A Tribute to Ansel Adams --- Apr 3, 2015

Most, if not all, of  you know of Ansel Adams (1902-1984).  He was a prolific photographer of black and white landscape images, primarily centered on Yosemite and the southwestern U.S.  He developed, along with Fred Archer, the Zone System as a way to determine proper exposure and adjust the contrast of the final print, resulting in great clarity and depth. That system is still used today in film photography.  Adams primarily used the large-format camera (think "bellows") because of their high resolution, ensuring sharpness in his images.  

I have been reading Ansel Adams' autobiography, and it has inspired me to share some black and white images of my surroundings here in Prescott National Forest.  Like Adams, I love the natural world. Unlike Adams, I do not use a large-format camera, although I have.  Once you've tried an all-manual camera (and viewing your images upside down), you can really appreciate his work and other photographers of his time...and those today who still shoot with large format cameras. (I have many friends who are fantastic large format photographers!)  I have always believed there is nothing like "film" photography.  But, alas, like millions of others, I have given it up for several reasons. Nonetheless, I love black and white photography!  I don't post much on my blog because most viewers migrate toward color, however, I am hopeful that may change a bit after reading this post. Of course, you can learn all you want to about Ansel Adams on the internet.  He was a fascinating figure!  Even if your interests don't lean toward photography, I highly recommend reading his autobiography! (Published 1985).

Following is a collection, without commentary, of some of the scenery around my site here in the Prescott National Forest.  I will be doing a followup post soon, incorporating many of these same photos, but in color and with explanations.  I hope you enjoy my renditions of Ansel Adams-inspired photos!

I will interrupt here for a second and quote a few lines from Adams' autobiography, after a rather scary adventure, that hit home for me!

"Such frightening experiences did not deter my explorations.  I often hiked alone for days, an unsafe practice that is not to be condoned.  I am sure that I found myself in many situations of uncommon danger because of my own ignorance and stupidity.  However, I continued to treasure my solitary excursions....they gave me many unforgettable days and nights and constant opportunities for photographing. "

Thanks for viewing!  Try some black and white photography yourself.  In my opinion, when you are looking at a black and white photo, you are seeing the content only...you are not drawn in by "colors".  

"The snapshot is not as simple a statement as some may believe.  It represents something that each of us has seen -- more as human beings than photographers -- and wants to keep as a memento, a special thing encountered.  The little icons that return from [the photo-finisher] provide recollections of events, people, and places; they stir memories and create fantasies.  Through the billions of snapshots made each year a visual history of our times is recorded in enormous detail." - A.Adams

Northward Bound ---- Apr 1, 2015

The last post left us at Saddle Mountain, ready to leave after opening that box of chocolates only to find that the refrigerator was without power. I never liked that flavor!  LOL!  I checked everything I could think of and nothing seemed awry...except the no power part.    

I called Carter's Mobile RV in Tonopah on Saturday morning (Mar 28) around 11:30am.  The temps are rising to about 93* - not good when your refrigerator isn't cooling.  Carter called me back at 4:30pm and we agreed to meet in Tonopah on Sunday morning at 9:00am.  The refrig is pretty well insulated and food was still cold/frozen at this point.  So.....all this meant we might as well leave Saddle Mountain and head to our next stop.

Carter is, admittedly, a mechanic not an electrician, but he and a guy he brought with him jiggled wires, unplugged/replugged connections and then took the cover off a box in the outdoor compartment.  Voila!  The fuse is out!  They didn't have one of the old glass fuses, but jimmied an alternative together that used the fuse-type in my main electrical panel.  It worked!  And the charge for all this?  ZIP, ZERO, NADDA, NIL!  He said "no charge" because they didn't really know what they were doing.  There are nice and generous people out there!

So, we're on our way north to Prescott National Forest....free camping for 7 days....and 25* cooler! Nikko will love that!  I can probably put the Frogg Togg Chill Blanket away!  

