After nearly 5 years living and working in Los Angeles, California, I found out my heart belongs in South Carolina. Funny how the place that you swear upon yourself that you will move away from as a child turns out to be the place that you eventually want to dig your roots deep. It was an insanely tough decision, which ultimately involved me jam packing up my little Scion xB with nearly everything I could fit in there, and drive 2,486 miles to my new destination.…
Categories: Landscape
Road trip mixed with Base Jumping
Last weekend I spontaneously drove across the Mojave desert with Bogart the foster dog to visit my Aunt and Uncle in Phoenix. Nothing too extraordinary. Growing up in the South where trees and grass dominate the landscape like love letters to Justin Bieber’s mailbox, it still fascinates me to drive through the desert. I usually drive at night to avoid the notorious LA traffic. But this time I drove there and back during daylight, with my camera and a 50mm lens.…
Aiming at the Sun: Venice Beach, CA
For Luke Munnell’s birthday we randomly took a trip to Venice Beach, CA to see all the crazies. Even though the winds were gusting up to what felt like a Cat 4 hurricane sandblasting a layer of skin off our top layer, there were TONS of people walking the strip. Drum circles, men walking in nothing but silver briefs, crack heads, men dressed up as women, women dressed up as men, and marijuana doctors filled the strip… so naturally I tended to aim more UP at the sun, birds and unpopulated beach. If you enjoy people watching, this is ground zero for you!…
Los Angeles Gets a Bath
Los Angeles receives on average 15 inches of rainfall a year, which is roughly 35 days out of the year. And on those rare 35 days, the rain is comparable to a bird bath at best. Taking full advantage of my new place smack dab in the middle of downtown LA, I grabbed my rain coat, tripod, camera, and headed down to the streets… Because today sir, we have rain!!!…
LA on fire
Enjoy the sights from the rooftop of my new loft in downtown LA. Those aren’t clouds, that’s the San Fernando Valley getting smothered by ash. There’s a downside to having perfect non-rainy weather every day in SoCal, and you’re looking at it. The terrain gets so dry, a simple spark can set off a raging 1,000+ acre fire. Luckily the wind is playing in my favor and my lungs get to breath the natural polluted air of LA instead of thick burnt ash.…
Wasteland Paradise (Salton Sea)
This is what urban legends are made of. The Salton Sea was once a prosperous vacation spot during the 1920’s, thriving with ski boats, new housing developments, night clubs, and wildlife. The “Sea” (which is technically a lake) was formed from a sudden influx of water from the Colorado River. At first the new found mass of water was hailed as a tourist attraction, but because of a lack of water outflow, the lake progressively became more and more polluted and salty. So much that many species of fish are no longer able to survive in the Salton, let alone people. So in a nutshell this vast area is FILLED with signs of abandonment from a once optimistic 1950’s era. A modern day Atlantis… only MUCH MUCH smellier. Did I mention it’s a GREAT place to take photos?…
Wheels of Steel
Road biking is addictive. It’s a great way to stay/get in shape, and explore the area where you live. Tip, never ride far without a spare tube. I’ve been road biking for about half a year, and the San Gabriel riverbed is my main training ground. It stretches for nearly 50 miles without stoplights. I’ve heard of “gang activity” but haven’t seen anything shady going on… but hopefully my blistering speed on the Giant TCR will outrun their knives and guns! Nothing quite beats the feeling of going 30mph under your own power and hearing nothing but the wind passing by.…