So, the promised rain finally arrived. It was only drizzling a little when I went out for breakfast, so I thought I could risk the one block walk to the Log Cabin Pancake House. But when I came out of the restaurant to walk back it was a genuine certifiable gully washer. Fortunately, the restaurant had a front porch complete with rocking chairs, so I was able to sit and wait for it to settle down to a nice gentle downpour.
Back at the condo I read through all the brochures once more trying to decide what I am going to do tomorrow if it is still raining. I have to check out from here at 10am and can’t get into the next place until 4pm. I’m hoping the weather won’t be too bad so I can visit the folk art center near Ashville and take in a little more of the Blue Ridge Parkway. If worse comes to worst maybe they will take pity on me at the Lambuth Inn and let me check in early or at least sit in their lobby and stay dry.
The rain stopped for awhile just after noon so I decided if I was going to have lunch (though I was still pretty full from breakfast), it would have to be then. So, I walked down to the main drag, about 4 or 5 blocks from my condo. I walked around long enough to discern that downtown Gatlinburg is just as disgusting and blatantly out to reap the tourist dollar as I had thought. And, if you were worried about Paula Deen being fired from the Food network, don’t be, she has her fingers in numerous pies around here. At least two restaurants I’ve heard about, a theme park on Lumberjacks, and yes, the Paula Deen store in downtown Gatlinburg, “It’s all about butter.” I’m not sure if the lady herself is the tycoon behind all this or she is just selling her name.
In any case, I stopped by the local Walgreens (I still haven’t found a supermarket) and picked up some more emergency food supplies and a new pair of sunglasses (ever the optimist) since I left mine at home (hey, it was dark when I arrived at the airport). Then I went looking for a restaurant where I could get something besides pizza, a burger, fudge or caramel corn. I spotted TGI Friday’s and decided that would have to do as it was starting to rain again. Well, you know, the government has ruined the experience of eating at chain restaurants because they are now forced to list calories for everything. I finally opted for French Onion soup and a house salad because it was the only thing I could find under 1000 calories. And after the breakfast of blueberry crepes and a side of bacon… I guess dinner isn’t even an option.
So, by the time I was done with lunch the rain had set in in earnest again and I was drenched by the time I got back to the condo. We Oregonians, of course spurn umbrellas, especially when travelling on airplanes. I started a new book while I dried out then sat down at the computer and started playing with some of the images from the past few days. I found myself turning to monochrome a lot so Here at last are some pictures for you to enjoy, a study in monochrome. The rain has stopped again, by the way, and it doesn’t look too bad on the radar. But, after a long debate with myself, I decided to forego the possibility of rainbows and stay cozy and dry and see what tomorrow brings. I think there is an evening program with the Road Scholars tomorrow so I may or may not get around to blogging. But don’t worry, I’ll be back.
A Study in Monochrome – Great Smokey Mountain National Park and vicinity
Tree in Fog
River Rock
Hayrake
Fern
Reagan House
Bodie, California, one of the best ghost towns ever, has been on my photographic bucket list for at least 25 years. Today I finally got there and it didn’t disappoint. Well, not too much. Unfortunately, it has gotten very popular and unfortunately the timing of my trip put me there on a Saturday so I didn’t exactly have the place to myself. 
car in line at 8:45. By the time I left around 11:30 the parking lot was full, there were about 10 cars lined up to pay the entrance fee and I must have passed at least 20 more coming up on my way down. There was a photography workshop there getting in the way of many of my pictures but still I persevered and got some good shots in spite of it all. I am thinking of giving it another go on the way back to catch the afternoon light and see if it is a little less crowded on a weekday.
I haven’t yet finished processing my pictures but I have enough to give you a taste of Bodie. Gold was first discovered here in 1859 but it wasn’t until the 1870s that a vein was found that made large scale mining profitable. Bodie boomed for about 10 to 15 years but by the 1890s the mines began to play out. A couple of fires put a few more nails in it’s coffin and by the 1940s the town was deserted and most of the land fell into the hands of the family that owned the bank.
assumed an attitude of what they call arrested decay. Things have been left as they were when the residents left town and the rangers repair but do not restore the buildings. The cold dry climate at over 8000 feet elevation helps to keep Bodie somewhat intact.
Leaving Bodie to make my way to my next stop in Bishop I saw a lot of aspen, some past peak, some beautiful but surrounded by sagebrush so not very photogenic. I only found one patch worth stopping for and somehow the picture just doesn’t capture what I was seeing. I also tried to stop at Mono lake put I didn’t have the right parking permit and I couldn’t find where to get one and since it was mid day I didn’t expect the photos would have been that great anyway.
