March 4, 2023
With some gorgeous snowfall in Rochester and another new used lens to try out, I headed to Letchworth State Park in Castile, New York. I bought a new wide angle after some photographic failing on my recent trip to Arizona. I was impressed with this new wide angle. Here are Read more…
February 28, 2023
The end of a packed but short month… one that makes the first two months of ’23 feel like a year already. And a lot of pancakes… Good Morning! Sweet routines: Yardsale‘s vegan pistachio chocolate chip cookie Dog Day Afternoon‘s Vegan Chicago Dog Thai, my usual order: dumplings and Pad Read more…
February 24, 2023
Just a photo dump of some travel bits… because I am already missing the road. The night shoot attempt. It is not Milky Way season yet, so the beautiful galactic core is not visible in this hemisphere yet. But I am very much looking forward to its arrival! On the Read more…
Las Vegas’s Graze Kitchen offers a menu full of vegan deliciousness to this weary traveler about to hop on a red eye flight. With superb attention to detail, it was a definite food highlight of my trip! My Meatless Meatloaf: Meatloaf was a tender mix of tempeh, seitan, quinoa and Read more…
11 years after street artist Aware snuck into in an abandoned mine to create the Wheel of Misfortune, a 250-foot wide Vegas-inspired wheel of fortune… complete with colorful segments containing dollar values (all $000) as well as “Lose A Job,” “Lose A Home,” “Lose All Hope,” “Bank Owned” and “Bankrob”… Read more…
On the border of Navajo land referred to as Deadman Flat is the Wupatki Spirit Totem. Though no one is sure when they were erected and by whom, the land is important to the Hopi & Zuni tribes and is near the Wupatki National Monument, a preserved ancestral pueblo. Read more…
February 23, 2023
Petrified Forest National Park would offer me so much beauty on my short trip. Though I had made this assumption before arriving, I was not prepared to see the range of gorgeousness. I want to return to get out of the car more comfortably, because on this particular visit the Read more…
It’s hard to get anywhere on Route 66 because there is so much abandonment that pulls me over. Even what isn’t abandoned looks abandoned, weather-worn and time-loved… crispy and texturous. To follow, some stray decay along the way.
With several exploration fails, I was happy to peep Fort Courage standing tall from Interstate-40. Braving the harsh temperatures and whipping winds, I made the most of my short stop. Currently for sale, this large collection of structures may soon have new life. Or it may not. Such is one Read more…
February 22, 2023
Before I drop a bunch of Route 66 neon, I want to give a big shout out to Chinese eateries across the country who always offer a reliable vegan options. This well needed meal was from Mandarin Beauty Restaurant. Mapo tofu Also, it is a great thing that veg snacks Read more…
The wigwam villages are a quintessential part of road culture–many registered as historic landmarks. Staying off Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona, the Wigwam Village was a must for me. A delight upon arrival, the vintage cars that filled the lot. Made for some of my favorite style picture-taking… vintage style. Read more…
Heading north through the mountainous San Carlos and Fort Apache reservations made for a grueling day of driving. The windstorm that shook my vintage tiki bus through the night, whipping songs through it’s crevices, was part of the weather system that rocked travel across the country. Snow and frigid temperatures Read more…
Very close to the Mexican border, within the Mule Mountains, is Bisbee, Arizona, a historic mining town with a charming downtown filled with galleries and eateries. It was a bit of a strenuous drive south as the weather had grown very chilly with wild whipping winds. What I presumed to Read more…
February 21, 2023
The Shady Dell Trailer Park in Bisbee, Arizona.
Growing up in the 80’s Lisa Frank stickers were the creme de la creme of my sticker book pages. Sticker books, for you young people, were places to show off how your cool taste and cred. So when I learned that the Lisa Frank headquarters sit abandoned in Tucson, Arizona–and Read more…
Reluctantly I left the isolation of the desert wilderness for a quick bite in Tucson. Midtown Vegan Deli & Market is, as it states, an all-vegan shop with pantry and grocery staples along with a deli counter. It would do the trick for a proper vegan meal, one that would Read more…
If I stopped at every piece of roadside nostalgia then I would not get very far in my travels. So I have reserved early mornings for driving about towns to grab what I can while everyone is asleep. To follow, mostly Yuma, Arizona. This cleaners was still in operation. An Read more…
February 20, 2023
After a couple of days of eating nothing more than trail mix, Yuma, Arizona offered some great vegan eats. I had one day in town, so here is what I chose: Sunshine Cafe would be the hip coffee spot I could grab an oat milk latte and avocado toast from… Read more…
The ruins of the Yuma Territorial Prison is within a historical state park. Opened in 1876, the prison held 3,040 male and 29 female “outlaws” of the west during its closing in 1909. The park’s museum contains artifacts, many made by prisoners who were given free time for creating beautiful Read more…
February 19, 2023
Traveling Route 66 you’ll see evidence of its faded glory–in physical form. The construction of Interstate 40 made it impossible to travel its entirety; it bypassed some of Route 66’s stops leaving them suspended in a dead road, leaving their roadside stops left to decay. To follow, some of that Read more…
Though I needed the Kelso Dunes in the Mojave Desert for a backdrop of a special photoshoot, I only stayed briefly. But these hours were my initiation into the road, an offering to wild time… time that exists outside the constructs of tedium–impractical, untainted, and because of these, unsustainable. Its Read more…
Mid-winder recess always aligns with peak wanderlust, a breaking point where draining daily life in New York City grows to a frustration level that pervades and my soul needs a deep spring of wonder, nature and night. Respite. This trip I escape to the desert, a place I assumed would Read more…
February 12, 2023
Here is another batch of vegan food reporting from Rochester–not many places are in this report, but they’re of top notch quality deserving immediate sharing! Firstly, Petit Poutinerie–a poutine food truck turned gorgeous brick and mortar with amazing vegan options. Just look: Some beverages: Ginger Soda (Cane sugar, fresh ginger Read more…
Another quick attempt at understanding how to work my drone! Like the previous test, this one also had some pretty terrible crashes. In the end we got the drone up to see the Cobbs Hill Water Towers, which was the goal. To follow, some shots from the ground and in Read more…
January 1, 2023
Wanting some beauty and nature on day 1, we headed to Watkins Glen State Park. I hadn’t been there in like 7 years and I remember it being very beautiful. But unfortunately the warm temps (following the arctic freeze) had the best parts of the park closed off. Ice chunks Read more…
December 30, 2022
The frigid Lake Ontario We were doing remote control cars. Can you tell? Two-berry pancakes. So pale! I haven’t been satisfied with my pancake making lately. The first ever Wegmans. Vintage delight. I finally won in bowling. I guess I need the bumpers up all the time. teehee Breakfast It Read more…