Back in January, UER member DigitalDirtbag flew in to Vegas and posted a message in this forum to see if anyone wanted to meet up and go explore while he was here. I am the type of crazy that loves to meet up and shoot with other explorers, so I was all game for it. I had just moved to Vegas 2 weeks earlier and was itching to get out and go shoot. So without much planning, and without much hesitation, we decided to head out into the desert for what would later become known as "Epic Road Trip."
Some of the images you are about to see are the result of 18 hours + 2 states + 2 compatibly insane individuals adventuring through life with their cameras.
The apocalypse is alive and well in the desert folks, and though we barely made it to our originally intended destination before the sun went down, I do believe that it's true what they say: The magic is in the journey, not necessarily the destination...........
It started with the abandoned mines we found around sunrise
Yes, this is a state motto as far as mines are concerned.
Sometimes you get stuck waiting for the world's longest train, and you look over and there just so HAPPENS to be a whole group of abandonments by the side of the road. Weird desert is weird.
After that, pretty much anything intriguing we saw on the side of the road was fair game for investigation
There are not many things in life that feel better than kicking back in a lazy boy in the warm sun on the side of the road on Route 66. Seriously. ;)
Oh, and what's this? A secret bar in my new favorite shade, "aquamaruin"? Yes please ;)
I find comfort in knowing that there are other people out there who think that it is necessary to create a place where people can abandon their shoes......or, rather, a place for people to repurpose their old shoes into an ongoing art piece, a shoe tree ;)
I also found out that Gustavo Fring and Los Pollos Hermanos are REAL. But in all seriousness, they are in the process of restoring this location back to the way that it looked in the 1950s. Apparently, it was extremely trashed when the owner purchased it, and he has hope of reviving some of that special old Route 66 energy.
We made it to our destination with literally just enough time to flirt with a small portion of the location during what turned out to be an absolutely incredible sunset and (almost) full moon rise. It's really hard to put into words what it is like to be in a place where the environment is so savage that it literally seems to devour and take down anything that tries to stay there too long. After being there, I feel like I would want to have at least one full day, and maybe even a whole weekend, to explore the place. The things I saw were way more than enough to deeply inspire me and leave me wanting more.
I am really glad I said yes to life that day and jumped on the adventure train with digital dirtbag. Who knows.........maybe Epic Road Trip will have a part 2. Besides, I NEED to be able to go back and light paint that damn t-rex properly! (I didn't have a tripod, and the winds were crazy!) The struggle was real ;)
Posted by ufcvic Looks like a fun trip. Great pics. Come visit Colorado. Lots of mines here also...
Thanks. It was. I would be down. I have family in Denver and am long overdue for a visit. Plus, it's a region of the country that I've not explored too much. I bet it's beautiful there. Very tempting indeed
Posted by DrWindyNibbles You'll recognize this spot
This is a fantastic use of the location.
Wow. Thank you for sharing this. It spoke to me on a lot of levels. This may sound funny and sentimental, but I feel like I needed to see this today. When I drove to Vegas, I basically left the East Coast with my keyboard, my accordion, a bunch of hula hoops, clothes, my dog, and a car full of dreams. This inspired me to pull my accordion out tonight. hahaha. Coincidentally, I did try to see if they would let me play that piano when we were there. It didn't work out, but apparently the piano is pretty popular with the ladies. (note exhibit A, listed below) ;)
1.
Oh, and just for fun, here's a pic of the accordion and hula hoops outside my car one day during the move when I was repacking........oh, and light sabers........because clearly light sabers should be a requirement for every cross-country road trip. You never know when you might need them. I am a practical packer ;)
Road trips are the ultimate in spontaneous UE and photography. No real pre-planning, just relying on your inner photographer to capture the images. Nice batch of photos from a great trip!
Abby Normal
"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan
Posted by Clostridium Seems like an awesome trip. Great shots, Katharsys and DigitalDirtbag! Still need to get to poking around the Mojave.
Did you guys get to see Salvation Mountain? The artist just passed away and I am wondering if it will remain.
Thank you. I love the mojave desert. It is so savage and beautiful at the same time. Did not make it to Salvation Mountain. I would love it see it some time. I hope it stays there. It seems rather iconic.
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