Former hometown boy chronicles rural America

What's News in Alpharetta, Georgia? Well, I'll tell ya...!

Well, would you look at that! An article in my hometown paper. Mom will be so proud!

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Here's the link to the full article:

http://www.northfulton.com/1pubicindex.lasso?-token.editorialreferral=161419.112113

Alpharetta and Roswell Revue & News 

Photographer travels, snaps shots of 'Vanishing America'

by Christine Braden

August 29, 2007 It's a great big country out there and a hometown boy, Holt Webb, is aiming to see it all before it vanishes forever. Over the next two years, Webb, a professional photographer, will do what he does best – take pictures to elicit emotion within people. Using his camera he will capture the people, places, culture and architecture that are slowly disappearing from the American experience. The project, aptly named "Vanishing America," is unique, if not also just a little bit nostalgic. "Vanishing America is equal parts fine art photography and photojournalism specifically designed to capture the beauty and enchantment of the unique elements of our history and culture that are in danger of disappearing within the next two to three generations," said Webb, who grew up in Alpharetta, but now lives in San Diego, Calif. Inspired by a childhood of canvassing the local woods, 38-year-old Webb – back in town for his 20-year Milton High School reunion – can remember a time when community history was preserved and the wilderness was left wild. He recalls spending many summer afternoons biking through rural Alpharetta with his brother and some friends to the old Stovall's Grocery store. Even at his young age, Webb can remember the day the boys were stopped on their well worn trail by a large tractor getting ready to plow a new neighborhood – directly in the middle of their private, boys-only world. "I've felt a sadness and frustration as development for housing and shopping took those places away from me," he said. "And, now, as an adult, seeing that same thing happen in San Diego and across the country at an increasingly rapid rate, I've decided enough is enough." (Article continues... follow this link or the link below.)

Link to the full article:
http://www.northfulton.com/1pubicindex.lasso?-token.editorialreferral=161419.112113 

Petroglyph Point

Graffiti, New and Old...

Petroglyph: A drawing made by carving into a rock face or other hard surface.
Pictograph: A drawing made with inks, dyes, or other painterly methods.

Yesterday took me to Lava Beds National Monument in Lassen National Park to view the remains of ancient drawings carved into the rock over 4000 years ago.

The location is called Petroglyph Point, and is, essentially, a huge sandstone outcropping in the Tule Lake basin about two hours North East of Redding, CA. During the time of the Modoc Indians, the entire basin was covered by the lake. And, periodically, the Modoc would paddle canoes out to the island for sacred rituals, carving details of their lives into the soft sandstone.

As the years went by, the water level of the lake would rise and fall, requiring carvings to be made at different levels on the rock face. Over several thousand years, the water level would alternately cover and expose the carvings. As a result, the older carvings that were protected by the water are in much better condition than the carvings that had to face the harsh sun and wind.

As the Modoc tribes disappeared, and white men came into the area, the water level was low enough to expose hundreds of acres around the rock outcrop, giving anyone who wished easy walking access to the carvings. Unfortunately, because of this easy access, there is quite a bit of modern graffiti mixed in among the ancient petroglyphs. Today the rock face is fenced off to help protect the ancient artwork, but the sandstone is fragile, and time and weather will eventually erase the writings and images from the stone forever.

But, until that day comes, one can still see the ancient carvings and even hike to the top of the "island" for a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding volcanic plains and Tule Lake.

Waterfalls!

Water, Water, Everywhere! (with apologies to Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

A quick ride up to Dunsmuir took me and my friend and tour guide, Stephanie, to two beautiful waterfalls... Hedge Creek Falls, with a cave behind the falls that notorious stagecoach robber Black Bart used for a hideout, and Mossbrae Falls, a wide series of beautiful falls cascading down a steep rock face covered with lush green vegetation.

Both locations were a welcome cool contrast to the 100 degree heat of the day.

The walk to Hedge Creek was short and sweet, maybe a hundred yards, but quiet and pretty and easily accessible even by moms with strollers.

