Dixie

Dixie Photo Shop (St. George) - Utah  2012

Dixie (St. George) - Utah  2012

Dixie is the nickname for southwestern Utah. It was first settled in the early 1860s, when farmers were sent south by Brigham Young to grow cotton, hoping to capitalize on the lack of availability of cotton due to the American Civil War.

Dixie is one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States, being located on the edge of the Sunbelt. St. George and its suburbs of Ivins, Santa Clara, and Washington, along with Hurricane, are the largest and fastest-growing cities within the region.

Wikipedia

Pumpkins

Pumpkins (Farm Stand) - Sacramento Valley  2012

Pumpkins - Marin County  2012

A quick insertion of some recent pumpkin pix.

Top: taken at a farm stand on the way to Yosemite.

Bottom: taken while walking Tuffy near the stable.

St. George - 1

Brigham Young Statue (St. George) - Utah  2012

Mike stayed overnight in St. George at a quite nice Best Western motel (Coral Hills, I think.)

Good location! As it turns out, Brigham Young had a winter house in the neighborhood . . . this area of Utah is known as "Dixie," because the winter climate is relatively mild.

A little-known fact (little-known to Mike, anyway) is that according to the New York Times, Brigham Young "married an estimated 55 women."

Nowadays though, he - that is to say, his statue - sits peacefully and contemplates the traffic on East St. George Blvd.

Brigham Young Statue (Rear) (St. George) - Utah  2012

Dia de los Muertos

Cemetery - Mazatlan  2002

Cemetery - Mazatlan  2002

Mike's visit to Mazatlan happened to coincide with the Day of the Dead festival. And, Dan and Mike just happened to be passing by a local cemetery on November 1 and noticed the activities taking place.

Of course, one tries to be discreet . . . still, with a Minolta SLR, it was kind of hard.

Scary

"Walk" Figure - Santa Fe  2012

"Walk" figure seen near the plaza in Santa Fe.

Arizona Desert . . . (Unexpected)

Desert - Arizona  2012

As Mike traveled north from Las Vegas towards St. George, Utah, he was surprised to find himself entering Arizona. Interesting! He didn't know that was going to happen: there's a tiny section of Arizona to travel through going from Nevada to Utah.

Very scenic, even though tiny. The drive though the Virgin River Canyon is awe-inspiring, although there's a sad lack of turnouts. But then one comes across the Virgin River Canyon Recreation Area. Mike had to stop and walk around a bit in spite of the over 90 degree (F) heat.

Monday White Winged Dove Blogging

White Winged Doves - New Mexico  2012

Another in the "Kay's Bird Bath" series. Per Wikipedia, the White Winged Dove's range "extends from the south-western USA through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean."

Casino

CasaBlanca Casino - Nevada  2012

Kitty Glitter Slots - Nevada  2012

Just before exiting Nevada Mike stopped at the CasaBlanca casino for lunch. He found the coffee shop, and yes, there it was: the $3.99 breakfast! So he had breakfast for lunch. It was good!

One major disappointment: the slots are now coinless. Yuck! Where's the magical sound of jackpot coins hitting the metal bowls? All gone now.

Food & Drink

Chicken Littles - San Rafael  2012

Stella Rosa - San Francisco  2012

Seen in San Rafael and San Francisco.

Vegas 1998

Glass Ceiling (Las Vegas) - Nevada  1998

Mannequin (Las Vegas) - Nevada  1998

In 1998 Hali's work paid for a stay at the Bellagio, just after it had opened. Mike remembers the ornate glass-sculpture on the ceiling, by the well-known glass artist, Dale Chihuly (had to look that one up).

Also, very classy mannequins.

Vegas

Bellagio (Las Vegas) - Nevada  2012

"One night last May, some twenty financiers and politicians met for dinner in the Tuscany private dining room at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. . . . The richest man in the room was Leon Cooperman, a Bronx-born, sixty-nine-year-old billionaire. . . .  in an interview and in a speech, [Cooperman] has gone so far as to draw a parallel between Obama’s election and the rise of the Third Reich."

