More Rock Art - Maui & Free Book

 I have enjoyed looking at rock art and found it stimulating to consider. Why here and not over there? Sometimes an idea comes to mind other times, I'm puzzled and nothing answers for the location.

Sometimes others have offer speculation about meanings and locations of the art work. Maybe, and the leap in culture, and time makes this a daunting task. The guy here with the "sun" or "star" held high? That is from Maui at a site (as are all these photos) I went looking for on one trip and couldn't find. The directions made no sense so I missed them.  This one seems to stimulate lots of speculation and I can see why. Who is that and what's happening here? When was this made? How does it relate to the other nearby art and figures? Was there something on the rock that broke away to the left?  Maybe a friend or a foe? Does the previous one replicate the same event, but more crudely? Or is that a valentine? With a Turtle? Probably not. 

I once considered anthropology as a career but as quickly let it pass as I thought I needed to make a living and the description of job options sounded bleak, but I still enjoy the opportunity to look at the findings of archeologists and read some of the cultural anthropology findings and theories. Seeing these images in the outdoors though sings in a completely different voice than any documentary or paper depiction of another culture than my own.

I especially like the human or human-like figures  as they seem to communicate more about our common ground of being people.  After my last post I received a couple of great photos of other rock art that I hadn't seen which was great fun to look at too.

This code: ed99f will get you a free copy of my ebook Novel: Dungeon Dreams from https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/IndieRight until March 15, 2013. Just click on Dungeon Dreams and enter the code to download to your Kindle, iPhone, computer or other reader! Enjoy!

Native American Rock Art

 "Rock Art" is scattered around the world. I love to visit and speculate what people were doing and thinking when they put these images out there. Set in stone, these artists knew their work would last beyond the next rain storm and they had something to say.

These few I put up today are from the southwest and share an anthro-type body in most of them. Unless I talked with the artist I doubt I can pull up the meaning for that person, but I can have my own vibe to the moment I am there and the photo I bring home.

An old favorite I found in a tiny cave near a stream. The artist laid on the ground out front and painted the ceiling to create a star burst.

Made me wonder and then my old film camera went off again to make a double exposure with the starburst appearing in a waterfall! Starfall? Water-star? Interesting to speculate. If I find the photo I'll post it someday.

Rolling Home

In the backyard

What's to like about TC's (truck or travel campers, take your pick)? It varies according to where you live. Here's my checklist on the TC side: 1. No wheels! That means there are no tires to buy, no bearings to pack (every 2 years), no brakes to service, no alignment service, no blow outs to worry about and a minor point, no stupid little chrome hubs that rust 9 months after you change them! 2. In California there is no license or registration required for a TC. Hauling a TC is like a load of sand. That means no separate insurance & no special fees. Are you adding up the bucks on items 1 & 2? 3. When the RV use is over, remove the TC and you have a full-use truck for hauling. 4. Parking with a TC takes little more caution than parking the truck without it. The rearview mirrors are the widest part of the rig and unless your TC hangs out the back a lot, the length is about the same. 5. Fuel economy is much improved, I'm seeing 15% more miles in every gallon! Good for the pocket book, good for global warming! 6. Back up there with no-wheels I assume you noted there's no engine, no transmission, no coolant, etc. Hey, they all cost money to maintain! 7. Camp nearly anywhere as there are few campsites short of backpacking that don't provide enough space for a TC and getting into the space will require little of the special backing skills required with a trailer or motor home. This also works for storing at home. Often owners drop the TC to a rolling platform and push into the garage. I don't have a garage, but that sounds great. In my case, the #1 issue is getting home on a one-lane difficult road and the TC fits the bill here!

On the downside, TC's cost more per cubic inch than most other RV's. On the new end, we found our Travel Trailer was only a little more expensive at 25 feet as the same brand's campers. Seemed hard to understand then, and still seems high today. My friend Steve bought a huge used 30-foot motorhome for a few bucks more than our 16-foot TC. His has a V-10 engine, more doors, A/C lots of beds and windows and looks like a castle by comparison. So if larger matters to you a TC is not going to do the job.

Travels with Trailer

Alaska on Cook Inlet

These are some my favorite travel and camping photos from our 8 years with the BigFoot travel trailer. We sold it last month to some folks in Oregon so it will be seen on the road up in the northwest some more.

Monument Valley Mittens

We've downsized to the travel camper you can see in earlier posts. It is easier to haul and park while improving our fuel economy about 15%. The benefits are considerable, and the size is...much smaller.

The best part of having the trailer was using it in camp! A comfortable base for everything outdoors.

Borrego Springs, CA

Top of the World Road, Alaska

If you have any doubt about why I was willing to let it go, then you haven't driven to my house which is on a tiny one-lane road curving between many trees and big bolders. My biggest concern over the years was getting it safely home after a big road trip.

Mojave Desert, CA

Our private road is the most trailer-unfriendly road I ever took the BigFoot on. Well, there was this Canadian circle camp ground where I barely squeezed everything between the trees while I held my breath and an unfriendly "turn around" at Joshua Tree NP that took 1.5 hours to negotiate. I recall a nasty cul de sac too small by half for the 48 feet of truck & trailer too. Those trick moves I won't miss!

