Gamble House

Corresponding with my 66 in LA blog, here are a couple of my recent shots of the Gamble House in Pasadena, California, just off of historic Route 66.

Highland Theatre sign re-lit

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing the historic rooftop sign at the Highland Theatre on Route 66 in Los Angeles as it was being re-lit. Amy Inouye was already at the microphone when I arrived last night, and she deserved to be center stage for her untiring efforts to promote this area and its ties to the Mother Road.

The National Park Service's Kaisa Barthuli was in town for the event as well, showing just how important this ceremony and location were to all of Route 66.








A good sized crowd was on hand to eat cake, and to watch the switch get flipped to turn the lights on at the first of many signs along 66 in Highland Park!

Tohono Chul

Today's photo again takes us back to nature in Tucson. This shot was taken a couple of weeks ago at Tohono Chul Park. Obviously, there were a lot of blooming flowers a couple of weeks ago, not only here but throughout the entire desert southwest. Many museums and parks can help with your desert bloom experience, too.

Saguaro National Park, Tucson AZ

Another desert shot, this taken a little over a week ago near Saguaro National Park near Tucson, AZ.

William Heise County Park

It's been too long since my last post. But either today or tomorrow I'll be getting some new shots back, so I should be adding more to the mix soon. In the meantime, this shot was taken at William Heise County Park in San Diego County, near Julian, a few years ago. This park was - as you can see from the photo - affected by the Cedar Fire in 2003. We were there in 2005 on a little mini-vacation for Julie's birthday.

US 50 - Colorado

Took this back in 2002 on my way to Omaha for the Preseving Historic Roads Conference. I don't recall exactly where it is, so if anyone has that information, let me know. (All I know is that it was just off of I-70 west of Denver somewhere.)

A Tree

Well, it WAS a tree. It still sort of is. Unfortunately, I can't remember exactly where or when I took this. I just remember that it seemed to be the only older thing around. All the rest of the plant life was new growth, so I figured this must have survived a somewhat recent wildfire. And I felt that it was indicative of Southern California right now, unfortunately. My heart goes out to all those who are struggling against the wildfires, especially those fighting them.

Dancing in Prague

The "Fred & Ginger building" in Prague was designed by Frank Gehry and is officially called the "Nationale-Nederlanden Building."

Vitus Cathedral - Prague

This is Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle. Note the construction on the left hand side of the shot. Still an absolutely wonderful site!

Prague - Cityscape

Another shot of Prague from April, 2005.

More Prague - Town Hall

This is a shot of the town hall in Prague, with one of the churches in the background. Unfortunately, that's about all the information that I have on this one. If anyone can provide any more details on them, I would be greatly appreciative.

View From Room - Prague

I was discussing some of my photographs with co-workers yesterday, trying to decide what photos to put up in my new office. Europe definitley became a topic of conversation. So I decided to re-visit some of my photographs from that trip. I thought this would be a nice shot to add. This is the view we had out the window our first night in Prague a few years ago when we stayed at the Hotel at St. John. It was a great room and one I would highly recommend.

Sycamore Inn (Rancho Cucamonga, CA)

Another shot from along Route 66 in Southern California, this one of the Sycamore Inn's sign in Rancho Cucamonga. Nearby is also the Magic Lamp, with another great neon sign, complete with flame coming out the lamp's spout. (I'll have to try to find the photo I have of it again!)

Preservation Lost - Trader Vic's (Beverly Hills, CA)

Today's photo is also available in my book, "Finding the End of the Mother Road: Route 66 in Los Angeles County." It's a shot of Trader Vic's, a long-time icon along Route 66 in Beverly Hills. Unfortunately, due to heavy redevelopment at the Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevard intersection and along each corridor, Trader Vic's is slated for demolition.

Up Down In Out (Chagrin Falls, OH)

This photograph of mine still always intrigues me. Shot in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, I still cannot get past how crystal-clear the reflection in the glass is, and yet how visible the railing on the inside portion of the stairwell is still so clearly visible in front of the inside light. And, with just a hint of it showing, the pine garland with christmas lights and the interior ribbon just provide a hint that it should be snowy and cold outside, but there is no hint of snow, just an overcast sky visible in the upper left. This was a strange mix of a lot of things to me.

This stairwell in Boston inrigued me quite a bit. I think that a fear of heights might make it a bit difficult for me to find my way onto it, though.

More Verticality

Keeping the vertical theme going is this shot from downtown Ojai, taken about five years ago just after Julie and I met.

Behind Bars (Williamsburg, VA)

Keeping with yesterday's vertical imagery, today's photo comes from Williamsburg, VA.

More Nature - The Redwoods

A couple of years ago (back in April 2004, to be precise), Julie and I traveled north along the Pacific Coast Highway to Tillamook, Oregon, where we then cut inland to Portland. Along that trip, we went through the Redwoods. Of course, when in the Redwoods, you HAVE to take the gratuitous shot of the trees looking straight up into them. Here's mine.

On the Lincoln

In going through my old photos, I couldn't believe that I hadn't posted this in my blog yet. I love this shot, despite its simplicity and relative flatness. There's something intrinsically interesting in the old "L" being repainted on the leaning telephone pole, with the original Lincoln disappearing into the distance.

