Last Days: Los Angeles

Well, that's the road trip done and just a couple of days in LA to kill. There were no photos from the road yesterday, as it was simply a drive along interminable freeways and a taxi ride to the hotel.

The hotel we are staying in is in downtown LA. We are here for an afternoon plus a full day and my original plan had been to walk around this part of town in the afternoon, and spend the day catching the bus to Santa Monica and back. That's about the best that LA's transit system allows: one and a half hours each way between the CBD and the suburbs.

An afternoon wandering around the civic district along Grand Avenue revealed the interesting but sterile public buildings on Bunker Hill. The Disney theater complex, the LASO and a few other vacant-feeling blocks had me lose interest fast, and so I headed back to the hotel early for a nap. I hoped for something more interesting the following day.

However, Venice Beach was not to be. Waking up to real overcast and even a bit of rain, I decided against the long bus ride to a vacant and alien beach, and decided to give downtown a chance for the full day.

I'm very glad I did. While hardly a place I would like to stay in, or even visit again... downtown and Broadway was really interesting.

I walked down Broadway to Chinatown, crossing freeways and a bleak concrete landscape devoted to the private automobile. Chinatown was a disappointment, so I caught a bus straight back to the centre (yes, buses do run here, as I discovered). In this circuit, I had lunch at a really good urban marketplace, explored a fantastic bookshop and had gelati in the revamped KRKD building arcade.

Walking along Broadway is fascinating; over a kilometer of splendid old buildings, hotels and former theaters of the former glitter strip, now all boarded up with junk shops in the street fronts. Sad an depressing on one level... but on another quite interesting to see up close. Through the cracks and decay, vibrant patches are sprouting up.

Strangled by freeways and with no river, bay or other natural feature to define the place, its almost as though the old hulks of the city's glory days have become the terrain on which a new story is being written. Among the rooming houses and squats, it was a nice surprise to see some discretely re-developed apartments, and even some brand new blocks with new residents... right here in the downtown section, rather than the vast suburbs beyond the freeway. They weren't concrete and glass pedestal blocks either.

If the tide of shitty, sterile concrete and glass developments rolling down from Grand Avenue can be held back and the process of gentrification doesn't bleach the place of its colour, this might be an interesting place to watch to see what happens.

Thank you, DTLA, for the fascinating and thoroughly worthwhile diversion.

But... that's the finale for the blog. Thanks for watching:).

Disney Theater: trying to make it look interesting. 

The LA Concert Hall: I think. I had to put the chair there to make it more interesting.

Broadway Markets: these are great... during the day, they are packed. They have enormous variety and a great atmosphere.

Broadway, North: footpath dining, amazingly enough. I think these may have been bikeways at some point.

Gratuitous Freeway Shot: One of the freeways that circles downtown. I originally intended not to mention freeways at all when discussing LA, but really...

Bus from China Town to Broadway: I did manage to catch a bus. These small transit services were a bit of a surprise. They are cheap, frequent and convenient. And you can still pay cash to get on them.

Mural: a common sight.

A Love Chapel: for all you romantics. this place handles weddings and divorces. A one stop shop, so to speak. Like a novated car lease, I suppose.

The Bradbury: as featured in Bladerunner. I remembered my inner Bladerunner nerd too late, but I did get to see this... all boarded up except for the Subway outlet on the ground floor. Down this part of town I could, barely, catch glimpses of the that 1982 vision of Los Angeles 2017...

Regrowth: there is evidence of a bit of a downtown renaissance going on. But the march of glass, concrete and brushed aluminium rubbish from up on Grand Avenue may have down town LA looking like Brisbane yet... 

Big Sur: sea haze and Bixby Bridge

Well, the much anticipated drive down Highway 1 through Big Sur was largely thwarted by persistent sea haze.

So, starting out from Carmel, first stop was the very often photographed Bixby Bridge. Unfortunately, the sea haze was thick and the traffic thicker. I did what I could do and we moved on. Unfortunately, the conditions didn't improve during the day so it was on to Cambria.

Bixby Bridge: disappearing into the haze.

Bixby Bridge: haze lightening a bit.

Bixby Bridge: you work with what you've got.

Bixby Bridge: oncoming lights.

Highway 1: sea haze lifting, for the moment.

Self Portrait

Yosemite: Sentinel Dome

Today was a full day in Yosemite.

In some regards, one day is both too much and too little in this place. Too much to simply grab the low hanging fruit at dusk, such as Tunnel View and El Capitan from the valley. Too short to get up on some walks that will take you further afield.

As it was, I split my bets today and went for a quick run around some of the Valley sites, such as Vernal Falls, then go for a site that was recommended to me by an old school mate who now lives in California. The first option was a poor choice, as today was busy even by normal Yosemite weekend standards. 

However, Sentinel Dome was as good as its recommendation. It was still busy, but it was a good walk with a fun little climb at the end. I'll let the pictures do the talking. 

One thing to note, I took all the required sweeping panoramas but like many sites that have been photographed so well by so many... but my shots looked like just pale imitations. I'll work on them when I get home and see what comes out.

Here are a couple below that hopefully offer some different perspectives.

Horsetail Falls from Sentinel Dome

Grizzly Peak and Mt Broderick: I think. Anyway, this is me trying to bring out my inner Ansel Adams with an APSC digital camera and Lightroom in a hotel room.

Horsetail Falls: it was fun to find snow on the top of Sentinel Dome. And to photograph Horsetail Falls.

Horsetail Falls: again... I couldn't help it...

