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wfeller
Registered Users Posts: 2,625 Major grins
In my search for places to shoot close to home I came up with this about 6 miles away:
Dead Tree at Dusk
Dead Tree at Dusk
Anybody can do it.
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The sad valley's restlessness.
Nothing there is motionless --
Nothing save the airs that brood
Over the magic solitude."
~ E.A. Poe - Valley of Unrest
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Thank you Stella and John.
After 25 years and 4-5x the population, I think I forgot why I moved here in the first place. I remember now, and even though it's built up so much, there's a lot of good spots within 5-20 miles. Plus, the added extra of my grand kids living close.
The Sierras (I am guessing that's where these were taken) are one of my favorite places in the world. But you're right about the build-up. Many of the rolling foothills, once open and expansive, are now bedroom communities for the larger Central Valley towns. Rivers I paddled years ago that once had a real wilderness feel to them now are just in the backyards of tract subdivisions. Still, I keep thinking of buying a place in the medium elevations--3000 to 5000 feet--as a country place, hoping that I'll die before the surrounding mountains get developed.
Similar here. Not the Sierra but just beyond the mountains north and west of L.A. at the southern edge of the Mojave at 3,300 feet. We escaped the swill and swirl of So. Cal. proper about 25-26 years ago and watched our little town go from about 15k to 85k. The area has grown from about 85k to 500k. Mostly [rant]deleted[/rant].
It was easier to accept with 3 of our 5 grand kids living nearby. If the town didn't grow, they'd have to live somewhere else. [rant]deleted[/rant] I'm glad I seen it for what it all was when I did. Who knows how long any of us have, but as long as I may have, I'll know where to find the solitude.
Er, on an up-note: after years of coming out to this location every so often, the owner of the hunting club caught me stepping over the broken down fence to hike back to the spot. I didn't quite make it into the junipers and he called to me, asking if I were going to go back and take pictures. I asked if it were okay? He said it wasn't a problem, and if I liked, I could drive up to his house, down his driveway to the riverbed and save about a mile hike. Choice! Then he showed me this:
He opened up the cage so I could take this shot. There were about 3x as many. I get apprehensive about sticking anything into and or over a box of venomous vipers. He even took one and put it on the ground out so I could take some crappy shots--and I did.
[chatter]deleted[/chatter] just that there are some great folks that I run into.
You have a great plan though. Stick with it, and I'm certain you'll find what you need.