Saturday, March 30, 2019

Destination: Grant's Grove

"Destination: Grants Grove No. 1" 2018
WIKIPEDIA:

General Grant Gove, a section of the greater Kings Canyon National Park, was established by the US Congress in 1890 and is located in Fresno County, California. The primary attraction of General Grant Grove is the giant sequoia trees that populate the grove. General Grant Grove's most well-known tree is the General Grant Tree, which is 267 feet tall and the third largest known tree in the world. The General Grant Tree is over 1,500 years old and is known as the United States's national Christmas Tree. General Grant Grove consists of 154 acres and is geographically isolated from the rest of Kings Canyon National Park.

One cannot go into the trees without coming out humbled...

Julie Green
March 30, 2018


"Destination: Grants Grove No. 2" 2018



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Saturday, March 23, 2019

Destination: Badger

“Destination: Badger No. 1” 2018

On a trip to Sequoia National Park last year, we drove through a small town called Badger where time felt as though it had stopped. Old barns, small wooden huts and hay shelters dotted the hillside and captured my imagination. Oak trees crowded out the sky and their twisted branches added to the timelessness of the place. In the middle of the day it felt like dusk. With a population of 140 people in this Tulare County community, I felt as though I had been whisked through a wormhole and dropped into the middle of the United States back in the 30's.

The old wooden planks had a slight sheen of moss growing on the shaded side of each structure and their rooves were made from sheets of corrugated tin. I can only imagine what it would sound like during a storm. I grew up with old barns like this out in the undisturbed fields behind our track homes. I was always intrigued by their man made walls sagging from the weight of time and seasons. They stood as a testament to the hard work and humble beginning of the farmers and cattle folk who worked the land before my eyes in an era that was before my time.

Julie Green
March 23, 2019


“Destination: Badger No. 2” 2018



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Saturday, March 16, 2019

Destination: Pine Mountain Club

"Destination: Pine Mountain Club No. 1" 2018

Last November we took a trip up the Grapevine during a storm and ended up seeing the most dazzling display of nature in the San Emigdio Mountain community of Pine Mountain Club. I have driven past the small towns dotting the sides of the road through the Tejon Pass a million times but have rarely stopped except for gas. It was time to take a closer look, so we chose a town deep in the woods to explore.

On our way to our local destination, I imagined that the local population was like other mountain communities, close knit and hard working with the punctuation of vistiors occasionally being seen in town. I quickly felt as though we had driven to another state. Nature ruled and the effects of humanity were less apparent. The curling smoke from a chimney could be seen in the depths of the pine valley and the road was the only guide that lead us deeper into Bear country.

This series of photographs were taken directly from my passenger seat. The intermittent rain made for a lovely textured screen that separated me from the elements and refracted the mountain town we were driving through. I was intrigued by the somber winter colors of dark rust and deep emerald greens. These images are a hush or a melancholy poem. They speak to me about the power of nature and moments of reflection during the darkest hours of winter.

Julie Green
March 16, 2019

"Destination: Pine Mountain Club No. 2" 2018



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Saturday, March 9, 2019

Destination: Bridgeport

"Destination: Bridgeport No. 1" 2018

It was a few days after the 4th of July when we rolled into the town old mining town of Bridgeport. I sometimes forget that these dusty foothill towns exist and it was delightful to spend a few nights in this historic corner of California. Walking around after dinner, I couldn't help but capture the recent trappings of Independence Day. American flags waived from every building, pole and car. With the Victorian backdrop, time really did stand still.

The prominent 1880 Mono County courthouse on Main Street is the 2nd oldest courthouse still operating in California. It would have looked right at home in San Francisco with its Italianate facade and large 23,000 square footprint sitting up on Nob Hill. I also visited the local community church and jail to round out my tour of this Eastern Sierra town.

Julie Green
March 9, 2019


"Destination: Bridgeport No. 2" 2018



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Saturday, March 2, 2019

Destination: Bodie State Historic Park

“Destination: Bodie State Historic Park No. 1” 2018

Traveling down the Eastern Sierra's last summer, I was finally able to visit and photograph the legendary ghost town of Bodie. This deserted gold-mining town looks just like a Hollywood set but has actually been preserved and was designated a State Historic Park in 1961. Once a booming town of 10,000 people, Bodie nows sits quietly in the Bodie Hills east of the Sierra Nevada mountain rang in Mono County.

I've been hesitant to capture this decaying landmark because it is so overly photographed. There are multiple photography workshops you can attend during the day and numerous excursions to photograph it at night. It has been shot from every angle and documented to death. I usually stay far away from locations like this.

But since I was on vacation and it IS a very photogenic subject, I decided to capture it for posterity. This series of photographs only shows  the outside structures. I shot quite a few interiors but as I was not on a workshop tour, I did not have access to the inside of these buildings. Shooting through warbled old pain glass windows isn't the best way capture their contents.

What struck me about most about the town was how remote it was to the rest of the region. After driving 3 miles on a rough dirt road straight into the hills, I couldn't help thinking of how even more desolate the place must have been when it was first established back in the 1860's. It was singularly quite, with only the occasional hawk circling above.

Laura Ingalls Wilder would have looked right at home in this rural outpost, running quickly down the hillside trampling through the creosote bush scrub and soda straw towards her wooden town that no longer exists.

Julie Green
March 2, 2019


“Destination: Bodie State Historic Park No. ” 2018



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