The walk to Mossbrae Falls, on the other hand, was a bit longer, yet much more exciting. In order to get to Mossbrae Falls, you have to walk a mile alongside an active railroad track, keeping an eye out for the trains that seem to run every hour. If you're not careful, you could be living a scene right out of the movie Stand by Me.

The path to the falls is just before the track's 1901 truss bridge, which, in itself is an exciting walk, as it crosses the river at over 100 feet in the air. I'll make sure to get some great images on my return visit next week.





(photo courtesy of Stephanie Berg)

Wild Horse Sanctuary

Yesterday I drove to Shingletown to scout out the Wild Horse Sanctuary. Great place! I just went to check it out for a later visit with all my cameras, and found it to be not only a sanctuary for the horses, but a beautiful place to just wander around and explore.

I wandered around for about an hour (I didn't bring adequate water to stay longer), coming across numerous beautiful horses of all shapes, colors and sizes, including several young foals and a couple of newly minted babies.

This particular little fellow was so new that he hardly had the energy to do more than nap. But his momma made sure she kept a close eye on him.

I'll bring you some more images when I go back for the "real deal".



From the Wild Horse Sanctuary website:

In the spring and summer months, to raise money to support the horses, the Sanctuary offers 2 and 3-day weekend pack trips to the public. We also offer a 4 day cattle drive. Each day ride the trails created by the wild horses and burros through pine and oak-studded hills--a bit of paradise dotted with meadows, woods, creeks, and ponds. Bordering Vernal Lake, our base camp consists of frontier style sleeping cabins: a "cook" house featuring a main kitchen, a wood-burning stove, hearty meals, and bathroom facilities, complete with hot shower.

About the Sanctuary:

Rather than allow 80 wild horses living on public land to be destroyed, the founders of the Wild Horse Sanctuary made a major life decision right then and there to rescue these unwanted horses and create a safe home for them. And just as quickly, they launched a media campaign to bring attention to the plight of these and hundreds of other wild horses across the west that eventually led to a national moratorium on killing un-adoptable wild horses.

The Sanctuary is located near Shingletown, California on 5,000 acres of lush lava rock-strewn mountain meadow and forest land. Black Butte is to the west and towering Mt. Lassen is to the east. The current location features better accessibility for the public, a milder winter climate with more natural cover, and other benefits for the horses.

The Sunday paper! How about that? The first Vanishing America write-up is in the Redding Sunday paper. Pretty good start. Here's the link:
http://www.redding.com/news/2007/sep/02/photographer-gives-rv-green-makeover/

Lassen National Park

Yesterday was my day off. But, today kicked my butt!

Maybe it was the altitude. Maybe it was because I hadn't been on a horse in 6 months. Or, maybe I'm just out of shape. Whatever the reason, my trail ride up into Devil's Kitchen in Lassen Volcanic National Park (part of Lassen National Forest) wore me out.

But, it was worth it! As the cowboys say, "That there's God's Country."

My friend, Carrie, and I were guided up the path to the geothermal vents and springs by a cute, sweet, young woman named Kelsey from Drakesbad Guest Ranch. It was a relaxing ride, our horses were terrific, and the views were phenomenal.

We stopped the horses at the top of the ridge about 100 yards from the sulfur pools and hiked the rest of the way in. Almost immediately we could smell the sulfur, and combined with the lush forest and bubbling streams, it made for a somewhat ethereal experience. You could actually feel the sauna-like heat steaming from the vents as you looked over the rocks at the bubbling mud pools and sulfur-stained rocks. It's just one more spot that deserves a lot more time than the three hours we spent.

Lassen is one of those areas that has, up to this point, actually been saved from development by its weather. When winter hits, just about everything shuts down. The roads become impassable and snow socks in the whole region.

However, with improvements in home building, road building, and man's desire to fulfill his "Manifest Destiny", it's only a matter of time before the quaint little villages in and around Lassen National Forest become bustling towns, complete with a Burger King and Wal-Mart. You can see the signs already, as old establishments are being torn down and newer businesses take their place. The town of Chester, just outside the National Park, is seeing the biggest development with more people moving in to permanent homes and more lodges and businesses being built to cater to the rising population of visitors on vacation.

