Road Tripping USA (11 states in five days)

I have not seen my brother in several years, so when he and his wife flew me from California to Florida to photograph a wedding, I jumped at the chance. Once the wedding was over we hopped into his little Scion car, and drove from Florida, to Georgia, to Tennessee to Kentucky, to Illinois, to Missouri, to Kansas, to Iowa, to Nebraska, through Wyoming (where he was relocating for job) and finally into Salt Lake City Utah to catch a flight home to Southern California. It was the middle of winter, and we had perfect road conditions nearly all the way. Not much time was spent sight seeing, time was not a luxury on this trip, we did however manage to take in a few sights. Civil War battle fields, and historic sights alike.

The following photos would hardly be considered artistic, but it does capture a bit of our road trip.

One shot from the Wedding in Florida...

Starting at the Atlantic Coast in Florida, my brother his family, and I spent a day at drift wood beach on Talbot Island.

 Later we went to Fort George Island to check out the Kingsley Plantation.
Interesting note about Kingsley Plantation. Mr Kingsley was a white man who married one of his slaves. She in turn became a slave holder, and.land owner. This is one of the remains of a slave quarters on that island.

 WHAT THE HELL....only in Florida.

 One strange part of the Southern, and Midwestern states, are the abundant amount of Fireworks stands! All these would be illegal in California, come to think of it, anything that is fun is illegal in California.

 Get em' while they are hot!!!

 One of my favorite places to eat at in the south, cheap food, and they are always near a highway off ramp. This one was on the Tennessee/Georgia state line.

 Another interesting note, we saw plenty of political signs, billboards along the way and many vehicles like this. Thank god we have free speech in this country.For the time being, we can all say what we believe.

 Driving through Nashville we just had to stop at White Castle and get some breakfast sliders.

 Looking back into Tennessee and looking forward into Kentucky.  This squashed squirrel didn't get the welcome he had hoped for.

In Kentucky we saw the weirdest looking rest stop. It was an old house built in 1862, that has now turned into a public rest stop.

 Not much to say about Missouri, we never got out of the car till Kansas City.

 Once in Kansas City, Kansas we stopped to eat some real BBQ. It was Ok, I still say Memphis has the best BBQ I have had.

We stopped in Kansas at a Civil War battlefield, and this place.  Lots of blood was split along the Kansas/Missouri border over slavery and abolition.

 Skipping Iowa and Nebraska.....there just wasn't much to see from the highway, we came across the weirdest chain of gas stations in Wyoming. You can't make this up! My brother and I laughed for hours!

 As soon as we hit Evanston, Wyoming the snow started falling. By the time we drove through the high elevations in Utah it was coming down hard, until we drove into SLC Utah, where the snow was light.

 After arriving at our sisters house we went and played in the snowy mountains for about 20 minutes. I didn't take to kindly to the 20 degree weather.  Here my brother and I pose for a picture. Faces only a mother could love.

I don't think these guys are very smart. I'm no hero, and have no plans of diving in the water after them!!!

Finally after arriving at the LA airport, I had to take one last picture. The best weather in the country, and the worst state to live in.....California. Only in the winter do people go to the beach at night.

From the Atlantic to the pacific in a week.

Mt. SAC Fat Tire Classic

There’s a first time for everything, this time it was a Mtn. Bike race. I’d never been to a bicycle race of any kind, much less a Mtn. Bike race, but here we are. This race, The Mt SAC Fat Tire Classic was held on the campus of the college I am currently attending. When you think of a Mtn. Bike race a college campus is hardly the first place you would likely hold such an event; however, the hills surrounding the college make a perfect place for riding. 

I volunteered my lens this year to assist the MT SAC welding program, a program in which I am involved, the race is sponsored by Skills USA. While the rest of the country may start feeling the effects of winter’s chill, the 90 degree temps made for a perfect day of racing, well…maybe just a bit on the hot side.

SkillsUSA is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations. It was formerly known as VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America) 

Gene Winfield

Saturday October 13^th was the 5^th annual Winfield & Watson Car show. The Mojave Desert was a gathering of custom cars, muscle cars, and even wild indescribable Mad Max post apocalyptic cars. There was food, music, art, pinstripers, and fun. The proceeds from the art auction went to benefit Alzheimer’s research. 

  

Forget what you see on your color TV! Disregard the perfectly graffiti’d muraled walls, and sagging pants employee’s. That’s not what a real custom car shop looks like. A real shop, has decade’s worth of wear, tools that are used, dust, scraps, used sand paper, piles of bumpers, doors, grills and boxes filled with parts that are still waiting to get used. There’s no surround sound system blaring hop hip music, a beat up paint stained radio, hung on the wall, with a wire hanger is all there is likely to be. This is where the work of one man, and his skelton crew takes place. Gene Winfield, building custom cars since 1946, a real craftsman, a real legend.

Back From Bonneville

 Ok, it is September 14th now, I need to update this thing. Bonneville has been over for a month now, and I have yet to post any pictures on this blog. So, it is time to change that. My experience with tent camping is worn out on me. 1st night there, Thursday, a wild wind and rain storm blew my awning away in the middle of the night, I ran around in my underwear at 2am trying to catch it as it rolled an tumbled nearly an 1/8 mile away before AI caught it. A few minutes later my tent started to blow away! I nailed it down, but it shook and shimmied like Michael J Fox on Red Bull, those 50mph gusts tried their best to fold it in half! Next morning my son had food poisoning from a fast food joint we ate at the day before, he got better by the end of the day.

More wicked rain on Friday flooding parts of the salt flats. Saturday was the only evening that it didn't blow or rain with ferocity, and the only evening/afternoon photo shoot I was able to squeeze in.

Sunday evening more wind and rain, and Monday more wicked wind, my son looked at me asked if we could go home, it was Monday night, the weather won, but not before taking a bunch of photos.

Bonneville Bound!

I will keep this one short and sweet, T-minus 7 days and counting till Speedweek 2012. Am I excited about this one. Jumping into an uncomfortable econo-rental, car with my camera gear, and my 12-year old son; we are going to watch the fastest cars on earth race across the flattest place in the northern hemisphere. Only a mad mind would consider making a trip to the barren desert in the middle of August. Call me Alfred E. Newman, I’m mad. Stay tuned for a follow up report on Speedweek. With photos of course.

Duesenberg and the 4th of July

In this amazing digital age, our cars operate like a home entertainment center rather than an actual automobile. Telephone’s, touch screen LCD’s with navigation, streaming movies, live satellite link up to an online diagnostic center, climate controlled seats with built in ergonomic support, and engines so technically complex 98% of men today would have no idea what do if it  stopped working.  I love technology, and progress. But I also love the old mechanical engine technology. We call it old, or vintage, but it was cutting edge during its time. It was the best man could create.

Take for example this unrestored 1926 Duesenberg engine. No CAD design or CNC machining went into creating any of the parts, yet here we are 86 years later and it will still reliably start and drive. Some may look at this and see a dirty outdated piece of junk. I look at it and see art, beauty, reliability and true American craftsmanship. 

Happy 4^th of July America, no matter what the news networks tell us, or a bloated irrelevant career politician tells us, we are, and can still be just as innovative, and strong as our past. Some may look at this country, and view it with the same eyes as they view this engine, dirty and outdated; I see beauty, reliability and craftsmanship. The constitution may be old, but it is still as reliable as the day it was written. Read the Declaration of Independence, read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It was the best man could create and still runs fine after all these years.