Aztec Hotel

The Aztec Hotel is perhaps the crown jewel of Route 66 in Los Angeles County. It is definitely one of the two most-photographed Route 66 structures in LA County and may be the best known. It is also amongst the best known hotels along the entirety of the Mother Road, from Chicago to Santa Monica.

Over the last several years it has undergone some major renovations and restorations. This includes repainting the exterior. Looking at the Aztec today from the outside, its shell would be the same as these two photographs (taken in 2001), but the colors would be vastly different.



Congratulations to Kathie Reece-McNeill, owner of the Aztec, and all of her staff for such a wonderful job of restoration, which is still in process. I encourage everyone traveling the Mother Road to continue their trek into LA County and stop in to see Kathie at the Aztec!

Last Photos From Mendocino Botanical Gardens

Here are the last photos from the Mendocino Botanical Gardens. There were several left for me to post, but after a few days on the road, I felt it only fair that I post all of these at once to make up for the missed days.

More Mendo

I just can't help continuing to post my photos from the Mendocino County Botanical Gardens. So here's another close up taken on that wonderful trip.

Believe It or Not, More from Mendocino!

Oops - More Mendocino

Sorry I missed yesterday. Still more from Mendocino!

A Rose is A Rose

Remember last Monday when I said I'd be posting at least a weeks' worth of photos from the Mendocino County Botanical Gardens, the Garden by the Sea? Well, this is the eigth one, and I'm still growing strong.

I'm partial to roses. It must have something to do with living two blocks away from Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. But the rose garden at Mendocino was not very photographable, at least in my opinion. This, however, was nice.

Another Set of Flowers

More from the Mendocino County Botanical Gardens.

More Mendocino

And they just keep coming, don't they? This place really was extremely beautiful and very easy to shoot good photos at!

For Mom

I spoke with my mom last night, and she said she's been looking at these photos from Mendocino County Botanical Gardens daily and loves them. So this is for her.

An Overview

This is probably the widest view that I took from within the Menodocino County Botanical Gardens. It gives a pretty good overview of the gardens area that is closest to the Pacific Coast Highway and the entrance. As you can tell, this area is overwhelmingly beautiful, and well worth a return trip sometime!

Botanical Gardens Hillside

Another from Mendocino Botanical Gardens, showing the hillside where the continent ends and the ocean begins.

Mendocino Gardens on the Coast

If you have looked at the link posted on Monday to the Mendocino County Botanical Gardens, you will notice that it is also called the Gardens By the Sea. This expansive garden is located between the Pacific Coast Highway (California Route 1) and the Pacific Ocean. It covers a great distance from the Gardens' entrance to the edge of the ocean, and the walk is wonderful. But views like this through the gardens and tress to the ocean make the anticipation of the ocean's edge all the more wonderful.

More Mendocino

As promised, another today from the Mendocino County Botanical Gardens. This one is higher resolution than normal for me on my blog. I left it that way because as I lowered the resolution to where I normally would save it to, the flowers just became way too fuzzy. So higher resolution and added a "copyright" line. Hope you enjoy it.

Mendocino County Botanical Gardens

Around six weeks or so ago, I visited the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg, California with Julie and her family. This place was incredible. I took about 70 photos that day. My normal 1 in 10 ratio of good shots was dramatically increased at the Gardens, only because of how incredibly beautiful the whole, huge area is. It was hard NOT to get a good shot.

Today will be the first of a multitude of shots that I post from there. I will post one each day for the remainder of the week, all from these Gardens.

"A Tree" - Santa Barbara County, CA

This burnt-out-looking tree was found alongside a small trail located at a rest area on CA-154, near Lake Cachuma.

Solitude

This photograph was taken in Northern California along the Pacific Coast Highway in April, 2004, shortly after the previous shot on Coleman Valley Road. Still a little rainy, and cool, but a beautiful day, and a wonderful opportunity to show how few people were on the road around us that morning.

Coleman Valley Road

I can't believe I haven't posted this photo yet! I absolutely love this shot. I think that this is one of my favorites of all the shots that I have taken. It was shot in April, 2004, during Julie's and my trek up the Pacific Coast Highway to Tillamook from the Golden Gate Bridge.

The name of this road is Coleman Valley Road. It runs inland from the Pacific Coast Highway, just a couple of miles north of Bodega Bay, to a junction with the Bohemian Highway. This was a great little sidetrip that was recommended to us by a coffee shop owner in Bodega Bay. It was still pretty early in the morning when we hit this spot after leaving our campsite. YOu can still sense the fog in the air. It obviously had a small amount of rain in the air prior to out drive through, too. And you can even get a sense of the 180-degree turn in the road as well.

Ah, I think it's time for another road trip!

More Quintessential Chicago

This is another one of the quintessential Chicago landmarks. The Art Institute of Chicago - located on Michigan Avenue in the Loop - is also considered a bit of a jumping-off point for Route 66 travelers. This museum is one of the premiere art museums in the world, but is so much more than that. Almost directly across the street is the Chicago Architecture Foundation and its store. This, too, is a must-stop while in Chicago.

Chicago, IL - The "EL"

It has been WAY too long since my last post here. Have some photos back from my wedding anniversary trek to Chicago, and will be posting some of those over the next few days. Today, the gratuitous shot of Chicago's "EL."