After a long hard day of driving I ended up in Bridgeport, California without significant incident. Fortunately, I think this will be my longest day of driving the whole trip. After a short rest I took the M3 out for a walk to see what I could find. It turns out my motel is right next door to the Mono County courthouse whose architecture I would have to describe as Italianate meets Greek revival. It is a pretty building, in spite of its schizophrenic design. Aside from being the county seat Bridgeport’s main claim to fame is being the gateway to Bodie, California’s most famous ghost town. That is, after all, why I am here.
historic buildings, neon signs, and old mining equipment I headed down a side street where this hawk cruised into a tree right beside me. Yes, I did have to do some serious cropping as I only had a 18-150 zoom lens with me but I think he came out pretty well, all things considered.
useum which, sadly was closed. But there was an assortment of mining and agricultural equipment from days gone by outside. None of the photos made the final cut for tonight though. I preferred this wagon wheel I found back at the motel.
e mood tonight. Maybe it is just the subject matter. It turns out the courthouse plays bells every half hour. I hope this doesn’t go on all night as I need to get my beauty sleep before heading up to Bodie tomorrow.
Just over the bridge is downtown Wilmington but I could not check into my hotel until 3pm so I went in search of lunch at a little shopping center called the Cotton Exchange. After wandering around for a while not finding any serious restaurants some guy invited me to come taste his fudge and I said “You, know, I’m really looking for lunch.” And he said “Oh, that place over there is great.” So I went in and found them serving down home Southern Comfort food. I ordered an Oyster Po’ Boy and fried okra. I would never have thought to eat fried okra but it was forced on me once in Carlsbad, New Mexico and I found I really liked it so now I eat it when I get the chance, which isn’t often.
galleries and souvenir shops. But my parking meter was about to expire so I had to move on. I had set my sights on the Railroad museum in hopes of finding some good steam punk images but was sad to see that most of the museum was model railroads and there was only one real train outside. I stopped in at the visitor’s center next door and picked up some literature from a very strange woman who seemed to think that browsing at a visitor’s center was not acceptable. One must ask very specific questions, one must know exactly what one is looking for.
At this point I decided I might as well try to get into my hotel room since I was tired and I had no more change for parking meters and couldn’t find the entry to the Riverwalk. The Wilmingtonian turned out to be a collection of old buildings refurbished but about ready for another round and smelling strongly of mildew which is clinging to my clothes even now. But the price was right, the bed was comfortable and the shower was hot. I could have lived without the loudmouth on the balcony just across from my window though.
my friend had recommended was just a few blocks from me and I headed out just before sunset. Since it was right on the river and had an outdoor deck and the temperatures were very mild I sat down and ordered a glass of wine and some shrimp and grits and watched the sun set over the Cape Fear. Unfortunately my waitress was apparently doing the same and service was a bit on the slow side so it was well after dark when I made my way back to the Wilmingtonian.
Next morning I set out to explore downtown and take pictures of architectural details. I actually found the widow displays and some unusual signs to be the best subjects. I stumbled upon a café called the Dixie Grille which seemed to be about the only place serving breakfast. But, no matter, the cops were eating there so it had to be good. And it was. I ordered the Dixie Benedict. A biscuit, scrambled eggs, fried green tomatoes smothered with Vidalia onion gravy. OK, I think I have check all the boxes on Southern Cuisine now.
Brunswick County which were a huge disappointment to this native Oregonian. All the beaches are lined with houses and access is limited, parking lots often charging for the privilege. And while the good news is the temperatures have been in the 70s. The bad news is the locals are all flocking to the beaches. Hoping to get an earlier start today and exploring beaches further to the north and getting some decent photos.
We were then taken to a seaside village which appeared very poor but where a retired surgeon and his wife had opened a restaurant called Julio, specializing in seafood. The house was set out over the water and on that day waves were crashing all around making one wonder how it had ever survived a hurricane. We were served a sumptuous lunch of seafood including, fish, clams, lobster, and shrimp. Appetizers include
d fried banana cups filled with tuna fish and calamari. As always the ubiquitous rice and beans. Desert was some sort of candied orange and cheese, not really to my taste. I left feeling quite stuffed. by the time lunch was over the rain had abated and I was able to get a few interesting shots around the village.
We stopped on the way back at a neighborhood where an artist had covered the walls with mosaic and created sculptures not only at his own house but for many of
his neighbors. It was apparentlymeant as a tribute to Gaudi. Unfortunately, a huge tour bus arrived just after us so we were not able to fully enjoy the art. This was the one place outside Havana that I saw a full fledged gift shop, albeit in someone’s front yard. Alas, still no t-shirt that spoke to me.
