blurred ground

south of bakersfield. 2010.

low clouds in the dying light. pink seeping from the tufts and arms, leaving a grey purple be hind.

tonight i rode home in the rain, my jacket and pants glossy with water. it's supposed to rain forever.

west

joshua tree. 2010.

window in the wall

ryan ranch. 2010.

prickly little things

joshua tree. 2010.

i think we counted a total of seven kinds of cactus, at least that we could differentiate. not included here is beaver tail, which is a rather plain grey-green flat wrinkly leafed cactus that apparently blooms beautiful pink flowers in the spring and has microscopic splinters for spines (ouch!).

these guys were all spikes and hidden watery flesh, just waiting for the next rain.

tire in the salt pools

Between Mojave and Joshua Tree. 2010.

we were driving along, having just left the crater, and mari wanted to stop and taste/touch/walk on the salt flats. there was a skinny green pool--maybe a half mile long--between two mounds. when we got closer, we found a tire and, off to the side, a beer bottle floating in the pool. what an awesome green color!

black rock ridge

Between the Mojave and Joshua Tree lies a volcanic crater of small blackened rock and a broken round ridge. 2010.

shades

Kelso Dunes. 2010.

on the way up, 2nd november in a row. maybe it should become my annual pilgrimage. just can't get enough of that still silence, where blood thunders through your ear and a car drives loudly by three miles away. 

mojave

Mojave Desert. 2010.

This is facing south, with the Kelso Sand Dunes behind me. Shortly after daybreak.

bricks

Barstow. 2010.

arches over clouds

Barstow. 2010.

On the way to Mojave. The Barstow train station, in its heyday glory.