One sign that the slow, lazy days of living in the mountains is starting to fade is the arrival of fast drivers in new cars. Now, don't think I'm going on a rant about driving fast or spending good money on a fancy car. Heck, I love to drive fast, and I love nice cars. But... there is a time and a place for them, and a quiet mountain road ain't it!

On the one-lane gravel road leading to the Ranch, we missed being broadsided by about two inches by a guy in a brand new Land Rover doing 50mph around a blind curve that should have been taken at 25mph. A few minutes later, two new Jeep Cherokees whizzed by us at the same speed. The hustle and bustle of the big city is here, and it doesn't look like it's going to stop for any wildlife, including the old-timers in their rusty pickups.

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As gorgeous as Lassen was, my artistic eye was astonished by the vistas along Hwy 36 as the sun dropped low in the sky. In a few days, weather permitting, I'll show you some fantastic images of yet another ethereal landscape.

Tomorrow, I head out to the Wild Horse Sanctuary in Shingletown to scout the place for good images for my Untamed series and for some good Hi-Def video footage for the documentary.

As always, I'll keep you posted...

The Record Searchlight and Sunset Marketplace

Today I did an interview with Dylan Darling, Environmental Reporter for the Redding Record Searchlight newspaper. Both he and his photographer, Mike, were great to talk to and really seemed to enjoy their work. Since the piece isn't urgent news, it may not hit print for a week or more, but I'll be sure to let everyone know when it does!

I also did a little grocery shopping today. I didn't go to Vons. I didn't go to Albertsons. And, I sure as heck didn't go to Wal-Mart. I went to a local grocery called Sunset Marketplace. And, let me tell you, I'm glad I did.

Sunset has been around for over 15 years and is relatively small, but is one of the friendliest, cleanest, most delightful stores I've ever been in. From Jamie, the sweet cashier, and Alex, the friendly butcher, to Rachel, who helped me out to the car, everyone in that store was as nice and helpful as anyone could ask.

The shelves were all full, the food was fresh and beautiful, and the selection was exceptional. If you live in or near Redding, and haven't been to Sunset Marketplace, do yourself a favor, stop in and see my friends. Tell them I sent you. :-)

Warm Georgia Rains...

I didn’t need much time to recover from last night – a little yoga and some fresh fruit seemed to do the trick -- but I was still sleepy from my long journey the day before. My family and I went to lunch with the Cromie clan and I got my first taste of a Georgia summer rain since almost 10 years ago. It was great just sitting on the front porch watching the summer showers and feeling the cool rain splashes dance in the warm southern air. The trees were so green, the air was so fragrant… I couldn’t have asked for a better welcome home.

After a little relaxation on the porch, I walked over to my neighbor’s to visit my friend Doug. (He was spending the next few weeks at his mom’s recuperating from knee surgery.) We spent about an hour talking about how Alpharetta was when we were kids, while his mom, Linda, and her friend, Becky, spent their time in the kitchen cooking up homemade chicken, biscuits, and all the "fixins" for their church dinner that night. It was a snapshot of the South I hadn’t seen since I moved to California. I took it for granted when I lived it, but I’ll admit, I miss it now.

Milton High School Class of '87 Twenty Year Reunion!

20 years. Twenty Years!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Well, today is the day I came for. 20 years ago, I graduated from Milton High School – then the only high school in Alpharetta, now one of several.

I met my old friends, Marc, Steve, and Brandon, at the Roswell Doubletree Hotel around 6pm and we spent the first hour reminiscing and drinking beer like we’d never missed a day. We spent another hour in the hotel bar and then meandered over to the ballroom for the party.

In 1987, Milton High School had a graduating class of over 300, but tonight only about 60 of them (not including spouses and dates) were able to make it (and, I’d actually heard that at least one girl passed up the reunion to go to a concert!)