We then proceeded to an old cemetery that took up at least 16 city blocks. You might ask what the heck do you photograph at a cemetery? Like Valle Prehistorica this required a little creative openness and thought toward future processing. I started off with angels but then realized that about 90% of the monuments were angels and I could not possibly get them all and after all, how many angels do you need even for future creative elements. I then started in on windows and doors of the mausoleums and decorative iron fences.
I also got some great textures for future digital artistry projects.
wiped off the blood with a kleenex then poured hand sanitizer over it. I later had Dr. Norm look at it and he washed it again with bottled water and more purell and kept checking it the rest of the trip. It seems to be healing up just fine.
which were delicious, not like the over lean pork we get in the U.S. There was a luscious cervice for a starter, rice and beans, of course, and flan with ice cream for dessert. And we had wine which is hard to come by and expensive in Cuba. There was a jazz trio p
laying and since we were the only table it seemed to be just for us. We all bought their CD, which, it turns out, is my only souvenir from Cuba, there not being much to buy in the first place and lacking quality in the second place and probably not made in Cuba in the third place.
behind the hotel. There I found some of the most abject poverty, not to mention filth, I have ever encountered. I also found some of the best street photography of the entire trip. Still, I soon proceeded back to the rich side of the hotel and photographed old cars for a while.
At 10:30 we were whisked off to the airport where we said goodbye to Leonel and were left on our own to negotiate the lines. First we went to the money changing line. They said, “Sorry, we have no American Dollars” then we were told 
to go over to another window and were taken one by one into a small room. They locked the door and a man in a suit proceeded to exchange my CUCs for American dollars, one to one. They ran out of dollars before we were all through the line and some of our party had to exchange their CUCs for Euros to be exchanged for dollars when they got back home.
Next was the line for checking in for our flight. I had needed to go to the restroom when we arrived but could not find one so stood in the line for half an hour with my legs crossed. Finally, I got the counter and checked in and got rid of my suitcase and asked for the banos. Sure enough way past customs and down a narrow hall was the ladies room. I started to go into a stall and an airport worker yelled “Paper” reminding me that in Cuba you have to obtain your toilet paper before going into the stall.
security which was not too bad though I tried to ask the woman if she wanted my computer out but she was intent on telling me to take my belt off until I finally lifted my shirt to show her I didn’t have a belt on. Then, of course, on the other side I was asked to take the laptop out so they could scan the bag without it. And then we proceeded to sit and wait for our flight which was only an hour late and that’s pretty good for Cuba time.
it is located on an Army Base. Kudos to the Army for letting us get in. Unfortunately for me the mission is currently undergoing a massive rehab so the front gallery was all closed down. I did get a look in the chapel and around the gardens so all was not lost. The best part was meeting Rosario, the mission cat. He was very friendly and showed me around for awhile until I decided to go a different direction than he had in mind.
I understand that Native Americans were not treated well by the missionaries and I am not intending to glorify or romanticize them. I just think they are interesting. And isn’t most of history about some oppressor oppressing some innocent people? And how can we do better if we do not study the history that has gone before? And sorry, but I don’t think I should be held responsible for what my ancestors may or may not have done to your ancestors. OK?
OK soapbox moment over. The next mission on my route was San Miguel. Here I found
a classic gallery which seemed to cry out for black and white. And then I snuck around to the cemetery where I found this awesome gate.
I did eventually find lunch in a cute little seaside town called Shell Beach. The Shell Beach Brewery was in fact the name of the restaurant and they didn’t even mind that I ordered wine with my meal. Then I checked into my hotel for the next five nights. Check out the view from my room. If you like that wait till you see the sunset pictures I just shot!
an resist the shapes and textures of a grain elevator? Not me for sure. Here is the first one I stopped at done in a Platinum tone black and white treatment in Topaz Black and White Effects.
cried out for a cool tone treatment so I went with a Cyanatone, also in Topaz B&W Effects. I toned it down some using decreased saturation in Photoshop but I still think the toning is a bit overdone. I’m also not crazy about the jet streak in the sky but it could be argued that the diagonal line adds something.
n themselves but for this trip they had to be just a fly by. I made three laps around the auto tour route and came up with this handsome Snowy Egret who seemed much more interested in his/her dinner than me and my car blind. And for once the sun was coming from the right direction.
Then there was this Western Meadowlark just hanging out on the edge of the lake, actually there were several, along with some Brewer’s blackbirds. I still can’t get over the detail in the feathers that is coming out of the 7D Mark II. Wow, just wow.