Not Half Dome: This is what you see when you don't look at Half Dome and friends from Sentinel Dome. Which is not often.

A famous dead tree: I could be wrong, but this is the remnant of a famous tree.

Yosemite

Arrived in El Portal this afternoon, and headed of to Yosemite straight away.

It was more of a look around, but I had time to grab a couple of shots at the famed Tunnel View...

Klamath to Medocino: Redwoods and Coastline

Another day hugging the coast on Highway 101 from Klamath down to Legget, then taking Highway 1 Mendocino.

First stop was Redwood National Park for the famous giant cedars and then along the coast. The change in seascapes was spectacular. Compare Gold Bluff Beach to the lookout over the cliffs, just a hundred or so kilometers south. The whole palette shifts from blue and green to orange and  yellow.

Mendocino, where we stayed the night, was odd. I was expecting just a small town just south of Fort Bragg but it turns out that this must be some sort of bespoke, artisan retreat for treechangers. It's all very Maleny, with no Woolworths and more Aston Martins. The stay in the vintage Mendocino Hotel & Gardens (apparently a former saloon) was, um, quaint. Actually... I really enjoyed it.

Hmm... just noticed that these images are all a bit dark. Beware editing photos under dim light in an old saloon lobby.

Gold Bluff Beach: coastline at Redwood National Park

Redwoods: from the Trillian Falls Trail

Trillian Falls: that I didn't fall into.

Out of the woods: south of Klamath and Orick on highway 101 are many miles of twisting forest road. The moment we broke out into the sunshine, this was round the first bend. 

Mendocino, CA: at the end of the day we pulled into the odd little village of Mendocino. It reminded me of Maleny, QLD, with its captive audience, craft shops, quaint hotels and organic options. It's not what I thought it would be, but then I was mostly there for the sunset. Dick's Place was the highlight.

Sunset: and here I was thinking I wasn't going to get any dramatic clouds this evening.

Surf: waves on the base of the cliffs.

Flowers and Surf: these were growing all over the cliffs in the most precarious places.

Portland, Oregon, to Klamath, California

Just a very quick update.

Today was a long drive, eight hours from Portland OR to Newport OR, where we picked up Highway 101 and took it down to Klamath CA.

We spent an extra couple of hours in Portland to do some exploring, and in the tiny corner that we saw it looked like a great little city.

The coast road was fabulous, with views of the ocean and perfect weather. Unfortunately, with all the driving there was no time to stop and take photos.

Nice Streets: Portland, or at least the bit we saw, is another of these towns that look like its redeveloping the right way.

Portlands Flowers: there seems to be a lot of these about. I haven't had a chance to look up what it is. Some kind of rose?

Highway 101: there were plenty of views on Highway 101 through Oregon, but some of the most interesting parts were the little towns. They ranged from tiny ghost towns to surprising highrises like this.

Oregon Coast: a chance to take a snap during a stretch break.

Port Hardy to Portland, and a Reflection

It has been a hectic two days of travelling from Port hardy in the north of Vancouver Island, Canada, to Portland Oregon.

We left the camp at 0930 on Tuesday morning and arrived in Victoria BC reasonably on time at 1730 that evening. On the way, we did a spot of shopping, took an unexpected detour to a little village called Cumberland (we suspect it is the Nimbin of British Columbia) for a coffee and dropping off the car at Victoria.

Unfortunately, it was simply a sleep over in Victoria, though from the tiny bit we saw, I don't think it could have held the attention as Vancouver did. From the hotel this morning, it was straight down to the docks to catch the BC Clipper to Seattle in Washington State.

It was novel to go through the customs process for something other than a plane, and I have to say that it was a good experience. No frills, but we made it from hotel in Canada to hire-car in the US in under four hours. City center to city center. It was less time, less hassle and half the price of flying.

Simply getting out of Seattle was an adventure. We have a huge Ford wankmobile to get us to Seattle and I drew the straw for driving from Seattle to Portland. A few wrong turns in Seattle and an hour and a half of congestion on the five-lane motorway between Seattle and Tacoma was the most non-relaxing aspect of the trip so far. The thought crossed my mind a couple of times that just twenty-four hours previously, I'd been driving through forested, snow capped hills.

But heading in to Portland things changed dramatically. Over these crazy bridges and into (ironically) the South Vancouver section of Portland, we just pulled up in front of the first hotel we came to and booked a room. Then, it was off to the Bridgeport Brewhouse for some beer research.

Now, sitting in the hotel with the most hectic two days of travel behind us, I've had a chance to consider the hunt. It was an extraordinary experience, and I loved every moment of it. I can't remember the last time I spent hours doing nothing but lying on the grass in the sun, miles away from anything, just to mention one highlight.

Even though I was really just tagging along, the guides showed professionalism and patience, and shared a wealth of knowledge. Thanks to Mike for your patience and for taking those small detours for me, and to Taylor for all that advice. And for "Long Gone in Saskatchewan"...

Anyway, on to the photos... I haven't shot much in the last couple of days as I have needed to give the lens a rest. Here are a few images, though.

Parliament House, Victoria: we had an hour before boarding the ferry, so a quick walk gave some interesting sights. I didn't know that Britain swapped Alaska for British Columbia, which had originally been claimed by the Russian Empire. This was before the Russians traded Alaska again to the US.

BC Clipper: this was an interesting way to enter the United States. I love ferries, and this made up for giving up the chance to take a ferry to Prince Rupert. With hindsight, staying with the hunt was certainly the right choice.

Last glimpse: Canada sinks below the horizon.