How to Train Your Dragon
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What is some of the most impressive art you've seen along the roadside? For me, Ricardo Breceda's amazing and often enormous sculptures is up there. This is a selfie of me sitting underneath one of the undulating "arches" of the enormous rattledragon sculpture in Borrego Springs, CA. This may appear in a future book of night photography and history that I am working on right now. Thanks!
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For photos, books and more!
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(Plate 7319) Pentax K-1/28-105mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. This is a blend. The photo of me is 3 seconds f/4.5 ISO 3200 since I'm apparently incapable of sitting still for longer than that. The rest of the photo is 20 minutes total "stacked". Each photo in the "stack" is 2 minutes f/8 ISO 200. April 2022.

[angkymac]

I always loved the naturalness of the Anza-Borrego area.
This sculpture is a bit of a surprise to me. But many years have passed since I was last there.
Great shot you got of it.
Angky.

[MikeNArk]

That's a fantastic piece of art, beautifully captured. The size of this one is impressive. Great work. This looks much bigger than the "Graboids" featured in the tremors movies.😊

[RICHARD L.]

There are few places as awe-inspiring or, should I say, as "frightening" as Anza-Borrego in the American Southwest. The worst place in the U.S. is the "Devil's Backbone" in Grand Escalante Nat'l Monument in Utah : if your wheel falls off the asphalt, you're dead ! My last time in Anza-Borrego in July 2019, it was 120 degrees F, it was totally silent except for a rare whisper of wind and I never saw another car all day. Not a place to have car problems or someone will find you dead in two or three days. I was happy to get out of there, reach civilization and drive south towards Imperial County. Visiting during the winter or at night must be less of a hassle.

Regards

[reh321]

There are few places as awe-inspiring or, should I say, as "frightening" as Anza-Borrego in the American Southwest. The worst place in the U.S. is the "Devil's Backbone" in Grand Escalante Nat'l Monument in Utah : if your wheel falls off the asphalt, you're dead ! My last time in Anza-Borrego in July 2019, it was 120 degrees F, it was totally silent except for a rare whisper of wind and I never saw another car all day. Not a place to have car problems or someone will find you dead in two or three days. I was happy to get out of there, reach civilization and drive south towards Imperial County. Visiting during the winter or at night must be less of a hassle.

Regards

and I thought Chaco Canyon was bad. Local talk says the 25 mile road is kept primitive to discourage visitors. When I took my family in 2002, it looked almost as primitive as it had when I went as a grad student in 1971.

[Ken Lee]

I always loved the naturalness of the Anza-Borrego area.
This sculpture is a bit of a surprise to me. But many years have passed since I was last there.
Great shot you got of it.
Angky.

Thanks. What surprises you about the sculpture? Is it because you hadn't seen the sculptures in the Borrego Springs area?

Anza-Borrego is amazing. That's also the only place I've seen bighorn sheep. Twice. Very large park with a lot of things, and very spread out. Wind tunnels, abandoned homes, and far more.

---------- Post added 08-26-22 at 07:15 PM ----------

There are few places as awe-inspiring or, should I say, as "frightening" as Anza-Borrego in the American Southwest. The worst place in the U.S. is the "Devil's Backbone" in Grand Escalante Nat'l Monument in Utah : if your wheel falls off the asphalt, you're dead ! My last time in Anza-Borrego in July 2019, it was 120 degrees F, it was totally silent except for a rare whisper of wind and I never saw another car all day. Not a place to have car problems or someone will find you dead in two or three days. I was happy to get out of there, reach civilization and drive south towards Imperial County. Visiting during the winter or at night must be less of a hassle.

Regards

That park is reeeeally spread out and surprisingly large, and you can definitely be isolated there if you don't go to the more popular places close to the entrance. And a lot of the roads can be either rough or sandy.

When were you there?

---------- Post added 08-26-22 at 07:23 PM ----------

and I thought Chaco Canyon was bad. Local talk says the 25 mile road is kept primitive to discourage visitors. When I took my family in 2002, it looked almost as primitive as it had when I went as a grad student in 1971.

I don't know that they compare quite as much, but the farthest I've gotten off the beaten trail is Mojave National Preserve. I was not only over 15 miles in, but was in a place where no one goes. Very rough roads. Got a flat because if you're going to get a flat, that's where it happens. I was equipped with some stuff, including a jack, and changed the tire, but it was a pain. I've gotten a better jack, a better emergency shovel, and chocks so I don't have to keep looking for rocks since then. I was by myself and was thinking, "I shouldn't have gone this far by myself." If I had been forced to walk, it would have been at least 16 miles to the nearest paved road.


Miner's camp deep in Mojave Desert.


Mining setup pretty far from the nearest paved road.

I've been farther in at Capitol Reef, but it didn't ever feel as isolated or rough as Mojave National Preserve...or at least, the place I was at in MNP.

The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest's Patriarch Grove (12 miles of dirt road) and the notorious Racetrack Playa are also rough roads. Racetrack Playa in Death Valley is about a two-hour drive if you don't have a jeep and those rocks are sharp and rough. Someone else was driving on that trip, but we had no issues and went in a caravan.

---------- Post added 08-26-22 at 07:23 PM ----------

and I thought Chaco Canyon was bad. Local talk says the 25 mile road is kept primitive to discourage visitors. When I took my family in 2002, it looked almost as primitive as it had when I went as a grad student in 1971.

I don't know that they compare quite as much, but the farthest I've gotten off the beaten trail is Mojave National Preserve. I was not only over 15 miles in, but was in a place where no one goes. Very rough roads. Got a flat because if you're going to get a flat, that's where it happens. I was equipped with some stuff, including a jack, and changed the tire, but it was a pain. I've gotten a better jack, a better emergency shovel, and chocks so I don't have to keep looking for rocks since then. I was by myself and was thinking, "I shouldn't have gone this far by myself." If I had been forced to walk, it would have been at least 16 miles to the nearest paved road.


