I blew out of Needles, California and headed north to Bullhead City, Arizona (they could have called it, "Crackhead City"...but didn't...huh?).
All I got from Needles was a serendipitous bathroom novelty called "Horny Goat Weed". Hmmmmm........who am I to snicker at wasting 75 cents.
Have not tried the Horny Goat weed yet, but find myself proud of this bizarre possession and remain curious.
With "Horny Goat" I headed for Arizona Bay along the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (Arizona north of Kingman, south of Boulder Dam).
This is a vast, intricate, lonely, overlooked area of desert accessed on delightfully remote gravel roads.
Car camping near the waters of Lake Mojave (downstream of Boulder Dam forming Lake Mead) is highlighted with owls hooting at night, coyote families howling to each other, and some shy desert fox routinely coming out of their dens to circle the food smell from my truck.
A pair of ravens always drift over and seem to remember me for all the bread crumbs I share.
Had a pair of Bald Eagles show their "too cool for school" presence as a Grebe got dive bombed with the eagle using the morning sun to hide his attack.
I did get a good dusky, softly lit shot showing the usual Mojave Desert colors.
With nothing to do, and perfect sunny winter weather...I set up a major shoot using toy figurines. This shoot started like this.
Way too many figures and little or no composition...with too many possible focal points to choose from?
But I soldiered on, and hit my stride working all the angles...and pulling in close to take advantage of all the cluttered figures in the background.
There seems no end to shooting figurines with a super macro lens adjustment.
The possibilities lead to...an existential resolution as delusions of omnipotence plays out using figurines as mere mortals?
Hint: you can get these police figurines and wrestlers in the toy aisle at The 99 cent store in Bullhead City.
A PEACE sign made...by peace officers?
I've spent a lot of good time in this area, and hope some day to talk BLM into erecting an official "desert rat" Memorial Garbage Can for beer bottles.
The inscription:
"...In honor and memory of a lost child who grew to be "a man of infinite jest" by suffering then conquering SOLITUDE as a force field, a meditation, and an awakening to what lies ahead as a road man for The Lords of Karma.... Paid for by "The Horny Goat Weed" corporation as a sponsor for emerging "desert rat, half assed, nature photographers".
