Saturday, October 31, 2015

Bunny Boy Halloween

Where, oh where has Bunny Boy gone? 
Where, oh where can he be? 
Did he find his missing brother, Harvey? 
Did Bunny kill the Beast and save the world? 
Did good triumph over evil or did the corporations win? 

A whole lot of folks have been wondering.

Well, that's a whole lot of questions, and maybe it's no one's damn business what Bunny has been up to. But since you asked... the fact* is, Bunny recently turned up near the shores of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, behind the Zion Curtain. 


Apparently, Bunny had long overstayed his welcome at the old Balfour place in Erda where he had been staying as a guest of an old friend, Merdis. Bunny finally did find Harvey though. Maybe. Bunny said that he saw a guy who "looked an awful lot like Harvey" on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. He was passing out Book of Mormons, or Books of Mormon, (I'm not sure which). He looked a lot like Harvey. Bunny was almost 100% convinced it was him but was too scared to talk to him. The cat had his tongue. I'll bet that hurt.

Bunny was still fast asleep in the guest haus, (actually an old shed he shared with a wheel barrow and other burryin' tools), when Merdis arrived to evict him. Bunny got dressed and announced that he was heading to Santa Cruz, CA for Halloween and immediately departed on his long journey across two and a half states. 

Bunny saw lots of interesting things whilst walking across the desert; salt water, rocks, dirt, even some bushes. The Jack Rabbits were all unfriendly and didn't want to talk to him though. That made Bunny sad. 

Half way across Nevada, Bunny's feet were tired so he decided to take a rest at the Bunny Farm. It wasn't what he expected, and he didn't get any rest there, but he did get off his feet for a while. 

Bunny decided to hitch-hike the rest of the way and the nice folks at the Bunny Farm gave him a square of cardboard to make a sign. Bunny borrowed the official Bunny Farm magick marker pen and wrote upon the cardboard. Everyone figured he'd write "Santa Cruz" or something like that. But instead, he wrote: "Hi, I'm NOT crazy" so that people would know that he isn't crazy. That'd help him get a ride, he thought. 

Before long, a blue Subaru, not sure what kind, (they all look alike), stopped and gave Bunny a lift. It was a nice woman named Edweena, and she was going to Santa Cruz too. She told Bunny that she's a yoga instructor there. Bunny told Edweena all about the bunny pose and made her promise to incorporate it in her own yoga routine. 

Bunny talked Edweena's ear off. He had a few stories to tell, and after hours of Randy this, and mama's boy Carlos that, Edweena had had enough and turned up the 70's TV theme music they had been listening to in an attempt to drown the chatter. Bunny talked louder. Edweena handed Bunny a case full of compact discs and asked him if there was something he might want to listen to. He thumbed through the selections, mostly crap, and then pulled out what he said was one of his favorites. They spent the next couple of hours listening to the throat singing selections of Chirglechin. Edweena was surprised that Bunny could sing along and knew all the songs. A mysterious bunny indeed.

Edweena dropped off Bunny next to Charlie Hong Kong's on Seabright Ave, and told him how to get to the bus stop. He was glad that Edweena hadn't murdered him in the desert for his lucky rabbit feet. They're a pricey commodity these days, and a big pair like Bunny's, would fetch buku dinero on the streets. In parting, Edweena presented Bunny with a nice card that depicted Sasquatch with bunny ears that she had attached with duct tape. Inside the card, she wrote, 
"Bunny, thanks for riding to Santa Cruz with me. You are an amazing bunny. Your yoga friend, Edweena" 
 Actually Bunny made the card, but he pretended that Edweena had given it to him.  

After a quick bus ride to downtown, Bunny found himself in his own habitat. He even met some nice bunnies there. Bunny reveled in, and relived memories of his glory days when he was big on the YouTube and starred in the Rez E Dents premier of the Bunny Boy at the Rio, right here in Santa Cruz. Those were good times. 

The next day, Bunny was out of his suit, and going somewhere. He didn't say where.

Bunny was last spotted eating chicken somewhere in remote Nevada, at these coordinates 
40° 21' 03'' N 
117° 20' 48'' W  

* and of course none of this really happened... or did it? 

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Great Salt Lake in 3d Part 7 Lakeside

The drive to Lakeside began before 5:00 AM. I wasn't sure how long it would take since much of the drive would be on dirt roads, and I wanted to be there to photograph the sunrise.

