David Howell Travel Photography and Map Blog

When you think of California beaches what images do you see?

Crowds, bikinis, surfers, smog, traffic jams, heat, noise, fun, in-line skater, muscle builders, palm trees, sand, or what?

The far northern California beaches have the surfers, the fun, the sand, but the rest? Not so much….

Strange rock formation suggestive … of art or science? Where does all this sand come from?

Millions of acres of sand, farther than the eye can see. To the horizon and beyond. Moved by water and wind.

Then moved again or buried by later deposits. Time passes….

Both male and female forms are present. Together, resting comfortably in the sand that they created….

“Plan to equip yourself with good brouges as the land is craggy.”

Terrain like this Mojave Desert photo is what came to mind when I read this advice. But this shoe guidance was included in the welcoming information from a ‘riad’ in Fez, Morocco. A riad is a traditional Moroccan guest house. The streets in the old town section of Fez must be rough. But they certainly aren’t as rough as this jumble of boulders in Joshua Tree National Park.

I am making arrangements for my next photo excursion. This fall we will tour Andelucìa in southern Spain. Then I will continue on to Morocco and finish the trip in The Dolomites of northern Italy….

The beaches of Los Angeles are bathed in yellowing light as the evening sun shines through the haze euphemistically known there as the ‘marine layer’. Traffic is crawling as the freeways are filled with frustrated commuters. Angry horn blasts, sirens, and road construction equipment add background chaos. Air conditioners are overloading the electric grid. It is a typical August day in southern California.

There is an oasis of quiet nearby….

A human-pedaled giant silver lobster, a fire truck with a fire-belching hookah, a taco truck with a band, and dozens of outlandish, welded monstrosities, all of which had to navigate 42 miles of roadway, sand dunes, water crossings, and fiendish rules in front of inglorious officials and thousands of spectators….

Three days of human-powered, all terrain, endurance silliness.

There are a few so-called Kinetic Sculpture Races around the world. But the original one was held in Humboldt County, California, USA in 1969. It is now called The Kinetic Grand Championship.

It is a three day 42 mile (67 km) race on roads, beaches, sand dunes (Deadman’s Drop), bay and river crossings, and slippery slopes….

Today some of the nicest and smartest people on the planet are gathered in Rome for the 4th Global Workshop on Digital Soil Mapping.

I was able to attend the first three global workshops and I wish I could be in Rome today. I miss my friends and the challenging and stimulating discussions.

What the heck is digital soil mapping, you say?

The Earth is often referred to as ‘the third rock from the Sun’.

WARNING: This post contains graphic images and explicit geologic explanations!

The desert is a harsh setting. Only the adapted and fortunate survive. Lessons have to be learned quickly. Decisions carry serious consequences.

National parks and monuments in the desert are good places for contemplation. The landscapes are enormous and the mind can wander farther than the views. You are not distracted by artificial urgencies. The commercial world is not represented.

The desert allows a person to sort through the experiences of the past and evaluate the lessons that should have been learned….

We have this great little university town, and a garbage dump, and wastewater, and marshland.

We are right on Humboldt Bay and the Pacific Flyway.

What can we do with these elements? And while we are at it, can we provide recreation and wildlife habitat?

So many things in life are about choices. More than 30 years ago the people of Arcata, California, USA chose well….