’t just zip through the town, stop and look around.
Neon Nights - Bishop - California
I love neon signs, their lights flickering like memories, their vibrant colors seeming to make the air around them glow. They bring to mind, for me, simpler times long past.
Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery - NO Fishing - California
Give your eyes a treat the next time you’re driving through Independence, Cal on the 395. Just south of the town, head west on Fish Hatchery Road to visit the amazing Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery.
Cabazon - Dinosaurs! - California
If you’ve ever taken the 10 out to Palm Springs, or Arizona or anywhere past the Morongo Casino over the last 50 years, you’ve probably seen the giant Brontosaurus watching you as you sped past at 90 mph. And then, he was joined by another favorite dino - the Tyranosaurus Rex.
Olancha - Sleeping Beauty - Hwy 395 - California
Where does the name “Olancha” come from, or what does it mean? Seems that there’s no positive answer, but two likely options….
Red Hill Cinder Cone - It’s a Volcano! - California
If you’ve driven along the 395, you’ve most likely passed this volcano and didn’t realize the immense danger you were in.
The Horseshoe Joshua Tree - Hwy 395 - California
From a distance, Skip Gorman’s Horseshoe Joshua Tree can fool you into thinking it’s a real Joshua Tree. As you get closer, you stop. “Wait a minute, there’s something different about that tree,” you may say to yourself.
Pearsonville - Hub Cap Capitol of the World - California
Have you ever driven north on Pearson Road? Or perhaps ventured to the west side of 395, to explore Sterling Road? There are treasures on both sides of the highway for history seekers and those who enjoy finding the odd and quirky “Roadside Attractions” of years past.
Twin Tanks Desert Homestead Cabins - Twentynine Palms - California
This trip would prove to be quite a departure (pun intended) from my usual overnight excursions, as I planned on staying the nights at an airbnb I had heard about called the Twin Tanks Homestead Cabins, located about midway between the towns of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms.
Darwin Falls - Death Valley - California
I doubt that many people think of creeks, streams, waterfalls when Death Valley is mentioned, at least I don’t. But that’s what the hike to Darwin Falls is all about.
Ruth Camp - California
Ruth Camp is an interesting ghost town, located approximately 14 miles north of Trona in the Argus Mountain Range. There are a good number of fairly well-preserved buildings that I was able to poke around in, which date from the late 1930s.
Buried Homes - Newberry Springs - California
Method #3 on my tried and true list of how to find unique places to explor: See a picture of an intesting place, spend hours online tracking down its location, go there. Which is how I came to this bleak spot in the Mojave desert.
Eastern Sierra Nevada Fall Colors - California
October in Northern California, along I-395. What could be better?
Zabriskie Point - Death Valley - California
Spread out before me was a maze of wildly eroded and multi-colored badlands. I was home.
Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest - California
High atop the White Mountains of the Inyo National Forest is where I was heading. I was looking for the oldest trees in the world,
Route 58 Stone Ruins - California
I was driving west on Route 58, out of Barstow, heading to I-395 and points north….
Crowley Lake - California
Crowley Lake is located about 15 miles south of Mammoth Lakes. There’s a nice viewpoint right alongside Hwy 395, I stopped to stretch my legs and take a couple photos.
Convict Lake - California
I’d seen the sign for Convict Lake numerous times while driving by on Hwy 395, but this trip was the time I would turn off the highway and check it out.
The Trona Pinnacles - California
After close to five miles of bouncing and rat-a-tat-tat-tating over a hardpacked, washboard dirt road, the strange landscape seen from a distance was now up close and personal.