The ride will take us up Rt 89..... fairly un-scenic, initially, although there are forests of saguaro cactus along the way....but nowhere to pull over to take any pictures.  Generally, tho', this was the view...the mountains are scenic, tho'!

Just before getting into Wickenburg, I decide to pull over and let Nikko out for a few minutes.  Low and behold, there's a golf course right there.  And a nice one, too, with mountain views.  

The temps are getting cooler now and there are trees and grass and flowers!  What a change from the desert...and we haven't gone very far, really.  

Nikko likes it!

Time to get rolling..... Oh, wait.....cowboys are crossing the road!  This is horse country up here, so I'm not really surprised, but it was nice timing!  What a nice life they have around here!

Ok,  now we can go....see those mountains?!  That's where we're headed....

I DO NOT like mountain driving....I never have.....but away we go!  This isn't a couple of mile climb....it's about 20 miles.  Doesn't sound far, but when you're going 15 MPH and feeling sick the entire time, plus all the mental concentration it takes to drive 12,000+ lbs around never ending curves and switchbacks, 20 miles is a L-O-N-G way!  This is about half way....we pull over to let the RV cool down and so I can collect myself!  At this point, there's still 9.3 miles left to go.

Pretty views from here, tho'!

And pine trees are getting more prevalent...

After a few deep breaths, we're off to finish this part of the trek.  Of course, we make it, no problems, but I was glad to get into Prescott.  We stopped at Woody's gas station to get gas and some rather vague directions as to getting to the campsites in the National Forest.  Basically, a main, paved road simply ends after going past some housing subdivisions...... and all of a sudden, it turns into this....

I guess we're heading into the forest!  The directions I got were not good ones!  This part of the road was okay, but I never saw the fork in the road she talked about so we ended up driving on some very rough and rutted roads...thinking there was never going to be a place to turn around...but there was...finally!  We turned around and came back to a crossroads.  I flagged down a guy on a 4WD and he was familiar with the area.  He said....just go up "this road" about 3/4 mile and you'll see a good site for your RV.  He assured me I could drive the RV on it.  YAY!  

So, we turned right onto this road...I was having my doubts as to how this was going to work out....

It wasn't great, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the road I had just been on, nor ones I had been on in the past, so all is good!  We get to the spot he was talking about and maneuver a bit to get into the level area, but here we are! In the forest and it's about 70*.  Beautiful!

I'll stop here for now....there will be area photos coming up in the next posts.  This is a beautiful spot....cool, clean, crisp air....azure blue skies....and quiet!  

The refrigerator is still working!  Thanks, Carter!!

Like a Box of Chocolates --- Mar 31, 2015

You never know what you're going to get in this RVing lifestyle!

I was planning on staying at Saddle Mountain for about 10 days or so, but things change!  I left there on Sunday after only four days.... more about that later.  But let's catch up on what was going on at Saddle Mountain for my short stay....

First, a nature note.  Nikko and I were taking a desert walk one morning and came across a lowly cactus with one bloom about to open.  I made a mental note about where it was so we could come back to check on it.

The next day, not only had the one bloom opened, but most all the others, too!  Eventho' I've seen them before, it was spectacular!

I think what made it most intriguing was the fact that it was in the middle of nowhere with no other blooming cactus anywhere around!

Ok - talk about being at the right place at the right time!  Friday morning we got up extra early for some reason.  Just doing our normal routine...making tea, a bagel...nothing too exciting.  Then I heard this swooshing sound.... it sounded like my refrigerator's propane coming on....but not really.  I'm walking all around trying to figure it out.  Then I glanced outside and......

Rising up right in front of us was a hot air balloon!  Where in the heck did that come from???  No cars/trucks had come by...no sign of people.... it just rose, literally, out of nowhere!

It floated slowly and effortlessly across the base of the mountain for a good half  hour.  I thought maybe they were "in training" because it wasn't hitting the skies.

But, eventually, it did start rising into the crystal blue sky.  It was beautiful with the early morning sun hitting both the balloon and the mountain ridges.

