Sunday, January 29, 2012

Leo Carrillo Ranch

The SDDSLR group had the January shoot at Leo Carrillo Ranch. The ranch was built and once owned by actor Leo Carrillo. There are rustic old adobe buildings, antique windmills, a reflecting pool and much more. The ranch is full of native flora and fauna. One of the first things that visitors are treated to seeing are many peafowl on the property. To find out a little of the history of the ranch click here Leo Carrillo History
The Peacocks put on a great show strutting their stuff.
The reflecting pool had to be redesigned to be 18 inches deep to avoid having to install an ugly fence around it.
The paths are lined with beautiful plants and the birds they attract.
The back side of a peacock strutting is just as impressive as the front view!
The Leo Carrillo Ranch is a fun place to visit. The link to more images Leo Carrillo
The link to the slideshow
   

Friday, January 20, 2012

Four Wheeling in the Desert

I had the pleasure of riding along with a group of friends in their four wheel drives in the desert this past weekend. It was just what the doctor ordered. I had such an amazing time and the desert had incredible weather and skies. It really was an rejuvenating experience. Great people and lots of fun! 
When we came over the top of the mountains to this view, I knew it was going to be a grand day!

Rae in the slot

A Supacat 400 HMT Jackal, used by the militaries of the United Kingdom. Taken through Frank's windshield.



I fell in love with Frank's Xterra. What an awesome ride! Frank is an excellent driver too.


The sunset was beautiful. While the guys added air to the tires, I got to enjoy the sunset. Doesn't seem fair does it?

A special thanks to Robert for the identification of the military vehicles. Thanks to Frank for letting me ride along and showing me places I'd never seen. Here is where we traveled quoted by Frank, "We started out driving south on the road from the dump towards the Borrego Sink. Right before the Borrego Sink we turned east into Borrego Sink and San Felipe Wash. We turned south into Borrego Mountain Wash and followed that to our lunch spot at the north end of The Slot.  We then backtracked to San Felipe Wash, continued east to Blow Sand Canyon, and took that sort of south to where it intersects with the Goat Trail. We took Goat Trail west to where it ends at Buttes Pass Road (where the orienteer finish line was set up), then went north on Buttes Pass back to San Felipe Wash. Most of us then took San Felipe Wash east to the south end of Military Wash, and turned north (running head on into a Jeep after a bit). We all then continued north in Military Wash (although not all of us were actually pointed in the same direction for part of that drive).  The place that we stopped to check out the old spent bullets on the ground was in Military Wash.  Military Wash ends at Cut Across Trail, which we then followed to the east for a shot bit until we got to Fault Wash, where we turned north again. Fault Wash ends at Arroyo Salado Wash, which we took east to Ella Wash, turning north.
 Ella Wash is one mile long, and ends at S-22 at the north end."
Have I said how amazing it is to me that Frank knows the desert like he does!?! What an excellent tour guide. Thanks again Frank!
Here is a link to the gallery of photos I took from our trip. There are many and if you are just browsing might be best viewed in the slideshow view, you can change the speed of the slideshow to taste in the upper right hand corner after choosing the slideshow option. Those of you who were traveling with us on this day, look closely at the photos. Some photos that look like they are the same have a slight difference that changes. Watch in particular for a video camera just peeking though. Ha!