Saturday April 28, 2012
There was an auto show at West World in Scottsdale. The day was a nice one so we decided to take a trip there early in the morning. There were not many cars there, as this was the first time for this show's sponsor. There were 2 interesting customized cycles and fewer than 20 customized cars. I did my 3 shot exposure system on the cars and then processed them as HDR images to get them to really "pop". The sun was really bright and the paint and chrome was so polished that it was difficult to capture the vehicles without getting a part of me reflected back.
A history of the travels I make and the photos I take. I also like to take photos of interesting or humorous things I come across during the day, wherever I am. Click the PHOTO ALBUM INDEX link below to view photos in my various albums.
PHOTO ALBUMS
About Me
- Tall Photographer
- I retired from the Auto Industry in the Detroit area and now make my home in sunny Arizona. I enjoy travel and photography. Although I often think of my photography as serendipitous; I really direct myself to places where those pleasant surprises are likely to occur. When I travel I call myself the "Happy Wanderer".
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Prescott Trip -- March 24
Last weekend was my birthday. We decided to travel to Prescott, AZ for a little relaxation and sightseeing. We stayed at the Prescott Resort, a nice hotel on a hill overlooking Prescott. The hotel is joined with Bucky's Casino. I thought I'd get lucky on my birthday, but the results were the same as always -- the house wins.
The weather was beautiful. It had snowed the week before, so there was still a bit of snow on the surrounding hills. The lakes were filled with water and the scenery was superb.
Fain Park -- East of Prescott
View from our hotel room balcony. Granite Dells in the middle and the San Francisco Peaks in the back.
Prescott Resort Hotel Lobby
Prescott Resort Hotel Lobby
Granite Dells -- Watson Lake
Kayakers on Watson Lake
Phippen Western Museum
Solitary Tree at Willow Lake Park
Willow Lake Park
Wacky Colorful Building East of Prescott
Dewey Humboldt Historic Buildings
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Laughlin Trip --February 26 - 29, 2012
Ellen and I decided to take a little trip to Laughlin, Nevada. We took the road less travelled and went west on US60 out of Wickenburg. This was almost all desert 2 lane highway, then up AZ72 to Parker, AZ on the Colorado River. Took a little side trip and stopped at the Parker Dam. Then north along the river and stopped at Lake Havasu City for lunch and a walk around the London Bridge. This was a bridge from London, England and then shipped here, brick by brick, and re-assembled in Lake Havasu City, AZ and opened in 1971. The weather was sunny and comfortable, although the wind was starting to pick up.
We reached Laughlin, Nevada and checked in at the Aquarius Casino for 3 nites. The room and the casino were very nice and clean. We spent two days just walking around all the casinos along the river and spreading my money amongst all the various casino slots. The weather was terrific so the walks were very scenic and enjoyable.
Although we've been to Laughlin a number of times over the year, this was the first time I went to the Riverside Casino and explored the Auto Museum. That was a fascinating place. There were numerous restored antique automobiles on display there and the admission was free. I'd definitely go back there again.
Coming back home on Wednesday, we took the side road going to Oatman, AZ. This is an old gold mining town that is famous for the wild burros walking along the town's main road. There were a lot of tourists in town and the burros kept harassing them for handouts. All the stores in town sold carrots and hay biscuits to keep the critters well fed and happy.
The road from Oatman to Kingman is along the old Route 66. It wound through the mountain pass and then down the desert road into Kingman. There was a old historic gas station along the way at a place called Cool Springs. When we arrived in Kingman, we stopped at the Route 66 Museum there and walked around. It was a historical presentation from when the first wagon trains went through the area towards California to when the highway opened up taking the automobiles along the way. Here is an interesting excerpt I found in Wikipedia that described the road in this area: Much of the early highway, like all the other early highways, was gravel or graded dirt. Due to the efforts of the U.S. Highway 66 Association, Route 66 became the first highway to be completely paved in 1938. Several places were dangerous: more than one part of the highway was nicknamed "Bloody 66" and gradually work was done to realign these segments to remove dangerous curves. However, one section just outside Oatman, Arizona (through the Black Mountains) was fraught with hairpin turns and was the steepest along the entire route, so much so that some early travelers, too frightened at the prospect of driving such a potentially dangerous road, hired locals to navigate the winding grade. The section remained as Route 66 until 1953, and is still open to traffic today as the Oatman Highway. (This is the section of highway illustrated on the map shown to Lightning McQueen in the Disney movie Cars, as the road bypassed by new Interstate 40.) Despite such hazards in some areas, Route 66 continued to be a popular route.
After Kingman, it was just the familiar road back home along US95. All in all, a very nice 3 day trip.
London Bridge, Lake Havasu
Lake Havasu
Riverside Auto Museum, Laughlin
Riverside Auto Museum, Laughlin
Riverside Auto Museum, Laughlin
Night at the Aquarius, Laughlin
Monkeying Around in Laughlin
Casino Row, Laughlin
Oatman Burros
Outlaw Willie
Oatman Burros
Cool Springs, Rte. 66
Cool Springs, Rte. 66
Route 66 Museum, Kingman
Route 66, Kingman
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Wickenburg Goldrush Days -- Feb. 17
Drove up to Wickenburg, AZ in the morning. Goldrush Days started then and I wanted to get there before the weekend rush. They had the opening ceremony at the old train station with some singers and a gun handling display. The car show was right there so I spent some time walking around and taking some of my "Under the Hood" photos. There were quite a few people walking around so it was hard to get some of the shots without having someone in the way.
Also walked around the town and took a few photos of the local buildings. The Art Fair was in the large park area. I just wandered around looking at the unique art displays. I had a snack of one of the Indian Fry Breads with some cinnamon sugar sprinkling on top -- yummy. The weather was gorgeous and it was great to get some fresh air and exercise.
Also walked around the town and took a few photos of the local buildings. The Art Fair was in the large park area. I just wandered around looking at the unique art displays. I had a snack of one of the Indian Fry Breads with some cinnamon sugar sprinkling on top -- yummy. The weather was gorgeous and it was great to get some fresh air and exercise.
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