Miner's camp deep in Mojave Desert.


Mining setup pretty far from the nearest paved road.

I've been farther in at Capitol Reef, but it didn't ever feel as isolated or rough as Mojave National Preserve...or at least, the place I was at in MNP.

The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest's Patriarch Grove (12 miles of dirt road) and the notorious Racetrack Playa are also rough roads. Racetrack Playa in Death Valley is about a two-hour drive if you don't have a jeep and those rocks are sharp and rough. Someone else was driving on that trip, but we had no issues and went in a caravan.

[RICHARD L.]

When were you there?

July 2019. Extremely hot and lonely visit. I became almost panicked when I realised any problem with my vehicle could be life-threathenig as I was totally left to myself. I always carry plenty of water and canned foods but these new vehicles don't even have a spare tire anymore. When I exited the State Park limits on the east side and reached the Salton Sea shore, I promised myself I would never go there again any time soon. OTOH, I like the Mojave Nat'l Preserve and the Cima Road between I-40 and I-15. I feel more at ease there for God knows what reason. Less tormented geography maybe.

Regards

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Last edited by RICHARD L.; 08-27-2022 at 05:07 AM.

[MikeNArk]

Thanks for all the additional posted images. They are vivid reminders of what this type of exploration can offer. Interesting art displays in the middle of nowhere and remnants of of the past, preserved by the dry desert conditions.

[Ken Lee]

July 2019. Extremely hot and lonely visit. I became almost panicked when I realised any problem with my vehicle could be life-threathenig as I was totally left to myself. I always carry plenty of water and canned foods but these new vehicles don't even have a spare tire anymore. When I exited the State Park limits on the east side and reached the Salton Sea shore, I promised myself I would never go there again any time soon. OTOH, I like the Mojave Nat'l Preserve and the Cima Road between I-40 and I-15. I feel more at ease there for God knows what reason. Less tormented geography maybe.

Regards

That does sound like a frightening thing. It is a very large, isolated place. And it gets absurdly hot there, which is saying something since Mojave National Preserve gets super hot as well.

And yeah, I had a "donut" instead of a real tire during my mishap. I guess it's something, but I had over 15 miles to get through, and I was just hoping I didn't shred that thing.

---------- Post added 08-27-22 at 11:44 AM ----------

Thanks for all the additional posted images. They are vivid reminders of what this type of exploration can offer. Interesting art displays in the middle of nowhere and remnants of of the past, preserved be the dry desert conditions.

Sure thing. Just gotta be careful. Like Richard is saying, go with tons of supplies such as water, etc. I always let people know where I am going. And by that, I mean specific GPS coordinates. If I don't report back, at least they know where I was going and that narrows down the field immensely.

Glad you like the extra images. I photograph with a Nikon as well, so I can't always share these. That said, the one below, also in Mojave National Preserve, is a Pentax photo (K-1 and 15-30mm).

[OrchidJulie]

Glad you like the extra images. I photograph with a Nikon as well, so I can't always share these.

Trust me, your Nikon images are welcome, too. I've posted more than a few from my former employer's D80. We're not THAT biased!

[UncleVanya]

Ken these are great. The Nikon shots are welcome too.

[Ken Lee]

Ken these are great. The Nikon shots are welcome too.

Oh cool, thanks! I love the Nikon D750 as well, although I prefer the Pentax. However, I rarely post those unless it is in the context of a discussion since I want to focus on Pentax-related things here. Seems appropriate!

---------- Post added 08-30-22 at 08:34 AM ----------

Trust me, your Nikon images are welcome, too. I've posted more than a few from my former employer's D80. We're not THAT biased!

Oh, is that seriously okay to post? As in starting a new thread with a Nikon post? Or more posting them if they are in the context of a discussion?

I've always avoided starting posts with Nikon photos (even though I do really love my workhorse D750)! I tend to be really strict with my posts!! Thanks.

[OrchidJulie]

Oh, is that seriously okay to post? As in starting a new thread with a Nikon post? Or more posting them if they are in the context of a discussion?

I've always avoided starting posts with Nikon photos (even though I do really love my workhorse D750)! I tend to be really strict with my posts!! Thanks.

Speaking strictly for myself, I think sure, seriously okay to post. Possibly there are some gear-heads who might object, but I don't think there's any "rule" here that says you can't. Not allowed in most of the contests (Pentax gear only for those). but for everyday stuff, why not? As I noted, I've posted many dozens of images from a D80 ("company" camera where I used to work, and shot with it a lot for many years, for corporate image library, catalog, website, etc). Adam and Ole do run a sister site for Nikon (NikonForums.com, I think), but in my experience, this is a better, friendlier place. I don't think I'd post any Pentax images there...... But we have lots and lots of Non-Pentax images here, shot with almost any camera you can imagine, including cel phones! IMO, it's the image that matters, not the gear.
Go for it!

[Ken Lee]

Okay. I'll maybe do a few in the future and see how people react then, but I'll still make the bulk of everything Pentax for now. Thanks for the feedback!!

[OrchidJulie]

Okay. I'll maybe do a few in the future and see how people react then, but I'll still make the bulk of everything Pentax for now. Thanks for the feedback!!

You're welcome, no worries.


Just an aside, the D80 was/is a very capable camera, I used it a lot over a long period of time and got some amazing images with it. But I prefer my Pentaxes, and now that I've become a Retired Bum, I only shoot Pentax. Not that I don't have quite a stash of Nikon images, and I do post one now and again (subject matter). But Pentax is my brand!