Zzyzx: The Forgotten Health Resort of the Mojave

January 7, 2015, 2 Comments

After stopping at Calico, we swung by a place I had only read about, Zzyzx, California. The reason I love road trips is it offers opportunities to stop at fun, unique and sometimes bizarre stops along the way. And Zzyzx is certainly one of those. While many think of the Mojave as desolate, the area…

Pioneertown: The Town Built by Celluloid Cowboys

December 18, 2014, 7 Comments

During our stay at Hicksville we visited a place that could only exist in California, Pioneertown. I had visited in Pioneertown back in March (though did not blog about it) with my dad, who grew up with heavy doses of the western TV shows in the 50s, which is all how Pioneertown began. Western stars…

The Remains of The Wagon Wheel

August 17, 2014, 14 Comments

Yes, we are still in California! Although the Disneyland portion of our trip is over, we still have lots of plans! Meanwhile I want to share with you our detour to the Wagon Wheel. As some readers of this blog will already know, I am a complete and utter sucker for roadside Americana. Seriously, I…

Balboa Park

July 21, 2014, 12 Comments

As mentioned in my previous post, after visiting Mission San Diego de Alcalá, I decided to visit the highly recommended Balboa Park. And now I know why people kept bringing it up. It is nothing short of spectacular and I am forever in love. From its impeccably detailed buildings to its sprawling gardens, my eyes darted…

California’s First Mission – Mission San Diego de Alicalá

July 20, 2014, 2 Comments

UPDATE: It is important to remember that while California Missions have been hailed as places of peace, they also have deep and complicated histories, including slavery, violence, and forced religious conversion. Having visited 99% of the shops I wanted to go to, my fourth full day in San Diego was spent exploring the city on…

Hotel Del Coronado

July 16, 2014, 6 Comments

Yesterday Carla of Tiny Angry Crafter and I ran around to various vintage shops and also stopped by one of San Diego area’s most iconic landmarks, the Hotel Del Coronado. Opening in 1888, the hotel became a hot spot for US presidents and in the 1920s, for the Hollywood elite. When World War II broke out…

Old Town San Diego

July 14, 2014, 5 Comments

Greetings from San Diego! Today I got together with the doll that is Carla of Tiny Angry Crafter and we visited some of the antique shops in the Ocean Beach area (where I bought one little item) before visiting Old Town San Diego. And let me just say, it was incredibly charming. I felt like…

Fernandina Beach

May 30, 2014, 6 Comments

Today a bunch of the significant others, including myself, went on a river cruise through the marshes between Florida and Georgia in the area around Fernandina Beach. I was hoping we’d catch a glimpse at an alligator, but, alas, that did not happen. Although we did see dolphins (sadly, I wasn’t able to capture anything…

St. Augustine

May 28, 2014, 3 Comments

Greetings from Florida! Patrick has a work conference here in Florida, and this conference is unique in that it encourages attendees to bring their significant others and children! They also offer outings for significant others, one of which included a visit to St. Augustine. Before you ask, we will not be going to Walt Disney…

The Ruins and Oddities of Route 66

March 18, 2014, 21 Comments

It’s no secret that I am a fan of roadside Americana. While I love to see these 50-plus year old businesses alive and well, my real passion is photographing the abandoned Americana. I love seeing what time and nature does to man-made structures and objects. So when my dad said he wanted to drive down…

Atomic Redhead

personal photography

Zzyzx: The Forgotten Health Resort of the Mojave

Pioneertown: The Town Built by Celluloid Cowboys

The Remains of The Wagon Wheel

Balboa Park

California’s First Mission – Mission San Diego de Alicalá

Hotel Del Coronado

Old Town San Diego

Fernandina Beach

St. Augustine

The Ruins and Oddities of Route 66