CA to AZ Road Trip Photo Suggestions?

[StevenAunan]

I'm driving from Sacramento, CA, to baseball spring training in Phoenix (meeting my dad and brother-in-law there). Besides Death Valley, are there any photography locations you could suggest?

1. Sacramento to Lone Pine along US 395
2. Lone Pine to Death Valley
3. Death Valley to Boulder City
4. Boulder City to Phoenix

Not sure what the return route will be, but I have four days to play with.

 

[THXGEEK]

Its still a bit early, but if you get enough rain (and the timing works out) you might get in on a mass flower bloom.

Unveiling the Best Spots for Wildflower Blooms Across the Southwestern U.S.

 

[Dean Wilson]

I am traveling from Oregon to Borrego Springs, CA.

We were going to include the return to include Lone Pine and Bishop.

Lone Pine was going to include Alabama Hills and the Joshua Tree site (Hwy 190). Bishop was going to include Patriarch Grove the Ancient Bristlecone Pine,
Caltech/NJIT Owens Valley Radio Observatory (night photography).

In Borrego Springs some include:

Sculptures - Borrego Springs Road
Coyote Canyon Wildflower Viewing Area - Di Giorgio Rd to Henderson Canyon Rd

Fonts Point - Palm Canyon Palm Dr to Borrego Salton Sea Way

Pumpkin Patch Rocks - Palm Canyon Palm Dr to Borrego Salton Sea Way

Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR (Unit 1) – Borrego Springs Rd to Hwy 78

Salton Sea Airport

Republic of Slowjamastan

 

[StevenAunan]

I am traveling from Oregon to Borrego Springs, CA.

Happy travels! I'm heading back north on March 13.

 

[Dean Wilson]

Happy travels! I'm heading back north on March 13.

My weeklong journeys this year include:

January - Rockaway Beach, OR
February - Seaside, OR
March - Bandon, OR (23rd-27th)
April - Borrego Springs, CA
May - Prineville, OR

This doesn't include one/two night out of town visits.

 

[THXGEEK]

Looks like the 'SuperBloom' is happening this year.

 

[Dean Wilson]

@THXGEEK did you see the Article on FStoppers regarding 'SuperBlooms'?

 

[THXGEEK]

did you see the Article on FStoppers regarding 'SuperBlooms'?

I did and it is eye-opening!

"The overwhelming majority of the damage was caused by casual visitors, social media users, and influencers who treated wildflower fields as content backdrops. People who wanted to be in the photo, not behind the camera. Couples who hired budget photographers who either did not know about trail boundaries or did not care. Influencers who uprooted flowers for styled shots and then posted them to audiences of tens of thousands. The destruction was driven by the pursuit of personal content, not by the pursuit of a good photograph. There is a meaningful difference."

As an amateur photographer, my personal credo is... Do no harm. Do not alter any natural occurrence of nature to further your hobby or to garner praise.

When did our society become so weak-minded as to need the advice of 'influencers'???!? That it sought out the 'cool' or 'vogue' or 'stylish; without caring for the nature and beauty and ecosystems that made this incredible beauty possible?

I will not even dwell on political 'influencers'. Snake oil! All of them!

We have become a world inhabited by social-media idiots and a people too unwilling to think for themselves.

I'm sorry, but I've had a very, very bad day and our natural world is very near and dear to my heart.

Please go gently into the life. Be considerate to the world around you.

Peace.

Cheers,
-- Craig

 

[MikeZ]

I did and it is eye-opening!

I can't agree more. I've always been frustrated by those who care more about their world than the world around them. And though that statement, and the FStoppers article, reference social media as a principle component I've come across many "legitimate" photographers who fall into that group as well, though maybe not as destructive. The quest for the "perfect" shot drives people to extremes and all too many forget to leave only footprints.