With an hour or so before sunrise, we took exit 62 off of Interstate 80 and found, not a dirt road, but one of the smoothest and best maintained roads I have ever driven... and there was no one else there. Apparently, this area wasn't a popular destination for Labor Day weekend travelers.

The moon didn't offer any assistance as the nicely groomed road continued north for almost 20 miles. The darkness made it somewhat difficult to navigate. 

Suddenly, the road came to an abrupt end and we found ourselves under bright lights at the gate of a top secret military installation. We examined the map and discovered that we had failed to make a right turn a couple of miles back. We turned the car around and backtracked without incident. 

The rest of the drive took place on a well maintained dirt road and we arrived in time to make our way out onto the causeway that crosses the Great Salt Lake before the sun painted the sky... and everything else.



3D shot of Transcontinental RR Great Salt Lake Causeway looking East from Lakeside moments before sunrise. 
Sun rising over the Promontory Mountains looking East from Lakeside Station on the Transcontinental RR causeway.

3D - On the Transcontinental RR Great Salt Lake Causeway at Lakeside Station looking West

3D - Lakeside Station

Lakeside Station
Not much happens at Lakeside Station except for the occasional passing train, and the numerous birds who thrive in this harsh environment.
A Union pacific train heading East across the Great Salt Lake Causeway.

Looking Northwest toward the Hogup Mountains
John Williams Gunnison was second in command of Howard Stansbury's surveyor expedition that began mapping this region in 1849. Gunnison, and his team of surveyors were massacred by a band of Indians in 1853. Gunnison Island, one of the loneliest Islands on the Great Salt Lake, bears his name.
Looking North - Gunnison Island..


3D - Salt

3D - receding lake has left behind eroded barricades.

After leaving the causeway, we headed up to the top of Lakeside Butte, (about 450' above the Great Salt Lake level), for a great view of the region. 



Causeway crossing the Great Salt Lake looking East

In 1904, the Lucin cutoff shaved off 44 miles from the old Historic Transcontinental RR route around the Great Salt Lake. The causeway across the Great Salt Lake has physically divided the  lake and has drastically changed the saline levels of each side. The north part of the lake is now much more saline and the algae gives the water a reddish hue.


Transcontinental RR looking West toward Lucin, UT - about 160 miles away. 

3D - sign at the UTTR, (Utah Training and Test Range), on the Puddle Valley Highway on the way to Lakeside, UT. A Declared Public Right of Way even though the "ROAD CLOSED" signs would make you think otherwise.


Sunday, September 13, 2015

JFK International in 3D


Due to a cancelled flight, my son and I had the opportunity to spend the night at JFK International Airport. Knowing that we'd be there for at least seventeen hours, we quickly located chairs within close proximity to electrical outlets. The batteries on both of our phones and cameras were critically low so it was crucial to charge up for the long night ahead. We soon discovered that we had the only two outlets in the entire area that was occupied by hundreds of other displaced travelers, like ourselves. 

What do you do when you're trapped in an airport?

Here we were in New York City, and we were trapped at the airport with nothing to do. I knew that the architecture of the airport would make for some pretty awesome 3D photos, so with a fully charged battery, I set out in search of depth, perspective and intrigue.  

Other than a couple of official personnel, the baggage claim area in the basement was desolate. 


I escalated myself upstairs to get an overview of the dismayed travelers at the Jet Blue check in area. No one seemed to be having a good time. I was. 
 
I really liked the reflections and different depth perspectives in and through the glass on the balcony. 

The near empty corridors leading to the Air Bus and parking plaza provided a wonderful opportunity for me to take photos.
The sun was low on the western horizon when I stepped outside and climbed the stairs to the top of the parking plaza.




The Air Bus and tracks provided some interesting 3D opportunities too.
Back inside, I discovered other bored travelers who were literally climbing the walls.
The arched architecture of the Air Bus station was beautifully illuminated  by the descending sun.
Outside, planes sat motionless as numerous flights* were cancelled.
The last shot I took was looking down over the Jet Blue check in area. I still had a long night ahead. 

 *Supposedly, a "glitch" in the system resulted in the cancellation of more than thirty flights at JFK and another sixty or so nationally. Suspiciously, not all flights were effected by this "glitch".

Sunday, August 9, 2015