“Super-Rich Irony” by Chrystia Freeland - The New Yorker

Mike had intended to stay overnight in Las Vegas, but realized that he could bypass it and head directly into Utah. So all he saw of Vegas this time was glimpses from the freeway, including this fleeting look at the Bellagio.

So that’s what goes on at the Bellagio! But wait! Didn’t Mike stay there once, back in the 90’s?

Yes. He did.

The Information Age / Desert Rest Stop

Rest Stop - San Bernardino County  2012

Rest Stop & Self Portrait - San Bernardino County  2012

Mike took three cameras with him on his trip, his m43 tryout camera the Olympus E-PL1, his older, but trusty, Canon G12, and his iPhone 4.

The interesting thing was that he deliberately tried to make use of the iPhone, because the photos that it takes can be immediately emailed. In order to email pix from the other cameras you would have to download the files to a computer, resize, and then mail. Both the above photos of a typically barren California desert rest stop taken with the iPhone.

Desert Photo Op

Joshua Trees - San Bernardino County  2012

Joshua Tree - San Bernardino County  2012

Heading towards Las Vegas Mike decided to take an offramp at the top of a freeway grade, wanting to unlimber his little Olympus E-PL1 for some scenic pix. He was in luck . . . many joshua trees in evidence.

Must say though, that there remained in inordinate amount of "haze" during this first portion of the trip.

Monday Gray Headed Junco Blogging

Gray Headed Junco - New Mexico  2012

Little bird enjoying a perfectly-positioned birdbath at Kay's house in White Rock (near Los Alamos).

We've seen juncos before, but this is a different type of junco. Very cool.

Early A.M. Mojave

New Promise Land - Mojave  2012

Driving into Sun - Mojave  2012

Mike stayed overnight in Mojave (mentioned before on the blog), then got up early to make his waffle.

He couldn't help but notice, right across the street, what looked to be the headquarters of New Promise Land Incorporated, with a nice full moon illuminating the scene (wind turbines in the background). Then, the drive east through the desert, right into the sun.

BTW: flicker user zanzyb was also attracted to New Promise Land.

Twirl

Twirl (St. George) - Utah  2012

Twirl Label - Utah  2012

Seen in St. George, Utah. I was thinking that this piece might be a good fit for the grounds of Terrapin Crossroads.

More Tehachapi Train Photos

Santa Fe - Tehachapi  1972

Caboose - Tehachapi  1972

At least, I'm pretty sure these were taken up near the Tehachapi Loop. How nice to see an actual caboose, with cupola! Added bonus: actual Santa Fe diesels. Extra special added bonus: no graffiti.

(Reason for uncertainty: no photo showing trains crossing over one another. I'll have to go back there next visit to nail this one down.)

. . . from the archives #75: Cab Ahead Articulated, Los Angeles 1958

Cab Ahead Articulated - Los Angeles  1958

While writing yesterday's Tehachapi post, I recalled that I had taken a photo of one of Southern Pacific's monster cab ahead articulated steam engines (with a 4-8-8-2 configuration) some years ago. So I delved into my contact sheets and found the negative . . . taken in 1958 in Taylor Yard, in Los Angeles. By then diesel engines had taken over, steam was out and these sculpturally exquisite machines had been moved to side tracks, waiting to be sold for scrap.

When I took the photo these engines were known as "cab ahead," but now I see that they're called "cab forward." Same idea.

Autumn Journeying

Tehachapi Loop - Tehachapi  2012

Tehachapi Loop Mural - Tehachapi  2012

When autumn came, he knew that part at least of his heart would think more kindly of journeying, as it always did in that season.

Mike too, emulating Frodo, chose to embark upon an autumn journey this year, bound for the summit of Chicoma Peak in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico via a somewhat circuitous route.

First stop was in the mountain town of Tehachapi, also a hardcore railroad town noted for its proximity to the famous Tehachapi Loop. Mike was pleased to find a railroad museum featuring an aerial schematic of the loop and a mural depicting one of Southern Pacific's cab-ahead articulateds climbing the grade.

Laundryworld

Laundryworld - San Francisco  2012

Welcome to Laundryworld - San Francisco  2012

In San Francisco. Seen from across the street, then (later) close-up.