It continued on its way toward the next mountain peak and eventually out of sight.  It really paid to get up early that day!  What a great way to start a desert day!  Amazingly, Nikko has seen two hot air balloons in his two months as an RVer!

Back to our day-to-day......our hiking consisted of just trekking around what you see...looking for interested rocks, getting cactus quills in our feet... that happened to both of us!  OUCH!

Nikko was a trooper, tho',... just pull them out, please, and let's keep going! 

Natural fission effect.... 

We had some colorful sunsets....

And a campfire....

All in all, we were happy with our short stay.  Wished it could have been a little longer, but we opened that box of chocolates and unwrapped one that changed the plan!  Next blog post!

We will catch up from our new (delightfully much cooler temps) spot in a few days!

Saddle Up! -- Mar 27, 2015

Nikko and I are at our first stop on this, I guess, third leg of our adventure --  1) 2014 summer across the U.S.;  2)  our winter spot;  3)  2015 summer...beginning now!

This first stop is only a couple hours away from the Yuma BLM, but about 8-9 degrees cooler. Eventho' it is still plenty warm, a few degrees makes a difference.  I don't mind the heat, but it's a little tough on Nikko.  I got us both a Frogg Togg Chill Scarf....  it's pretty "cool" -- don't mind the pun! It's made out of some kind of special fabric that is kinda rubbery, but not really.  Just soak it in water and it stays cold for a long, long time!  He seems to be enjoying it....

Ok - where are we?  We are near Tonopah, Arizona at Saddle Mountain.  It's about 8-10 miles off I-10 which runs east/west L.A. to Phoenix.  We're about 52 miles west of Phoenix.  Here's a view from the road while we're trying to find a place to get onto the property.... I guess I can see why they call it "Saddle" Mountain.....

This is more BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land....public land, so it's free to stay here up to 14 days.  I don't know how long we'll stay -- will just depend on the weather.

We got here mid-afternoon on Wednesday after stopping in Quartzsite to pick up a couple of things and having to go 12 miles PAST the exit to get gas...then come back.  (Very few stations along that stretch of I-10).   After weaving around on a few roads off the exit and finding an entrance to the area, we ended up about two miles (maybe a little less) up an inclined gravel road (what else is new?? LOL!) Tons of land, but very few places to pull off to camp. We passed a few, but I wanted to be closer to the base of the mountain.  Finally came to one that looked pretty good and decided we'd better take it. It's virtually impossible to turn an RV around in these kinds of places.   I got the RV situated with the doorway facing the mountain (which is south).  It's a very level spot...also not always easy to find.  A "must" for keeping the refrigerator working properly.  

I thought I would wait until Thursday to take a look around, but my curiosity was stronger than my waiting ability!  So here's the first look at Saddle Mountain....the section directly in front of our door. (I'm not sure why the sky looks green here....maybe it's just my screen -- it's actually azure blue!) There are some blooming ocotillos around....

Apparently this a popular hiking area...need to research that a bit more.  But I doubt Nikko and I will be scaling the mountain!  

Here are some quick mid-day shots.  It's a pretty area.  Luckily there are some wispy clouds to give the photos a little "extra" umph!   There will be a lot of exploring to do!

Even pretty in black and white!

Blazing Arizona sun!

We could probably hike up this section...

Nikko really likes looking around the new area!  

He went ahead as a "scout" !  LOL!

This was our first "preview" of our new yard.  We like it!  Now, back inside to get settled in and have some iced tea!   I'm going to try to keep the posts rather short and report on specifics, separately, if I can....instead of lumping everything together in one big post.  I'm back on limited internet time, so that's another reason to keep 'em short and sweet! 

Normally I say, "don't put something right in the center of your photo"... I think it works this time...

I see this as a pretty Christmas card!  

That's it for now.....just wanted to clue everyone in on where we are.

Will post again in a day or so....  in the meantime, enjoy the Spring weekend, wherever you are!