Scenes from LA: Mulholland Drive

Universal City Scenic Overlook
 
During my last visit to LA, I kept trying to convince Edith to take the rental car down Mulholland Drive when she had some time to kill, waiting for me to finish up meetings. It's one of my favorite drives, anywhere.

She didn't brave the winding road that might just take you into another reality, but when I was driving from North Hollywood to Beverly Hills for a meeting this week, and the GPS told me to take Sunset, I said, "Screw you, I'm taking Mulholland."

Of course, its hairpin turns and customary stop at the scenic overlook probably made me much later than the traffic on Sunset would have.

But it was worth it to see the low-hanging mist on the distant mountains, so very different from the pervasive smog and June gloom that often plagues the LA area this time of year.

I was only 10 minutes late for my meeting. In LA traffic terms, that means I was actually 20 minutes early.

To become a fan on Facebook, click here.

Scenes from the Hi Desert: Mexican Serenade

It may not have been the most convenient choice, but when we had the chance to drive three hours to spend one night at the Rimrock Ranch in Pioneertown, CA near Joshua Tree, we jumped at it.

Although we didn't arrive in town until after 7 p.m., we managed to squeeze in dinner at La Casita Nueva an hour before they closed (even on a Saturday night!).

We ate fish tacos and camarones rancheros while being serenaded by these guys.



Zen.

It's been several months since I stayed in Joshua Tree. My favorite coffee house may have closed, but last night and today I experienced lots of welcome deja vu driving along unlit country roads and shopping for wine at Stater Bros. I wish I could have spent more time there, but as they say, it's always best to keep me wanting more...

To become a fan on Facebook, click here.

Scenes from the Hi Desert

The desert - lo or hi - seems to be biker heaven. In Death Valley, often the only other people I would see would be bikers, usually riding in packs of three to five, waving as they rumbled by me on the side of the road taking pictures.

Despite the more populated, commercialized nature of the Twentynine Palms Highway, which runs along the towns in the Morongo Basin including Joshua Tree, I still find bikers in my rear view mirror all the time. I find it comforting. They don't weave in and out of traffic, one minute cutting me off and the next minute passing me in the road shoulder. They ride patiently behind me, smiling if they catch my eye in my rear view mirror.

I had to capture this guy, on my way back from eating lunch at the Route 62 Diner, adjacent to Hutchins Harley Davidson store. We were stopped at a red light but I wasn't quick enough, and had to push the button just after the light turned green and I started to pull away. When I turned into the left lane to pass the white truck in front of me, I lost him.

Scenes from the Hi Desert

All the chain pizza joints "in town" (that's Yucca Valley) hire these poor young kids to stand outside in the blazing, emission-filled heat with big signs pointing you to their establishments.

Usually you see some miserable looking high school boy just standing there behind the sign, but occasionally he's replaced by a more enthusiastic, older, heavier guy, sweating in the heat, and stabbing his arrow-shaped sign in the direction in which you're supposed to turn off the highway.

Today I had the joy of spotting this sign-holder get down, dancing like there's no tomorrow.

After I snapped this shot we waved at each other and I drove away.