Oregon at Last!

(Don't forget -- you can click on any image to enlarge it!)

Oregon, Here I Come!

While the Land Rover is getting finished up, I decided to take a little jaunt into Oregon before it got too cold and snowy. I know, snow covered landscapes are beautiful... they just make for dangerous driving. I do wish I had the Land Rover in tow, though. It sure would make it a lot easier to explore the little side roads where America's real treasures lie. As it is, I'll go as far as I can in BABS, and hike or bike the rest of the way. (And, for those of you who don't know, BABS stands for Big Ass BusS. Cute, huh?)

On with the story...
It was a great drive up Hwy 299 to the Oregon Border. And, everywhere I stopped, friendly people would always ask me about Vanishing America. I'll tell you, that artwork on the RV is just the ticket to get people thinking about this project and about what's disappearing in their communities.

My first stop was just outside of a tiny little former logging town called Lakeview, just north of Goose Lake where Hwy 395 meets up with Hwy 140. It was a gorgeous drive, especially when I hit the snowstorm.

That's right, I ran smack into a snowstorm. But, not to worry, it only lasted about 30 minutes and nothing stuck. I have to admit, though, it was fun, and beautiful. It occurred just as the sun was setting over Goose Lake. And, as luck would have it, I had the dash video camera running the whole time.

I've uploaded the video below, but since this is the first video I've tried to upload to the blog, I'm not sure if it will work on all platforms. So, if you can't play the video, please let me know. Oh, and let me know if you like the soundtrack. It's a song called I Wish You Would by the Breeze Kings. They're a hot blues band out of Atlanta, GA. You can check them out at www.myspace.com/breezekings. They have two albums out now and just got voted Best Blues Band in Atlanta by the readers of Creative Loafing. If you're in Atlanta, you absolutely have to go see them. And, if you're not in Atlanta, and you like blues, you have to buy their CDs. Every song on them is PURE GOLD!

Alright, enough of that. Back to the trip...

When I got into town, I got a few groceries at the local Safeway and headed out Hwy 140 West to a little RV campground called Junipers Reservoir RV Resort for the night. It's a great place, situated on an 8,200 acre ranch in Oregon's high desert. And, Mary, my host, was a perfect angel. The next morning she and I talked about how the area is changing, how we need to find a middle ground between environmentalism and development, and how there are still a few folks hardy enough to spend a full 12 months out here, even when the snowstorms hit (and don't let the video fool you. The storms out here hit HARD!) And, Mary herself is a hardy soul. She and her husband (grandparents both of them) head south about 350 miles during the winter when they take the cattle down to "greener pastures." And they do it the old-fashioned way -- via a bunch of cowboys and a good ole' cattle round-up. I'll tell you, I am impressed!

As I'm writing this, I'm recovering from Mary's recommendation of the 7 mile hike around the ranch that the Resort is built on. And, no, I'm not such a wuss that I can't hike 7 miles. It's just that it's a tad uncomfortable to hike 7 miles with a twisted ankle and a blister. (I got the blister today, but I got the twisted ankle back when I camped at the Wild Horse Sanctuary in Shingletown, CA.

Despite the pain, it was a great hike. The air was brisk and cool, the scenery was gorgeous, and I felt like I was a kid again, exploring the woods and fields around where I grew up.

Most of the hike was easy, along a dirt road that runs around the property, but being the curious adventurer that I am (don't laugh!), I wandered off the trail and into the high desert backcountry from time to time. And, I'm glad I did. I got to commune with nature. I know that sounds like something a hippie tree-hugger would say, but I mean it. I wandered off the beaten path and stepped into the wilderness that few people get to see. In amongst all the beautiful blue skies, green trees, and yellow pastures, the most interesting things I saw, and the most photogenic (at least for my style of photography), were the scattered tree trunks left over after the 2002 fires that swept through the area. Much of the forest has had time to regrow, but the new trees are so small compared to the hulking behemoths that the fire left behind. It was almost as if the fire selected certain trees and left others intact.

