Last October we visited the Goal Zero HQ in Bluffdale, Utah. We were in contact with them with regards to our project, our power needs, available real estate on the roof for a panel, and which products would meet our needs.
The Wonderheads
Portland, OR—My trip to photograph the Wonderheads, a physical theatre company specializing in mask performance and wordless, visual storytelling, started mid-morning on Tuesday, February 3. My flight from Vegas landed on time, and getting my bag from the claim couldn’t have been easier. Andrew, one of the founding “heads,” was waiting outside for me. We introduced, threw my bags in the car and were off to their house about a half-hour away. As we drove, Andrew talked about Portland, it’s layout, and gave me other bits of information that helped me imagine the city as we made our way through the unique neighborhoods. He also answered all the basic questions I had regarding weather, etc. I was definitely struck by the quaintness of many of the houses and neighborhood businesses making up the quiet tree-lined streets. This place couldn’t have been a bigger contrast to Las Vegas, where the Egg was currently stationed.
Bishop
Bishop CA—The Egg has been parked for about a month now and we’ve enjoyed the stay immensely. Bishop (pop ~3500) is ideal for us. It offers cheap, long-term camping. It has several options for locally-owned coffee shops to work at. It has two really good bakeries. Restaurants are way better than average for a town this size. And it has a climber-friendly culture (see ‘long-term camping’) that warmly welcomes everyone to this beautiful desert oasis located in the foothills of the Eastern Sierras.
Big Sur
Monterey, CA—Jess and I have been offline a bit the last few days, forced by geography to unplug a little and enjoy the beautiful, majestic scenery that is Big Sur. Big Sur is located just south of the city of Monterey, CA. Yep, that Monterey. (Think: Jimi Hendrix, circa 1967, starting his guitar on fire on stage and you’ll probably recall.)
Our first stop in Los Padres National Forest, was just a few miles south of Monterey off Hwy 1. It was very difficult to keep the Egg on the road AND look at the amazing coastline just to our right, so we pulled over at the first coastline access we came to and spent the better half of the afternoon there. I shot a bunch of photos while Jess read Moby Dick while listening to the thundering and erratic waves. To add to this, we brought some low-end Trader Joe’s port and watched the sun set. We had arrived in Big Sur, and it felt glorious.
Tour de Monolith
Saint George, UT—After leaving Cedar City, we decided that our next stop would have to be Saint George, Utah. The second largest city in Utah (next to Salt Lake City), Saint George has a population of 77,000 people and is located amongst ridges and foothills of deep red sandstone blocks and cliffs. The city also happens to be located 45 minutes from Zion, the 229-square mile national park—Utah’s first, which is filled with mind-blowing sandstone monoliths and other geologic wonders too numerous to name. To us, the grandeur we felt seemed in equal measure to the feelings we had rolling into Yosemite Valley on our honeymoon six years ago. Jaw. Dropping.