Sequoia, Nat'l Park

Zion National Park, Utah

We spent well over a year (total) traveling with the trailer from Big Bend National Park in Texas, to most the places the road goes in Alaska. We traveled British Columbia, Yukon and saw the sights in the Canadian Rockies. Ask me some time & I'll recite every state, provence and park not here on the list!

Many good trips and such good memories shared with friends and family we traveled with or saw on the way or those who became friends on the road or campground.

From here on we will be a little more fleet in the campsites and more easily navigating the urban landscape as well. I'll let you know how comparison seems later on. After a couple week's experience I still prefer the camper! I can park in most shopping and city street parking places that the truck would fit in without the camper, so much simpler.

At home in the shade

Fringe RV's

I occasionally find a special RV that merits a photo. Two of these are unique while the middle one I thought was rare and now I've seen a couple more just like it. The Dodge on the left is another study in entropy at work with the best of nature taking on our penchant for travel.

Here's a Whitehorse Wagon seen in the Yukon. The protective "screens" on the windows suggests major bear preparation or formidable enemies. Overlander is a generic term used by the hard corps RV folks that want to drive & camp everywhere in the world. They are often built by the owner, some on a Unimog chassis. I've seen a few others just as rugged looking but not when I had the camera ready. Here's a reference to make or buy your own: http://www.xor.org.uk/silkroute/equipment/ choosevan.htm

This is a creative solution to low load capacity concerns. The builder added a third axel that supports major weight at the rear. I believe this is a Born Free unit, a manufacturer that went on to build some credible and better looking RVs.

The tiny A-frame was not so rare, but the 4 big dogs with the owners were. The wife reported this camper has only a bed and a little other space, so there is NO cooking on any of their trips

I know there are many other photos on the internet of strange and unusual RV's and maybe you'll see some on your next trip. Send me a photo!

Lake Cachuma/Santa Ynez River Photo Shoot

 I've been lusting after this graceful curve of the lake with or without lake water for years. One day I'll stop and photograph this at sunrise. So I did, sunrise 12/9/12

It helped my motivation that the deep red color was at its fullest saturation and seemed so lovely the evening before.

Everyone asks, just what is that plant? Perhaps you can supply the answer. I think it's not buckwheat though the color for the fruit is right.

On the river there is finally water  following rains of the past week and a grand number of germinating green plants that all look rather like grass at first. As I stooped to inspect them it became clear there are grasses but many, perhaps more that are not. At the size of many of the mature valley oak, the coastal live oak below has that grand architecture that must take 250 years to approach.

Thinking of the tears in two of my favorite pairs of pants, I decided to forgo the adventure of crossing the 5 strand, barbed wire fence. A short ramble past the fence would improve my angle on the lake. Instead, I headed for the river. A week later and I'm sitting in the fog after chasing a roof leak in our house. Drips are down to one every eight seconds, is that decreased rain or repaired roof?

Adventure in Santa Barbara Garden

I shoot lots of garden shots in order to see where I want to put new plants or even what to take out. As for blooming I figure a couple weeks out of the year things will peak, but the rest the year I have to live with the stuff that is always there, shape, leaf color, size and location. This silvery guy is not native, but I like the color and shape.

We started laying out this area near the house 5 years ago. We wanted mostly natives, but we didn't ask enough questions or gave into a pretty face and some are Mediterranean, from other continents. Others are from right here or cultivars of natives. 

The manazanita--right-- came up after the big Gap Fire. One theory is these guys germinate due to all the smoke. I transplanted one which doesn't usually work, but it's huge already. Must be happy!

The photo below left is more of the five-year old yard with plants we added to a really sterile area. On the right is a path through large plants that were here (35 plus years) and survived my chainsaw. Ground cover is mostly non-native that was here and still growing. 

Left are non-natives from before we started moving more that way. The salvia "hot lips" --lower left-- is maybe a cultivar of our local salvias. Can't find anything like it around the area, but butterflies love 'em. That big rock is loaded with oyster fossils from when my yard was 2000 feet lower. The rusty plant below is the seed heads of common buckwheat, a plant I abused with the mower for about 30 years until I decided to let it grow again. Nice all year, it has great flower clusters and now these contrasty seeds that are beginning to fall off.

I am plugging natives especially in cities and suburbs. Next time you want to live it up a little, put in a native to your area. You'll learn about the local flora and make the butterflies and birds happier. Even though the nectar of the non-natives attracts it doesn't provide the protein birds need when nesting because many fewer tasty insects are able to live on those exotic plants plus the natives need less water and survive our frequent drought years. If you're replacing just one exotic, make the new one a native for your own edification. There's nothing that will teach you about a plant like watching it carefully through the seasons and over the years. Who knows, you might take up phenology as a citizen scientist.

For those of you looking for other adventures try looking at my buddy Luigi's blog on his loooong hike 3000Km through New Zealand!

If you're looking for stylish wilderness photos for your new digs or to replace boring old art, drop by Lumnos Gallery, at the Santa Barbara Frame Shop1324 State St. for photos by Jeff Jones and friends. Lumnos.com