While the ranch raises cattle, the whole area is host to deer, antelope, elk, coyote, the occasional mountain lion, and plenty of ducks and geese. It's real wilderness. And the potential for becoming part of the food chain is real, too. But, the most dangerous creatures I came across were deer, a few chipmunks, and a little grass snake. But I was ready! I had my bear spray and my machete at the ready. (Hey, that rhymes.)

Well, it's getting late, I'm getting tired, and my writing is beginning to ramble. I'll say goodnight, and as always, stay tuned. The adventures are just beginning...

Next stop: RENO

From Lone Pine, CA to Reno, NV...

Today, I head farther north up the 395 to Reno -- the next stop on my way to Redding.

Yes, I know there are quicker ways to get to Redding, but that's not the point of this trip. The idea is to "stop and smell the roses", not zoom by them so fast that all you get is a pink blur. Since I'm due in Redding on Wednesday, I don't have time to stop and shoot this time around, but at least I get to see it, and then, when I come back through here in a month or two, I can take the time necessary to make some beautiful images.

I'll be pulling out in about 2 hours. I've had a productive and restful stay at Boulder Creek, and look forward to seeing some interesting landscapes as I pass by Yosemite, Mammoth, and Mono Lake. It should be about a 6 hour drive, but I'm sure that time will fly by!

Vanishing America hits the Road!

FINALLY!!!

It's Sunday, and I'm finally on the road to Redding.

This officially marks the beginning of my Vanishing America Journey!

To kick things off, I had breakfast this morning with Monique Marvez from Jack FM's morning show in San Diego. She is stoked about having me call in from the road to giver her and her listeners updates on my progress. Monique has been a stand-up comic for over 10 years – most of which was spent on the road traveling the U.S. just like I'm doing. (That's one of the reasons she's interested in this project. We have some common ground.)

After breakfast at this cool old (and original) Hollywood hills café, I hit the road. In keeping with my vow to avoid the Interstates at all costs, I'm taking Hwy 395 so I can avoid the cities and swing by Yosemite on my way to Redding. It's a little out of the way, but that's what this trip is all about: seeing things I wouldn't normally see otherwise.

By evening I had made it up the Eastern Sierras as far as Lone Pine, a little town nestled in on Hwy 395 between Sequoia National Park and Death Valley National Park, about 3 hours northeast of Bakersfield. Apparently it's a stopover for folks on their way to Mammoth.

It took me about 7 hours and I passed through some very interesting scenery on my way up here. Most of what I drove through was desert scrub, with an occasional mining town thrown in to break the monotony. But, the most interesting part was on the way to Coso Junction Rest Area in Rose Valley, about 10 minutes south of Lone Pine. For several miles prior to reaching the rest area, you could see from the highway huge outcroppings of dark volcanic rock and red volcanic sand. It was an incredibly stark contrast to the smooth rolling scrub hills of the Eastern Sierras. This area, as I later found out, is geothermically active, helping to create natural wonders like Fossil Falls and Mono Lake.

I need an extra day to catch up on my writing, emails, editing, etc., so I'm spending the night at the Boulder Creek RV Resort -- a very nice, quiet campground right off the 395, about 5 miles south of Lone Pine. It's a very pretty place, for being out in the middle of nowhere, and it's extremely affordable -- $27/night with full hookups, a pool and spa, lounge with cable tv, a very nice general store, and a surprisingly pleasant staff. If you're camping in an RV, I highly recommend this as a stopover. Just be prepared for a lot of wind!

And, I'm glad it's out in the middle of nowhere, because you can see lots of stars, and even the Milky Way. And, that's a good thing, because the Perseid meteor shower is supposed to be visible tonight!

On a side note, the image and website on the RV seems to be generating buzz already! I have to admit, it was exciting when Don Goldberg dropped me a line after seeing me drive through the LA area on my way up here. His was the first contact I've had as a direct result of seeing the rig. Since then, I've received another email from a nice person named Loreto, who lives in Chile, who found my blog online!

While I'm flying under the radar, I still have time to answer emails from folks like Don and Loreto, but soon, after I get a few interviews under my belt and do a couple of segments for Fox & Friends, I expect to be so busy that I won't have much time to answer all my emails. But, I will try!