Despite the low turnout, it was a great time. Everyone had grown older, of course, and many looked quite the same as they did in high school, but what impressed me most was that everyone seemed to have grown up. At our 10 year reunion, people still held on to that clique mentality and still treated other classmates the same way they did in high school (the cool kids ignoring the geeks, the jocks making fun of the band, etc.) This time, though, it was different. The playing field was leveled, and those who were smug and self-centered in high school were now friendly and down-to-earth. It was a truly enjoyable evening.

One thing I was worried about, though, was remembering people’s names. Of course, we all wore nametags, but there’s always that awkward moment between when you recognize a face and when you remember (or don’t remember) their name. And, you can’t cheat by peeking at their nametags without getting caught. But, everyone was in the same boat, so not being able to connect a name with a face was easily forgiven.

The music was hit and miss, but, we had fun, and after a while, folks got out on the dancefloor and let loose. As the party in the ballroom wound down, a large group of us found ourselves carrying on in the hotel bar (the drinks were better there, anyway.) And, when the bar shut down, we all walked down the street to Tony’s and listened to a great band called The Breeze Kings (www.breezekings.com) and ended up closing that bar down as well. I think we made it back to our rooms by 2:30 or 3:00am, still wired and ready to go. Just like in high school, we outlasted the establishment and were still craving more. Just between you and me... I think it was the shared energy of the group, because we’d never be able to do that in our “normal” lives.

For me, it was a short trip (and two days of it was spent traveling), but I’m glad I went, because I truly enjoyed seeing old friends and acquaintances. I may sound like a doting parent, but I was so proud of how everyone turned out – happy, successful, and damn interesting! There were a lot of people I wish I’d gotten to know better when we were younger, and a lot of people who I look forward to getting to know better as I get older. I'm glad that so many people were able to come, and to the people who couldn’t make it... well, just know that you were dearly missed.

If you’re a Milton grad reading this blog, pass it on to your friends. They’d love to hear from you, and I’d love to hear from them. I’d like everyone to keep in touch with me, and I’d be more than happy to be a centerpoint for relaying news and information about what is happening in people’s lives. Just subscribe to my blog (click on one of the links to the right in the blue box) and I’ll make sure it happens.

Photos courtesy of Tracy (Thomas) Archer

Back on the Blog

Alright...

Back on the blog... (sounds like a great album title, doesn't it?) Okay, I'll start by recapping the weekend:

Friday, August 24th:
I drove from Redding to the Sacramento Airport this morning. I was actually running late because I used my phone as my alarm and forgot to take it off "vibrate". Let's see if I remember that lesson.

You know, I actually like the Sacramento airport. Unlike the larger airports like LAX or Hartsfield in Atlanta, the Sacramento airport has trees and grass; It's small and not too crowded; It's personal and it is relaxed; It's a pleasant place to be. But, with it being a small airport, I was unprepared for the change in security procedures. I’m sure everyone is used to security screening: you take out your laptop, empty your pockets, and put anything metal in the bins. If you’re wearing heavy shoes, those come off, too. You walk through the scanner and if anything beeps, they run a wand over you. And sometimes they'll pull one of your items for a swab test. That's the extent of it. This crack team of TSA workers, however, had us take off almost everything – belts, shoes (including flip flops!), rings, hats, pacifiers, jackets, glasses –- you name it, we had to remove it. As I passed through the scanner, all I was wearing were my jeans and my shirt. Good thing I didn’t have to take off my pants... this was not the day to go "commando".

Even as I sit at the gate, ten minutes later, I still see people getting dressed, putting belts back on, tying shoes, and putting on jewelry. I even saw one guy running down the aisle to his gate with a big grin on his face, trying to hold up his pants while his belt swung wildly behind him. I'm thinking next time I'll show up at the airport in my boxers and get dressed at the gate. That ought to speed things up a bit. ;-)

But back to the flight...

Long story short, the flight to Phoenix was uneventful, but for the flight from Phoenix to Atlanta, we were overbooked, had to move to a bigger plane, got diverted to Charlotte, North Carolina because of storms and arrived in Atlanta around 11pm. It was a long, long day, and, you can believe, I was glad to finally be home. I expect I'll sleep in tomorrow. (I need to save my energy for the reunion party!)

Next: Party Party Party!