An Instagram Full of Lies and A Sky Full of Stars

The Milky Way and the Westy on Earth, Striped Butte, Canon M6II, Rokinon 12mm F2, Stacked a few.

Timing seemed to be on my side when I got the call for a job in San Diego. Normally, I would drive down in my fuel efficient little Kia and get a hotel, but I had been seeing posts pop up in the week talking about all the color that was exploding in some of my favorite wildflower viewing areas. One of them, Anza Borrego, is simply too far out of the way for me to frequent on a whim. But with a record year of rain and my job leaving me just a short distance away, I figured I should take the Westy for this one and camp a few nights. There was a good chance I'd find myself unable to walk away from photos not yet taken of flowers not yet bloomed. It's happened before, so I packed up several cameras and several days worth of supplies. 

Looking back on it all, more could have gone wrong, and I am grateful it didn't; nearly everything else did.

Mary in San Diego, Leica Sofort 2

Mission San Diego, Leica Sofort 2

Conveniently, I found a campground on the map within 20 minutes of the shoot location. I checked the website and it was mostly empty, so I figured I could roll in and spend the night whenever I arrived. Instead, around 10pm, I was greeted by a locked gate with a sign saying they give codes only to those with reservations. Skeptical that the online system would automatically generate a code for immediate use, I opted to park on the seemingly quiet residential road leading up to the gate and get some shut eye. This must happen all the time to locals to the point that they are sick of the issues that can come when less respectful campers park for the night. Around three in the morning, a diesel truck fired up and idled for seemingly forever. Perhaps he was just a worker going about his normal morning routine. Twenty minutes later, it was feeling personal. When he finally put it in gear and drove past me, clearly on the throttle... then turned around, flipped his brights on, and made sure they blasted daylight into every square inch of my van, I knew it was personal. I struggled to get back to sleep off with my blood simmering but finally did a couple hours later. Just as I was dozing off, another local drove by wailing his horn as he slowly passed. The point was made clear and without any more sleep, I headed into town for breakfast and a shower at my gym. 

Padre at Sunset in Sky Art Sculpture Garden, Borrego Springs, Hasselblad X1DII w/ 35-75@ 75mm

The client was late, but the shoot otherwise went off without a hitch and I was feeling good about having a week in nature ahead. An ongoing project of mine is photographing California's missions in infrared black and white, and again, it seemed serendipitous to find one I hadn't photographed near my route. After an hour of shooting with my infrared camera and the Leica Sofort 2 for fun, I stopped for lunch then opted for the scenic route to Anza Borrego. I had plenty of time until the sun would give me better light across the desert bloom. 

Coming down the mountain passes from Julian, I expected to see some signs of color as I got to lower elevations, but that didn't happen. As I got closer and closer to Borrego Springs, I started to worry as I still hadn't seen any signs of blooms. Then, driving through the areas I have seen covered in carpets of blossoms before, there was nothing. Nothing. Not even a little. I kept driving in hopes that this year's bloom just happened to be in a different part than I expected. I just saw photos from last week on Instagram and it was going bananas. All I found were a couple of tiny, isolated patches through the entire valley. 

Some of the only color I found anywhere, attempting to maximize. Desert Tortoise in Sky Art Sculpture Garden, Borrego Springs, Hasselblad X1DII w/ 35-75@ 75mm 

I made the best of my afternoon and did what I could, but I resigned to the fact that I must have been a week late and there was nothing left for me to see. Camped out in the Westy, I downloaded cards and hatched a new plan. In the morning, I would go to town for breakfast at a cafe with wifi to deliver my job before heading out of service in Death Valley. The blooms move further north and up slope with the season. All the reports I saw confirmed it. Instagram was awash in it. 

Fonts Point just past twilight, Leica M10 w/ 18mm Super-Elmar

I did start to see some initial signs of color as I journeyed across Jubilee Pass and coasted my way down into the southern end of Death Valley. At Ashford Junction, I made the decision to venture out to Striped Butte - something I have long wanted to see, now with the added potential of seeing it surrounded by even more color. With a newly rebuilt transaxle and added torque biasing differential in the Westy, I felt more confident than I have in the past about making the reportedly precarious drive. 

Jubilee Pass, looking towards Death Valley, Canon M6II w/ EF100-400 @ 100mm (≡160)

The upgraded chariot, rigged for adventure, Canon M6II w/ EF100-400 @ 100mm (≡160)

After transiting the valley floor and starting the climb back up Warm Springs road, I got sidetracked shooting more infrared of the view looking up towards Badwater. By the time I made it to the butte, it was nearly dark. I hoped sunrise would bring me nice light on the butte and blossoms unfurling after wrapping themselves up for the cool night. 

Mars, looking back toward Earth, Hasselblad X1DII w/ 35-75@ 35mm 

West side, looking North, somewhere towards Badwater, Canon M6II w/ EF100-400 @ 175mm (≡280)

White Point Mine and Warm Springs showing some color, dusk,  Hasselblad X1DII w/ 35-75@ 65mm 

I played with a new to me lens on the Canon M system, a Rokinon 12mm f:2.0. The reviews were good and the price was right. At full frame equivalent of around 19mm, that fast aperture makes this a pretty tempting wide field astro lens. So in the dark, with wild donkeys calling off  in the distance, I set up for a couple shots and called it a night. 

Disco in the Westy with the Milky Way. The Pleiades are clearly drunk (cluster in the upper left). Andromeda is about to pass out ( the vertical smudge just over the horizon, right in the middle of the frame). Spoiler alert, my copy of the lens appeared to be heavily de-centered, and every star is a bat ray except right in the middle. Single exposure, edited to high hell. Canon M6II, Rokinon 12mm F2

 To be continued....

Even with issues, she's beautiful. My Sky full of Stars. Striped Butte. Stacked some. Canon M6II, Rokinon 12mm F2